Uptown Saturday Nate
Nate RobinsonYou could say Dwight Howard grossly exceeded the 2-minute prep time by having another basket wheeled out during last night’s Dunk Contest. You could say that, between him having a phone booth built and brought in, he clearly spends WAY too much time thinking about these kind of things. But we can tell you this much: When Dwight had that hoop raised to 11-whatever feet (they never told us the exact number in the arena; maybe they did on TV) and stepped out of the booth, EVERYONE in the building was standing up to see what he was gonna do. We could already hear Magic Johnson screaming “THE DUNK CONTEST IS BACK!!” for the fifth year in a row … But Dwight took the upset L, stepping aside for Nate Robinson. How did Nate do it? Here’s the recap … FIRST ROUND: J.R. Smith didn’t dunk once during warmups, spending the entire time shooting 35-footers. You wouldn’t have known it, though, ’cause his opening-dunk windmill off two bounces was pretty sick … Rudy Fernandez passed it behind his back off the glass and crammed a one-hander, which the U.S. Airways Center crowd loved, but the judges gave him a 42. For what it’s worth, Rudy didn’t get that high on the dunk … Nate basically did the same dunk as J.R., only off one bounce, but since he’s only 5-foot-7, of course it was still crazy. When Nate botched his first lob attempt, you heard the crowd begin to rumble, visions of the 2006 contest in their heads … Dwight also did pretty much the same dunk (lob/windmill), only he came from behind the backboard. We didn’t think it was really worth a 50, but the judges did … SECOND ROUND: Rudy and Pau Gasol tried to put a spin on the dunk Andre Iguodala made famous, with Pau throwing it behind his back off the back of the backboard and Rudy coming from out of bounds for the finish. It would have been cool, except they took FOREVER trying to get it right; it was a two-person Birdman job. When Rudy finally did get it (after Pau started passing it normally), the crowd booed the judges for “only” giving him a 42 … J.R. and Sonny Weems (who could be Thaddeus Young’s doppleganger) tried to replicate Fred Jones “from the crowd” alley-oop, which J.R. got with two hands but didn’t impress the judges enough to advance. PA announcer during J.R.’s attempt: “This is gonna be one of the longest alley-oops.” No, we’re pretty sure Fernandez and Pau took care of that one … Nate had Wilson Chandler get on all fours around the dotted line and jumped off Wilson’s back for a one-hand dunk. The crowd loved it, but the judges only gave him a 41. Good thing the Knicks stink, otherwise when Wilson misses a game next week due to a sore back, people would have cared … FINALS: Nate, having changed to the Knicks’ green uniforms for “Kryptonite,” tosses it to himself along the baseline and throws down the reverse jackknife, then capped it by doing the Stanky Leg … Dwight goes off the side of the backboard to himself, finishing with a tomahawk that wasn’t fancy, just HARD as hell and nasty … Nate gets a green ball for his second dunk in the finals, gets Dwight to put on the cape and stand under the rim, then HURDLES him, dunks, and does the Superman dance. Yeah, he used his hand for the hurdle, but so f’n what: Dude is 5-foot-7 and cleared a near 7-footer!! … Dwight took off his jersey to reveal a smaller, tighter jersey and took off just inside the free throw line, a crazy dunk but kind of a letdown if you were in the building …
Dwight Howard (photo. Mannion)Before the winner was named, the crowd chanted “NATE! NATE! NATE!” Dwight even pointed at Nate, saying he got it before Cheryl Miller named him the winner … E-mail from Dime’s Christian Grant-Fields after Dwight’s first dunk: “Cedric Ceballos‘ dumb ass tried to put up two cards to read 1,000 with a 10 and a sideways 8. He held them up wrong and it said oo10.” … Everyone who was upset that Ray Allen, Peja Stojakovic and other more established shooters weren’t given the chance to take down Jason Kapono — the Triple H of the Three-Point Shootout field — had a right to be mad after the first round of last night’s contest. Danny “Senor Buckets” Granger and Roger Mason were disappointing, and Kapono himself didn’t even bring his “A” game; he did just enough to crack the final three along with Rashard Lewis and Daequan Cook. You figured Kapono was just stringing them along before the kill, but then he left the door wide-open with a very beatable final-round score of 14. Rashard and Cook tied with 15, knocking out the champ, then Rashard decided he was done making shots for the day and got crushed in the overtime shootout, missing every ball on the first two racks and losing 18-7 … Does anyone else miss the NBA playing “Wipeout” during every single round of the Three-Point Shootout for like 20 years straight? … Granger had some Sam Perkins-level slowness to his release. He didn’t even finish his first round … What’s up with the PA announcer not playing up the fact that Mike Bibby is from Phoenix? That was a sure-fire crowd pleaser. Bibby had a bad showing, only scoring 14 in the first round, but he did bank one in from the left wing … A new day is truly upon us. Perennial All-Star Saturday Night V.I.P. Dikembe Mutombo’s seat was worse than Courtney Lee’s