Rating the Best Highlights of the 2015-16 NBA Season's 2nd Month

December is a month for giving, and this year, the NBA's highlight factory has not disappointed with its generosity.

Past parameters will apply when singling out the most drool-generating clips from the second month of the 2015-16 campaign. Plays will be plucked from the deep collection of reels the league has created. Ratings will be handed out to selected highlights using an (updated) five-tier grading system: Difficulty, Clowning the Defender, Jaw-Drop Factor, a play-specific wild card and an Overall rating that averages out the grades of the four previous categories.

Scores are weighted on a scale of 0 to 99—perfection doesn't exist—and remain totally subjective. Since monthly themes have not been prohibited, and because I feel like shaking things up, special consideration will be given to highlights that feature senior basketball citizens turning back the clock.

Our memorable moments are ordered chronologically and allow for only one inclusion per player. Otherwise, we might as well just spend the next 10 slides riffing on the heroics, acrobatics and ohmygodics of Stephen Curry.

Let's bask in the Association's timely selflessness then, shall we?

Honorable Mention: Vinsanity Still Has It

Difficulty: 92

Vince Carter is 38, going on 39. He skirted around a 29-year-old Lou Williams. He dunked with one hand.

That is all.

Clowning the Defender: 79

Seriously, good on Carter for out-hustling someone nearly 10 years his junior. But, in the end, all he did was torch a cruddy Los Angeles Lakers defense. It would have been weird if he didn't clown someone.

Jaw-Drop Factor: 84

Carter is one of the best dunkers ever and has rocked the rim this season on three other occasions. This is not unprecedented for him—even old-man him. Nevertheless, there's something about deteriorating athletes in their late 30s dunking that brings the jaw to the floor.

Use Zach Randolph as a Human Shield Factor: 99

No way does Carter successfully put this one down without Zach Randolph warding off Brandon Bass and Julius Randle. You the real MVP, Z-Bo.

Overall: 89

If the NBA held a dunk contest for players over the age of 37, Carter would totally win.

Dec. 3: The Way of Wade-Whiteside

Difficulty: 93

Why don't any of us ordinary humans of normal height, build and hand size ever catch a lob in traffic using only our right arm before fiercely, if dangerously, rattling the backboard? Because we can't.

Clowning the Defender: 82

Steven Adams and Andre Roberson do the right thing. The Oklahoma City Thunder often leave Serge Ibaka to police the rim so they can trap ball-handlers, such as Dwyane Wade, within pick-and-rolls. They have built one of the best defenses against said plays because of that model.

This is less about any of them and more about the 7-foot Hassan Whiteside having Stickum-saturated oven mitts for hands.

Jaw-Drop Factor: 94

Not once at the top of this play did you ever have the sense something special was brewing. Whiteside struggled to set a screen on Roberson for Wade, and he took a coffee break before casually gliding into the paint. And then poof! He goes viral. 

Serge Ibaka Wishes He Was Somewhere Else Factor: 99

Opponents are shooting under 40 percent against Ibaka at the rim. Whiteside either didn't know or never cared.

Overall: 92

How do you defend this? You don't. You can put another body between Whiteside and the rim, but he and Wade have that whole secret-handshake-buddy, extrasensory perception thing down. Wade is barely looking in the direction of his skyscraping bestie, and Whiteside is monstrous enough to grab anything that comes his way.

The only logical thing to do in this situation is pray. Or run away.

Dec. 4: Welcome to Devin Harris' Sideshow

Difficulty: 99

Patrick Beverley absolutely mauled Devin Harris. He must've mistaken him for Russell Westbrook or something. Few players would have been able to force a shot up, let alone find the vicinity of the basket, after being struck across the ball-dominant shoulder.

Clowning the Defender: 95

"LOL @ Bevs thinking he could half-heartedly clothesline Dev and prevent the and-1."—What I should've tweeted on Dec. 4.

Jaw-Drop Factor: 83

Are we shocked this went in? Yes. But we expect players to chuck up Hail Marys when they absorb contact. Harris' efficiency amid violent discombobulation is just more impressive than usual.

Twist the Knife of Shame Deeper into Beverley Factor: 99

Divert your eyes from the fantastically flailing Harris for a moment, and you'll notice Beverley arguing that he assaulted the Dallas Mavericks floor general before he entered his shooting motion. (Spoiler: He lost the argument.)

Overall: 94

It's not every day Harris is able to find nylon with a defensive hyena clubbing his shoulder mid-drive. Whether the result of contrived composure or a happy accident, this circus shot is just believably unbelievable enough to seduce the eyeballs.

Dec. 7: Kevin Garnett Is 39 Years Young

Difficulty: 96

You try getting this much air—any air, really—at the age of 39 with 55,000-plus regular-season and playoff minutes on your treads.

Clowning the Defender: 93

Blake Griffin chose to contest Grandpa Garnett at the rim. He chose poorly. His decision looks even worse in hindsight, when you realize he simply stepped out of Garnett's way once Gramps brushed against his chest.

