Tomahawk Tuesday: Recapping 2018 All-Star Weekend

Over this past weekend was NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. It was an exciting weekend that brought the All-Star Game back to its roots, where defense was played for a least a good portion of the game. I will spare you of any commentary on Fergie's national anthem, though let me say that was the weirdest rendition of the anthem that I've ever heard. The rest of the weekend I thought was actually pretty good.


All-Star Saturday Night 

All-Star Saturday Night consisted of three events: the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, JBL Three-Point Contest, and Verizon Slam Dunk Contest. Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie won the skills challenge, Suns guard Devin Booker won the three-point contest with a record 28 points, and Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell won the dunk contest.

What made the skills challenge fun is it once again was a format of bigs versus guards. Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen was the top performer of the big men but was unable to outdo Dinwiddie, who was sort of a dark horse to win the whole thing. Clippers guard Lou Williams came in as the favorite given the home court advantage, but he wasn't able to deliver the goods. There was a little bit of controversy surrounding 76ers center Joel Embiid's performance since it looked like he may have cheated by skipping the part where you pass the ball through the hoop. However, what he did was perfectly legal.  If you miss both passes you have to continue on anyways, so after missing the first pass, Embiid just wanted to get the ball out as quickly as possible. I just wanted to set the record straight on that.

In the three-point shootout, Devin Booker was lights out, especially in the championship round, finishing with 28 points. Booker really heated up in his last couple of racks, making nine of his final 10 shots. His money ball rack was the last rack and he made four of those five shots, so he did a good job of placing his money ball rack in the right place. Booker defeated Rockets guard Eric Gordon, Clippers forward Tobias Harris, and Warriors guard Klay Thompson in the final round. Thompson finished with 25 points, but was mathematically eliminated when he got to the final rack, so it wasn't really as close as the final score indicates.

In the dunk contest, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Cavaliers forward Larry Nance, Jr. were the top two performers, squaring off in the championship round. Mitchell stole the show with his tributes to Jazz legend Darrell Griffith and Raptors legend Vince Carter, though Nance had a really nice tribute dunk to his father and also a really impressive dunk in which he tapped the ball to himself twice off the glass. Mavericks guard Dennis Smith, Jr. also deserves some love for a through the legs dunk he did. The dunk contest wasn't as good as some contests in the past, but the guys who participated still did a nice job.

                                         (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)       
All-Star Game 

On Sunday, Team LeBron defeated Team Steph 148-145 in the All-Star Game. LeBron James led the way for his team with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, taking home the MVP honors. While every all-star game is an offensive clinic predicated on alley-oop dunks and highlight reel moves, what made this game fun was the defense that was actually played. Guys were blocking shots, guys were forcing steals, etc. This actually felt like a basketball game because of the defensive effort that was present. Fans want to see highlight dunks and incredible shots, but they want to see some effort on the defensive end as well. The effort on defense was really good for an all-star game and as a result, the fans got their money's worth in the end. I think the format where LeBron James and Stephen Curry drafted their own teams deserves some credit for making this happen. It made the guys feel a bit more invested in the event.

Overall, I was pleased with the NBA's All-Star Weekend. Everyone seemed to have a good time and did a good job putting on a show for the fans. It lived up to what it was supposed to be, which is fun entertainment that the whole family can enjoy. That is all that we can really ask for.

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Fadeaway Friday: What to look for in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge

Tonight at 9:00 PM EST on TNT, the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge will tip off to begin the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans. Here are some things to look for in this game.

Rosters: 

Team USA: Devin Booker (Suns), Malcolm Brogdon (Bucks), Marquese Chriss (Suns), Brandon Ingram (Lakers), Frank Kaminsky (Hornets), Jahlil Okafor (76ers), D'Angelo Russell (Lakers), Jonathon Simmons (Spurs), Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves), and Myles Turner (Pacers).

Team World: Alex Abrines (Thunder)*, Danté Exum (Jazz), Buddy Hield (Pelicans), Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Trey Lyles (Jazz), Willy Hernangomez (Knicks)**, Jamal Murray (Nuggets), Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks), Domantas Sabonis (Thunder), and Dario Saric (76ers).

*Injury replacement for Joel Embiid (76ers). **Injury replacement for Emmanuel Mudiay (Nuggets)

What to watch for: The first thing to note about this game is that it is a USA vs. World format. They've done this for a couple of years now, but nonetheless it is a shakeup from the classic East vs. West format. What is most interesting is to see how such a format is actually competitive. Years ago, there wouldn't have been enough international players to form a competitive roster against the United States, but now there absolutely is, which is exciting for the game of basketball.

The second thing to look for are the guys who don't get as much national spotlight. Guys like Devin Booker, Malcolm Brogdon, and Nikola Jokic are having fine seasons, but they are flying under the radar due to playing for small market teams. It will be interesting to see how these guys do playing on a national stage. I'm sure they will relish the moment and do their very to put on a show.

