On Saturday night I watched the notorious Slam Dunk Contest. Orlando Magic freak of nature Dwight Howard was robbed last year (his great dunk where he slapped a sticker of himself onto the backboard as he stuffed the rock was classic). So this year, Dwight was not to be denied. He performed four astounding dunks, but there are two in particular worth mentioning. First, there was the one where he started off behind the basket and bounced the ball off the back, and then soared in the air to the front and dunked it. See Below:
Then there is the one that will be replayed for years to come, the Superman Dunk. Dwight steals Shaq's favorite nickname for himself, dons a Superman cape, and flies so high that he actually has to throw the ball down at the basket once he gets there. Look at this!
The only close competitor was last year's champ, Gerald Green, who was quite creative with the Cupcake Dunk, wherein he dunked while blowing out the candle in the cupcake on the back of the rim, as well as keeping the cupcake balanced. See below:
I also enjoyed when commentators Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith soberly reflected that the Dunk Contest "is now relevant once again," like we had just witnessed something extremely important. Awesome.
As for the actual game itself, it was loose, full of offense, and fun. Lebron won the MVP, just shy of a triple-double. It was held in New Orleans. Not that sporting events can make up for an event like Katrina, but it was good to see positive attention being given to the city, and hometown heroes Chris Paul and David West (both of the New Orleans Hornets, one of the hottest teams in the NBA) played well in the game. They have been huge supporters of the rebuilding down there, the picture of athletes giving back to their community. I must disclose that I am also a big Paul supporter since he is the star of my fantasy team right now. For all of the negative attention given to the NBA, I'd say that they pulled off a great All-Star event in a city that really needs some events.
Those of you who follow the NBA, which recent trade do you think will have the biggest impact? Gasol to the Lakers, Shaq to the Suns, Kidd to the Mavericks or Artest to the Nuggets (not a done deal yet, but looks like it will happen). I've got my own opinion, but I am curious as to what others think.
4 comments:
Paul, Duncan and Josh Howard are the best because they went to Wake.
I can't believe you watch the NBA when the Wake FOrest Duke game was on at the same time and was a much better game! (Deacs won of course)
I think the Gasol trade was highway robbery, so that's got to be the best. The Mavs should benefit short-term from Kidd, but mortgaged a heck of a lot for him. The Shaq thing still makes little sense to me. Phoenix gives up their best (only?) defensive player for a relic who can't play more than half a game without seriously clogging up their offensive flow. And the Artest trade didn't happen, right? Anyway, whoever thinks they can figure out the West this year is a better man than me. It's sick, top to bottom. The playoffs will be something...
I just can't believe the disparity between the East and the West. In the West, you have Golden State with a winning pct of .611 and currently 9th in the conference (not even in the playoffs). In the East, you currently have 3 teams in the top 8 (playoff bound) with losing records. That's nuts.
The Rockets are playing great but only have a one game lead over the 9th place team.
But it's been that way for years. Take out the accidental victory of the Heat against the choking Mavericks, then you've got Detroit in the recent past as the only East team with the title. The East has sucked for a long, long time. Although, Boston might take it this year.
As much of a Rockets fan as I am, I have come to the conclusion that they will not advance very far with Tracy McGrady. The guy used to have prodigious talent (now it shows itself more sporatically), but most importantly he has such a fragile psyche that he cannot lead this team all the way. Or even to the Conference Finals. We need to trade T-Mac, and build around Yao exclusively.
JMW, you are right, the West is very exciting this season. Whoever doesn't think NBA basketball is exciting hasn't been watching lately. I agree with you, I think overall, for how little they had to give up for him, the Gasol trade was the best. Also, out of all of these blockbuster trades, the Gasol one seems to actually be a fit for the team. Bring Bynum back healthy, and the Lakers could make a serious run this season. Who would have thought that with all the Kobe-trade drama that was going on this summer?
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