LaVine soars in jaw-dropping dunk show
Toronto fans treated to high-flying acrobatics after Thompson upsets teammate Curry in three-point contest
TORONTO — Vince Carter didn’t show up, but the dunk contest in Toronto didn’t need him anyway.
After a slow start, the best run in the long history of the contest unfolded, with seven of the final eight dunks earning perfect scores.
In the end, Zach LaVine repeated as champion with a remarkable performance, but he said they should split the trophy in half because Orlando Magic sophomore Aaron Gordon was equally impressive and just as deserving.
Asked if it was the best dunk contest ever, Gordon said it was.
“We just kept pushing each other,” LaVine said after an Air Canada Centre crowd that could not believe what it had just seen had cleared out.
“We were looking in our bag of tricks and there ain’t nothing left. “I just found a piece of dust” No kidding. Time and again, LaVine, the MVP of the rising stars game a night earlier, and Gordon defied gravity, forcing two bonus dunks after a jawdropping final produced two perfect scores by each competitor.
Despite the bone-chilling cold outside, the atmosphere inside the ACC was electric, with players and fans alike jumping out of their seats repeatedly for the final dunks.
Gordon was a victim of bad timing — he had more of the best dunks, but failed to earn a 50 at the wrong time.
To start the second bonus round, Gordon brought the ball between his shoulder, then back for a doublepump reverse dunk. But judges Tracy McGrady and Dikembe Mutombo only gave him a nine, so he got a score of 47, opening the door for LaVine, who needs no assistance when it comes to taking flight.
LaVine went up with his right hand, switched to his left through his legs and finished with his right nearly the free-throw line.
That got Andrew Wiggins running out of his seat to congratulate his teammate. It was a gem of a jam, but the theatrics by Wiggins surely helped LaVine earn the clinching perfect score.
Last year, we saw LaVine put on a Michael Jordan jersey and do absurd things — this year, he was even better — but Gordon was every bit his match. Even early on, the judges were tough on Gordon. He earned only 45 on his first attempt even though it was tremendous.
LaVine went all the way around his back backwards, then reversed it and earned a perfect score.
It seemed there would be another upset though, after big man KarlAnthony Towns won the skills challenge and Klay Thompson beat teammate Steph Curry in the threepoint contest.
Gordon hurled Orlando mascot Stuff, putting the ball through his legs before dunking. Somehow, he didn’t earn a 50, with judge Shaquille O’Neal giving him a nine because the first attempt didn’t work.
Gordon did shout out Carter after the jam, though, doing his famous pointing to the air pose from 2000.
Shaq stuck to his judging principles after LaVine had to try again before again upping the ante. LaVine took an alley-oop at the free-throw line and dunked it, putting a new wrinkle on a dunk contest staple that had been a favourite of Julius Erving and Michael Jordan, among others.
The final round started with Gordon making a strong statement, catching a lob from a spinning Stuff, cupping a hand on his head and dunking.
LaVine wasn’t intimidated though, throwing down a one-handed, 360 windmill to match Gordon with a score of 50.
Gordon did an absurd leapfrog dunk over Stuff, making it look like he was in suspended animation in the air, sitting at the rim.
LaVine responded with a windmill from nearly the free-throw line. It was another perfect score in the final, forcing a dunkoff at the dunkoff.
Gordon did the physically impossible again for another perfect score.
LaVine followed with another stunner, a through the legs reverse dunk that started behind the net on the baseline. It was the sixth 50 in a row, for the first time in the history of the contest.