seat. That’s just not right … How would four score-first point guards do in the Skills Challenge? About how you’d expect. Devin Harris went first and ran the obstacle course in 36.9 seconds, looking like he wasn’t even trying. Mo Williams‘ J was money (surprise), but he had legit problems with the passing portion (surprise) and exited early. Derrick Rose was going slow enough to where we wondered if he’d injured himself in Friday’s Rookie Game, and even then, he smoked the field with a first-round 33.3-second run. The crowd’s villain for the evening, Tony Parker, came in last (and didn’t care one bit), which the Phoenix crowd loved. “Yeah, you might be wearing two championship rings and one Finals MVP that Mayor Steve Nash could have had, but YOU SUCKED AT THE SKILLS CHALLENGE!! HA HA HAAAAA!!” … Rose beat Harris in the finals, sleep-walk/limping the course again until pulling a Harold Miner reverse jackknife dunk out of nowhere for the exclamation point. Pretty lazy comp overall, though. We need Chris Paul and Deron Williams‘ insane competitiveness with Chris Paul in order to make this thing pop … We’re out like Kapono’s reign of terror …
February 14th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
cesar says:
primeiro!
February 14th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
SteveNash says:
LEBRON JAMES DECLARED 2010 is his year to win dunk contest…. DID YOU GUYS MISS THAT!!!!
February 14th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Wake says:
To the people who voted for Rudy. Please, never vote again.
February 14th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
soopatroopa says:
you guys should get Becky Hammon in a photo shoot. she’s beautiful.
February 14th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
cesar says:
lebron,joe alexander,rudy and bill walker for 2010!
or someone get a damn contract for james white!
February 14th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
SCRIPTED says:
What a joke of a dunk contest.. is the this fucking the WWF? Guys dressing up silly and coming out with stupid ass props. The announcers are just as bad, “Oh no, on no! What’s this???(Like they don’t fucking know) He’s gonna bring out another hoop! OMG OMG OMG!” Enough with the props. Dwight came out of the telephone booth. The thing was obviously scripted. Krpytonite vs. Superman.. I mean.. It’s exactly all written out like the WWF. So much for an actual competition. Would you ever see MJ in a fucking costume? No more professionalism in this event.
February 14th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
weezy f says:
becky hammon did look good out there and no way was the dunk off chandler more than a 1 thats just weak
February 14th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
fallinup says:
What in the hell was Jerome “Junk Tard Dog” Williams doing right there with Dwyane in the front row? Didn’t he disappear 5 years ago?
I don’t know why, I always get hyped for Saturday Night, then feel disappointed in the end.
If Dwight gets to bring up a fork lift, and a phone booth. Then I recommend him jumping over a bed of hot coals, or rabid dogs for his next dunk contest.
February 14th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
aaa says:
Are you shitting me? RUDY GOT ROBBED. Rudy’s dunk with Pau was more impressive than anything Nate OR Dwight did. If it didn’t take them that many times it would have been spectacular, but it certainly deserved more than a 42 or whatever. That shit was craaaazy.
February 14th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Ashlov says:
Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller both sounded like idiots while dissing Daequan Cook while he was shooting. They should do their homework before they talk so much shit. Daequan has been lighting it up this season.
February 14th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
fallinup says:
I must admit. I laughed my ass off watching Wilson Chandler on his hands and knees. I said, “Look, that player there sitting doggy style, he’s from Benton Harbor. A home town boy finally reppin our neck of the woods and he’s doing doggy style. Gotta be proud!”
February 14th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Luigi says:
My friends and i were going crazy when Rudy Dunked the Ball from Pau.. but Rudys first dunk was LEGIT! behind the back on the backboard n then dunking it full extension n throwing it down!!…damn..then His 2nd Dunk…if he woulda done that his first try..he woulda gotten a 50. i guess him using the 2:00 limit cost him.
J.R.’s dunks were nice.. but those are game dunks though. the double bounce windmill was nice. but his 2nd one with Sonny Weems (WTF why is he throwing him the ball n not Chauncey)…cost him dearly. if he woulda put in the one hander from the stands..then damn
Nate was cute. Being Lex was creative…i dont think anyone would of seen that coming…i thought he sprained his ankle n was getting it taped up after he dunked on Chandlers back.
Dwight was utterly disappointing. when he pulled out the 12ft. rim n showed an image of stern i thought…damn hes gonna do something crazy but he just did his in game signature dunk. n his last dunk was bad…i thought he was gonna do the Kiss the rim double dunk like he said.
