by Zettler Clay

Jeff Van Gundy called it the “top play of the year.” Others are saying it’s the top dunk of the playoffs, revisionist memory and all (I think Taj Gibson may have a few things to say about that). But we’ll just settle for “a dunk that’s well-entrenched in Kevin Durant’s highlight reel for the rest of his career.”

Below is the video of the highlight, but here at All Ball, we endeavor to go further than that. If your first name is “Brendan” and last name is “Haywood,” this might be the time for you to disengage from this post.

The astute eye would notice there wasn’t a hand-on-rim connection in this play and might be inclined to discredit it. This position has been discussed ad nauseum by the Hang Time crew and NBA.com’s LeMont Calloway, who handles the Dunk Ladder. But I’d caution against discounting a play in which a 6-foot-9 player extends clean over the top of a 7-foot center and while being pushed away from the hoop, still manages to … just look at it again for yourself.