(PHOTO CREDIT: Bob Donnan/USA Today.)
We have had a hell of an all-star weekend thus far. Let’s get to it.
RISING STARS CHALLENGE
I’m old so I don’t really like exhibition games as much. Still, it’s a way for everyone to show what these young guys can do. The best of the rookies and the sophomores competed and were divided into two teams: one team for the Americans and the other for the rest of the world.
USA 157 @ WORLD 154
As you can see, there was hardly any defense played. Also, this game was played in two 20-minute halves. It sure became a competitive contest at the end just like most exhibition/all-star games.
Zach LaVine got the MVP award for this one. And there was more to come for LaVine this weekend.
BEHIND THE LINES
D’Angelo Russell (USA): 22 pts, 7 assts.
Jordan Clarkson (USA): 25 pts, 5 rebs, 5 assts, 4 stls.
Devin Booker (USA): 23 pts.
Zach LaVine (USA): 30 pts, 7 rebs.
Emmanuel Mudiay (W): 30 pts, 10 assts, 3 stls.
Kristaps Porzingis (W): 30 pts, 5 rebs.
Andrew Wiggins (W): 29 pts, 5 assts.
Dwight Powell (W): 12 pts, 11 rebs.
SKILLS CHALLENGE
(PHOTO CREDIT: NBA On TNT.)
(Emmanuel Mudiay replaced Patrick Beverley, who won the event last season.)
So this was the most interested I ever was for this event. This obstacle course requires dribbling around obstacles, making a perfect pass into a net, running to one side of the court to do a lay-up, then racing back to the other side for a three-pointer. The brackets were made so that one side had the guards and the other had big men.
Of course, you don’t have to complete the passing station. After three tries, you can go ahead and run for the lay-up. I think that needs a little fixing.
Highlights included Boogie Cousins losing the dribble, Jordan Clarkson somehow relenting when he went for the lay-up, and Karl Anthony-Towns getting in Isaiah Thomas‘s way while running to the three-point line.
Towns would beat Thomas in the finals. And watching all the big men celebrate at the end was worth it.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT
Before the real contest, Draymond Green and actor Kevin Hart got into their own three-point contest. Obviously, it was a skit and it nearly fell flat in their faces because Hart ended up tying Green in the three-point shootout. There was already a huge trophy with Green’s face on it. What would’ve happened if Kevin Hart won?!
(PHOTO CREDIT: NBA On TNT.)
(C.J. McCollum replaced Chris Bosh in the contest.)
The three-point shootout was really all about the Splash Brothers. Klay Thompson shot first and ended up having 22 points. There was a bit of drama at the end but Stephen Curry made his last money ball to get him to 21 points. Devin Booker, J.J. Redick, and James Harden all scored 20 so they had to do a 30-second shoot-off. Booker ended up winning that but it didn’t seem to matter much.
Booker scored 16 in the finals. Curry put up 23 before Klay got hot and made his last 8 shots to score 27. Watch him scorch the nets here.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
SLAM DUNK CONTEST
(PHOTO CREDIT: NBA On TNT.)
The slam dunk contest has been much-maligned over the years but this one is easily a Top 3 contest of all-time. Maybe even THE top.
Will Barton entered the court with a little Thriller intro since he is Will The Thrill. His between-the-legs dunk was nice. But he couldn’t finish his second dunk. Barton is a hell of a dunker but he is merely a footnote in this contest.