February 14th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
HeadKicker B says:
As far as dunk contests go there were some pretty sweet stuff there: Dwight’s phone booth to 12 foot rim dunk and his alley oop to himself off the side of the rim were cool and original. Nate’s krytonite dunk was sweet. But the rest was old hat. The judges favoritism is ridic – Howards first dunk was a 50 and I was completely underwhelmed. I liked Rudy’s behind the back oop to himself better and that got a 42.
BUT my biggest beef: Cheryl and Reggie drooling all over themselves about Lebron might be in the dunk contest next year. LBJ gets tons of spotlight, why not let Nate and Dwight get some shine without mentioning Lebron. During the 3 point shootout they dont stop the contest to ask Kobe if he’s gonna be in next year. Can there ever be NBA commentary without mentioning either Lebron or Kobe?
February 14th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
B says:
Rose would have been better in the dunk contest.
February 15th, 2009 at 12:02 am
Kudabeen says:
Hammon was looking quite nice…
No Way LBJ enters next year…
It was an okay Saturday…Three Point contest needs to bring actual shooters out…No Eddie House??
Jodi Meeks goes for 45 tonight…Dude is taking Tony Delks nickname…Mr. Buckets 2.0…
February 15th, 2009 at 12:06 am
the cynic says:
Dwight’s lob off the side of the backboard was the only dunk worth watching. Rudy’s behind the backboard opp dunk was probably second, but took too many tries to get right
February 15th, 2009 at 12:11 am
Kermit The Washington says:
Yo I feel dude talking about the WWF aspect…I felt the same way, like, how scripted can you get, when as soon as Nate completes his dunk off dude’s back, he doesn’t even need to stick around for the score, he takes off to the locker room to get his Kryptonite jersey for the final round. How did he know he was in it, with the way the judges were scoring all erratically? But after being upset about the whole babyish costume crap, I see Nate Rob lining up to jump over Dwight Howard and dunk. And I was like “I will forgive the entire contest foolishness if this kid dunks on Dwight Howard right now”. And dude KILLED that joint on his FIRST ATTEMPT no less. He wins for that dunk alone, in my book. That made the whole event for me.
February 15th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Luigi says:
Amen to the Kermit…
if Dwight did his Kiss the Rim double dunk. then it should end in a tie. but whatevs Nate did his thing.
February 15th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Evanescent says:
Fairly obvious that the NBA was going for the Howard/Robinson superman vs luther dynamic in the final. It’s a joke that Howard’s first dunk got a 50 and Robinson’s dunk with Chandler deserved 6s (or 7s at best).
Rudy was more impressive than I thought he’d be, that 2nd dunk was sweet and the first one wasn’t too bad either. Kenny Smith totally disrespected Rudy (and Spain) on the TNT broadcast. Put it this way: if he said that about black people he wouldn’t make it out of the building. JR Smith didn’t really turn up, he could have done better.
February 15th, 2009 at 12:25 am
J Lod says:
WTF was donald faison (the guy from scrubs) doing in the front row?? is this guy trying to get cheap publicity?? and the camera kept focusing on him like he was michael jackson..damn son..btw, did chris tucker ate a cow or sumthing?dude’s fat like f**k..
February 15th, 2009 at 12:31 am
QuEst?? says:
i think that rudy was somehow blackballed, his dunks were way better than the scores he got. Nate won his first dunk contest, congrats! yo did anyone see that kenny smith thinks that in ten years lebron (or another talentted player) could dunk from the three point line!!!!….oh on another note i dont think lebron can dunk on a 12 foot rim.
February 15th, 2009 at 1:06 am
Celts Fan says:
Kenny smith was HATING all damn night.
Not one guy cracked 20 in th 3 pt contest. TERRIBLE
Thought the dunk contest was pretty weak and rudy clearlydidnt belong
February 15th, 2009 at 1:23 am
the_don_mega says:
agreed… the whole SUPERMAN vs LEX LUTHOR skit was way too scripted… and yes… Rudy got blackballed on his… i think Bron’s announcement was also part of the whole set-up…
February 15th, 2009 at 1:39 am
the scola says:
the fix was in….
February 15th, 2009 at 2:00 am
Ian says:
lol that damn midget has stolen 2 dunk contest
RUDY GOT ROBBED lowest score on the first dunk and it was prob the best damn
dime parker has 3 rings not 2 or u just sayin the times nash coulda gone all the way. if parker doesnt woop the suns then chauncey has 2 rings and lebron has 1 the suns are to soft to go all the way fuck they couldnt get pass dallas the year the mavs did them the favor of knockin of the spurs.
shit does anyone talk more shit than kenny dude talks like he knows everything “oh this guy is is just a good shooter , rudy is an amateur , theres no chance cook can win” kenny SHUT THE FUCK UP u were a scrub and dude talks like he was a damn superstar. all the players that participated on anything last night are better than u.
