A Look Back: Full Video Of 2011 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

By: Stephen Patterson

Round 1:


Round 2:


Round 3:

San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan Getting Starting Nod In All-Star Game Is Bad Joke

By: Stephen Patterson

The simple fact that Tim Duncan was even selected to play in the 60th NBA All-Star Game this Sunday over the likes of Zach Randolph of the Memphis Grizzlies and LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers is a joke.

The added fact that he has now been handed a starting spot in the game by his head coach Greg Popovich, who is also the head coach of the West All-Star team, over four clearly more qualified players is an even worse joke.

Popovich felt his decision to choose Duncan to fill the void left by Yao Ming in the starting line-up, who was voted to be a starter by the fans despite having not played in a single game this season, was "appropriate" and "obvious". In a mind-boggling development, Pops also doesn't have any problem with his own decision.

Duncan's teammate Manu Ginobili said "if there's anyone who deserves that spot, it's TD".

I've lost count of how many NBA analysts on ESPN and across the internet have tried to justify Duncan's starting role with the fact that the Spurs have an NBA best 46-10 record heading into the break and someone from their squad should represent them as a starter.

If that is the case, why isn't one of their top three players representing San Antonio in the starting line-up? Why is their aging and declining, former best player getting the nod over four players that are clearly more qualified?

 

Does Tim Duncan deserve to be in the All-Star Game this season?

Yes

0%

No

0%

Total votes: 0

While the All-Star Game is supposed to be more of a fun and crowd-pleasing exhibition or practice than it is a serious game, it is also supposed to be an event for the fans and I can't imagine the fans paying to see this game want this for their money.

Duncan is averaging career lows in points (13.4) and rebounds (9.2) so far this season, yet he somehow managed to "earn" his 12th straight All-Star Game starting role, and his 13th appearance overall.

Popovich chose Duncan to start at center over Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers and Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers, both of whom are obviously more popular amongst fans in the Los Angeles area.

Dirk Nowitzki of San Antonio's rival Dallas Mavericks and Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves were also snubbed by the Popovich's decision.

Griffin is one of the most popular players in the league this season and his 22.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game this season are far superior to Duncan's stats.

The fact that Griffin is somewhere between 30 and 45 times more entertaining to watch than Duncan has ever been is another reason this decision shocks me.

The league has focused a large amount of their advertising for this weekend on Griffin and to start Duncan over him in the big game makes absolutely no sense after all of that.

 

Who deserves to be the starting center for the Western Conference?

Tim Duncan

0%

Kevin Love

0%

Pau Gasol

0%

Blake Griffin

0%

Dirk Nowitzki

0%

Total votes: 0

Love would have also been an excellent choice considering he attended local UCLA during his one season in college and is still pretty popular in the area, not to mention the fact that he is a double-double machine, riding a streak of 42 consecutive double-doubles into the break.

While some experts are attributing Duncan's lower production and shrunken stat-lines to his reduction in minutes (28.7 per game) in an attempt by the Spurs to keep him fresh, I'm going to attribute the lower production to the fact that he is clearly getting older, losing a step or three, and is no longer needed as a focal point of the offense.

Duncan is definitely a Hall of Fame caliber player and has deserved all 12 of his previous selections to the All-Star Game, but I don't think there is an argument that can be made that would convince me that he deserves to be a starter this season despite being fifth in the fan voting amongst the Western Conference forwards.

If David Stern and the league were concerned about putting the best product that they can on the floor in Los Angeles on Sunday night, Duncan would definitely be coming off the bench behind Griffin, Gasol, Love and Nowitzki as all four of those players are clearly more entertaining and more deserving of the starting spot and the extra minutes.

NBA 2011 All-Star Weekend: Previews & Predictions For All Of The Festivities

By: Stephen Patterson

The NBA's annual All-Star blast is heading to its' biggest stage this season, and it will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles this weekend.

Before this season, most people around the country would have gotten mental images of Kobe Bryant or his Los Angeles Lakers if you mentioned the Staples Center, however, this season there's another show in town (and I don't mean the All-Star game).

That show goes by a few names, but the most popular one seems to be the "BlakeShow", and his talents and skill set will be on full display this weekend during the All-Star festivities.

Not only will he participating in the Sprite Slam Dunk Competition, but Blake Griffin will also appear in the Rookie-Sophomore game as well as the main event, the All-Star game itself.

This slideshow will give previews and predictions for all of the big events this weekend in Los Angeles. Just a tip, be prepared to witness the nationwide breakout of the BlakeShow.

Note: For a full list of participants for the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge and the All-Star Game, visit this site: http://www.espn.go.com/nba/allstargame

Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

Participants: Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), JaVale McGee (Washington Wizards), DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors), Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Predicted Winner: Blake Griffin

If you have watched 'SportsCenter' at some point this season, or happened to catch a Clippers game, you probably know why Griffin has to be considered the clear-cut favorite in this event. He has lit-up almost every opponent the Clippers have faced this season with electric dunks, and I believe he will have a few extra-special dunks in store for this event.

This contest has the potential to be the most entertaining one since the 2000 Dunk Contest, which Vince Carter turned into a career-defining performance. While Griffin likely won't top Carter's performance from that contest, there is a decent chance he will have the most entertaining array of dunks since.

