NBA All-Star Saturday was successful as soon as once more, however one of many major occasions could have missed the mark. The slam dunk contest at one time was the spotlight of the whole weekend. Now it’s hit and miss, year-to-year, whether or not we’ll be speaking about it for weeks or if it’ll be forgotten by Monday afternoon. This 12 months’s contest featured reigning champion Mac McClung defending his title successfully going back-to-back. Jaylen Brown additionally joined the fray which we hope will entice extra notable star gamers to participate sooner or later.
McClung turned the first back-to-back winner since Zach LaVine did it in 2015 & 2016. He defeated Brown within the last spherical, however this 12 months’s occasion didn’t have the identical pop as final 12 months.
Perhaps it’s as a result of we’d already seen McClung pull out his aerial arsenal, so extra was anticipated, nevertheless it simply didn’t have the identical attract. Though, the truth that McClung is primarily a G-Leaguer makes his feat distinctive. Both that or it’s an indictment of many full-time affiliation ballers who ceaselessly hangout above the rim.
McClung’s dunks have been high-quality, however the crowd didn’t appear as impressed in Indy. His first dunk could have been essentially the most eye-popping throwdown, however the judges weren’t moved sufficient to present him a 50, like Reggie Miller and Kenny Smith pushed for on the reside broadcast. In actual time watching McClung pull off that dunk was wonderful.
Every participant did properly, however the lack of stars on this competitors is what has harm it over time. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Jacob Toppin gave it their greatest, nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient to get out of the primary spherical. Brown and McClung have been in all probability the perfect matchup we may’ve hoped for within the last spherical.
In actuality, this 12 months’s contest was The Mac McClung Present, and everybody needed to see how he would prime his final efficiency. Brown added star energy to the competition — however in the long run wasn’t sufficient. Hopefully, extra upper-tier NBA guys will reinvest in becoming a member of the dunk contest sooner or later. Nearly as good as a few of these younger gamers are, the NBA is a star-driven league. The extra star energy the higher. All of the star energy has transitioned over to the three-point contest.
Stars aligning
Damian Lillard = Winner
Tyrese Haliburton
Karl-Anthony Cities
Lauri Markkanen
Trae Younger
Malik Beasley
Jalen Brunson
Donovan Mitchell
Nearly each participant in Saturday evening’s three-point shootout is a star to a point. Malik Beasley could be the one one not thought-about a “star player.” however a strong NBA expertise, having a profession 12 months from behind the arc. So, he actually deserved to be there.
Nonetheless, the opposite seven gamers are all both the No. 1 or 2 possibility on their group and bona fide stars. Mitchell, KAT, and Lillard are all former winners. It was Dame Time as soon as once more as Lillard went back-to-back turning into the primary to take action on this contest since Jason Kapono in ’07 & 08. There’s a reputation you didn’t anticipate to listen to in the present day. One present NBA identify who wasn’t too thrilled at being “snubbed” and disregarded of this star-filled contest was Clippers guard, Norman Powell.
“I really don’t know what the criteria is to get nominated… Being a top-3 three-point shooter the last 3-4 years… I don’t know. It’s just crazy to me… It is what it is. I’ll enjoy my extra days.”
That is what the dunk contest wants. Nobody is speaking about being snubbed within the dunk contest. Not one of the massive stars need to do it anymore. It certainly goes through spurts — we’ll have a pair years the place some younger hungry, up-and-coming stars will shock us and do one thing that sends the gang in attendance by way of the roof. Then it goes again to years like this one.
One way or the other the NBA should discover a approach to put the “star” again within the dunk portion of All-Star Saturday evening. McClung was requested after the sport if he’d be again to attempt for a three-peat subsequent 12 months and it sounded prefer it’s up within the air. That might be the most important storyline for subsequent 12 months’s All-Star weekend. Can McClung pull off the first-ever slam dunk contest three-peat? Nate Robinson is a three-time winner however received his first in ’06 then went back-to-back in ’09 & ’10.
Let’s additionally do one thing to steer extra stars like Brown to affix the sector. The largest names appear to have ducked and dodged the dunk contest over the previous decade-plus. The times of showdowns between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins are one thing we’ll probably by no means see once more. Or the likes of Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson squaring off, which we nonetheless see clips of to at the present time. Even within the 12 months (2000), Vince Carter blew our minds; that contest additionally featured Steve Francis and Tracy McGrady.
If we may in some way get again to these days extra constantly, the dunk contest may reclaim a number of the glory it’s misplaced over time. However for subsequent 12 months, we have already got the Mac McClung three-peat storyline. Hopefully, he comes again to defend his title one final time.
