Saturday All-Star Night reminisces the old days with
style, recreating the Vince Carter "Honey
Dip" dunk, and out-showing Dr. J and Michael Jordan by jumping
beyond the free throw line.
The Ambitious winners from
Foot Locker 3-Pt Contest, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, and the Sprite Slam Dunk
Contests hold their individual trophies up high on Feb 2nd 2011 at
the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
The Taco Bell Skills
Challenge was not played out nor thought out tonight, some players didn’t have
their head in the game, or on the scholarships offered to the students that
were rewarded with the opportunity.
Sure sitting side by side
with professionals was a great reward for the community service, grade point
average, and other student accomplishments. Though that wasn’t provided by the
players; players whom showed a little selfish style tonight.
Stephen Curry was not one
of those players; he topped Westbrook score in Skills tonight and brought home
a $30,000 scholarship for a girl who currently goes to a local Boys & Girls
club, what an assist by the Golden State Warriors point guard.
More impressively than the
Golden State warriors are the 2 players, both from the Celtics, made their way
to the Final Round in the Foot Locker 3-Pt Challenge, not easily though.
Following Ray Allens huge
20pt shootout, Kevin Durant put up 11, and stood in 3rd place. Paul
Pierce was the only player yet to perform.
Pierce didn’t start off
too great, in-fact had commentators saying he wouldn’t win, but he made 4 of his
5 shots in the middle, and took off from there. Made his last 3 on the final
shot, and had 10pts with only one shot left.
His last shot was the ‘Money
Ball’ with the American Red, White, and Blue stripes, worth 2pts. Paul released
his final shot right before the buzzer sounded and sinked it, getting a
standing ovation from the crowd and applause from his team mate Kevin Garnett.
The friendly challenge
amptosphere wasn’t enough for the Celtics 3-Pt stars, James Jones came home
with the trophy out-shooting Pierce and Allen in the final round.
Jones actually matched
Allens first score and put up 20 out of a 30 possible combination but Allens 2nd
performance just wasn’t up to par with his first.
The Sprite Slam Dunk
Contest was by far the most anticipated contest tonight. With former slam dunk
star Dwight Howard commentating, Blake Griffin, Serge Ibaka, JaVale McGee, and DeMar
DeRozan.
Serge Ibaka was one of the
first to perform in the Sprite Slam Dunk contest and showed off with a
marvelous dunk. You can say it’s been done before, but not to this element. Dr.
J and Michael Jordan have dunked from leaping on the free throw line, but Ibaka
started his leap beyond the free throw line, something that has never been done—publicly
that is.
That wasn’t the only dunk
that was brought back by the outstanding 2011 NBA Roster. The old Vince Carter ‘Honey
Dip’ was recreated tonight. Though Blake Griffin managed to bounce the ball off
the backboard before hanging his elbow on the rim in the Final Round.
JaVale McGee matched that,
though he dodged excoriating pain, rather than suffering it. The seven footer
got up under the rim like a 6-8 player would. He had his head ducked as far as
he possibly could under the backboard while simultaneously dunking the
basketball.
Griffin wouldn’t let it
end there though, in-fact, he went original yet extreme with his dunk.
Something so simple, but nobody in staples center expected. He brought in a
car, and you guessed it, he leaped it.
Of course, he was assisted
with a brilliant creative pass through the sunroof, and scored 10’s to take
home the Sprite Slam Dunk Trophy.
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