Best Dunk Contest Ever

I'm glad I can post this...until the NBA takes it down.

If you missed the 2008 Slam Dunk Contest, all the spectacular festivities are in the video below.

The Week(end) That Was

And now for the home stretch. With the All-Star Break behind us, most teams are sprinting towards the trade deadline on Thursday, and the playoffs a few weeks later. That said, here are some assorted thoughts from All-Star Weekend...

- Someone should forever cancel the Celebrity Game. What a waste of time.

- Jason Kopono and Kyle Kover have never been seen in the same room ever.

- The Dunk Contest is, unequivocally, BACK. From blowing out the cupcake to Dwight Howard going up, up and away, my favorite event has been rescued from the brink of obscurity. And the lack of Nate Robinson meant that it was actually entertaining. Two thumbs up!

- The All-Star Jerseys were the most dizzying thing I have ever seen in my life. It was like watching giant pinwheels run through a poorly lit room.

- Actually alot of fun to watch the game itself this year; with REAL PGs like Kidd, Nash, and Paul running the show, the game was fun to watch and very free flowing. Glad to see the East was a little mad over last year, and came out of the gate gunning. LeBron was the MVP, but that performance put on by Ray Allen to end the game was amazing.

As far as all the trade talk, God Bless the Sacramento Kings for sending Mike Bibby to the A, and shipping out the WNBA's ugliest player, Tyronne Lue. Aside from bringing fresh blood to the Highlight Factory (I swear, that is what they call Phillips Arena), we get rid of a big draft mistake in Sheldon Williams, who's forehead is so big, they dubbed it a five-head.

The Kings got...well...some off season flexibility?

Mid-Season Report

As we head into the NBA All-Star Game, I think it's important to look back on the (more than) half season that was.

The PGA Tour Rolls On

Standing at a Eastern Conference dominating 41-9, the Danny Ainge constructed trio has run roughshod all over their opponents thus far. Any questions about their chemistry and ability to play off of one another have been answered emphatically by this start. While durability remains a concern, I think that the Garnett injury happening when it did actually could have been the best thing possible for this team. Aside from galvanizing the remaining cast into winning, the losses they took made the 72-win goal unreachable, so they can focus not on some amazingly tough record, but on becoming the best possible basketball team they can, while tooling up for the postseason.

Biggest Dissapointment

With all the apparent discord coming out of Sacramento heading into the season, I was looking forward to some Ron Artest shenanigans. At the very least, I was anxiously awaiting a trade to a larger market, so we could get some great soundbites/youtube fodder. But, here I sit in February with nothing. Nothing. C'mon Ron-Ron, pick it up.

Biggest Surprise

Chris Paul, come on down. Not only has he led the New Orleans Hornets out of obscurity, he has solidified himself as the best young point guard on the planet. He has made the Hornets look downright dominant in the West, and stand tied with the Suns for the best record. That said, the second half biggest surprise will be how fast and far this little team that could will fall in the face of the new look Lakers, Suns, and soon-to-be Mavs. Not to mention the defending champs, who a lot of people are counting out, but have the exact same record as they did at this point last year.

MVP Race

The Steve Nash wins proved that you don't HAVE to be an All-Star Starter to be considered a favorite, but historically, it helps. That said, I'll divide the 10 starters up, and describe why they won't be MVP this year (elected starters, injury scratches aside).

Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Yao Ming, Jason Kidd, Dwayne Wade

Look, they've all had great runs, but they're not front runners for a reason. A.I. and Melo, ya'll are the top scoring tandem in the Association, but at 32-20, there have to be more consistent results. Yao Ming can't describe what 'past the first round' even looks like. Jason Kidd is stuck (for now) on a bad team. Dwayne Wade's career is already on the downside, and his team has won 9 games so far this year.

Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard

Tim is a victim of his own success. Much like when Karl Malone won the MVP over Jordan, people are just tired of watching the same person dominate. He isn't flashy or loud, he is just the most consistent, winning candidate. Dwight Howard has been a double-double machine, and could develop into the type of player our current leaders are.

LeBron James, Kevin Garnett

Garnett has had the most impact on his team of the three, transforming the Celtics into a hustling, defense first squad that looks to be able to make a post-season push. Missing games recently has hurt him, but if he can keep his missed games under 15, he could still be a contender. Mr. James has been electric at times, but everything else around him is such a mess it's hard to ignore. His openly pining for Kidd HAS to have ruffled some feathers around him, and as tremendous as he is, I don't think he will be able to drag this team as far as Mr. Garnett or our current MVP pick.

Kobe Bryant

KB24 has developed into a full player this year, continuing his evolution defensively and genuinely making the other players around him better. This year has seen the emergence of Andrew Bynum, and also seen the young guards improve under Kobe's watch. Even his pouting last year has paid off, as he was rewarded with the perfect compliment in the triangle offense in the person of Pau Gasol. If this squad can put together a title run rests alot on Bynum's return and Kobe's finger, but worse case scenario - this is going to be a dangerous squad for at least 3 years. The Mamba has been playing the best basketball ever, and Mr. James said it best:

"I know I got no chance if Kobe Bryant has never won it."
-- Cavs forward LeBron James, on his MVP candidacy this year compared to others.

Looking Back: All-Star Weekend 2007

Heading into one of my favorite weekends of the year, I wanted to post my running diary from last year's All-Star Saturday night. My annual mid-season report will be coming later today...

