FanPulse: Kawhi Leonard, Ray Allen top ‘Biggest NBA Shot of the Decade’ voting

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You know the drill by now. The broader SB Nation FanPulse community answers a national question about the league, and then the “pulse” of the local communities is taken.

This week’s national poll centered around the best shots of the decade.

Former SB Nation Swiss Army Knife Tom Ziller (you can sign up for his newsletter here) picked 15 of the top shots in the 2010s and FanPulsers chimed in with their No. 1.

The results:

Series-winning shots always have to have the upper hand for me in these polls. That’s why I would take Kawhi Leonard’s triple-bouncer over Ray Allen’s corner three, which simply extended the series to a seventh game.

Steph Curry’s double-BANG (h/t Mike Breen) is probably the most important shot of the decade in terms of what it symbolized (players’ range extending to 30-plus feet, the rise of the Warriors, the fall of OKC). And Kyrie Irving’s three from the right ring in Game 7 might be the most meaningful considering it gave Cleveland its first sports title in 50 or so years.

Genuinely and honestly, I do not remember which Dirk Nowitzki shot this poll is referencing, so to me that disqualifies it immediately. Dallas won that series in six games and they beat Miami by 10 in Game 6, so this wasn’t even a buzzer-beater or clutch bucket. No way.

The 35-footer Damian Lillard hit over Paul George in Game 6 of that series had the most swagger of any dagger this decade, but ultimately wasn’t very impactful. Portland was severely out-matched in the conference finals and we all knew it. While it’s probably the high point of the Lillard-era Trail Blazers, in the broader context of the league, it’s not very meaningful.

Lastly, your patience with the Suns is wearing thin. Nearly three-quarters of Bright Side members say they are not confident in the Suns making the playoffs.

This came prior to the Suns beating Sacramento, so for a team in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, such pessimism is fair.

I’ll be far more interested to see next week if folks’ feelings are more positive coming off a win. Again, you can join in on the fun here.