Y'all getting into All-Star weekend mode? I think I am. Kobe's not playing, but whatever... it's still hoops, after a fashion. Am I really not supposed to watch? It'll be nice, I suspect, to have a break from life-or-death Lakers action that actually affects the standings. From next Tuesday through June the tension will get turned up by the day, so in the meantime I'm going to enjoy seeing the best hoopsters in captivity put on a show. I'ma revel in the meaninglessness of it all.
The dunk contest is on Saturday night and pits our very own Shannon Brown against Nate Robinson, Gerald Wallace and either Eric Gordon or Demar DeRozan. For a little advanced intel on the competition, check out G Dub's top 10 dunks, as selected by league curators.
Wallace obviously has the vertical mobility crucial to top dunk technicians, but I'd argue that he lacks Shannon's midair artistry. He's also handicapped by his height: it just doesn't look as cool to see a 6'7" guy pack it down. He does, however, have an impressive flair for plucking the rock out of the sky with one mitt and tossing it down in a single stroke. I've been known to do the same thing with Entemann's Glazed.