12/21/24
January 31, 2006
The Slam Dunk Contest: The NBA's greatest All-star Saturday special finds itself with a defending champ (Atlanta's Josh Smith), a literally 'rising' star (Philly's Andre Iguodala), an unsung rookie (Memphis's Hakim Warrick) and a little man (New York's Nate Robinson). As a fan of the Saturday events (I much prefer these festivities to the actual game), this should be somewhat exciting (hopefully) and not like the contest of 2 years ago when Freddie Jones was basically HANDED the crown.
posted by chemwizBsquared to basketball at 09:50 PM - 28 comments
I'm all for the Slam Dunk Contest, it is (or used to be) the highlight of all star weekend. By far it is the most exciting and fun to watch. GO Nate, win it for the short guys!
posted by millertime at 11:16 PM on January 31, 2006
of course, i meant there'll. embarassing.
posted by ninjavshippo at 11:22 PM on January 31, 2006
I hope the judges take into consideration the fact NateRob is only 5'9" when they give the scores. The boy reminds me of MYSELF in my HEYDAY....BETTA ASK SOMEBODY...BABAAY!
posted by DA ASSX3N at 11:28 PM on January 31, 2006
I heard an interesting comment made by an ESPN analyst. He said that Lebron was asked to be in the event and he declined. With all the previous greats winning the contest (Jordan, Dr.J, Wilkens) you would figure that the new breed would want to keep the tradition alive. However they stated that it has lost its luster. So they recommended that it become a part of the skills competion (Lebron is competing in the skills comp). I think its fading in popularity because there is not much else you can do while dunking a basketball. And with Vince Carter jumping over a man in a real game, that pretty much tops it all. By the way, if you haven't seen the new AI from philly dunk, you will be surprised. The kid can jump out of the gym. They say Nate is really 5'7 1/2, but listed as 5'9. The man can fly.
posted by BlogZilla at 11:29 PM on January 31, 2006
By the way, if you haven't seen the new AI from philly dunk, you will be surprised. The kid can jump out of the gym. I've seen it and I can't wait. His showdown with Smith should be classic. It's a pity that, frankly, all of the elite of the NBA now see things like this as being below them. I'd love to see Kobe, LeBron, McGrady, and Iverson in this, a la Jordan vs. Wilkens.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:40 PM on January 31, 2006
I would like to see that too Ufez. Iverson is awesome. Andre Igoudala is gonna be a huge star too. Looking good for my Sixers.
posted by GoBirds at 11:48 PM on January 31, 2006
andre iguadola went to the same highschool as me and i knew him personally. i even played with him a couple of times. great guy, amazing skills. hes gonna go places.
posted by 15yroldkid at 12:20 AM on February 01, 2006
Freddie Jones... Won that contest regardless of all the haters opinions, he came up big against j-rich
posted by everett at 12:57 AM on February 01, 2006
Oh SNAP! That is sweet that Nate is in there. Here in Seattle we're plenty familiar with his above-the-clouds antics (He is a Dawg after all!). Still, though I wonder how he'll fare in a contest like this. What is so sweet about his jams is how he pulls them off in traffic or on rebounds, etc. Go Nate!
posted by vito90 at 02:29 AM on February 01, 2006
Is slam dunking supposed to be an art form? Its a bunch of crap, just like the NBA is. Take the 12 best players today and they couldnt carry the jocks of the Lakers or Celtics teams of the 1980's. Screw the NBA! Just my opinion...LIVE WITH IT!
posted by LiveWithIt at 10:03 AM on February 01, 2006
LIVE WITH IT! Oh my God! Your comment . . . is just like your name! That is so rad. I am now moved to scream to the heavens: SKOT!
posted by Skot at 12:14 PM on February 01, 2006
LiveWithIt has a great gimmick there. Somebody should give him his own show. Stephen A. Smith won't be able to compete. If the NBA wants to attract the big names for this competition, they need to get a sponsor to award $1 million to the winner (or a charity of his choice). As it stands, a guy like LeBron has little to gain from competing in an event he's unlikely to win. He's an explosive dunker, but not necessarily an "artistic" dunker. Nate-Rob is probably the sentimental favorite to win this, but Josh Smith won't be easy to beat - he's the best dunker I've seen since Vince in his prime. And that's my opinion...DEAL WITH THAT!
posted by Scott Carefoot at 12:46 PM on February 01, 2006
I can't wait to see this year's contest. The defending champ has got to be the favorite since he blew us away with his "hop over the Kenyon" dunk last year. AI is definately the real deal. Nate is gonna get some serious love from the crowd, and prolly from the judges since he is so much shorter. I wouldn't be surprised to see Hakim do something sick. Think back a year, he used to dunk on people for a living, that's how he got a scholarship. Keep your eyes open.
