Now it’s time to look at the players who will participate in the skills showcase: the 3 point shootout, Skills Challenge, Shooting Stars and the big mama of it all, the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.
Let’s start with the most electrifying component of those, the Dunk Contest. There are those who will question the entertainment quotient of this, but the fact remains that its the most electrifying and rim rattling of all three. Here are the participants for the Dunk Contest, three from Eastern Conference and three from the Western Conference-
James WhiteNY Knicks
White the Flight, Flight 75 ready for take off. He is the man to watch.
Gerald GreenBrooklyn Nets
Green won the contest back in 2007 and will be looking for a repeat. He competed against James White in 2009 in the D-League Dunk Contest where the latter emerged victorious. A chance for revenge for this high flyer.
Terrence RossToronto Raptors
The Raptors are looking for a new identity in the Rudy Gay era. A good way to start off will be for one of them to win this. Maybe Rudy will step in with an assist on one of the dunks.
Kenneth FariedDenver Nuggets
The high flying forward of the Nuggets is a trifle bulky, but he has hops:
Eric BledsoeLA Clippers
They call him Mini LeBron. Here’s why:
Jeremy EvansTeam- Utah Jazz
Here’s why he is the defending champion-
Last year’s winner Kevin Love won’t be competing this time. Here are the participants of the 3 point shootout and how their three point percentage looks like today and how many they have made and attempted:
Steve NovakNew York Knicks3pt %- 44.43pm/3pa- 91-205
Paul GeorgeIndiana Pacers3pt%- 38.7%3pm/3pa- 108-279
Kyrie IrvingCleveland Cavaliers3pt%- 42.9%3ptm/3pa- 78-102
Stephen CurryGolden State Warriors3pt%- 44.9%3ptm/3pa- 142-316
Matt BonnerSan Antonio Spurs3pt%- 42.1%3ptm/3pa- 32-76
Ryan AndersonNew Orleans Hornets3pt%-39.73ptm/3pa- 147-370
Following are the players who will participate in the Skills Challenge:
Jrue Holiday of the Philadelphia 76ersBrandon Knight of the Detroit PistonsJeff Teague of the Atlanta HawksDamian Lillard of the Portland TrailblazersJeremy Lin of the Houston RocketsTony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs
Parker is the reigning champion and will face tough competition from the younger stars in the skills challenge.
There are four teams in the Shooting Stars Challenge, each comprises of one NBA star, one retired player and one WNBA player. These are the teams:
Team Bosh: Chris Bosh, Dominique Wilkins and Swim CashTeam Lopez: Brook Lopez, Muggsy Bogus, Tamika CatchingsTeam Harden: James Harden, Sam Cassell, Tina ThompsonTeam Westbrook: Russell Westbrook, Robert Horry, Maya Moore
The All-Star weekend has been one of the few constants in the yearly calender of an NBA fan in India. Back in the dark ages when we wouldn’t get more than a couple of games a week, this was the one event we would be assured of every year. Stay tuned for coverage.
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