Like the end of my first relationship with a rude and swift stomach punch, NBA Dunk Contest ended abruptly and without emotion. Boos echoed down from the “Smoothie Center” rafters, as the players stood awkwardly around Nick Cannon. This was not the ending that anyone was looking for to fire them up before heading out on a Saturday evening.We can all agree the ending of the Dunk Contest was a giant, horrific scab on the face of an otherwise successful first All-Star Saturday for the new NBA commissioner, Adam Silver. The event has been under scrutiny, as interest in the dunk contest seems to rise and fall yearly. Dunk Contest used to be the pinnacle of the weekend. Winning it absolutely meant something for the winner and his team. At its best, winning the Dunk Contest cemented a legacy for the individual. It was a competitive event showcasing athleticism that doubled as bragging rights for your team.
But that's like your Grandpa telling you a story, 'Back in my day, the dunk contest meant something.' Superstars today don’t feel the same pressure Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan felt to win the award, and coupled with the fact it is harder now to impress people with dunks than it was in the early 90's. An NBA player cannot use the same dunk that someone else did in years prior. That unspoken rule did not apply 25 years ago. Twice, Jordan won the contest with his own variation of the free throw line dunk. Last year, former New York Knicks forward James White could have done his between the legs dunk from the free throw line and still lost. Most of the dunks that happen in today’s event, would seem borderline incomprehensible when this event was super in its heyday. Dunk creativity has skyrocketed, and this new reality has definitely hurt how people perceive today's contest. Often negatively.
Another common knock on the All-Star weekend is how buddy-buddy the league has gotten, a perfect example of how AAU has improved league camaraderie while simultaneously making the pundits argue the game has gone soft. Whatever the matter, there is no denying that tempers don’t flare and bodies don’t fly quite like they did in the 80’s and 90’s. When you talk to any NBA fan, it was those decades seeming to warrant the most amount of respect from the casual fan. Fair or unfair, that is the level of nasty competitiveness, people seem to be looking for.
For All-Star Weekend, NBA decided to add more of a competitive flair to things in an attempt to revive Saturday in an effort to pit the East vs. West. In a season that injuries have stolen players like Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant and Russell Westbrook, the regular season thankfully been saved by the individual greatness of LeBron James and Kevin Durant. As the media has carefully orchestrated a way from these two friends to have bad blood, their fictional rivalry would serve as a perfect parallel for the new All-Star format. LeBron Vs. Durant. East vs. West.Whatever the case, it was clear to me the league is trying to bring back any semblance of bad blood to help boost ratings. And honestly, I am all on board for that plan. The new format did not bothering me one bit. In fact, I thought it was working. I found myself cheering a little harder then usual. But then the Dunk Contest happened....
The Freestyle round was different, but unique. I had not seen that before, and thankfully, they let the Eastern Conference team of Paul George, John Wall and Terrence Ross trot out there first. They were eloquent, barely missed any dunks, and put on a show. Did I have a problem with the way it was graded with three NBA legends holding up East or West? Yes, but at least for this part of the night, grading did not bring to question any doubt within the competition, because the East team showed up, and showed out.
Unfortunately, the end of the first round also is when the door can start to swing open to criticism. The grading system sucked, as my buddy Ryan texted me, “I want a mutha f$%#$ score out of 10”. He could not be more right. Again, I enjoyed the East vs. West moniker, but why not just still rate every dunk and then take averages and have that serve as the decider? That would work just fine, right? America likes numbers. We don’t care that TNT can afford iPads, and only the really stoned ones watching forgot which player was in the Eastern and Western Conference. So we don’t need to vote that way. NBA taking away one of the key cornerstones in the dunk contest is a massive oversight.
And of course, the judging was just the first complaint. My next one although smaller, is to please rid the event of props. I don’t need to see a “knighting” ceremony led by Shaquille O’Neal, because simply jumping over him will speak for itself. I don’t need Drake coming out with a backwards snapback, because that can arguable lose Damian Lillard a chance at winning his “Dunk Off”. DeMar DeRozen, who I feel is the leagues best dunker, declared a few years back that he would not participate in the event again until the props are dropped, and quite frankly, he is right on the money. Terrance Ross won the Dunk Contest last year, not using props. Athleticism is all we want to see as fans.
Which brings us back to the start. The slap in the face. The punch in the gut. The fact we did not get a final round. It was tragic. Fans and players alike were duped, as we all waited for the final round. The winners of the round two “challenges” were supposed to have a final round to declare the real winner. But the NBA had other plans. And we all lost.
If it wouldn’t have been for such an unfortunate ending, I wouldn’t have been forced to write this, but we were all cheated. Everything the league pushes on to us is that this is a competition worth watching. Dominique said it like 55 goddamn times. But on Saturday night, the dunk contest was a waste of my time. We did not get to see who really won. John Wall was voted winner, but I’m not even sure. They never showed me a graphic. Graphics are an easy part of the business, and something should have been produced. Nick Cannon stumbled through the award ceremony with everyone in a state of confusion.
As an NBA advocate, it embarrassed me. And I hope next year, East vs. West moniker aside, they don’t short us a round of competition because nobody has time for that. This format needs to be changed. If they don’t figure it out, the precious viewers they seek will diminish, and the only savior would be finding a way for LeBron and KD to square off.
I have confidence something will happen. I am not saying those two powerhouses will square off, but something will draw us back next year.
I hope that something is getting graded out of 10.
May the wind be at your back,
~Andrew