February 15th, 2009 at 2:09 am
Xavier Garcia says:
Both of Rudys dunks were legit. It pisses me off that Dwight and Nate took multiple tries on some dunks and didnt get penalized, but Rudy did, that was weaksauce on the judges part and proved just how staged the whole thing was.
It gave the impression that in the first round, Dwight could have smeared shit on the judges faces, call it a dunk, and get 50.
But yeah, very unprofessional to see how Rudy has been treated during the break by the announcers, when Kenny commented on “the ignorance of Spain” that just about made me freak the fuck out, I mean the guy missed his second dunk several times and everybody hates on him, but wheres the hate on Nate trying one dunk 19 times and still winning the damn thing years ago? I believe Nates dunk while jumping over Dwight was the best of the night, but Rudys second dunk was top 3 of the night, EASILY.
February 15th, 2009 at 2:28 am
A-Slam says:
I agree rudy’s was legit, it was fixed for nate and howard to get to the final round for the whole retarded “superman vs. kryptonite” bullshit. Fuck this was a terrible saturday night
February 15th, 2009 at 2:59 am
My 2 Cents says:
The whole “superman vs. kryptonite” thing is ok, It’s just abit of fun, thats all.
February 15th, 2009 at 3:03 am
the_don_mega says:
i think Rudy didn’t take the whole thing as fun… BTW, Bonner could’ve been a better shootout contestant than Mason, he’s a spott-up shooter and that makes him more dangerous in a shootout… and i kina LMFAO after seeing Thunder Dan as a judge… cracked up as i remembered his centipede dribble posted here on Dime a couple days ago…
February 15th, 2009 at 3:25 am
JHov says:
So for the rest of the year we can look forward to everybody calling Robinson: “Krypto-Nate”
February 15th, 2009 at 3:34 am
GEE...I, i, I! says:
Good to see dudes actually working hard and coming up with stuff for the dunk contest not just free-styling it.
February 15th, 2009 at 3:53 am
QQ says:
I’m gonna say this, THIS SHIT OF A DUNK CONTEST WAS NOT FUN.
And damn, those judges DOESN’T know what the hell they’re doing. Those judges destroyed it all. They dissed Rudy with that shitty ass score (Were they really watching him dunk or they just figured ‘Spaniard’s cant dunk, let’s give him an 8′.)
And another thing… The Fan Vote also destroyed it. All you got was casual fans voting for who they want, not for what the dunkers actually did. Dwight got robbed! Surely, fans are gonna vote for the little guy, that’s why that fan voting bullshit has zero relevancy. Fuck the fan voting.
PS: Dwight got fucking robbed by the assholes who voted, but he certainly didn’t deserve a 50 in the first round. Haha.
February 15th, 2009 at 3:56 am
josh tha roc says:
rudys 2nd dunk was nice.
Dwight didnt want to win. he woulda saved his 12ft dunk for last instead he used it when he didnt need to.
February 15th, 2009 at 4:36 am
dave says:
People we have a new Slam Dunk Champion, and he’sa person acquainted. New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson, who won the competition in 2006 won the competition again last night during a Slam Sprite Dunk Contest.
WATCH ALL BEST MOMENTS (HQ VIDEO)
February 15th, 2009 at 5:15 am
QQ says:
@ 33:
I think Dwight couldn’t use the 12 feet slam in the last round, because the only time you could use props was the 2nd round of the eliminations. I’m not sure though.
February 15th, 2009 at 6:13 am
YOUNGFED..."In Detroit they call me Black Phillip Drummond" says:
Everybody needs to stop hating talking about how weak this contest was and how Rudy got robbed. WTF Rudy aint do nothing special. Also for those who say the contest was scripted. IT’S A FUKIN SHOW FOR GODS SHAKE. All in all it was a decent outting however I was dissapointed with JR i’ve seen him do better dunks in games.
February 15th, 2009 at 6:26 am
josh tha roc says:
Yeah i thought JR was gonna have a good shot at it. but i guess he only had limited time…so that might have been a factor. i thought it was entertaining so i was happy. gotta respect nates showmanship.
February 15th, 2009 at 6:59 am
Anthony says:
If LeBron’s in..I hope J-Rich and Iggy is in the dunk contest next year too..And Jamario Moon..Someone needs to make that dunk from the free-throw line..Damn..He could have made it last year but Kapono’s pass was terrible.
