Ranking Chicago Bulls' 10 Best Highlights of the 2014-15 Season So Far

So far this season, the Chicago Bulls have made several plays that caused you to rewind your DVR.

Whether it's Jimmy Butler dunking on a fast break, Mike Dunleavy nailing a long-range bomb or Taj Gibson posterizing somebody, this Bulls team really knows how to get fans pumped up. 

Derrick Rose is one of the league's most exciting players when healthy. Thankfully, we've gotten to see him play this year, blowing past defenders and doing other D-Rose-type of stuff.

Let's look at Chicago's top-10 highlights of the early season. If you're wanting to see Nikola Mirotic get his ankles broken by the Charlotte Hornets' Kemba Walker, this isn't the slideshow for you.

This is about highlights made by the Bulls, not highlights against them.

10. Jimmy Butler's Reverse Dunk Against the Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets' Cody Zeller had the best dunk of the night during the Bulls' 102-95 victory December 3.

But Butler's jam wasn't too bad, either. The November Player of the Month resembled a young Michael Jordan, as he drove the baseline and threw down a sick reverse.

It makes you wonder what Jordan, who was at the game serving as Charlotte's owner, thought about that one.     

Do you think he thought to himself, "Hey, that looked like me back in the day?" OK, that might be taking it a little too far.

9. Jimmy Butler's Game-Winning Free Throws

Wait a minute: What's so special about free throws? Well, when they're game-winning free throws, they're a little bit exciting.

In the final seconds of the November 1 meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Butler drew a foul on Andrew Wiggins, as he pump-faked and got the rookie up in the air.

Per The Associated Press (via ESPN.com), Butler was trying to teach Wiggins a lesson: "I said, 'Oh I'm going to get him, I'm going to get him.' I gave him the pump fake and he bit on it."

Butler hit both free throws and gave Chicago a 106-105 victory. He finished with 24 points and shot 11-of-15 from the charity stripe.

8. Rookie-to-Rookie Connection: Nikola Mirotic to Doug McDermott

This just hasn't been a great rookie season for Doug McDermott. Known for his shooting ability, the former Creighton star has hit only 23.1 percent of his three-point attempts so far. Plus, he's playing less than 12 minutes a night after being "the man" in college.

But on a positive note, he hooked up with fellow Bulls rookie Mirotic on a spectacular play during the November 4 win over the Orlando Magic.

Fast-forward to about the 44 second mark. Positioned in the post, Mirotic found a cutting McDermott, who finished with a rim-rattling dunk. McBuckets tied a career high with 12 points in this game.

7. Victory over the Los Angeles Clippers Without Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol

No one—not even the biggest Chicago sports fan—believed the Bulls could win their November 17 meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers. It's pretty difficult to get a road victory without two of your best players in Rose and Gasol.

With the injured stars on the bench, Chicago stormed back from a 14-point deficit to beat the Chris Paul and Blake Griffin-led Clippers, 105-89.

Butler's 22 points led six players in double figures. The Bulls improved to 6-0 on the road for the first time since the 1996-97 season.

That certainly wasn't a bad way to kick off a seven-game circus trip.          

6. Taj Gibson Dunks All over the Boston Celtics

Ever since he entered the league in 2009, Taj Gibson has come up with several thunderous dunks. His throwdown over the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade during the 2011 playoffs will never be forgotten by Bulls fans. 

This season, on November 8 versus the Boston Celtics, Gibson was at it once again. He took the feed from Aaron Brooks and then threw it down over big men Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger.

While it wasn't as eye-popping as the D-Wade dunk, it was still worth talking about.

It's too bad the Bulls lost to the Rajon Rondo-less Celtics, though.       

5. Derrick Rose Finds Pau Gasol for the Slam

Scoring is Rose's bread and butter, but he can dish the rock as well.

Late in the second quarter of the November 10 win over the Detroit Pistons, the Bulls point guard dazzled fans with a pass to Gasol. After a little shake-and-bake move, Rose flipped it over to Gasol, who slammed it home.

Both players were huge in this game. Rose scored a season-high 24 points—his biggest total since April 2012—and handed out seven assists. Meanwhile, Gasol had 17 points, 15 boards, four assists and four blocks.

4. Derrick Rose Hangs in the Air and Dishes to Joakim Noah

Hold up: Wasn't the previous slide about a Rose assist against the Pistons? Yes, and this slide covers the same game, with Rose dishing to Noah instead.

Toward the end of the second quarter, Rose jumped in the air, faked everybody out and found Noah for the bucket.

Detroit's Greg Monroe's reaction is hilarious. He's looking like, "Where is the ball going to go?"

Surely, when they watched the replay, the entire Bulls team fell out in laughter. Even coach Tom Thibodeau may have cracked up, too.     

3. Taj Gibson's 'Angry Man' Dunk

We couldn't get through a Bulls highlight slideshow with only one Gibson dunk. Having two just makes sense.

In the December 10 meeting with the Brooklyn Nets, he did his thing by contributing a monster slam.

Posting up Mason Plumlee down low, Gibson would do his best Shaquille O'Neal impersonation, trying to tear the rim completely off the backboard.

Bulls announcer Stacey King said, "That's an angry man dunk right there." Yeah, he did look pretty angry on that play. 

The Bulls smashed Brooklyn, 105-80, and Gibson recorded 11 points, 10 rebounds and a whopping six blocks against his hometown team.

2. Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol Bully Kevin Love

Noah and Gasol are quite the rim-protecting duo for the Bulls, and they proved that in their October 31 contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gasol finished with six blocks, and Noah chipped in with three. 

During the first quarter, Cleveland's Kevin Love attempted to score inside only to have it rejected by Noah. Then, after getting the ball right back, Love tried it again and was swatted away by Gasol.

And the cherry on top of the Bulls' block party was Dunleavy hitting a three-pointer on the other end of the floor.  

Of course, K-Love ended up getting the last laugh, as Cleveland won the game, 114-108.

1. Derrick Rose Forces a 2nd Overtime

Although Chicago lost to the Dallas Mavericks 132-129 on December 2, it was still a rather fascinating contest to watch.

Kirk Hinrich fouled the Mavs' Monta Ellis, who hit all three free throws to send the game to its first overtime.

Later on, Rose would hit a one-handed, three-point buzzer-beater to force double overtime. The United Center crowd erupted, and King yelled, "Big-time players make big-time plays!"   

Unfortunately, Rose's next decisive shot would come up short, attempting to tie the game at the end of the second overtime. Who knows how long the game could've lasted if he had hit that shot.