Phx-Suns.Net

Probably should have made a thread for this on Friday, but oh well.

Some early results:

- Team Utah wins the Skills Challenge: "The Utah Jazz group of Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton beat out Team Antetokounmpo and Team Rookies to win the All-Star skills challenge."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/356 ... -challenge

- Damian Lillard wins 3-Point Shootout, defeating Buddy Hield: "As part of (his) preparations, Lillard -- who spent four years starring at Weber State, located about a half an hour's drive north of downtown Salt Lake City -- wore his college jersey with his NBA number, 0, as well as nickname, "Dolla," on the back."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/356 ... nt-contest

- Mac McClung wins Slam Dunk Contest: "With only two games of NBA experience under his belt during stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls, McClung was signed to a two-way contract by the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in the week and dominated Saturday's dunk contest with a near-perfect performance. ... Three of McClung's four dunks earned him straight 50s by the panel of judges, and he completed all of them on his first attempt, generating a palpable buzz through the Vivint Arena crowd as he prepared for every subsequent stuff."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/356 ... nk-contest

I’m all for putting guys like McClung in the dunk contest. None of the stars ever want to do it(even non stars nail like Shaedon Sharpe). Just find the best dunkers and make it interesting…then maybe the stars will come back.

The dunk contest should just be people attempting to do a flip dunk. First person to do it wins, no one wins until someone does it. Watching people try and fail will be more entertaining than any of these boring displays put on every year.

They should do away with all of it, it's awful, it's 2 days of Kenny Smith saying it's over. Nobody wants to be there, just play the AS game and let everyone else go home.

All Star game should be a 3 on 3 tournament. 8 teams of 3. Top 8 vote getters are Captain and GM. They have to recruit the other 2 members.

Randle was a joke in the three point contest as expected. He even made his kid cry. Good thing they didn't invite Lee.

Troy McClure's dunks were impressive. You may have seen him in such leagues as the summer league and the G-League.

Superbone wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:43 pm

Randolph was a joke in the three point contest as expected. He even made his kid cry. Good thing they didn't invite Lee.

Randolph Scott? I mean, the man's been dead for like 35 years, it's surprising he could participate at all.

(btw, Kevin Huerter was somehow even worse).

Ya Randle wasn’t that bad…It would’ve been cool for Lee to be there, but he wasn’t even the first snub. There were other guys more deserving than him

I think the event is fun…it’s not perfect but I find some entertainment in it. No reason to scrap the whole thing. Just don’t watch if you’re not interested.

BKinSJC wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 2:00 pm

Superbone wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:43 pm

Randolph was a joke in the three point contest as expected. He even made his kid cry. Good thing they didn't invite Lee.

Randolph Scott? I mean, the man's been dead for like 35 years, it's surprising he could participate at all.

(btw, Kevin Huerter was somehow even worse).

I was thinking of Zach actually.

Split T wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 2:44 pm

Ya Randle wasn’t that bad…It would’ve been cool for Lee to be there, but he wasn’t even the first snub. There were other guys more deserving than him

Yeah it was. Agree to disagree. And how do you figure there were more deserving guys than the guy who led, or was near the top of the league for the majority of the season?

Mostly because the 4 guys above Lee in 3pt% were also not in the 3pt shootout

I think they should have some rules where the top, say, 5 guys in 3pt% (minimum X # of attempts, etc.) are automatically in the contest if they want to compete.

I also think it's dumb to have guys like McClung in the dunk content when he's played like 2 NBA games and is on a two-way G-League contract. I'm sure he was delighted to appear in it and get 15 minutes of fame, but the league should keep the contest to guys who are fully 100% in the Association, imo. They've gone too far in the direction of having nobodies in it who no one has heard of. Offer a $1m prize or something if guys won't enter it.

Mori Chu wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 4:38 pm

I think they should have some rules where the top, say, 5 guys in 3pt% (minimum X # of attempts, etc.) are automatically in the contest if they want to compete.

I also think it's dumb to have guys like McClung in the dunk content when he's played like 2 NBA games and is on a two-way G-League contract. I'm sure he was delighted to appear in it and get 15 minutes of fame, but the league should keep the contest to guys who are fully 100% in the Association, imo. They've gone too far in the direction of having nobodies in it who no one has heard of. Offer a $1m prize or something if guys won't enter it.

If he’s going to outdunk them then I don’t mind. If he was embarrassing himself then yeah.

Split T wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 4:02 pm

Mostly because the 4 guys above Lee in 3pt% were also not in the 3pt shootout

Ridiculous.

Mori Chu wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 19, 2023 4:38 pm

I think they should have some rules where the top, say, 5 guys in 3pt% (minimum X # of attempts, etc.) are automatically in the contest if they want to compete.

I also think it's dumb to have guys like McClung in the dunk content when he's played like 2 NBA games and is on a two-way G-League contract. I'm sure he was delighted to appear in it and get 15 minutes of fame, but the league should keep the contest to guys who are fully 100% in the Association, imo. They've gone too far in the direction of having nobodies in it who no one has heard of. Offer a $1m prize or something if guys won't enter it.

What would your minimum be? What 5 guys that were in it would you kick out for KCP, Malcolm Brogdon, Luke Kennard, Isaiah Joe, and Damian Lee? I think it’s perfectly fine to take the guys that are bigger names and take bigger and tougher shots. I mean Damian Lillard is only shooting 37% from 3, but he won the whole thing. Point is not all 3s are the same. There’s no comparing the 3s guys like KCP and Damian Lee take to the 3s Damian Lillard takes.


As for the dunk contest, they have nobodies because the big names refuse. They’re not choosing Mac McClung

OMG, this thing during the All-Star game where they interview players and talk to them WHILE THEY ARE PLAYING is just too much. They're trying to ask Luka what he thinks about the all-star draft WHILE he is trying to dribble the ball up the court! Just let the guy play for Pete's sake.