Jaw-Drop Factor: 99

Don't pretend like you saw this coming. This was just Garnett's fourth dunk since last season. He dropped his own jaw—so much so that he was handed a technical for excessively celebrating his unanticipated stuff.

Pump Up Ricky Rubio and Karl-Anthony Towns Factor: 99

Both of Minnesota's Timberpups—Rubio is only 25, so yes, Timberpup—were straight amped when Garnett turn backed the clock. Rubio changed his face into a roar; Alexey Shved would've been proud. Towns got watching-TV-after-dinner-on-a-school-night-without-telling-mom rowdy. 

Overall: 97

Everyone inside the Target Center, with the exception of the Los Angeles Clippers, went bonkers. Minnesota's bench exploded, and the crowd reached a state of euphoria that's usually induced through illegal means.

Luckily for those in attendance, Garnett's jam didn't break any laws, just Father Time's soul.

Dec. 9: Now That's How You Win, Grizz

Difficulty: 89

So, 0.8 seconds isn't a lot of time to score off an inbounds play. Defenses know to guard against alley-oops. Jeff Green darts around a Mike Conley screen, outmaneuvers three defenders, catches the rock over the head of a 6'10" Jon Leuer and has the composure necessary to force the ball through the bottom of the net.

Clowning the Defender: 82

No, the Phoenix Suns didn't exactly do a great job of protecting the rim, and P.J. Tucker loses imaginary points for not even pretending to contest the pass. But Leuer darn near picks off Courtney Lee's lob. Credit the oft-criticized Green for finding the rim as he's falling away from the basket.

Jaw-Drop Factor: 99

With 0.8 seconds left in a tie game, you're expecting overtime—especially if the Memphis Grizzlies have the ball. They're neither an overly athletic or inventive offensive squad. There's no way they draw up a game-winning alley-oop.

Except they did.

Pile On Jeff Green Factor: 99

Memphis mobbed Green once he hit the floor, presumably celebrating how any team would in this situation: by knighting Green "Da Man," jumping on him so hard that he assumes the fetal position and tickling his armpit until his grade-school giggles turn to exasperated tears.

Overall: 92

Game-winning jump shots are one thing. Last-second half- and full-court heaves are another. Buzzer-beating drives are cool, too. But there's something special about a desperate inbounds play-turned-heroic happening.

Dec. 14: Will Barton Is a Baaaad Man

Difficulty: 81

Talk about sharp movements. Will Barton employs a succinct head-fake, takes one dribble then jump-steps his way into the paint and explodes off his feet—all in roughly 2.7 seconds.

Clowning the Defender: 90

More like "Clowning the Defenders." Barton's fake-out nearly sends Trevor Ariza into the Denver Nuggets bench, and then he totally negates the presence of a 7-foot Donatas Motiejunas.

Jaw-Drop Factor: 94

Um, yeah, Barton's extension on his one-armed slingshot isn't normal. Dude could've grabbed a high-five from someone in the front row if he felt so inclined.

Kenneth Faried Doles Out Bro Embrace Factor: 99

Kostas Papanikolaou stands up before Barton even takes flight, and because he's the closest available body when Faried inevitably pops up, he's treated to a one-armed bro shoulder hang-on. This can only mean one thing: Barton's smashes engender friendships that last a lifetime.

Overall: 91

It's the authority with which Barton throws down that really leaves mouths agape. His entire body shakes as he makes contact with the rim and Motiejunas whacks him on the arm—a mid-air Celery Man dance from the waste up.

Dec. 16: Richaun Holmes Goes Boom

Difficulty: 93

Richaun Holmes "dunked" with pizazz...using one hand...from outside the restricted area...despite the 6'10" Al Horford impeding his path and line of sight. Difficult? Try seemingly impossible.

Clowning the Defender: 90

Now, I'm not going to say Holmes (gently) repelled off Horford's thighs to prolong his air time and add a little extra oomph to his "dunk." But it's implied by me unsubtly hinting that he did.

Jaw-Drop Factor: 97

As the Philadelphia 76ers bench went bananas, Horford couldn't help but give his own stamp of approval, simultaneously contorting his face into expressions of disbelief and respect.

Dunk That's Not Actually a Dunk Factor: 99

Your eyes don't deceive you. Holmes did not touch the rim on his way down. But he threw the ball through the hoop so hard it sounded like a dunk. So, it counts.

Overall: 95

After watching this "dunk," many of you will proclaim that Holmes is the best player on the Sixers and defies the laws of physics and is just all-around glorious. And, well, I'm not going to stop you.

Dec. 17: KD Makes Layups Cool

Difficulty: 93

On no planet in our galaxy is a (pretty-much) 7-footer supposed to trip up two defenders off the dribble, drive baseline, zip around a waiting 7'1" superstructure and flawlessly finish a one-handed reverse layup from behind the backboard. 

Clowning the Defender: 91

Where do we start? Neither Richard Jefferson nor Kevin Love could stick with Kevin Durant, and Timofey Mozgov only succeeded in making the 2013-14 MVP look cooler.

