The AT&T Slam Dunk contest will close out the NBA’s All-Star Saturday night again. At the break, there have been good and bad things. Check out this article on our site here on 13 Random thoughts. As a basketball fan, I have always enjoyed the different activities. The Slam Dunk contest has sometimes been fun, i.e. Gerald Green blowing out the candle, the Jordan-Wilkins contest, Vince Carter, etc. Check out this article from NBC Philadelphia here on the best of all-time (Green is #10.) But lately, the Slam Dunk contest has been lacking with the three point contest being the most dramatic. Here are some wishes I have for the Slam Dunk contest.
Slam Dunk wish #3 — No more gimmicks.
(Photo credit: John Mcdonough, Getty Images)
Please, please, please. No more pulling out volunteers from the crowd that have props for the players. The Slam Dunk contest is supposed to be one of artistry through the dunkers physical grace. The gimmicks have become mandatory in the last few years because there is an assumption that people are bored of regular dunks. That is not the case because, 1. It takes seventeen dunks for the player to dunk, 2. there have been excessive gimmicks so a return to simple dunking is needed. Look at this Bleacher Report article here from 2012 on All-time props.
Slam Dunk wish #2 — Less talk, more action.
I have sat to watch the dunk contest in recent years and all it is, is Kenny Smith, Shaquille and Reggie Miller “filling up the air” with their back and forth. The commentary is an attempt to add drama to the contest but Reggie Miller’s voice begins to annoy and Kenny Smith overdoes the drama. The players competing should be able to practice their dunks the night before over and over until they get it perfect. Then they perform and TNT gets a good guy to be poetic and do play by play “like the Olympics.” Check out this article here on FrontOfficesports.com on the dunk contest and how to “make it matter.”
Slam Dunk wish #1 — No jumping over anyone.
Aaron Gordon did not win the dunk contest by jumping over Tacko Fall. If we are truly to consider this a contest, any player that jumps over another player cannot hit the back of their head with the seat of their shorts. That to me, is an invalid dunk. The dunker should completely clear the player. Nate Robinson didn’t clear Dwight Howard when he won the dunk contest. As a matter of fact, I believe that no player that has dunked over someone has cleared the top of their head completely. Check out this article here on NBC Sports where the writer can’t believe Gordon lost.
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