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Before I dive into the NBA’s All-Star Saturday Night, I would be remiss not to commentate on this captivating Gonzaga-Memphis game, marred by the Gonzaga coach playing for overtime at the end of regulation. The sporting gods have recognized this slap in their faces, and John Calapari remains the coach of a top-10 team.

Quick recap of All-Star Friday:

Chris Paul dropped 16 points, 17 assists, and 9 steals in Friday night's rookie/sophmore game. And we didn't draft him. How bout a nice, slow clap for the Hawks front office? Never failing to disappoint. And the celebrity game should never, ever happen again. That is all.

This diary is dedicated to Andre Igodala, who was a victim of grand larceny last year, allowing the world’s mightiest midget a win in what was the premier event of All-Star weekend. I won’t be covering the under card for a variety of reasons; the Shooting Stars competition involves the WNBA, and therefore shouldn’t be happening in the first place, the 3-point contest doesn’t matter because Larry Legend isn’t in it, and the Skills Competition decided to include Chris Paul in place of Steve Nash, but the selection committee didn’t have the good sense to follow suit for the All-Star game itself. I’m a little bitter. So, without further ado, the main event, the NBA Slam Dunk Contest!

9:35: Hahahahahahaha…if you were watching at around 9:30, you know exactly what I’m talking about, if not, shame on you.

10:15: One of the perks of working in a bar; I don’t have to hear the announcing over the dunks, though I’m sure the commentary is scintillating. Just scintillating.

10:33: It is terrifying that three of the five judges this year could beat the field in their street clothes. I’ll let you pick the three.

10:35 Tyrus Thomas goes 1-3 in round one. I appreciate the “Nate Robinson Rule” clock provided the viewers at home. As for the dunk, the one he finally pulled off was good, but as TNT just reminded us, has been done before, and better. Deserving 37.

10:37: Gerald Green, donned in the awful Celtic alternates, pulls off a GREAT dunk, utilizing Paul Pierce more than Doc Rivers has all year. My sleeper pick for the dub by the way.

10:39: Poor Dwight. If the NBA had raised the goal for him, and then he had done this, he could have won it outright. As it stands, he’s too big to pull off something really transcendent.

10:40: God, I hate Nate Robinson. But that was mildly impressive. Better than taking 12 attempts at a mediocre dunk and winning because he was short; young man got up. Standings after round 1, dunk one à Green, Robinson, Howard, Money Man

10:43: The selection of judges will keep us from seeing a 50 tonight, unless Green can pull off an NBA Live-type dunk, or Nate keeps making them on his first attempt. Ya know, because he’s little. (Actual text from my buddy Mike: I love how Jordan keeps giving lower scores than everyone else. Isn’t his personal bar like a 5-point handicap?)

10:46: Tyrus Thomas destroyed the net. That may be a dunk contest first, not to mention a pretty good dunk, wish he’dve jumped over Gordon without the twist, but still, no way he sees the next round.

10:50: I rescind anything I have ever said about the big man’s ability to win this thing. Dwight Howard just showed us how. Wow. I’m actually more surprised by the 42 than the dunk/sticker slap: He just jumped 12 and a half feet. Up.

10:52: Nate pulled another 45. That means that he’ll be in the finals. Because he’s little. Again.

10:54: Why use a cardboard standee when you’ve got the real Nate here? I hope Gerald kicks him in the face.

10:55: No such luck, but he combined a Dee Brown reference with a Dee Brown throwback over Nate Robinson. We’ve got our finalists.

11:00: Last night, I would have sworn I saw Cheryl Miller and Reggie Miller in the same place, at the same time. But, you’d be amazed what they can do with special effects these days.

11:02: Nate only took three dunks this time. I hope the judges think that this matters this year. I was hoping the “Nate Robinson Rule” would claim its first casualty.

11:04: *Angry yawn* The perfect chance to crush this member of the lollipop guild, and Green comes with that weak nonsense. I’m so mad, I feel like Andre after making up 2 dunks and still losing last year.

11:06: At least we have seen some fallout from last year’s debacle, the little man ran out of steam, while he was running out of time.

11:07: Why is he still dunking; if that counted…wait a second, what’s the point of the rule if the time limit doesn’t matter? I hate the NBA. The only time I’ve asked for the announcers of a dunk contest be turned up, so I can know what happened.

11:09: Two things: I contend that I was right about the 50 point thing; that was not a 50-worthy dunk, it was good, even great, but no where near transcendent. Secondly, at least the Celtics won something this year; because Atlanta is finally gonna win the lottery. We’re due baby!

Roundball Time

With the (needless) 2-week layover until the Super Bowl, I'm left to catch up with my old sweetheart, the NBA. My quick thoughts on the season so far:

- LeBron James has turned me back into a believer. He is doing more with certain facets of the team doing their best to hold him back. His per game averages have been off the charts, and he is carrying the Cavs into contention.

- Eddie Jordan is the coach of the year, no matter what happens from here on out. Outpacing much of the improved east without the big star (Agent Zero)? Very impressive.

- The Celtics are VERY good; but recent stumbles have made me wonder if this team has another level to reach come playoff time. We'll see.

- Atlanta Hawks. Below the radar.

- Fear the Bugs. For now at least; look for Dallas and San Antonio to step up their game, come post All-Star Break.

- Bynum needs to hurry back, or the Lakers could see a major slide, since Kwame Brown is synonymous with BUST.

Ok, before I go, here are my picks for this February's NBA All-Star Game:

EAST

Starters: Kidd, Billups, James, Garnett, Howard

WEST

Starters: Paul, Bryant, Anthony, Duncan, Camby

Full All-Star break down tomorrow, following the starters announcement tonight.