First, a quick recap of my predictions from last week:
BBVA Rising Stars Challenge
My prediction: Team Shaq (148) over Team Chuck (136)
[MVP: Kyrie Irving]
Actual result: Team Chuck (163) over Team Shaq (135)
[MVP: Kenneth Faried]
I didn’t actually watch this game, so I don’t have too much to say about it.
Sears Shooting Stars
My prediction: Team Harden
Actual result: Team Bosh
Look, I rag on this event a lot, but it’s not
that bad. They just need to tweak it a little. By the end we’ve just seen too much of the same thing. If they just made this event a one round, winner takes all, it wouldn’t be the target of so much of my scorn.
Taco Bell Skills Challenge
My prediction: Damian Lillard
Actual result: Damian Lillard
I actually got a prediction right? Don’t get too used to it…
Foot Locker Three-Point Contest
My prediction: Stephen Curry
Actual result: Kyrie Irving
Kyrie
shot the lights out in the finals. It was breathtaking to watch. To start the round, he only missed one of his first 18 shots. Just let that sink in for a second: 17 for 18. Not free throws, three-pointers. Amazing.
62nd NBA All-Star Game
My prediction: East (155) over West (143) [MVP: LeBron James]
Actual result: West (143) over East (138) [MVP: Chris Paul]
LeBron didn’t quite stand out as much as he did last year. In fact, Kobe did a really good job guarding him at the end of the game, something I wasn’t sure that Kobe was still capable of doing anymore. I don’t love the guy, but man, you gotta respect how good Kobe still is, even with all the miles on his body. The Chris Paul MVP nod was great to see, and well deserved. He really did do a great job of getting people involved, controlling the game, and scoring when he needed to. Best point guard in the league, if you ask me. It’s too bad about his spotty health, really. If he could have put together a career at the level he’s capable of (15 solid years with only a few minor injuries here and there, not having to pick his spots and save his knees for the playoffs, but rather playing all-out, every minute that he was on the floor) he could have been one of the 10 or 15 best players of all time. Who knows, it could still end up that way, but I worry that his body will let him down in the long run. Which is too bad, because when he’s playing at his highest level, it’s just a joy to watch.
Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
I had pretty high expectations for this dunk contest. I get the impression Kenny Smith was feeling the same way, as he predicted several times during the broadcast that this would be one of the 10 greatest Dunk Contests in All-Star history. Which, as a guy that loves to make lists, got me thinking: What are the Ten Best Dunk Contests of all time? And then I realized how dangerous and time consuming such a thought might be, and quickly moved on…
And, while this didn’t end up being in the Top Ten (at least, off the top of my head) it definitely wasn’t in the Bottom Ten either. And it was way better than last year. So, without further adieu:
Gerald Green
Dunk 1
Gerald Green comes out swinging here. Ya, it’s not going to win you the contest, but not every dunk you do, can. I mean, even in the great contests of all time, not every dunk was a 50. Even Vince, who most people agree had the greatest performance* of all time, had a few ‘filler’ dunks. They were still good, but everyone remembers the 360º he opened with, the off-the-bounce East Bay, and the elbow hang. The baseline 360º and step-inside-the-foul-line two-hander were fine, (more than fine, really) but they’re not exactly the lasting images that everyone remembers from 2000.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is that while this wasn’t a contest winner, it’s still the type of dunk you need to win a contest. A very good, very solid, mid-40 dunk, that keeps your score up, gets you into the finals, and gives you the chance to unleash that epic dunk that
will be the one that wins the contest. To me, this is a very good way to come out of the gate: an impressive, crowd-pleasing dunk, made on the first attempt. It gets the crowd on your side, loosens you up, gets your juices flowing, and sets the stage for better things to come. Hopefully.
*MJ vs Nique in ’88 might (might) be a better battle, but individually, I think you have to give it to Vince in 2000.
Judges Score: 50
My Score: 44
James White
Dunk 1
I mentioned during my predictions that I’ve had my eye on James White for a while. Not as a basketball player (he’ll never be more than a deep bench guy… although in the NBA, that’s still nothing to sneeze at) but rather as a dunker. And, as a dunker, I’ve seen him
do this dunk in practically
every contest he’s
ever been in for the
past 12 years. And you would think that this might turn me off (one of my only beefs with MJ’s contests was that he basically did the same dunks in ’88 that he did in ’87). But it doesn’t. This dunk is just a thing of beauty. The grace. The hang time. All of it. I
love this dunk.
