
With 2013ās NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest going underway this evening, I sat down with the guys at Fansided and talked about what would come out of it. Roundtables are back! This one features Ben Beecken, Brad Rowland, Reece Hooker and myself.
1. What do you think of the new format, with each finalist being chosen from the West and the East?
2. Who are your finalists from each conference?
Ben: Gerald Green and Jeremy Evans. James White has hype-machine going for him and seems as though he could be overconfident, with the hole no-practicing thing and everything. Green has had years to prepare for his next contest while bouncing around overseas and back to the D-League. You canāt tell me that the guy that completed theĀ cupcake dunkĀ in 2008 doesnāt have more tricks up his sleeve. And in addition to being last yearās dunk champion, Evans is a pogo stick, plain and simple.
3. Who wins?
Ben: Iāll roll with Green. Iām still intrigued by his creativity, and letās not forget thatĀ this happenedĀ just last year.
Brad:Ā James White. Heās the second-best dunker Iāve ever seen (behind Vince Carter circa 2000) and thatās enough to give me the confidence that heāll put it together. Heās 30 years old now, which could present a loss in explosion, but with his length and repertoire, heās the favorite, and heās been training for this for his entire career. If White loses the Eastern conference, I think whoever wins between Ross and Green will beat the West Champ, but White is the pick for me.
4. Will the NBA try to sham a KIA commercial in a James White dunk this year? Whatās the over/under on this happening?
Ben:Ā Nah. At least not a KIA. Whoās the sponsor for the dunk contest? Sprite? Maybe someone will be jumping over some beverages? Probably not. Since nothing too sponsor-centric happened last year, I would expect something awkward to happen that involves an ill-fitting sponsor. Although this contest does lack the star-power of a Blake Griffin, so itās anyoneās guess, really.
Seerat:Ā Wellllll, the NBA caught a lot of flack for the Blake Griffin dunk from fans, but itās not out of David Sternās ballpark to try to sham something in there. Iād set the over/under at about 40%. Iām not sure which way Iād bet on it though.