posted by Snikastyle at 12:49 PM on February 01, 2006
Considering Iverson hasnt lost much speed I think it is safe to say he can still dunk. He has never been much of a dunker though, even in college he only threw it down a few times. My friends dad works all the time, is 6 ft tall, 40+ and can still dunk. Iverson isnt Chris Webber, his wheels work very well thank you very much.
posted by Drallig9399 at 02:25 PM on February 01, 2006
LOL yeah good one GO birds but has inverson won a championship yet i dont think so man he can buckle his knees all he wants but the dude is too much of a ball hog and go ahead and say jordan was a ball hog but later on in his career he dish the ball and iverson is just like kobe
posted by chitownjordan at 03:40 PM on February 01, 2006
Where do i start. OK, Iverson is not in the dunk contest Drallig. Its the other "AI" from philly. Chitownjordan, Iverson is 7th in the league in assts this year. Jordan never averaged that many, Kobe is no where near it. Its a bunch of crap, just like the NBA is. Take the 12 best players today and they couldnt carry the jocks of the Lakers or Celtics teams of the 1980's Live with it, 1. Michael Jordan 30.1 1. Wilt Chamberlain 30.1 3. Allen Iverson 27.8 4. Elgin Baylor 27.4 5. Jerry West 2 27.0 6. Shaquille O'Neal 26.5 7. Bob Pettit 26.4 8. George Gervin 26.2 9. Oscar Robertson 25.7 10. Karl Malone 25.0 11. Dominique Wilkins 24.8 12. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 24.6 13. Larry Bird 24.3 13. Adrian Dantley 24.3 15. Pete Maravich 24.2 16. Vince Carter 23.9 17. Kobe Bryant 23.2 17. Rick Barry 23.2 17. Paul Pierce 23.2 20. Paul Arizin 22.8 21. George Mikan 22.6 22. Bernard King 22.5 23. Tim Duncan 22.4 24. Tracy McGrady 22.2 25. Charles Barkley 22.1 25. David Thompson 22.1 25. Bob McAdoo 22.1 28. Julius Erving 22.0 29. Geoff Petrie 21.8 29. Hakeem Olajuwon 21.8 7 of the top 30 all time leading scorers are currently playing in the NBA. 2 are currently in the top 6 all time. No Celtic or Laker from the mid 80's is in the top 10.
posted by BlogZilla at 02:02 AM on February 02, 2006
"7 of the top 30 all time leading scorers are currently playing in the NBA. 2 are currently in the top 6 all time." Leaders in 'points per game' are not the same as 'alltime scoring' leaders. But that's a minor point. Everyone's career PPG is higher while they're playing near their peak, than after some declining years. Every year Shaq hangs on at well below his career average, his PPG will decline about a point. Iverson's # is still rising, but it too will drop. If you just look at averages thru age 30, the list looks like this: 37.6 Wilt 32.3 Jordan 30.2 Baylor 30.0 Oscar 28.8 Barry 27.6 Shaq 27.5 West 27.4 Iverson ... Vince is now #23, Pierce #33, no other current players in the top 40.
posted by mike goodman at 08:01 AM on February 02, 2006
Oh, yeah: "Iverson is 7th in the league in assts this year. Jordan never averaged that many,.." Jordan averaged 8.0 assists in 1988-89; Iverson's at 7.4 now, topped at 7.9 last year.
posted by mike goodman at 08:30 AM on February 02, 2006
good stat mike good man. O yeah and go birds i said that jordan is the best ever so what ur trying to say is that iverson crossed over jordan so that makes iverson a better player? How about you go drink a couple yager bombs.Cuz that was jsut dumb
posted by chitownjordan at 10:26 AM on February 02, 2006
Iguadala (sp?) has been throwing down filthy dunks since his days in Tucson. He's definitely my favorite to take this one. And did y'all see his stunning one-handed lob to beat the T-wolves a few weeks back? Kid's got skills. Iverson and Kobe are similar in their propensity to jack up a lot of shots, but not really in other ways. AI has always been a superior ballhandler and defender... I agree with Live with it though -- bring Bird's Celtics or Magic's Lakers into the present with a time machine and they would LAY IT DOWN on NBA teams of today.