Now, I’ll admit, he’s a step over the foul line here. And, while on or behind the foul line is always better, that doesn’t mean being a step over somehow negates the dunk entirely. Sure, if you’re just doing a
simple one-hander, with no added flair, then the dunk lives or dies on the foul line placement. But this dunk is so good regardless, that while yes, I will concede it would be improved with the added distance, I do think the judges and broadcast guys were a little too hung up on the foul line then they should have been.
Judges Score: 45
My Score: 49
Terrance Ross
Dunk 1
I don't pretend to be an expert of much. But I do like to think I have a pretty good handle on dunking. Especially 'competition dunks' (dunks that you would never see in a game, but rather have been carefully crafted/honed for a dunk contest). As such, there are a few dunks that have been on my radar for a few years, that i have been eagerly awaiting someone to master for the NBA Competition. They are, in no particular order: The Earl Manigault (also known as the 'Double Dunk'),
the 720º, and the Kobe. Why do I call it the Kobe? No, he didn’t invent this dunk the year that he won the Slam Dunk Contest (1997). Nor did he magically throw it down during a game or even in the warm up line before a game.
No, it’s because of an Adidas commercial in 2001. The premise of which was that a couple guys had just seen Kobe do the greatest dunk that they’d ever seen. They never show the dunk, or even describe it or give any details about it, you just see the excitement in their reaction, and it’s left to your mind to only imagine what this dunk could possibly have been. It was an effective approach, because after that much hype, nothing they could have shown you could ever live up to the expectations that you had built up in your mind. So, of course, eventually Adidas decided they had to actually show it. Because that’s what stupid people in suits do. They put up their hand in advertising meetings and say “So, when do we get to
see the dunk?”. And the poor guy from the Creative Department, that came up with the whole concept, yet makes a third as much as anyone else in the room, sighs, deflates like a balloon, and tries to mutter “Well, the point is that we never see it, because, you see, as long as….” and without skipping a beat, the guy in the suit goes “No, I think we should see it.”
I’m complaining, but really, I shouldn't be, because the resulting commercial was actually pretty cool. In fact, I think it’s much better remembered historically than the original commercial that preceded it (seeing that I can’t find it anywhere on YouTube, but the follow up is on there 20 times.) And all it was, was basically just 60 seconds of Kobe doing a bunch of crazy dunks. Now, a couple of the dunks were
so crazy that I’ve never believed that they were real. There had to be some wires, or computer trickery in there somewhere. But in between the madness, there were a couple of realistic, but still really cool dunks. And the one that always stuck out for me – and apparently lots of guys in the NBA as well - was the
behind-the-back 360º. Keep in mind that this was 2001. No one had ever done a behind-the-back dunk before (in fact no one actually did
until 2005) so to combine that with the 360º, and because it was so smooth and looked so good (the pose in the air, the power on the dunk, everything) to this day, I’m still not sure if Kobe actually did this dunk for real during the commercial shoot, or if they used the same wires or CGI that I assumed they did for the other dunks.I mean, it's believable enough that he could have, but because of the other '
over-the-top' dunks in the same spot, you do have to wonder.
Regardless, guys have tried more than once to get this dunk down over the years. And much to my delight, they’ve always credited it as an idea they got “watching a
Kobe Bryant commercial a few years back.” Which, as the guy that immediately yelled at the TV “He’s trying to do the Kobe!” as it was happening only to be met with blank stares from everyone else in the room, it was hugely rewarding to have the player actually admit as much mere moments later while being interviewed. It’s kind of pointless to know a bunch of obscure trivia like that, unless a great moment presents itself and you get to bust it out, have everyone assume that you’re talking out your ass, and then be proven absolutely correct mere moments later. Anyways, to make a long (
long) story short, I’ve been waiting on this dunk for a while now, and it was good to finally see somebody not only get it down, but also do it justice. Of course, in a perfect world he would have nailed it on the first attempt, and by the time he finally got it down (the sixth attempt) it had lost a fair bit of it’s luster, but still, great dunk.
