30. Houston Rockets #Rockets (Ryan – 30, Ben – 30, Avg – 30.0)
Ben: If you click on this hashtag in 2023 and expect to see posts about your favorite Houston-based professional basketball player, you must not be reading the news.
Ryan: It doesn’t get any less creative than just using your team’s name.
29. New Orleans Pelicans #Pelicans (Ryan – 29, Ben – 29, Avg – 29.0)
Ben: #Pelicans can hold up to three gallons of water in their pouch.
Ryan: Be better, Pelicans.
28. Memphis Grizzlies #BackToTheGrind (Ryan – 28, Ben – 27, Avg – 27.5)
Ben: “Back to the grind” is what I say to myself before spending hours on my computer doing meaningless busywork.
Ryan: There isn’t a word in the English language that I hate more than grind.
27. Los Angeles Clippers #ClipperNation (Ryan – 27, Ben – 26, Avg – 26.5)
Ben: Imagining a nation of outdated sailboats.
Ryan: I feel like you can’t use the word nation when 75% of your own city doesn’t care about your existence.
26. Phoenix Suns #ComingInHot (Ryan – 24, Ben – 28, Avg – 26.0)
Ben: This better not be referencing that awful Andy Mineo song.
Ryan: A for effort, D- for execution.
25. Boston Celtics #DifferentHere (Ryan – 26, Ben – 25, Avg – 25.5)
Ben: #BleedGreen was a million times better than this boring corporate slogan.
Ryan: I honestly don’t even know what they are going for here, but I concur with Ben about #BleedGreen being fantastic.
24. Miami Heat #HEATCulture (Ryan – 22, Ben 24, Avg – 23.0)
Ben: Reaching levels of cringe previously thought impossible.
Ryan: Culture is the most overused word in sports.
23. Orlando Magic #MagicTogether (Ryan – 21, Ben – 19, Avg – 20.0)
Ben: What does this even mean?
Ryan: With a super fun, young, talented team that is set to make a huge jump this season, I expect a hashtag to match it.
T21. Denver Nuggets #MileHighBasketball (Ryan – 23, Ben – 16, Avg – 19.5)
Ben: It’s basic, but snappy enough.
Ryan: They just took their city nickname and added basketball. A 2-year-old could’ve done that.
T21. Oklahoma City Thunder #ThunderUp (Ryan – 19, Ben – 20, Avg – 19.5)
Ben: To be fair, with a team name as bad as the “Thunder”, there’s not a whole lot of possibilities.
Ryan: My high school had a cheer that went something like this: “Pump it up. Pump it up. Pump it up, up, up, up!” That is all I can think about when I see this hashtag.
20. Portland Trail Blazers #RipCity (Ryan – 15, Ben – 23, Avg – 19.0)
Ben: Everything has a life cycle. Portland’s beloved nickname, at least in the context of the Blazers, needs to be put out to pasture.
Ryan: It’s still catchy enough and somewhat cool, but it’s becoming outdated.
19. New York Knicks #NewYorkForever (Ryan – 20, Ben – 15, Avg – 17.5)
Ben: Sounds like something Eric Adams would randomly shout in a press conference, but I’ll allow it.
Ryan: This isn’t what fans are saying to Julius Randle…
18. Cleveland Cavaliers #LetEmKnow (Ryan – 12, Ben – 22, Avg – 17.0)
Ben: #LetEmKnow that sans LeBron, the Cavs are one of the least successful professional sports franchises in American history.
Ryan: It screams arrogance and I love it, especially for a team that is so youthful and talented.
17. Philadelphia 76ers #BrotherlyLove (Ryan – 14, Ben – 18, Avg – 16.0)
Ben: They say you can’t knock a classic, but Philly’s version of “brotherly love” is usually either crime or general stupidity.
Ryan: I find myself wishing that we were still trusting the process.
16. Atlanta Hawks #TrueToAtlanta (Ryan – 18, Ben – 12, Avg – 15.0)
Ben: Drop the “Atlanta”. Just #TrueToTheA. It’s cleaner.
Ryan: I probably would’ve rated this one higher if they didn’t employ my least favorite basketball player in the world. Trae Young is unwatchable.
15. Chicago Bulls #SeeRed (Ryan – 25, Ben – 4, Avg – 14.5)
Ben: Short, catchy, and relevant to the team’s mascot (and how the fans feel about the team).
Ryan: If I didn’t hate the Wisconsin Badgers so much, I would be okay with this one. Go Gophers!
