State Farm All-Star Saturday Night featured the Taco Bells Skill Challenge, the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest and Verizon Slam Dunk Contest.
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In the final Slam Dunk Contest, Zach LaVine (Timberwolves) will defend his title while fresh off scoring the MVP award in last night’s Rookie Game.
Magic forward Aaron Gordon gave reigning dunk champ Zach LaVine all he could handle in Saturday night’s contest. Combine his leaping ability with Steve Nash’s profound passing accuracy, and you get one of the most beautifully executed dunks in the contest’s history.
LaVine countered with a similar slam in the final round, which forced overtime.
“We were looking for our bag of tricks”, LaVine said. I just pulled something out at the end that was insane, so I’m just glad I did that….
The Minnesota Timberwolves guard had never tried the dunk before.
In terms of competition alone, this was at the very least on par with the 1988 dunk contest featuring Michael Jordan’s controversial win over Dominique Wilkins. Easily, the best dunk contest I’ve covered. “There was some stuff that’s never been done before”.
“Like half the dunks we did were like professional-dunker dunks, and it takes them four or five times to try it and make it, and we did it on the first try. It was ridiculous, man”.
“If I knew it was going to be like that”, Gordon said, “I would have prepared better and we would have been here dunking all night, going back 50 after 50 after 50 after 50”.
However, despite the excitement the Dunk Contest generates every year, the event has come under fire in the past. But if you have to go big (both figuratively and literally), Cousins could be the play at +850. The All-Star Game itself can be a bit sloppy at times but for the past few seasons, the East and West have gotten serious come the fourth quarter – and you just know Kobe’s trying to make this year’s game all his. The Magics’ Gordon then successfully one-upped himself by dunking over his team’s mascot while it was on a hover-board, and he did not fail to impress, but it took two attempts to complete and he scored a 49.
Barton told The Baltimore Sun’s Childs Walker last month that when he returns to Baltimore, “I get a feeling I can’t get anywhere else”.
Gordon, though, stepped up his game in the final round, using Magic mascot Stuff, who was spinning on a hoverboard, to help him deliver a 360 dunk.
LaVine, the defending champion, approached the rim from the right side, went behind his back in the air, while changing hands, and dunked with authority.
However, Saturday night was all about Gordon and LaVine, now a two-time dunk champion.
LaVine then did us all a favor in bringing out The Greatest Lob Artist to Have Ever Lobbed in teammate Andre Miller.
“My brother could dunk from an early age and I saw that and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world”, said Gordon. LaVine said they were telling each other, “Let’s just keep going, man”.
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There’s not much of an advantage for bettors when it comes to betting the Slam-Dunk Contest although if you’re wondering if there have been repeat winners, the answer is yes.