Judges Score: 50
My Score: 50
Kenneth Faried
Dunk 1
We are pretty spoiled these days in the dunk contest. I mean, everyone is pretty m-eh about this dunk by Faried (myself included) and yet, really, it’s pretty good. An off-the-glass, 360º, alley-oop, with his head at the rim? That probably would have been enough to win any contest from the 90’s, a good chunk of the ones from the 80’s and even a few from the 00’s as well. And yet, everyone yawns, the TV commentators talk about it deserving 7’s (guys were getting 7’s for missed dunks…) and Faried walks back to the bench with his head down and his shoulders slouched. People act like the dunk contest is played out, that maybe they should get rid of it, that nothing new can be done. I think people just don’t appreciate good dunks. And this was a good dunk. Not a great dunk. Not a 50. But a
good dunk.
Judges Score: 39
My Score: 42
Eric Bledsoe
Dunk 1
Here’s another good dunk. And again, it received a very lukewarm reception. But unlike Faried’s dunk before this, it kind of deserved what it got. For one, he had taken four attempts at a
much better dunk already, before finally giving up and settling for this one. It’s hard to get excited for a dunk that a guy
settles for. Also, well it really is a very impressive dunk for a smaller guy (Bledsoe is 6’1”) it just doesn’t accentuate his small size like other dunks could. The biggest advantage a little guy has is how high off the ground he has to get to do the same dunk as a bigger guy. And, while he is certainly high off the ground to get this dunk, it just doesn’t come off that way. It’s no fault of Bledsoe, it’s just a flaw inherent to the dunk itself. Nate Robinson chose dunks that
showed off his small size. And it made a huge difference.
Lastly, this was a dunk that looked much better on the replay. When you see the slo-mo, and the right angle, you realize just how good of a dunk it was. But as it happened live, in real time, it was just kind of m-eh. And that’s what the judges are voting based on, that’s what the crowd is reacting to, and that’s the difference between you sitting up on your couch in excitement while watching at home, or only realizing it’s a good dunk after the third replay is shown. Again, pretty hard to get excited about a dunk only after you’ve already seen it three times.
Judges Score: 39
My Score: 40
Jeremy Evans
Dunk 1
I had very little faith in Jeremy Evans coming into this competition. In fact, if I had picked the full order of finish instead of just a winner, I might have had him coming in dead last. To me, while he was deserving of last year’s win, it had more to do with how badly everyone else had been, than with how well he had performed. He hadn’t so much been the ‘best of the best’, as he had been ‘slightly-less-worse’ than everyone else. As such, I felt the superior field this year would expose him as the ‘fortunate winner’ that I considered him to be. Nothing against the guy, like I said, he deserved the win, but it was a victory of circumstance rather than domination. Plus, I just felt that he was too reliant on props and gimmicks, and I was hoping that people might start to turn on such theatrics, and that there might even be a bit of backlash against such things. Especially with such good pure dunkers in the field, hopefully winning the crowd over with straight up great dunks and making the gimmick dunks look all the more silly by comparison.
And… well, he actually did win me over a bit in this contest. But we’ll get more into that later, because this first one was not the dunk to do it. No, he was back to his old tricks of trying to fool us into thinking a dunk was better than it is by hiding it’s shortcomings underneath a layer of slick theatrics. Sure, bringing out Mark Eaton is nice. He was a great player for Utah back in the day, and I like the respect you’re giving him, but at the same time, the one thing everyone knows about Mark Eaton is that he’s 7’4”. If you’re bringing him out, it should have something to do with his height. Sitting him on a box negates that completely. It might as well be John Stockton at that point. And at least more people know who Stockton is. But regardless of who was sitting there, the dunk itself was pretty m-eh. Not bad, but not great either. Add in the four attempts to get it down, and trust me, sitting at home, I was smugly thinking that the cracks in the armour were already starting to show.
Judges Score: 47
My Score: 39
James White
Dunk 2
And then the wheels came off…
Obviously, missing a dunk is never a good idea. Especially when they give you so many attempts to get it right. In this case, he took six, and still came away with nothing. The
first dunk he was going for could have been pretty cool. Floating, switching hands, getting a bit of power. Having seen so many of his contests over the years, and knowing that he had a penchant for doing almost everything from the foul line, I was pleased to see him mixing it up a little. Don’t get me wrong, it wouldn’t even be sniffing in 50 point territory, but if done cleanly, I could see it being in the 45 range. The same type of dunk I was talking about earlier that doesn’t win you the contest, but gets you into the finals and gives you a chance to win. Not that it mattered, he gave up and went back to his foul line bag of tricks. And sure, a windmill from that far back
would be impressive, but even if he had gotten it down, I’m not sure it would have been different enough from his first dunk to merit a high score. I probably would have only given him a 42. But that would only be if he made it. He didn’t even do that. My guy’s night was over. Sorry, James, we'll always have
between-the-legs foul line dunks to remember you by.