14. Washington Wizards #ForTheDistrict (Ryan – 7, Ben – 21, Avg – 14.0)
Ben: Jordan Poole would die first in the Hunger Games.
Ryan: It just sounds so clean.
13. Indiana Pacers #BoomBaby (Ryan – 10, Ben – 17, Avg – 13.5)
Ben: It’s so stupid that it kinda works?
Ryan: Just imagine Tyrese Haliburton hitting a game winning shot and standing at half court yelling “BOOM BABY!” I think it would break Twitter, I mean X, sorry Mr. Musk.
T11. Los Angeles Lakers #LakeShow (Ryan – 16, Ben – 10, Avg – 13.0)
Ben: A timeless, ever-relevant way to describe the LA Lakers.
Ryan: There isn’t much of a show happening in Staples these days. If you actually call it Crypto.com arena now, please stop. It will all be Staples.
T11. Dallas Mavericks #MFFL (Ryan – 17, Ben – 9, Avg – 13.0)
Ben: I like that it’s an acronym (unique!) and I like that it’s pronounced “miffle”.
Ryan: It’s pronounced “miffle?” I think that makes me dislike it a lot more.
10. Golden State Warriors #DubNation (Ryan – 13, Ben – 11, Avg – 12.0)
Ben: A modern classic.
Ryan: #DubNation has been just as big of a part of this dynasty as Steph Curry himself. When Steph retires, #DubNation retires too.
9. Brooklyn Nets #NetsWorld (Ryan – 8, Ben – 13, Avg – 10.5)
Ben: I wish that they made the hashtag more Brooklyn-centric, but this works just fine.
Ryan: It’s a #NetsWorld and we are just living in it. At least that’s what my new favorite player Dorian Finney-Smith told me.
8. Detroit Pistons #DetroitBasketball (Ryan – 9, Ben – 8, Avg – 8.5)
Ben: You haven’t lived until you’ve heard John Mason shout “DEEEEEETROOOOOOIT BASKETBAAAAALL” at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
Ryan: Detroit Basketball. Tough and gritty. Just like the city itself.
T6. San Antonio Spurs #PorVida (Ryan – 11, Ben – 5, Avg – 8.0)
Ben: The Spurs took the “fan for life” concept of MFFL and gave it a TexMex twist. Awesome.
Ryan: A show of appreciation for the large Hispanic population in the San Antonio area. Well done, Spurs.
T6. Charlotte Hornets #LetsFly35 (Ryan – 2, Ben – 14, Avg – 8.0)
Ben: It rhymes, and it honors 35 seasons of losing in one of the country’s most basketball-crazed cities.
Ryan: 35 seasons of losing or not, it’s catchy and it rhymes. That’s a huge win in my book.
T4. Utah Jazz #TakeNote (Ryan – 6, Ben – 6, Avg – 6.0)
Ben: A great nod to not just the Jazz’s logo, but also the fact that they’re an underrated and unheralded small-market team who are well worth the occasional watch on NBA League Pass.
Ryan: I love puns.
T4. Minnesota Timberwolves #RaisedByWolves (Ryan – 5, Ben – 7, Avg – 6.0)
Ben: I’m starting to think that the admin of the Timberwolves’ Brazil-based fan account was *actually* raised by wolves.
Ryan: A fitting hashtag for a team that is led by one of the brightest, youngest stars in the game. Anthony Edwards has that dog in him.
3. Toronto Raptors #WeTheNorth (Ryan – 4, Ben – 3, Avg – 3.5)
Ben: The NBA’s only Canada-based team leans into what makes them unique. Marketing 101.
Ryan: I just love the idea of being the North.
2. Sacramento Kings #LightTheBeam (Ryan – 3, Ben – 1, Avg – 2.0)
Ben: The slogan will serve long into the future as a wonderful reminder of one of the best underdog stories in NBA history. The 2022-23 Sacramento “Beam Team” Kings stole the hearts of the league’s fans.
Ryan: The victory beam is one of the greatest marketing ploys of the 21st century. I hope that the intern that came up with it got full credit and a huge promotion.
1. Milwaukee Bucks #FearTheDeer (Ryan – 1, Ben – 2, Avg – 1.5)
Ben: Have you ever seen one of those nature documentaries that show two bucks fighting with their antlers? So cool, yet so scary.
Ryan: It’s been around for years, but why fix what’s not broken? It’s literally perfect.
——————————————————————–
Authors: Ryan Macdonald and Ben Pawlak
Published: 11/9/23 at 5:00pm EST
The MVP Blog 