NBA All Star Weekend (sport, NBA)

Just finished watching the NBA all star weekend festivities that I DVRed.

The Horse contest

I get that the NBA is trying to showcase their younger players. I get that Casspi has a huge following because he's the first NBA player from Israel. However, HORSE is a playground game and I think they need to bring that streetball attitude in terms of their player selection. There was a real lack of trick shots, trash talking, and general bravado and cockiness of wanting to be the winner. Remember that old McDonalds commercial with Bird and Jordan playing HORSE? That's the stuff. Actually, I really like the remake ad that came on during the Superbowl with Howard and LeBron. There were some really great references to the old commercial with the "no jumpshots" replacing "no dunks" and them having no idea who Bird was at the end. Anyway, if they don't find some more charismatic players for this event soon, it's going to die out.

The 3 point shooting contest

Paul Pierce, really? With the highest single score being 20? I remember this contest when there used to be three rounds and guys like Tim Legler, Mark Price, Jason Kapono etc. putting up mid 20s. This needs to go back to featuring more lesser known (practically unknown) players who were just pure shooters. How is Anthony Morrow not in this?

The slam dunk contest

I guess I wasn't disappointed because I had very low expectations going in. They talk about athleticism, and marvel at Nate's jumping ability, but the thing that really gets the crowd going is dunking with authority. What if Dwight Howard's Superman dunk didn't take on the first try? All these finesse dunks that get missed just stop all momentum and hype. They need to bring back some power dunkers.

One of the good things is that it always reminds me to go on Youtube and watch the old dunk contests. I still think that the single best performance was Vince Carter in 2000, while my favorite duel was actually Dwight Howard-Gerald Green in 2007. Howard's dunks won over the crowd very early, and people forget that Green blew out the candle on a cupcake for one dunk and made a between the legs dunk with no sneakers. Two dunks that would have won almost every other dunk contest.