NBA -- An All-Star Saturday night to remember
By Japheth Bandi
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 17 Feb 2020
CHICAGO -- Another All-Star Saturday night is in the books and this one is will be remembered for a long time following a layer of controversy that marred the Slam Dunk contest.
Derrick Jones Jr of the Miami Heat won the slam king title after scoring a 48 score in the second dunk off that followed the final round. Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic finished second when he got a 47 on his second dunk but he and the crowd thought he deserved a higher mark and the victory.
But as they say, judges' decision is final.
"I got a whole lot in my arsenal. I knew every dunk that I was going to do even if it went to overtime. I planned this," Jones said. "My inspiration was this trophy. I was trying to get this trophy and bring this back home to Miami."
"Come on, man" Gordon asked garnering only 47 points on a dunk in which he scale over 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall of the Boston Celtics.
In the Skills Challenge, meanwhile, eight players of varying sizes competed head-to-head in an obstacle course that showcased their passing, dribbling, and shooting. Surprisingly, two big men, Domantas Sabonis and Bam Adebayo faced off in this year’s final round, where Adebayo edged out Sabonis for the victory.
The Three-Point shootout was participated in by Davis “the Latvian Laser” Bertans, Oklahoma product, Buddy Hield, and former three point shootout champion, Devin Booker claimed the first round’s three highest totals. Their high scores earned them a spot in the championship round over the likes of hometown favorite, Zach Lavine and reigning three point champion, Joe Harris.
In the final round, Booker tallied an impressive score of 26. Despite the pressure, Buddy Hield kept pace with Book and made four of his last five shots, including his final triple at the buzzer from the money ball rack to give him a grand total of 27 and a shiny new piece of hardware.
Now, all that’s left is a showcase of the best basketball players on the planet tomorrow night during the 69th annual All-Star Game where all sorts of skills, shooting and dunking are sure to be on display.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Japheth Bandi.
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