I know everyone is waiting for a breakdown of all that is happening this weekend, but before we get to that I need to acknowledge that I left Giannis Antetokounmpo out of my first half review. If you don’t recognize that name, you may know him by his much easier to spell and pronounce nickname, the Greek Freak.
Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
This year features a lot of new faces to the NBA with a trio of second year players. The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Magic’s Victor Oladipo, and the Nets’ Mason Plumlee. The fourth contestant is T-Wolves’ rookie Zach Lavine.
We’ll start with the Greek Freak, the nickname says it all. At 6’11 Giannis Antetokounmpo is a very long and athletic player. Giannis is a freak athlete, easily one of the most athletic players in a league that is filled with some of the best athletes in the world. Victor Oladipo may be flying under the radar because of where he plays. However, Oladipo at 6’4 is a very explosive athlete like many who have been successful in this competition have been. He’s an explosive dunker -- look for him to put on a show.
Mason Plumlee is an interesting entry into the Dunk Contest as typically, with the exception of someone like Dwight Howard, guys of his size have not had much success. Still, Plumlee could be a dark horse to win it this year. As For Zach Lavine, also overlooked because of where he plays, he is just another explosive athlete in this field. While not even the best rookie on his own team, he is built for this competition. In the end I think it comes down to Oladipo and Antetokounmpo. Giannis is my pick.
Foot Locker 3 point Contest
Let me start by saying this year the 3 point contest could actually be better than the dunk contest. To start, there are two former 3 point champs. Marco Belinelli, last year’s winner tries to defend his crown, but it certainly will not be easy. Kyrie Irving, who won the contest 2 years ago, will try to regain the championship.
This year also features James Harden who has made an argument this season to be the league’s best pure scorer. Wesley Matthews is an underrated player, he is also an underrated scorer, and he is a clear dark horse candidate. J.J. Redick is of course an excellent shooter. Keep an eye on how he handles the pressure.
Kyle Korver, who already holds the NBA record for best 3 point shooting percentage in a single season in ’09-10 with the Jazz is now on pace to possibly set the record again. And finally the Splash Brothers. If it was the Splash Brothers or the field, it would be hard not to pick the Splash Bros. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson can shoot, it’s that simple. In the end everything tells me to pick one of the Splash Brothers, but I’m going with a guy who is hardly a sleeper, Kyle Korver wins it.
Bonus Pick: Kyle Lowry wins the skills challenge.