All Star Saturday Night discussion

[Eugene]

Big men usually get the short end of the stick in the dunk competition. It just looks too easy for them (though, arguably, it's actually harder because there's simply more body to coordinate in less air time). That said, I don't know about Warrick's dunk over Jones. Josh Smith did that in the last contest, jumping over Martin, and he added a windmill. Compared to that one...

Iguodala revolutionized the dunk contest with his alley off the back of the glass, dip under gliding reverse. Literally broke the plane of the game and changed the way we think about the dunk contest. Talk about thinking outside the box. From the baseline?!

Nate's dunk over Spudd was stupendous. A little throwback, wonderful tribute, and I thought Webb bounced the ball too far from the basket. My exact thoughts were: "That's too far. He bounced it too far, there's no way Nate can cat--oh, shit! he caught it?"

As far as Nate's last dunk, through both legs, toss off the backboard, windmill jam--first of all, if he'd caught the first attempt, the behind the back through the legs toss from half court, it wouldn't have mattered what Iggy did, the Nate would've won that contest. As it is, it was still a sick dunk, but allowed the room for controversy...

Iggy's last dunk was, compared to others, subpar. Inconsistent scoring or not, Iguodala can't win a dunk competition of that caliber on that dunk. Good dunk? Absolutely. Winning dunk? Not quite.

Which is why I thought they should've had another dunk-off. It's what everyone wanted, and makes more sense than changing the score like that. I would have loved to see what else these guys can come up with.

But the most enjoyable part of the night was just before the dunks, the anticipation of something great. Like when Josh Smith put that tape down. Or Iguodala pushing the cameramen on the baseline back. When Nate went over with the Webb jersey and grabbed Spudd out of the stands, you saw Kobe mouthing, "What the fu--?" Or when Iggy was getting advice from Kobe, you could clearly see Bryant saying, "Go baseline, put it through the legs and lean," and I asked my friend, "Did Kobe just tell Iguodala to do a baseline through the legs 360?"

Although the results (numerically speaking) were dissappointing, this dunk contest was by far the most exciting dunk contest since 2000, and that's good news because the last few have also been superb. The Dunk contest is not just back (as many would suggest), it's been back, and it's getting better every year.

I can't wait for the next one. Maybe now more guys will want in.

Oh, and my most burning question this All-Star weekend: When Tyronne Lue goes to the All Star Weekend, does he get invited to any parties? Or is he that guy, and he tells everyone to call him when they all going out, but everybody just forgets about him? Do other players even acknowledge the guy, or let him stew by himself in the corner? Does security even let him in?

[J@3]

Iguodala revolutionized the dunk contest with his alley off the back of the glass, dip under gliding reverse. Literally broke the plane of the game and changed the way we think about the dunk contest.

Taking it just a little bit too far there... it was nice and everything, but changed the way people think about the dunk contest? Hardly.

[-BHZMAFIA-]

[air gordon]

the revolutionized line sounded like something Bill Walton would say hehe

Most original dunk i've seen for a while. the through the leg thing is impressive but getting a little old & overused iMO

[Eugene]

Well, revolutionized the dunk contest in the sense that 1. it's never been done before, and 2. broke the plane of conventional boundaries. Who knows what's going to happen now, considering the alley oop doesn't have to come from the front of the basket?

Maybe revolutionized is a hyperbole, but it's certainly changed the dunk contest, the same way Dr. J's free throw line did, and other dunks like through the legs. It's exanding the field of play.

Oh, and why is everyone convinced that Kenny pulled down a 10? According to the dunk contest (now available on youtube.com, seems like the TNT broadcast in its entirety) replay, Kenny doesn't change the score at all. Kevin Harlan mentions it, but he won't tell us who.

Do they show it on a different broadcast?

[Andrew]

Kenny Smith did it not once, but twice. He originally put up a 9 on the dunk that led to the dunk off, took a look at the other scores then pulled it down and put up an 8 and started yelling about it being a tie and going to a dunk off.

[KIG1]

nice nate rob picutre