Section 215
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers: Embiid, Simmons featured in ESPN’s top-100 dunks

By Matty Breisch

(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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In a season filled with highlight reel plays, the Philadelphia 76ers are heavily featured in ESPN’s top-100 dunks of the 2017-2018 NBA season.

On Saturday, July 28th ESPN released their official list of the 100 best dunks of the 2018 NBA season, and to make a long story short, the Philadelphia 76ers were heavily represented.

Compiled into a video highlight reel that clocks in at an exorbitantly long 20 minutes and 22 seconds, some of the best plays of the year were on full display for the basketball fan around the globe.

Needless to say, the start of the 2018 NBA season can not come soon enough.

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But, with 100 dunks to comb through, how many were performed by, or against the Philadelphia 76ers?

Fear not, for we here at Section 215 combed through the tape, and created a cheat sheet for fans with less free time.

Of the 100 dunks on ESPN’s four were performed by Embiid, including number 88, number 81, and a pair of particularly memorable ones against Russell Westbrook at number 21 and Aaron Baynes at 15. Ever the showman, it’s no surprise that Embiid made it onto the list, but watching the 7-foot superstar slam down the rock with vicious further is a sight I’ve sorely missed over the last few months.

Additionally, the team’s other super-sized superstar, Ben Simmons also made a pair of appearances on the list, once on a fast break dime from T.J. McConnell against the Charlotte Hornets at 84, and again at 16, with another legit jam against the Brooklyn Nets where the 6-foot-10 point guard breezed past not one, but two opposing defenders in route to the basket.

By contrast, the team only appeared twice on the list as the dunkee, once at 63 overall by Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic, and again at 16 with a particularly brutal posterization of Ersan Ilyasova by the King of LA himself, LeBron James.

Interestingly enough, only one ex-Sixer made the list, former wingman turned converted power forward Jerami Grant on a pretty sweet fast break bucket courtesy of Westbrook at 50 overall.

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Though this list is ultimately trivial, as a dunk’s beauty is in the eye of its beholder, it is nice to see the Philadelphia 76ers get a few more positive accolades going into the season, and watch just how infrequently the dynamic defensive duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are giving up highlight reel plays in the paint.