posted by Venicemenace at 11:05 AM on February 02, 2006
Sure the averages will decline as the years go by. For instance, Barkley in philly averaged about 28 ppg, in Phoenix he averaged about 24, in Houston about 20. I used those stats to show that Iversons average is indeed going up. Shaq will most likely retire before his drops to far, and Kobe's will be something ridiculous. All 3 will remain higher than any Celtic or Laker from the 80's teams. I think Bird is one of the best players ever, but i don't think he was better than Iverson. I thought Jordan's assts pg high was 6. My mistake. I would only agree that the players in the late 80's early 90's would have to include other players, not just the celtics or the lakers. The best team from that era would be C Hakeem O. PF Charles Barkley SF Larry Bird SG M.Jordan PG Magic J.
posted by BlogZilla at 07:04 PM on February 02, 2006
Im sry but BlobZilla how can u say that bird is not better than allen iverson that is one of the dumbest thing i have ever heard. Think about that iverson 0 champiochips bird not sure but i know that he has more championchips then iverson.
posted by chitownjordan at 10:09 AM on February 03, 2006
I think Bird is one of the best players ever, but i don't think he was better than Iverson. I'm from Boston and went to Georgetown, so I think I can safely call myself impartial on this one. BlogZilla, you are way, WAY off. No disrespect to AI but a higher scoring average does not automatically make him better. How many Hall of Famers has he shared the ball with?
posted by Venicemenace at 12:53 PM on February 03, 2006
With much respect to larry legend, its my opinion that Iverson is better. If you can't measure a players worth by their stats, then why can you measure their worth by titles? Chitownjordan, your claim is bird is better because of the amount of titles he won. That's a bogus guideline to measure how good a player is. Case in point, Charles Barkley has 0 titles, Robert Horry has like 6 rings. Who is a better player? Exactly, Barkley hands down. You can not measure how well a player performed based on rings. Think about all the bench players that are no where near players like Barkley, Malone, Stockton, Alonzo Mourning. John Paxon won a few titles, does that make him better than Steve Nash? No way. Rings and titles are won by the team and coaches, not 1 player. So you saying 1 player is better than the other because of titles is so far off its ridiculous, and I just proved it with the comparisons above. Sure they would all rather have a championship, everybody wants to win. But it doesn't make 1 person better than the other. In drag racing, a car can win 20 races going its top speed 300 mph. Another car comes along, wins no races but goes 310 mph. Which car was faster? Top 3 all time leading scoring averages, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlin, Allen Iverson. Some Iverson Stats Captured his fourth scoring title (30.9 ppg) in 2004- 05, joining Wilt Chamberlain (7 times), Michael Jordan (10 times) and George Gervin (4 times) as the only players in NBA history to capture four or more scoring titles (31.4 ppg in 2001-02, 31.3 ppg in 2000-01 and 26.8 ppg in 1998-99). Became the first player in NBA history since steals have been recorded (1973-74) to finish in the top-5 in scoring (30.7 ppg), steals (2.40), and assists (7.9). 10th fastest player to reach 14,000 points on Jan. 23, 2004 In 62 career playoff games, has averaged 30.6 points per game, the second highest scoring average in NBA Playoff history behind only Michael Jordan (33.4 ppg).
posted by BlogZilla at 07:14 PM on February 03, 2006
BlogZilla, I think you should no better not to base things entirely on points. Larry Bird averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 boards, 6.3 assists, and 1.74 steals a game. Iverson averages 27.8 points, only 4 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.4 steals. The stats above show that they are both very similar, in which case you must begin to measure their preformance in the playoffs. AI has not won a single championship (not even in the Eastern Conference) while Bird has won three, and was the MVP of two. That goes to show that his 30.6 points per game haven't done much have they?
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 06:15 AM on February 04, 2006
Iverson is NOTHING compared to Larry Bird. Bird would've been the best player EVER, yea i said it, if he was athletic. He had about the best understanding of the game, of anyone, with the exception of MAYBE Jordan. Bird won those titles against the Lakers. That Lakers team was incredible, and Bird still has all those rings. Larry Bird was everything basketball in a 50 year olds body. If Iverson wins a championship, and his career ends, and he still has top 3 PPG of all time, then make your case, but now... NOT EVEN CLOSE!
posted by Snikastyle at 05:52 PM on February 05, 2006
Hey blog zilla jordan won those titels with game wining shot thats y i can say that because if it wasnt for jordan that team would of never won. Yeah an Larry Bird is one of the greatest but i still think jordan is.Ok blogzilla let me think of another one ummm how about when jordan scored like 40 when he had the flue i think thats a great player. Yeah iverson is great but when he gets accuased of a really bad crim from the police then that doesnt make a good player.
posted by chitownjordan at 09:50 PM on February 05, 2006
too bad they'll be no repeat of the bird man's performance