5 best dunks of the 2017-18 NBA season

The midseason trades by the Cavaliers changed the composition of the team, adding positive energy to a team that had some bad mojo going into the month of February. One of the best acquisitions was Larry Nance Jr., who brought his high-flying game and good juju to Cleveland. The trade also gave Nance Jr. an opportunity to wear the jersey number of his father, a decision the NBA allowed even though Nance Sr.’s number had previously been retired. I can’t comprehend how special it must be for the Nance family for him to put on the same number his father had when he played.

But emotional factors aside, this dunk is stupendous. Nance grabs the offensive rebound from a Rodney Hood missed 3-pointer, and kicks the ball back out to the perimeter. The Nuggets defense has struggled all season after an offensive rebound, with their players standing around like a bunch of step-dads on hour three with their stepdaughters at the Gap on a Saturday in June.

Nance takes advantage of the opening to flash on the baseline, where Cedi Osman finds him with nobody between him and the rim. He catches the ball, power dribbles to the rim as Mason Plumlee rotates over to contest, and then magic happens. Plumlee meets Nance in the air, but Nance continues to rise after the contest, raising his right arm straight into the air before rotating the ball down in a violent manner, delivering the ball through the rim for two points and many, many bragging points in the future. In that moment, the University of Wyoming had just earned the adoration of all the Duke-haters out there, and Mason Plumlee felt the wrath of thousands of suddenly very interested souls.

But wait, there’s more! After Nance lands, he delivers the ultimate finishing blow, busting out the Shawn Kemp finger-pistol celebration, riddling Plumlee’s already broken body with imaginary bullets to further humiliate him. Talk about a historical dunk – everything about is was just the best — but it wasn’t the top dunk of the season.