February 15th, 2009 at 7:19 am
YOUNGFED..."In Detroit they call me Black Phillip Drummond" says:
YOUNGFEDS BANGER OF THE DAY: New Jeezy
http://straightfromthea.com/2009/02/05/turn-my-swag-on-remix-young-jeezy/
February 15th, 2009 at 7:22 am
Three Stacks says:
What happened to the HORSE competition? I can’t find highlights or results to it anywhere.
February 15th, 2009 at 7:29 am
Big Aaron says:
Nate near enough landed on Dwight’s shoulders and Dwight ended up ducking down to help him after he had to vault off D12’s shoulders with his hand. Impressive that midgets can dunk and all, but that dunk was not a winner. Dwight let Nate win on that one. All he had to do was turn round and say NO when Nate asks him to stand there and his whole schtick is fucked.
February 15th, 2009 at 8:12 am
ab_40 says:
dwight had the sickest dunk that first one in the seccond round and he probably should have busted out an afro wig for the final attempt. I thought he was gonna do that cuz he referred to dr J earlier. I like the outcome unlike 2006 nate deserved to win… the seccond round that is. I think there could be a strong case made for rudy. haha pau and wichever bench scrub jr smith took with him screwed up the dunks of their homies.
the 3 point contest is dead seriously 8?
the skills chalenge had the best or seccond best dunker in the building that day
and horse was nice although I would have wanted to see some more trick shots… and wow kevin durant has absolutely NO left hand. he’d destroy me one on one though haha.
and about next season? I hope some team signs james white to compete with lebron james if you don’t know his name look it up he’s somewhere in the D Leauge.
now to find a nice picture of dwight’s third dunk…
February 15th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Guitar Hero says:
RUDY GOT ROBBED.
Weak contest, but great Kryptonite dunk, though. Reminded me of VC vs. Weis.
February 15th, 2009 at 8:38 am
bakedbeing says:
You fools who keep complaining about it being a waste of a Saturday night need to watch this event the way it’s meant to be watched. You tivo All-Star Saturday, and you fast forward through all the pre-event hype and endless post-event replays, the dodgey pop performance, the ads and the nba we-did-charity-work self aggrandisement, and just enjoy what is a very entertaining hour or so of lighthearted NBA fun with some crazy athleticism at the end.
February 15th, 2009 at 8:40 am
bakedbeing says:
P.S. Rudy’s second dunk was sweet as. The first one looked like it his the last bit of energy before leaving the gym after a couple hours of pickup, dude looked sloppy and spent.
February 15th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Dragonyeuw says:
Dunk contest needs to be retired. Nowadays, it’s all about the theatrics(Superman cape, Kryptonite costume and shoes), taking away from the fact that most of the dunks are the same or slight variations of what we’ve seen for years.Rudy’s first dunk was done by Rex Chapman in 1990. Free throw line dunk by Dwight? Dr.J, MJ and freakin Brent Barry of all people done it years ago. Props to Nate for what he does at his size, but otherwise the whole thing is just played out.
They need to re-evaluate the all-star weekend as a whole. I’d replace the dunk contest with a one on one contest,but it would be interesting to see if the game’s best one on one style players(Kobe,Dwade,Vince,Pierce, Iverson,Lebron,Melo,etc) would risk their reputations by entering it.
Plus the whole thing was staged anyways. Why would Dwight intentionally use himself as a prop for Nate, he must have known there’s nothing he could do afterthat, short of a 360 from the 3-point line, that would have impressed the crowd.
February 15th, 2009 at 8:50 am
DPGC says:
FUCC kAPONO !!! THAT BITCH AZZ MUTHAFUCCA LOST MY MONEY!!! 14?????????? 14 POINTS? WTF? HE USED TO GET 19-20 EASYYY, FAGGOT AZZ BITCH
February 15th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Ross says:
Parker has THREE rings and an MVP Finals trophy. And Eva Longoria.
February 15th, 2009 at 9:13 am
itsakademiks says:
no mention of the AI haircut? lol thats new in itself
February 15th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Murakami says:
RUDY GOT ROBBED
February 15th, 2009 at 9:42 am
rangerjohn says:
i think had howard saved the superman dunk for last he would have owned. along with skipping the weak, over played free throw line dunk. i mean that was really weak.
by the way dime, i know you where speaking “for the fans of the suns” but tony has 3 rings not 2 to go with the newly named bill russell mvp trophy. i dont think ANY of the playes cared about the skills challenge, none of them looked like they wanted to be doing it and like reggie miller said, pop prolly told tony “you better take an early exit, i dont want you going to hard you better rest”
February 15th, 2009 at 9:45 am
rangerjohn says:
oh and who the fuck was that “entertainer” that played right before the dunk finals? that shit SUCKED!
