All-Star Grades: Dunk Contest
All-Star Grades: Rising Stars | Celebrity | Skills | 3-Point | Dunk
The 30th edition of the slam dunk contest will do away with last year's team-based scoring, instead giving each of the four young participants free rein and no time limit.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks | Grade: C
Analysis: Just when you had high hopes for the Greek Freak -- his performance turned out to be a Greek tragedy. Things started off well when Antetokounmpo brought out some Greek goddesses and a massive Greek flag. He should've dunked over it. Instead, he failed to convert on his first dunk attempt and then finished off a respectable reverse slam, showing off his long wingspan in the process. No need to worry, Bucks fans. He's only 20 and really, really good.
Zach LaVine, Timberwolves | Grade: A+
Analysis: Andrew Wiggins said Friday he almost fainted when he saw Zach LaVine's dunk routine. It proved to be as good as advertised. Maybe it wasn't Vince Carter in 2000, but LaVine's performance was epic. And realize something, folks: He's only 19. But he made seemingly impossible attempts look easy.
His first dunk was his best -- flipping it off the hardwood, then going reverse between his legs and nearly hitting his head on the rim. It received a perfect score. It was done with a "Space Jam" jersey on. That movie was made in 1995. He was born in 1996. Think about that. His second dunk -- flipping it off the hardwood, and then going behind his back for an emphatic throwdown -- also got a 50 from the judges.
His two dunks in the finals were done between his legs with the help of teammates. Both were great. It's going to be fun to watch this kid leap and explode with ease for years to come.
Victor Oladipo, Magic | Grade: B+
Analysis: Oladipo's first dunk was unreal. His entrance was hilarious -- he sang, poorly, we might add, Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" while wearing a tuxedo top. Then he threw down between a 360- and 540-degree reverse dunk -- argue among yourselves -- that wowed the crowd. Things went downhill from there. He botched his first attempt in the finals, essentially sealing the deal for LaVine. A highlight came when Oladipo got Hakeem Olajuwon to autograph a basketball. It was Oladipo's mom's dream to get a ball signed by, well, The Dream himself. Amazing. Oladipo had a really, really nice All-Star Weekend. His performance in the Rising Stars Challenge was excellent, as well.
Mason Plumlee, Nets | Grade: C+
Analysis: Plumlee should've taken the fans' advice and jumped over those beers and that server he knocked into in D.C. He does get major props for talking to Rihanna before dunking. Also, that long-sleeved ABA throwback Nets jersey he wore was nice. But the home crowd was probably expecting more. He used ex-Duke teammate Kyrie Irving to convert his first dunk and his older brother Miles to covert his second dunk. The second dunk was nice, the 6-11 Plumlee dunking over his 6-11 bro, though he needed to push off. Bottom line: It's hard to be a big man and win the dunk contest. Plumlee can now go back to making reverse dunks look like layups in real game action.
--