But, hey, at least I still had Gerald Green up next, right?
Judges Score: 32
My Score: 0 (I don't believe in giving scores for missed dunks)
Gerald Green
Dunk 2
Not so much…
But first a little side jag: I was talking earlier about how there’s nothing better than having a piece of really obscure trivia, and getting to use it. So, the second Green started cutting off the net, I turned to my parents and said “He’s going to do the Earl Manigault Double Dunk.” And they were like “Nani-what?” giving me that look that basically said “We get that you know more about this than us, but
come on, do you really expect us to believe you know that he’s about to do some obscure dunk by a guy whose name we’ve never heard before (at least say “Michael Jordan”), just because he’s cutting the mesh down from the basket?” I mean, even I fully admit that this was a pretty specific thing to predict based on not very much information. And then bam, Green goes for the Double Dunk, the commentators mention the name Earl Manigault, and I look like a damn savant.
Or a guy with far too much useless knowledge in his head.
So, the question you might be asking yourself at this point is: “Wait… how
did you know that he was trying that exact dunk, just by seeing him cutting down the net?” Well, for starters, I didn’t. Not with anything near 100% certainty, at least. But, having spent countless hours trying to perfect this dunk myself (granted, on a 9 foot rim, rather than the regulation 10 foot height) and having discovered that it was nearly impossible with the mesh intact, I figured I might as well throw it out there. I mean, if I was wrong, no big deal, no one is expecting me to be right about something so odd and specific. But if I’m right… well, it’s almost freaky. Although, to be honest, my parent’s didn’t look nearly as impressed as they should have.
So, I guess the next question you’re probably asking is “Ya, but why were you so obsessed with a dunk made famous by a guy from the 60’s who never played a second of NBA or Division 1 college ball?” Well, you see, back in 1996 there was a
decent HBO movie made about the life of Manigault, an infamous New York street baller. And, since back in 1996 I would watch literally any basketball movie that came out (yes, even
Slam Dunk Ernest… I wish I was joking) of course I tracked down a copy on VHS and gave it a watch. A scant 120 minutes later, I had became more-than-slightly enamoured with the story of Earl ‘The Goat’ Manigault (this was also the movie that introduced me to Don Cheadle, with whom I also developed an immediate man crush).
The biggest benefit of playing in the 60’s, like Manigault did, is that very few people had access to cameras. As such, playground players became legends more because of the stories of their exploits, rather than cell phone videos posted to YouTube. And, while I admit that I’m sure they came to be greatly exaggerated, I drank up every single story about Earl Manigault that I could find. For example, at 6’1” he would pluck quarters off the tops of backboards to win bets. He once did 36 reverse dunks in a row to win $60. He would often spot his opponents a 10-0 lead at the start of a game and then beat them 11-10. You know, stuff like that. Was any of it true? Who knows. For every guy that says those things are impossible, there are three more guys that swear on their lives that they saw it with their own eyes.
Of all the legends told about Manigault, the most common, the most famous and perhaps even the most believable is that of the Double Dunk. (The quarters-off-the-top-of-backboards one rivals it in terms of fame, but is widely considered to have been a move done by Jackie Jackson originally, and simply ‘borrowed’ by Manigault later on.) Basically, the Double Dunk is where you go up, dunk the ball, catch it after it’s gone through with your opposite hand and then dunk it again, all in one jump. Unlike it’s
depiction in the HBO movie (which is how Gerald Green tried to do it as well), The Goat would do it
without hanging on the rim, which is what made it such a great dunk. Hanging on the rim greatly lowers it’s impressiveness, which is why I was underwhelmed with Green’s attempt. Well, that and he took 10 attempts, didn’t get a score in, and only completed it afterwards in frustration. Very hard to get excited by that. But, if a skinny white eleventh grader was able to eventually get it down on a 9 foot hoop, then my dream of seeing it done for real will always live on.
(By the way, based on my experience, the key to the dunk is getting the first one down while you’re still on your way up. As such, it’s hard to come ‘flying in’ for the dunk, you almost have to start at a standstill under the basket and just go straight up… which obviously decreases how much height and hang time you can get on the jump,. So while it increases the difficulty, it also lowers the visual impressiveness from a spectator perspective.)