February 15th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Rafa23 says:
“Yeah, you might be wearing two championship rings and one Finals MVP that Mayor Steve Nash could have had…”
what is so hard to understand here? they weren’t talking about parkers wins in general, just the ones nash could have. lmao, try to read.
btw, the suns were the best team in the regular season in 07 together with dallas and were as good as san antonio in the playoffs. they could have beaten them if they wouldn’t have robbed themsleves.
so you really think the cavs beat the suns that year? come on now. I’m no suns fan, but that seems a bit too much…
February 15th, 2009 at 9:51 am
karizmatic says:
Nate’s new nickname has got to be cryptonite!!!
February 15th, 2009 at 9:52 am
deeds says:
possibly the worst dunk contest ever….Rudy got robbed….that is all
February 15th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Luigi says:
i guess if u participate in the dunk contest and win…you automatically get a new nickname
07-Dwight (Superman)
08-Nate (Kryptonate)
February 15th, 2009 at 10:14 am
that's whats up says:
09-Lebron(FunkNasty)
February 15th, 2009 at 10:14 am
YOUNGFED..."I'm the sh*t man and yall ain't even passin' gas" says:
Check out this video and pics of AI’s new look. His teammates were foolin’
http://necolebitchie.com/2009/02/14/allen-iverson-finally-mowed-his-lawn#more-21081
February 15th, 2009 at 10:40 am
the_don_mega says:
so AI’s done with the rows… is it officially the end of the cornrow era now?
February 15th, 2009 at 10:53 am
YOUNGFED..."I'm the sh*t man and yall ain't even passin' gas" says:
@Mega
Yeah I almost shed a tear (lol). “Fro’s over Ho’s” oops my bad thats “Bro’s over Ho’s” (lmao).
Nawl but seriously Stern had something to do with this. The Last Cornrow warrior is gone. NOOooooooooooooo!!!!
February 15th, 2009 at 11:00 am
the_don_mega says:
@FED
yup… the cat that started it all should be the on to end it all… fitting end to an era… now i miss the days i rocked the rows too…
February 15th, 2009 at 11:47 am
A-Slam says:
haslem still has the rows
February 15th, 2009 at 11:54 am
SteveNash says:
3 point contest is to measure who is the best 3 point shooter in the league.
Cook?
Dunk contest is to measure who has the best dunking capabilities in the league.
Nate?
Skills competition is to measure who has the best BASIC basketball skills.
Rose?
of those three i don’t believe neither break top 5 in the league. it’s a disgrace that no players want to put themselves out there and show what the league is about. all those players just want to make a NAME for themselves ESPECIALLY NATE in his contract year.
All Star weekend is for the under 12 year old and thats it!!!
February 15th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
the_don_mega says:
@SteveNash
harsh words but with some truth in it though…
February 15th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Melo2TDot says:
did anyone notice how JR smith changed his second dunk.
it looked alot like he was gonna do the behind the back dunk off of a bounce but Sonny Weems couldn’t throw the pass. if he stuck with that he would have advanced
February 15th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Jah says:
LET ME TELL YOU HOW SICK J.R. SMITH IS:
When he dunks, he leaps off of his right foot and still dunks with his right hand (review the lob with the double-bounce to verify).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUFyFiCiEPk
This isn’t the first time he’s done this and can be seen in many of his in-game dunks.
For all of the players who have frequent-flyer miles here on DIMEmag.com, you should understand how awkward this is, but J.R. Smith does it with smoothness and consistency. I youtube’d some clips of him and I’ve seen him dunk left-handed from right-leg leaps and vice versa. He also leaps well from 2-legged leaps. J.R. Smith is playing by different rules. I have a newfound respect for his dunks.
Check it out for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuWFVShEP1Y
February 15th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
I called Daquean winning the 3 point contest check the records
February 15th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
and I go and spell the man’s name wrong DAEQUAN is my man
February 15th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Bron42 aka Had springs before slamball says:
Anyone who saw the dunk contest live will tell you rudys dunks were weak…some of ya’ll might be hyping it just because you didn’t expect it from him but ya.. average at best. His first dunk was a basic off the glass one hander. Throwing it behind his back wasn’t anything new. JRs windmill was better than that. Rudys second dunk would of gotten a much better score if he didn’t plus a chris andersen. Blame gasol for that, his passes sucked and even when he pulled it off, rudy wasn’t evne high off the ground. Dwight should of won if he did the kiss the rim or something of higher difficuly. His superman last year was almost from the foul line off 2 feet so obviously we kno he can go there from one…The dunk contest was a B+ at best, but they need to bring it back up to 6-8 guys so people can get creative. Its not like anyone could do worst than larry hughes or stackhouse.