Andre Drummond is an excellent power dunker. He couldn’t do what he originally planned for the first dunk and he just ended up having a double-pump jam off the bounce. Drummond brought out Steve Nash for assistance on the second dunk: a little soccer flip pass off Nash’s foot (which is what he did for Amar’e Stoudemire in 2005) but it took many tries to get it right.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
Aaron Gordon impressed with a near-360 between-the-legs jam.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
But defending champ Zach LaVine came out of the gate with a crazy behind-the-back reverse jam off the bounce. It seemed like it was going to be an early coronation for Zach again.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
Gordon brought out Stuff, the Orlando Magic mascot, for his second first round dunk. With Stuff holding the ball above his head, Gordon jumped over Stuff and took the ball, did it between his legs, and stuffed it. Unlike the many dunks we had seen in the past where players jumped over people, this was quite a sight.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
LaVine countered by bringing out his teammate Andre Miller and then throwing down a FREE THROW LINE dunk off the lob. That was also amazing.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
Then we had the slam dunk duel for the ages. Gordon had Stuff spin around on his hoverboard. Then Gordon jumped, took the ball (that required incredible timing), put his hand behind his head, and did a 360 one-handed windmill. There was so much going on but it looked so pretty and it was extremely innovative.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
Not to be outdone, LaVine did his own 360 one-handed windmill but it was off the bounce. It looked so fluid, strong, pretty, and effortless. But I’m sure it was extremely difficult for any other dunker to do.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
This is the dunk that everyone is talking about. Gordon brings out Stuff again and this time, he takes the ball and puts it underneath BOTH his legs for the jam. It was like he was sitting down on his hands in the air, kind of like how I sit when I play chess. The dunk was INCREDIBLE and, really, I’m not sure anything I say can put it to justice. Just watch the dunk in the video just above this paragraph. Watch it 500 times. I won’t blame you.
The dunk was so amazing that Drummond rolled off his seat.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
Somehow, LaVine was able to equal that. He jumped off the free throw line again and did a WINDMILL. Very few people in this world can do something like that and Zach LaVine is one of them. Holy.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
They went to a dunk-off because the previous four dunks all scored perfect 50s. Elfrid Payton throws it off the side of the board before Gordon caught it for a two-handed reverse windmill. The distance, the timing of the catch, and the agility were all on point. That got a perfect 50.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
LaVine counters with a reverse between-the-legs jam off the bounce. Goodness gracious.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
They had a SECOND dunk-off and Gordon did another incredible dunk. After cocking the ball behind his head, he did a double-pump reverse dunk that would make Dominique Wilkins blush. But the judges didn’t seem to appreciate as much as he only got a 47.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
LaVine ended the night with a between-the-legs dunk JUST INSIDE the foul line. I’m sure he can do a free throw line between-the-legs dunk; he just got his steps mistimed. Still, that’s an incredible dunk. That got a perfect 50 and LaVine is a back-to-back slam dunk champion.
Want a recap of all the dunks in one video? I thought you’d never ask!
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
THE TAKEAWAY
The Rising Stars game is fun for those that want to see the young guys show off their stuff. The Skills Challenge needs to bring back more passing stations but I like that it’s a race now.
For the three-point shootout, I’ve grown to like having a money ball rack. It’s good strategy on whether to save the rack for last or to put it to a player’s favorite spot. And once again, the Splash Brothers ruled.
As for the dunk contest, I wonder if this was just an aberration. Granted, Zach LaVine put on a show two years in a row. But are we going to get him and Gordon back for next year’s dunk contest? A lot of players don’t like to be pigeonholed as “just a dunker”, which is why a lot of stars have refused to do this contest.
The 1988 dunk contest duel and the 2000 Vince Carter dunk contest revival get romanticized so much that people refuse to let go of either one as the greatest dunk contest of all-time. But I would have no issue whatsoever for people that think that the 2016 dunk contest is the best of all-time (I definitely think it’s Top 3; I still need a bit more time on whether or not it’s the BEST ever). Gordon brought out some innovative dunks that most people have never seen before. He was so creative with using Stuff the Magic mascot. Meanwhile, LaVine had a counter every time Gordon did something remarkable. He put all his strengths together and seemed to make a super dunk every time he went on the court. When I said that I needed to see something new from LaVine this year, he certainly did that.
The dunk contest final was like a riff-off on the court with beautiful music being played in the air. Or Jabbawockees and Kaba Modern performing dance moves on the basketball court. And for the first time in a long time, the dunk contest left us wanting more. People say we need stars for the dunk contest. On Saturday night, I believe LaVine and Gordon made themselves stars in their own right.
Do us a favor, Zach and Aaron. Give us another contest next season.
It was a perfect end to the most fun All-Star Saturday night in years. Maybe ever.
Follow Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass for all tweets about the NBA and terrible pop music. Also, check out his podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental.
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