To get him started on a night that would have us proclaiming this contest to be one of the best ever. But the absence of big names could not keep this year from bringing back the thrill and excitement of the dunk contest.
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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Zach LaVine earned a second straight NBA All-Star Slam Dunk title in Toronto on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in a scintillating showdown with Orlando’s Aaron Gordon.
The All-Star Game will be taking place tonight at 8 p.m. ET and both Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan will be representing Toronto.
180 behind the back. “Back-to-back years for Splash Brothers, it’s pretty cool”, said Thompson.
The whispers about the once-famed dunk contest no longer deserving top-billing on the NBA’s All-Star Saturday night grew louder and louder, especially as Golden State teammates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson splashed jumper after jumper in the final of the 3-point shootout, scintillating the crowd with swishes.
LaVine, a 20-year-old second-year National Basketball Association player, joined Michael Jordan (1987-88), Jason Richardson (2002-03) and Nate Robinson (2009-10) as the only players to win consecutive slam dunk contests.
LaVine took off a foot inside the free-throw line and went between the legs to seal his victory. Gordon was impressive. He’s the real 2016 champion in my book. Curry scored 23 points.
In slow motion replay Aaron Gordon’s reverse jam in the sixth round looked worthy of a flawless score but the judges disagreed, scoring the dunk a 47 out of 50.
Skills Challenge: Minnesota rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns beat Boston point guard Isaiah Thomas to win the Skills Challenge, further validating the evolution of the big man from a plodding post player to a playmaking force. Silver said that if the league can ever overcome the logistical issues with travel, he wants to see more global All-Star games.
But he may have had the most memorable dunks of the night with some help from the Magic’s mascot – aptly named Stuff the Magic Dragon.
For his first dunk in the final round, Gordon grabbed the ball from Stuff, the Magic mascot, as Stuff rotated clockwise.
This time, Thompson was so good, he had clinched it even before the final ball on his final rack.
It was legendary, and I think we can all agree that after several years of obscurity, the NBA Dunk Contest is alive and well.
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LaVine repeatedly used his athleticism for dunk after dunk, the only problem was that it was basically the same dunk just from a different angle or having someone toss him the ball.