P.S: you heard it here first, lebron aint doin the dunk contest. Thats why when miller said “your saying it here that your in?”, he kept correcting her “i’m saying preliminarily (sp), i’ll be in it.” thats called a backout clause. So he didn’t fully give his word and when he backs out no one can really complain. AND STOP ASKIN FOR JOE ALEXANDER!! hes ass…I’d rather see sonny weems dunk than joe.
February 15th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Bron42 aka Had springs before slamball says:
@SteveNash, well no one expected cook to win so it makes sense. Kapono was the favorite… And Dwade who is a superstar did the skills contest what, twice and won. And most big name star dunkers are either past their prime(vince), too pussy (lebron), or no names who can’t stay on a roster (white)…
February 15th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Bron42 aka Had springs before slamball says:
now compare that to back in the day when u had the superstars willin to do it (jordan/nique) past their prime guys (dr.J) and even the no names were nice (desmond mason)
February 15th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Austin Burton says:
From being in the building last night and watching most of the TV broadcast via different YouTube clips, I’ve got a few observations:
1. Rudy did NOT get robbed. He didn’t get very high on his first dunk, and he sucked the life out of the building after he and Gasol tried the second one 25 times. And then consider that they had to modify the 2nd one from the behind-the-back pass to the regular pass, you have to mark it down some. Nobody in the arena was complaining that much about Fernandez not making the finals.
2. I’ll always be a Reggie Miller fan, but why was he hating on Nate Robinson so hard all night? He was all, “He used his back, no no, he used his back” on Nate’s last dunk (Um, HE’S FIVE-SEVEN! OF COURSE HE’S USING DWIGHT’S BACK), and on the flip side was acting like Dwight was inventing some new form of sliced bread. Reggie was on the take last night.
3. In the arena we didn’t hear LeBron’s announcement about the 2010 contest. Now I’m just waiting for him to come up injured around All-Star break next year.
4. I’m gonna go ahead and say Dwight doesn’t do much in today’s ASG. He’s been EVERYWHERE this weekend; he’s the face of adidas, and because he’s so agreeable and everyone loves his personality, has been doing a million events and appearances all weekend. After last night’s contest, I’m sure he’s exhausted and just wants to go home.
February 15th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
A-Slam says:
Bottom line is saturday night was awful this year, and im thinkin they pull the dunk contest. It’s not about doing great dunks anymore it’s always about pulling out thousands of dollars in props. That’s not impressive that just shows you got enough dough to win fans over.
February 15th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
BEdger says:
just an FYI, if Rudy had made the finals of the dunk contest one of his dunks would have been similar to this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMzrfml8vMw
February 15th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
A-Slam says:
also…AB, not to hate or anything, but you only seem to judge if a dunk is good if the player gets really high on it.
February 15th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Austin Burton says:
Just watched the first round on YouTube: Sad had Reggie and Kenny are making fun of the Fernando Martin jersey (“Martin from the show? Ricky Martin?”) and then when Harlan tells them Martin died in a car accident, they suddenly are like, “That’s a great tribute. Very nice.”
February 15th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Austin Burton says:
@A-Slam — I wouldn’t say that. I mean, getting higher and throwing it down clean always helps a dunk in my opinion, but off the top of my head I can think of a few dunks that I loved that weren’t of that variety: Darvin Ham’s dunk from ‘97 when he tapped the glass with one hand, spun and dunked with the other (not clean) and Iguodala’s behind-the-backboard (not very high)
February 15th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
BEdger says:
just one more thing, Rudy while not getting high enough on the dunks for them to be any good, had to play in 3 games in 3 nights leading up to the contest on the 4th night….I think he did OK for himself
February 15th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Austin Burton says:
I’m not saying Rudy was bad, but he didn’t get robbed.
February 15th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
baron von faulk says:
If Rudy would have Harold Miner’d (reverse jackknife) that rainbow kick he would have impressed.
The panel was borderline racist on ol’ Rudy, like paying back his peoples for them slave ships and shit!
February 15th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
baron von faulk says:
oh and Becky Hammon was damn fine
February 15th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
A-Slam says:
fair enough, I’m more for the creativity aspect than the raw power aspect (which alot of players seem to be doing more)
February 15th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Austin Burton says:
I’m glad I don’t have to watch the ASG on TV; I can avoid the Shaq/Kobe/Phil talk.
February 15th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Skeeter McGee says:
Obviously it was rigged so Nate and Dwight would go through and have the Superman vs. Kryptonite stage set… Rudy probably thinks he wasted a lotta time and energy for dumb ass judges…
February 15th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
A-Slam says:
is it just me or did anyone else find the shaq and kobe interview with Craig Sager awkward as hell?
