In today's dunk contests, it's rare to do anything - ANYTHING - that hasn't been seen before. Creativity is essential but now it's all props and gimmicks. JaVale McGee's two-basket, double-dunk was impressive but when you have to wheel in another basket, it's not a true dunk. Dwight Howard's from 2009, with the extended 11-foot basket, was also new but very gimmicky. And that's what the dunk contest has become.
 |
| DeRozan should have made finals |
Maybe that's why I felt DeMar DeRozan got hosed on his scores. A between-the-legs dunk from the baseline off a pass off the support system deserves higher than 44. Missing the first few attempts probably hurt that particular dunk and the fact it was the first dunk of the night didn't help his score. McGee and Griffin missed even more attempts yet weren't dinged on their scores.
DeRozen didn't need any props for his attempts. He was the only one that didn't use any, or he was saving them for the final round. DeRozan scored one of the two 50s in the first round with his second attempt, yet didn't make the finals. That's not a surprise when Griffin had already been penciled in for one of the spots.
Griffin's dunks weren't anything new or impressive. He moved on through the competition based on the fact everyone wanted to see him win. His first dunk attempt looked like it was going to be very impressive. However, after two misses he modified it to a standard 360 cock-back dunk. Every person in the contest can do that dunk. His second attempt was even more run-of-the-mill. A baseline windmill from a pass off the side of the backboard.....after seven attempts. And the worst part is it got a 46, better than DeRozan's between-the-legs dunk. It was clear at that point, the fix was in. No matter what Griffin did he was going to win. He shouldn't have even made the finals. DeRozan and McGee were the two best dunkers of the first round.
The one Griffin dunk I did like was his rendition of Vince Carter's arm-in-the-rim dunk. Griffin tossed it off the backboard before powering it through. Even though we've seen that type of dunk before, I'll take it because he tweaked it and added some of his power to it.
 |
| Good idea but jumping the hood isn't that great |
And that brings me to maybe the most overrated dunk there's ever been. When you say "he dunked over a car" it sounds impressive. Unfortunately it wasn't in this case. The small Kia they wheeled out was placed under the basket so he didn't have to jump far. Going over the hood meant he didn't have to get very high. The whole thing was set up long before the event even started. They would use the "official car of the NBA" to bring down the house with everyone's "favorite dunker", Blake Griffin. Cue the choir singing "I Believe I Can Fly." (Another low-light.)
Of course Griffin would have to be in the finals. Sorry, better dunker, you're gone. The Blake Griffin cash cow must be milked. It's been set up for months now.
At least Chuck called it like he saw it.
"I hate to say this but that's not the greatest dunk," Barkley said.
"But the presentation was pretty fun," Kevin Harlan said.
"Yeah, but that's like when you have a pretty girl. If she's dumb, it don't matter."
The other dunker, Serge Ibaka, didn't 'wow' me with his rendition of the "free throw line" dunk. He took off right at the line, which is further back than we've seen, but he's 6'11" so it cancels out. Brent Barry could take off from near the free throw line. Grabbing the toy with his mouth hanging at the rim, and especially the kid actor, was silly.
I watch the dunk contest every year. I get what the league is trying to do with it - get people watching and create a spectacle. However it's getting a bit out of hand at this point, which is hurting the event. The contestants don't need "coaches", especially yelling at the crowd and commentators, and pumping up the crowd. No more bringing extra baskets out. No more cars. It's time to eliminate the props.
 |
| The real "best ever" |
Maybe I'm a stick in the mud but I know what I'm looking for and I haven't been seeing it lately. Maybe I'm not embracing the new-school dunk contests. But I saw the highlights of MJ and Dominique battling. There were no props there. Just high-flying, power dunks.
I saw the best dunk contest ever in 2000 with winner Vince Carter and Steve Francis and Tracy McGrady. There were no props used. Vince Carter didn't miss one of his dunks. They were fresh and incredible. Jason Richardson did some amazing dunks that hadn't been seen before when he won back-to-back titles. The closest thing to those two is DeMar DeRozan. He is doing some dunks no one else playing right now can do, and he's doing them so easily I think it's hurting his scores. And he doesn't have the name recognition, that's his biggest problem. And being a good player should factor in to it.
I'll keep watching All-Star Weekend, always. The dunk contest has the ability to be great. It just wasn't Saturday night, and it hasn't been great in the past few years. Maybe my standards are too high.
(Photos: ESPN, Getty Images)
No comments:
Post a Comment