Simmons paid homage to Vince Carter and did a 360, mini windmill which was alright, but as I mentioned, he didn’t have to be special. It was clear after the first of several misses that Stanley had no chance to move on and the other dunkers had to merely finish their dunk on the first attempt to move on. Going into the second round it went Toppin, Simmons, Stanley in that order, but the only thing that mattered was being in the top-2. To me, Stanley should have received the highest score with his between the legs off the lob, but it was Obi who led after one. In the first round, the dunks were all around the same level. Wolf: As for the actual dunks, there was nothing I can point out that really took me out of my seat, which is what you are looking for in this type of event. I believe this would encourage the most popular players to play, and this would result in a more electrifying contest. I believe that they should implement some sort of incentive for the players to participate, whether that’s money for charity or for another cause. They can’t force their most popular players that fans would want to see participate, such as Zion Williamson, Lebron James, and Russell Westbrook, to take part in a contest that really serves them no incentive. When fans tune into the dunk contest, they want to see the game’s biggest stars throwing down dunks– not players that only the biggest of fans know. Lacking, however, is the popularity of the contestants. Nebenzahl: Regarding the participants, all three are very talented, young individuals looking to make their mark on the league in the coming years. Normally we see hundreds of players, ex-players, and celebrities in attendance for the whole weekend, but obviously this year we didn’t. The famous Vince Carter dunk in 2000 is highlighted by the camera panning to a young Shaq in awe on the court while he videos the whole thing. The absence of a crowd obviously played a factor, but what stood out was the lack of on court reactions that we always see from players and celebrities alike. Simmons was the most qualified to be in this, which proves the point even more. Obi Toppin is playing just under 13 minutes per game as the 8th pick. Cassius Stanley was a second-round pick just a few months ago and he hasn’t even had an in game dunk this season. The first problem was the lack of name recognition with the contestants. Wolf: The Dunk Contest is all about hype, and there was none of it this year. However, this year’s contest really shows how important fans are to the dunk contest. Obviously, this aspect can’t be controlled, and the NBA did as much as they could given the current circumstances. In prior years, when acrobatic dunks are thrown down, roaring fans electrify the building, which only adds to the excitement of each dunk. Nebenzahl: Overall, the absence of a full crowd really diminished the energy and the popularity of the contest. After Simmons was declared the winner, The Torch ’s Editor-in-Chief Matthew Nebenzahl and Sports Editor Joshua Wolf sat down to discuss the results, format, and the contest as a whole. Rookies Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks and Cassius Stanley of the Indiana Pacers were accompanied by the Portland Trail Blazers’ Anfernee Simmons. Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers was the eventual winner of the NBA’s 2001 Slam Dunk Contest.Īt halftime of the 2021 NBA All Star Game, the annual Slam Dunk Contest occurred.
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