Judges Score: 32
My Score: 0 (40 had the made attempt counted)
Terrance Ross
Dunk 2
Sorry, that last write up spiraled a little bit out of control. I’ll keep this one brief. Not because it was a bad dunk (it was actually a really good dunk), but because I’ve touched on this twice already: This was a perfect example of the ‘not going to win you the contest, but a solid dunk to help you get into the next round’. Smooth. Clean. Powerful. Just a really good, really solid dunk.
Judges Score: 49
My Score: 43
Kenneth Faried
Dunk 2
This is a dunk
Jason Richardson did back in 2004. And it still stands as one of the greatest contest dunks of all time (I had it at number #3
on my list). I mean, obviously the J. Rich one will always be special. First attempt, never seen before, never even thought possible, perfect execution… everything. He couldn’t have done it better. Faried’s was nice too - and is easily worth a 50 - but considering it’s the exact same dunk (no added flair, or really, any attempt to improve upon the original at all) it’s hard to really consider it on the same level as the J. Rich original.
Judges Score: 50
My Score: 49
Eric Bledsoe
Dunk 2
Now here’s everything Bledsoe should have done with his first dunk. Great height, high degree of difficulty, puts it through cleanly and powerfully. Great dunk. It’s too bad he wasted his first dunk so badly, as I would have loved to see what he could have done in the finals.
Judges Score: 50
My Score: 47
Jeremy Evans
Dunk 2
This was a
tough dunk. Of course, that was kind of obvious when he needed three tries to get it down, but still, the degree of difficulty is very high. Again though, it’s kind of gimmicky. Although I’ll admit that this is at the end of the gimmick scale that I don’t mind. It’s tolerable enough (and actually adds enough to the dunk) that it’s not distracting, so I’ll let it pass. Good solid dunk.
Judges Score: 43
My Score: 42
Jeremy Evans
Dunk 3
Well, if that last dunk was on the acceptable end of the gimmick spectrum, then this one makes up for it in spades by going completely the other way. Ugh. The commentators said it best: the dunk was actually pretty good without the painting. If Evans would just have a little more faith in his dunking ability, and not try to rely so much on this other stuff, he might actually be higher on my scorecard. As it stands, based on my personal scores, Kenneth Faried should have made the finals over him, and after seeing this first dunk, I’m really wishing he had.
Judges Score: N/A (Fan Voting)
My Score: 38
Terrance Ross
Dunk 3
Side-of-the-backboard, alley-oop, 360º.
Blake Griffin
tried and failed in 2011. Derrick Williams
did a pretty good job of it in 2012. But Ross one-ups the both of them by making it look even better (bringing it down to the hip and windmilling it home) in 2013. Great dunk. I don’t even mind him wearing a Vince jersey in tribute (a gimmick that I used to love, but has been so over-used in recent years, that it was really starting to annoy me) since he didn’t try to build up the reveal of the jersey with unnecessary theatrics or shoehorn in a dunk that was sort of like something Vince did in 2000. No, he just showed up for this dunk, already wearing it, not drawing attention to it, and just doing what he would have done anyways. At this point, he would have to really blow his last dunk to not walk home with the trophy. Unless of course Evans did something crazy for his final attempt…
Judges Score: N/A (Fan Voting)
My Score: 48
Jeremy Evans
Dunk 4
Ok, maybe not
crazy. But this was a great dunk. A
great dunk. No gimmicks, just straight up floating, posing, hanging and putting it home with authority. Like I said in the beginning, Evans did kind of win me over by the end of this dunk contest, and this was the dunk that did it. I don’t know if it’s to his credit or detriment. Like, in one way, it shows what a good dunker he is, but in another way, it shows you how every other dunk could have been so much better if he hadn’t been trying to make each one so gimmicky. Regardless, it had looked like Ross might run away with it, but suddenly we had a contest again. At this point, it really could have gone either way.
Judges Score: N/A (Fan Voting)
My Score: 49
Terrance Ross
Dunk 4
And we have a winner. Sure, Evans had the better dunk, but this one was good enough, that when you factor in both of the dunks that each guy did in the finals, Ross easily comes out on top. And, when you consider that Ross had the best dunk of the night (behind-the-back-360º) and was consistently the best dunker each round, it’s only seems appropriate that he got to hoist the trophy. The voters got it right. The best man won.
Judges Score: N/A (Fan Voting)
My Score: 46
My prediction: James White
Actual result: Terrance Ross
.