Jaw-Drop Factor: 92

Durant doesn't make the least bit of sense. But we know this and have come to see his gravity-grating acrobatics as commonplace. At the same time...Oh my god wow!

Don't Even Pretend to Celebrate Factor: 99

Points were randomly deducted from Durant's "Jaw-Drop" score because he acted like this was no big deal, proving once and for all that he hates fun.

Overall: 94

Very few aspiring NBA youths can be found in the driveway practicing their layups. They fancy three-pointers. Imaginary dunks. Fadeaway jumpers. Crazy crossovers. Layups are seldom the focus.

Well, Durant has officially made finishing at the rim with finesse cool again. Kudos to him.

Dec. 17: Kobe-1, Rickety Bones-0

Difficulty: 96

Dunking on the wrong side of a ruptured Achilles ain't no joke. Wesley Matthews, who is 29 and completed 10 jams last season, hasn't dunked since tearing his Achilles last March.

Kobe Bryant suffered a similar injury in April 2013 and is more than eight years Matthews' senior. He lifted off outside the restricted area and floated through the air like his age really is just a number and not a harbinger of athletic doom. Think about that.

Clowning the Defender: 95

Clint Capela gave it his best, half-baked, superficial, not-at-all-best shot. Bryant had just enough juice in his legs to flit past his block (high-five?) attempt.

Shame on Ariza, meanwhile, for uselessly smothering a 37-year-old Bryant from behind the arc when he hasn't even shot 33 percent from long distance in seven seasons.

Jaw-Drop Factor: 91

Look, this was surprising. But Bryant dunked seven times in 35 appearances last season. We knew he had vintage moments like this left in him. Nick Young, however, is actually left staring at Bryant with his mouth open. That counts for something. 

Dwight Howard, Bryant's former teammate-turned-arch nemesis, was left laughing. That counts for something.

Also, Lakers rookie D'Angelo Russell was so excited he received a technical for barreling across the baseline in uncontrolled glee. That counts for everything.

Post-Dunk Quote Factor: 99

"It’s like the Casey Jr. train," Bryant said afterward, per Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com. "I think I can, I think I can."

I, for one, am glad to hear Bryant has worked Dumbo into his movie-watching repertoire.

Overall: 95 

This was one of those dunks, those perfect moments, where it would not have seemed entirely inappropriate had Bryant retired right there on the spot. 

Dec. 23: Spurs Gonna Spurs

Difficulty: 97

We defer to Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey for a quick synopsis of what you just watched: "Sixteen seconds. Eight passes. Four cuts. Three pump fakes. Three drives. One layup. SPURS."

Does that sound difficult? I feel like it sounds difficult.

Clowning the Defender: 97

With all due respect to Minnesota's Timberpups, seeing them try to defend this play was like watching a bunch of 80-something feather quill enthusiasts attempt to figure out the Internet.

Jaw-Drop Factor: 96

"I am not sure if this gets SPURSGASM! status," ESPN.com's Zach Lowe admitted. "Not quite as elegant as the others, takes a little too long."

This is fair. The Spurs are known for their measured ball movement—for making quick decisions. This possession ate up a lion's share of the shot clock. But that doesn't make this glimpse into San Antonio's world any less enjoyable.

Five reserves are on the floor, so it's not like we're watching all of the Spurs' best players battle indecision. Plus, San Antonio averaged a pass every two seconds. By no logic is that anything but freaking spectacular.

Successfully Keep the Ball Away from Bobo Factor: 99

Of San Antonio's eight passes, not one of them fell to the hands of Boris Diaw. SPURS.

Overall: 97 

The biggest takeaway from this passing-packed play: Spurs gonna Spurs unless they decide to really Spurs.

Dec. 28: Stephen Curry Went All Stephen Curry and We Were Still Surprised

Difficulty: 98

Seventeen points? In three minutes? I mean...It's just...See, the thing is...Actually, it's like...Ugh. Whatever. I don't even know anymore. Stephen Curry has liquid magic running through his veins.

Clowning the Defender: 96

Let's not pretend Curry lit up a top-notch defense. The Sacramento Kings rank in the bottom seven of points allowed per 100 possessions, and their three-point prevention, specifically, isn't anything worth talking about.

But allowing one player to tally 17 points in three minutes is only OK if your entire team watches from the sidelines. The Kings had five bodies on the floor and couldn't even slow down Curry a little.

Jaw-Drop Factor: 99

As Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes put it: "I don't know what I just watched."

None of us did. We still don't. That Curry's offensive onslaught came in conjunction with Omri Casspi's 21-point second quarter only makes this entire detonation more impossible to understand.

Confuse the Hell Out of Darren Collison Factor: 99

What Curry did to Collison as he began his 180-second outburst isn't even fair: four crossovers, two of them thrown between the legs, with an abrupt step-back long ball that, of course, swished through the bottom of the net.

Overall: 98 

New revelation/freshly baked hot take: Stephen Curry is pretty good at this basketball business.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless otherwise noted and are accurate leading into games on Dec. 28.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @danfavale.