February 15th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Austin Burton says:
Nate’s first dunk was better than Rudy’s. His second dunk wasn’t, but was it “rigged” that Pau and Rudy couldn’t get it right in 25 tries? Nate had the green shoes and green ball and all that in case he made the finals, and I don’t think it was too big a stretch to assume he’d meet Dwight in the finals since everyone loves Dwight. Don’t blame a conspiracy theory, blame Pau/Rudy.
February 15th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Ian says:
austin
reggie and kenny are ignorant we all know that.
and u said no one complaint about rudy wtf?? the crowd booed the score and nate won a couple of years ago after tryin to dunk 117 times yes i counted them.
so fuck that he didnt get that high so what he did ok not like that overrated superman bs were howard fell short and threw the ball it was all luck.
bron
like always if its not american with u hes not a good dunker
February 15th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Austin Burton says:
Beyond booing the scores, I didn’t hear anyone in the arena or afterwards like, “Rudy should have been in the finals.” Everyone wanted to see Dwight, and Nate won them over.
February 15th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Ian says:
austin it was fuckin rigged did he get those shoes made just in case i think not.
again NATE WON TRYIN A DUNK 117 TIMES a couple of years ago
February 15th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Ian says:
they had won them over before that shit started dude nate coulda made a layup and still made the finals
nate made a stupid dunk walking on a teammate
February 15th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Ian says:
lol austin “beyond booing the score” what more do u want u say u didnt hear anyone complain i say thousands of people booin is complain enough.
February 15th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Dunk Contest was way overdone this year.. Like everyone said.. too much props and not enough skilzz.. i thought Dwight should have won though..
Three point contest was weak.. Not any one of them looked like a sharp shooter.. wack
And to Lebron saying he will be in the dunk contest for next year.. i aint even going to get started, he just better do it.. i equate what he said to Alex Rodriguez announcing his free agency during the world series.. Just on a supersmaller scale.. bad timing and not neccessary..
Everyone has been BEGGING him to join the dunk contest since he was rook and he announces ONE YEAR EARLIER that he is going to do it in his 6th-7th year?? spare me the hype doo..
February 15th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
LakeShow84 says:
And AB is right.. that Pau, Rudy dunk SUCKED the life out the place..
I even had a couple of birdman flashes.. then after the first hour i had a couple of Nate Robinson flashbacks lol
February 15th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Ian — Actually, he did. I talked to somebody from Nike at a party and they said he had them on-hand in case he made the finals. Guys do that. Do you think Ced Ceballos ran out and bough a blindfold when he found out he made the ‘92 finals? Do you think Dwight Howard didn’t pre-plan his mini-hoop dunk (his last one) in 2008? Companies make special makeup shoes for guys who aren’t even in the dunk contest just in case they do get invited. You have to pre-plan this stuff just in case.
Also, Nate’s 2nd dunk got a lower score than Rudy’s and J.R.’s didn’t it? I recall him getting a 41. But his first dunk was better, so that got him into the finals. The judges weren’t eating out of his hand by any means.
February 15th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Ian says:
austin
dude like i said if nate needed more than that 41 to get in the finals he gets it. dude can lay it up and he gets in jr and rudy could dunk from half court and it wouldnt matter
February 15th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Austin Burton says:
Now you’re just speculating. Fact is, J.R.’s dunk didn’t get a high score because in the end it was a basic two-hander, and Rudy suffered for botching too many attempts.
February 15th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Kosta says:
Nate was nice…but great dunks? nope…
http://www.squidoo.com/NateRobinson
February 15th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
that's whats up says:
suckers to the side
I know you hate
my 98
February 15th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
redstorm11 says:
now if im lebron i go recruiting every superstar, dwade, kobe, vince, etc, cuz last thing he needs is people going off cuz he loses to a nobody (see summer playing HORSE) or that he won against a weak field.
February 15th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Biglang Liko says:
can someone let go of the fact that Nate missed a million dunks last time? I mean you got to hand it to the small guy this time around, he delivered some solid, not great dunks plus he was trying to put on a show for the fans.
Cook stepped up in the 3Ball. I just don’t get D-Rose doing the slow break in the skills challenge (but he won with a between the legs dunk so who cares).
Durant won the HORSE thing.
February 16th, 2009 at 12:34 am
My 2 Cents says:
@Dragonyeuw
How cool would a one on one comp be, that’s a great idea!
Just think kobe vs James or Wade, trying to prove who’s the better player…wow that would be cool to watch!
February 17th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Dean says:
Was a bummer the 3pt. was SO BAD! Where was Wally, Eddie House, Mookie, Kyle Korver? Hearing the clang of the rim made me sick. It’s fair to say everyone was partying their asses off the night before. For real though, Larry Bird or Bob Mcadoo could have won that contest NOW! Bird is what, almost 50, Bob is like 62. Hahahaha