Johnson tweeted: “If you missed LaVine vs. Gordon in the dunk contest, you missed one of the best in National Basketball Association history!”
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The highlights came courtesy of Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon and Minnesota Wolves guard Zach LaVine, whose dunks were so good that it made the rest of the competition irrelevant. And by no means are Gordon nor LaVine and bonafide NBA Star.
LaVine, the defending champion, prevailed on the fourth dunk – the second overtime of the final round – after he and Gordon had ideal scores on their first three dunks. Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley debate who really won the contest. He was fluid, creative and athletic. You’ll see former Suns Amare Stoudemire (in his #32 days), Jason Richardson (Warriors days) and Vince Carter (pre-CTLVCOF days) as well as the original free-throw line dunker, Michael Jordan. Gordon had several dunks that would have won the completion in any other year, only this year it appeared that LaVine was going to win no matter how well Gordon dunked.
It wouldn’t be American professional sports without a little bit of drama, right?
Some, including LaVine himself, may make the case that 2016’s competition, which was layered with creativity and complicated maneuvers, was even better than that. “He got it last year, I got it this year”.
Towns beat out Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas win the skills contest.
A streak of ideal scores from the two players ended when Gordon ran along the baseline en route to a jackknife dunk that earned him 47 points. Shaq was the only judge to give Gordon a 9 instead of a 10.
Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves holds the trophy after winning the Verizon Slam Dunk Contest during NBA All-Star Weekend 2016 at Air Canada Centre on February 13, 2016 in Toronto, Canada.
Riley: A tie, perhaps, would’ve been acceptable for viewers, but it can only be one.
Mostly used on Shaquille O’Neal when he played, coaches now find Houston’s Dwight Howard, Detroit’s Andre Drummond and the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan to be targets. That dunk was enough to propel Gordon to the next round. But at least it is very nice to see the rising of the dunk contest.
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BEST dunk of all time! “He went through the legs from the free-throw line. We just kept pushing each other until the last dunk”. That’s what the dunk contest is supposed to be about. Again, LaVine’s dunks were awesome too. For the forseeable future the dunk contes is back and it will be great to watch.
