TNT Somehow Missed A Dunk During ...The Dunk Contest

As a consolation prize for our first weekend without football, TNT treated us to the NBA Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night.

This year's contestants for the much-anticipated event included G-League's Mac McClung, New York Knicks' Jacob Toppin, Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. and the Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown. Brown, in fact, is the first All-Star to participate in the dunk competition since 2018.

So, let's see what he's got!

In the setup for Round 1, Brown pulled someone wearing an Atlanta Hawks' Dominique Wilkins jersey onto the court. The person coached Brown on Wilkins' windmill dunk, then got out of the way. The camera pulled to an overhead shot then focused in on the man wearing the Wilkins jersey and Wilkins himself.

Let's watch!

Wait…

No, you didn't blink. TNT forgot to show the actual dunk. Nothing to see here — just the entire point of the whole broadcast. Great work, everyone!

OK, we didn't get to see the dunk live, but luckily there were some cameras pointed at Jaylen Brown. So let's try again:

On second thought, I guess we didn't miss much.

Now, far be it from me to critique an NBA player's technique. Towering at an imposing 5-foot-2, the only thing I'm slam-dunking on a Saturday night is an empty Miller Lite bottle into the trashcan. (At least I'm doing better than Skip Bayless!)

But I feel like at least 90% of NBA players could pull off that uncontested windmill dunk. If you're the best of the best, I want to see you blindfolded and leaping over small villages. Maybe a little dizzy bat action first? Shoot some tequila and you have to wear oven mitts?!

Nah, just a regular shmegular dunk. Color me unimpressed.

(USA TODAY)

Ultimately, the judges agreed with me, and Brown did not win. Osceola Magic guard Mac McClung took home the Slam Dunk title for the second year in a row — making him the fifth back-to-back winner in NBA history, joining Michael Jordan, Jason Richardson, Nate Robinson and Zach LaVine.

I can't wait to see what the G-League has in store next year! If, of course, TNT remembers to show it.