DeRozan would be my dark, dark horse pick in the event, although I don't think anyone will even realize Griffin had competition after the contest is finished. I would be stunned if anyone other than Griffin won this year's event.

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

The NBA's annual All-Star blast is heading to its' biggest stage this season, and it will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles this weekend.
Before this season, most people around the country would have gotten mental images of Kobe Bryant or his Los Angeles Lakers if you mentioned the Staples Center, however, this season there's another show in town (and I don't mean the All-Star game).
That show goes by a few names, but the most popular one seems to be the "BlakeShow", and his talents and skill set will be on full display this weekend during the All-Star festivities.
Not only will he participating in the Sprite Slam Dunk Competition, but Blake Griffin will also appear in the Rookie-Sophomore game as well as the main event, the All-Star game itself.
This slideshow will give previews and predictions for all of the big events this weekend in Los Angeles. Just a tip, be prepared to witness the nationwide breakout of the BlakeShow.
Note: For a full list of participants for the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge and the All-Star Game, visit this site: http://www.espn.go.com/nba/allstargame

Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

Participants: Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), JaVale McGee (Washington Wizards), DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors), Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Predicted Winner: Blake Griffin
If you have watched 'SportsCenter' at some point this season, or happened to catch a Clippers game, you probably know why Griffin has to be considered the clear-cut favorite in this event. He has lit-up almost every opponent the Clippers have faced this season with electric dunks, and I believe he will have a few extra-special dunks in store for this event.
This contest has the potential to be the most entertaining one since the 2000 Dunk Contest, which Vince Carter turned into a career-defining performance. While Griffin likely won't top Carter's performance from that contest, there is a decent chance he will have the most entertaining array of dunks since.
DeRozan would be my dark, dark horse pick in the event, although I don't think anyone will even realize Griffin had competition after the contest is finished. I would be stunned if anyone other than Griffin won this year's event.

3-Point Shootout

Participants: Ray Allen (Boston Celtics), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Daniel Gibson (Cleveland Cavaliers), James Jones (Miami Heat), Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics), Dorell Wright (Golden State Warriors)

Predicted Winner: Ray Allen

Considering Allen just surpassed Reggie Miller for the most three-point makes in NBA history, I think he has to be considered the favorite in this contest. While it's always possible for someone to catch fire and win out-of-nowhere in this event, Allen is by far the best shooter from downtown out of this group.

Gibson would probably be my second pick as the most likely to pull out a victory other than Allen this year. "Boobie" is shooting 44 percent from distance this season, which barely trails Allen's 46 percent as tops among the competitors.

And although Durant says he is competing in this event basically for amusement, I could see him catching fire on the big stage and stealing a victory in this shootout, although his season average of 34 percent is the lowest among the six shooters.

NBA Celebrity All-Star Game

Predicted Winner: Bill Simmons' team by 10+

I couldn't tell you one participant in this year's Celebrity Game, and frankly, like most people, I'm not too concerned to know.

Most years I don't even acknowledge this game as being a part of the "real" festivities of the weekend, but that changed this season with Bill Simmons being given a spot as a coach for one of the teams.

I'm just going with the team coached by Simmons for my pick because he is one of my favorite writers and was an inspiration behind my decision to go into sports journalism.

This one is for you, Bill. Don't let me down.

Rookie-Sophomore Challenge Game

Predicted Winner: Rookies 133 - Sophomores 124

For some reason, the sophomore team looks really weak to me this season. Beyond Stephen Curry, Wesley Matthews, DeJuan Blair and Brandon Jennings, there aren't too many bright spots on the second-year roster in my opinion.

Tyreke Evans would've given the sophomores a much better chance at victory, however he will be sitting out the event due to injury. Blair will integral to their success on defense, as he will be tasked with trying to stop Blake Griffin. Curry will need a huge game on offense for the sophomores to stay in this one.

I think Griffin could have a historically good performance for the rookie team. Considering he is playing on his home floor, I think he will have a monster game. Also, I think the reunion of former Kentucky teammates John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins will be very successful for the pair.

The All-Star Game

Predicted Winner: West 117 - East 112

While the Eastern Conference clearly has the better starting five of the two squads, I don't think their reserves will have what it takes to keep up with their Western counterparts and that will lead them to a loss.

I don't think Chris Bosh deserved to be in the game this season, and his selection could be costly considering Kevin Garnett is also a reserve with less-than desired production at the power forward position for the East.

With Doc Rivers coaching the Eastern squad, I expect the four Celtic reserves will see plenty of playing time as well. Also, Rivers recently said he would probably experiment at the center position with the player closest to free agency while he has his four players on the court; that player happens to Dwight Howard.

With Los Angeles being a Western Conference city, and Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol all potentially playing a home game, I think the crowd energy will be overwhelmingly behind the West this season. That energy will likely be all the Western team needs to take home the victory.

Also, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a signature dunk from Griffin at some point during his big moment celebrating his selection as the first rookie to be voted into the game since Yao Ming in 2003 (and yes, that means not even LeBron James can claim that achievement).