NBA Slam Dunk Contest Field Set

[slapshot]

Howard jumped high. That's all. He's 7'0"...he should be able to jump high.

The dunk itself was nothing spectacular.

I don't like the way the scoring is done...it's too arbitrary. 18,000 fans, 12 participants and 6 commentators can agree if a dunk was really cool, but if the Michael Jordan disagrees, it's all for naught.

[Phil]

Howard jumped high. That's all. He's 7'0"...he should be able to jump high.

The dunk itself was nothing spectacular.

I don't like the way the scoring is done...it's too arbitrary. 18,000 fans, 12 participants and 6 commentators can agree if a dunk was really cool, but if the Michael Jordan disagrees, it's all for naught.

Good thing the way it's done in the judicial systems of our fair countries is faaar more diplomatic.

I'd've given Howard a higher mark too. Sure, he jumped high, but it was also a bit of showmanship and creativity with the sticker, proving how high he got. Whether the improved score would've gotten him into the finals, I'm not sure.

As for Gerald Green winning it, he deserved it. Couple of nice dunks, though the over-the-backboard toss was rather plain and boring.

[harperdc]

call me back when you can dunk one-handed *and* put a sticker up on the backboard separately, nonetheless at the same freaking time.

and yeah, the Dee Brown over Gary Coleman was easily the best dunk of the night. His last one was still an 8.5, but still, I would've loved to see him two-foot jump from the free throw line for one - which he *can* do, apparently...

the teamwork with him and PP was great, and Nate's first round ones were pretty slick, but really, the novelty is gone, bring back some guys who can hit it first time again for next year.

[NJTank]

Dwight Howard should have won that sticker trick was classic.

[See Red]

In response to, I believe it was, Dead!... forget basketball... there's no more entertaining person in sports than Charles Barkley. He tells it like it is and is hilarious in doing so. Him, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith don't only make halftime and pre and postgame entertaining... they make it "can't miss", for me, anyway. And kudos to Bavetta for going along with that whole thing -- and going as all out for it as he did.

I'm never usually big on the skills competition night, slam dunk contest included, but I thought tonight was great. I wasn't sure if I planned on watching the game tomorrow, but definetely watching it after tonight. Howard's dunk was great. My favorite of the night, actually. Sure, the dunk itself wasn't great, but being able to dunk while sticking a sticker at the very top of the backboard is amazing. And not only that, the dunk contest is about showmanship and the very fact that you were reminded of his dunk every attempt after that, because you saw the sticker, is something nobody before him's accomplished. I think the judges were too quick to score before seeing the sticker. That's the only explanation. Everybody else loved it.

That said, I love all-star weekend. However, it must end. I'm going to Vegas in June or July and every time they show an overhead of the city I want to go more and more. It's driving me nuts...

[jr79]

Dwight was clearly a victim of his own cleverness. It was just too quick for anyone to realise what had happened until he started pointing and Jameer Nelson got the measure out.

The cheesy grin he was cracking on the sticker itself was priceless.

[BaltimoreFan]

This was a really boring slam dunk competition in my opinion. Nothing too special. The sticker dunk was decent, it would have been much cooler if they let him do the 12 ft. rim 360 (although he should have gotten a higher score for creativity). Gerald Green's side of the backboard dunk was pretty cool too. But the rest of the dunk's seem like they've been done before. Gerald Green's Dee Brown dunk was just a copy of Nate Robinson's dunk over Spud Webb and Josh Wilson's Dominque Wilkins dunk (but Green still deserved to win). Overall I was quite disappointed, hopefully there will be alot more creativity next year.

[Keebe]

The winning dunk would have anybody who went up and removed the Howard sticker and jammed one in at the same time. I was waiting for that.

[TFoA]

heh, I was screamin "THANK YOU!" when I saw they in fact did put in a Nate Rob rule, cus it looked like he tried 200 times...again. or at least it felt like it.

Dwight Howard got robbed, though...the sticker on the backboard AND the dunk...how did that not get at least all 9's?

Agreed. I was laughing my ass off when I saw the sticker, so the idea was a 10. The athleticism was a 10 as well. I think JP was talking about how seven footers are supposed to jump that high. My reply to that is, name one person over 7 foot not named Shaq that has a vertical leap like that. So yeah, Dwight got jobbed. But Gerald Green still would've won anyways. His dunks were off the hook.

But the most hilarious thing was Charles Barkley's comment on Michael Jordan...I think he gave Dwight a 6 and Barkley just came out with "MJ done lost his damn mind."

[OB33]

Here's something you may not have known about the newest Slam Dunk champion:

(Look at his hands)

[NJTank]

Wow missing a finger

[floydnimrod]

I read about that on espn, was looking for a pic.

I think he was trying to dunk when he was younger, and got his finger caught on the rim

[OB33]

Yeah, he was wearing a ring and it got caught in the rim and they had to amputate part of it off. Or something like that, the stories vary depending on who you ask, Gerald has always shied away from questions about it.

BTW, congrats to Jermaine O'Neal on winning the Jim Marshall award.

[Squeaks4]

I think JP was talking about how seven footers are supposed to jump that high. My reply to that is, name one person over 7 foot not named Shaq that has a vertical leap like that. So yeah, Dwight got jobbed.

Please tell me you are kidding. Shaq has a vertical leap like that? Please. He couldn't get anywhere near where the sticker was.

[DEAD!]

I read about that on espn, was looking for a pic.

I think he was trying to dunk when he was younger, and got his finger caught on the rim

I was wondering how often that happens after the netting went off the rim after one of Tyrus Thomas's dunks because some could easily have had a finger get caught in the netting. Considering it was his ring finger that as partially amputated, it does not affect his ball handling and shooting that much.

[leedsunited]

Howard jumped high. That's all. He's 7'0"...he should be able to jump high.

The dunk itself was nothing spectacular.

I don't like the way the scoring is done...it's too arbitrary. 18,000 fans, 12 participants and 6 commentators can agree if a dunk was really cool, but if the Michael Jordan disagrees, it's all for naught.

Quite frankly, it's about time the dunks were judged with a more discriminating perspective. Just because 19k idiots and their compatriots in the broadcast booth wet their pants over a dunk that we've all seen already a couple of times over doesn't mean it's actually anything good (especially when viewed on TV, with the benefit of ad nauseum instant replays).

Overall I was quite disappointed, hopefully there will be alot more creativity next year.

Agree on the disappointment, but what kind of new creativity can you bring to this contest? I think it has run its course.

[TFoA]

I think JP was talking about how seven footers are supposed to jump that high. My reply to that is, name one person over 7 foot not named Shaq that has a vertical leap like that. So yeah, Dwight got jobbed.

Please tell me you are kidding. Shaq has a vertical leap like that? Please. He couldn't get anywhere near where the sticker was.

Well that validates my point even more: NO other 7 footer could do what he did. Dwight Howard's feat was freakin amazing.

[HappyBrownie13]

I read about that on espn, was looking for a pic.

I think he was trying to dunk when he was younger, and got his finger caught on the rim

actually, he got it caught on a nail and ripped it via boston.com

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/ce...school_to_work/