The third thing to look for will be who steps up should this game get close. All of these guys are either in their first or second seasons in the NBA, so they are still getting used to having to take over a game at the NBA level. A lot of these guys have veterans to look to when the game gets close. Some of these guys are in situations where they have to be that guy for their teams already. I think it will be fascinating to see which of these young bucks decides to be the go-to guy in the clutch should this game get competitive. It could provide a window of sorts into which one has the best potential to be the next superstar of the NBA.

Predictions: I'm going to pick the United States to win this game. Even with the world catching up rapidly, the United States still has the better roster. Of course, this game is an exhibition, so anything can happen, but I do think the United States will come out on top. They have the more talented team. I'm going to say the United States wins 130-118.

                                              (Credit: Basket Streaming. Click here for source) 
                                               
In regards to an MVP, I've got my money on Karl-Anthony Towns of the Timberwolves. He is averaging 23.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game this season. He's the best player on the floor in this game and I expect him to play like it. Look for him to be the main guy that leads the United States to victory.



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Zach LaVine & Aaron Gordon electrified Toronto on NBA All-Star Weekend

     The highlight of the 2016 NBA All-Star Saturday Night and possibly the weekend, was the slam dunk contest. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine and Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon had one of the most epic slam dunk battles the world has ever seen. Every time Aaron Gordon did something that couldn't be topped, Zach LaVine found a way to match it and get a 50 to stay alive in sudden death.

     While we have seen a lot of great dunks over the years, what makes this dunk contest different is that we got to see two guys who truly matched each other for their grace, creativity, and difficulty. Aaron Gordon's soaring between the legs dunk over the Magic's mascot was jaw dropping and Zach LaVine's between the legs dunk from the foul line was equally spectacular. In truth, even though Zach LaVine ended up winning, there really was no winner to this dunking duel. Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon both were winners because they captivated the minds of NBA fans across the globe.

     The reason we watch the NBA is to be entertained by the world's best players and both Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon demonstrated an understanding of this. They knew that people wanted to see a show and they did everything in their power to put on the best show possible. What was even more impressive to see was the mutual respect between the two players when the contest finally ended. Zach LaVine was happy to win, but he was quick to recognize that Aaron Gordon did some stuff that he himself could not do.

     This dunk contest really had everything we could hope for. It had dunks we hadn't seen, dunks that left us in awe, and dunks that left us wanting more. I don't know about you, but if somebody told me that Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon were having a dunk off at 2:00 AM at Rucker Park with glow in the dark basketballs, I would stay up to watch it.

     Hopefully, future dunk contests will also be able to entertain us, but make no mistake, the dunk contest isn't back. It's been back for a while and Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon just took it to another level. It was beautiful to watch and definitely worth watching again.


   

Saturday Slam: NBA three-point contest highlights All-Star Saturday

                                     

                                          (Credit: nba-events.com. Click here for source)

   
     Every NBA All-Star weekend it feels as though the slam dunk competition is the big event and everything else just builds up to it. But this year it's the three-point contest that everybody is talking about and the slam dunk competition feels like an after thought. The reason this is so is because in essence, this event is complied of the top eight three-point shooters in the NBA: Marco Belinelli (38.1%), Stephen Curry (39.9%), James Harden (38.3%), Kyrie Irving (41.4%), Kyle Korver (52.3%), Wesley Matthews (39.8%), J.J. Redick (43.6%), and Klay Thompson (44.0%). (Note: Current season three-point percentages are in parentheses)

     In almost any other year, any of these eight players would be the favorites to win the event. But this year, it's way too close to call. Judging by the statistics, one would say Kyle Korver is the clear front runner, but given that James Harden and Stephen Curry take a lot more pull up threes, the discrepancy there isn't as huge as one might think. Still, given that Kyle Korver is a catch and shoot shooter and this is a catch and shoot event, Kyle Korver has to be the favorite to win this event.

     In case you are not familiar with how three-point contests work, there are five racks of five balls that one has to shoot within 60 seconds. The last ball on each rack is typically called a "money ball" that is multi-colored like an ABA ball. Hitting a shot with the money ball is worth two points, so players really want to make sure they make those shots. Three players will advance to the finals and the best out of those three will be deemed the champion. I'm not entirely certain of the format since it sometimes changes from year to year, but my guess would be that each player gets two rounds and the top three from there will advance.

     If  I had to pick two other finalists to go alongside Kyle Korver,  I would have to go with Marco Belinelli and Klay Thompson. Marco because he's the defending champion and has experience with this event, and Klay because he's a catch and shoot shooter. However, I could see any number of possible outcomes happening, which is why this event has so many people buzzing. There really is no favorite and there really is no dark horse. Each and every participant is an accomplished shooter who knows how to hit open threes. I expect the scoring for this event to be through the roof and the bar raised to another level that we have never seen. It should be pretty wild!  (Note: This article also was featured on The Hardwood Nation blog. Click here for a link to the site)

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord