OCR Text |
Show DAILY Sunday, February 17, 2008 HERALD D3 The day in basketball Williams wins skills challenge; Howard takes ASSOCIATED PRESS All-St- r and hugged Raptors teammate Chris Bosh. Cleveland's Daniel Gibson, ers in Fri- - ' who made 11 rookie challenge day night's finished second. He scored 17 points in the final round, finishing three points ahead of Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, who replaced the injured Bryant. Kapono almost didn't get out of the first round. He was in danger of elimination as he approached the last rack but came through in the clutch by sinking five straight shots to advance. In the night's first event, San Antonio's Becky Ham-moDavid Robinson and Tim Duncan won the Shooting Stars competition, It featured back," said Howard, who was disappointed when he failed to NEW ORLEANS make it out of the first round Deron Williams was flawless and fast. last year. "I don't think people With a nearly perfect run want to see the same old through an obstacle course of dunks. They want to see somedribbling, passing and shootthing else, see some spice." Howard started things ing, Utah's point guard won the Skills Challenge on off with a dunk. Saturday, defeating New Or Standing on the baseline, he leans play maker Chris Paul in tossed the ball off the reverse the final round. side of the backboard, caught Williams blazed up, down it with both hands, and after and around the floor of the peering through the glass at New Orleans Arena in 25.5 the rim, dunked The crowd roared and a seconds, a new record for the event. Cheered celebrity panel of judges inon by his home crowd, Paul, cluding Magic Johnson, Karl who completed the circuit in Malone as well as Dominique 29.9 seconds in the first round, Wilkins, Julius Erving and finished in 31.2 seconds for sec- Darryl Daw kins three of the ond place. game's most famed dunkers Williams and Paul are reall gave him perfect 10s. Not to be outdone, Green . garded as the next generation of elite point guard, and they tried to blow the field away. knocked off one of the best Literally. ever Jason Kidd as the After Timberwolves teammate Rashad McCants climbed weekend tipped off with a festive night of fun. up and placed a cupcake with a "It's a rivalry," Williams said single candle in it on the back of his personal matchup with ; of the rim, Green soared in and Paul "We like to go against puffed out the flame before each other." throwing down a nasty leftKidd couldn't get his shot hander. In the second round, Mcfrom the top of the key to fall and finished third in 39.7 Cants sat on the top step of the seconds. At least he was betladder and handed the ball off ter than Miami's Dwyane to a rising Green, who crushed Wade, last year's winner, who another dunk. had just about everything go That's when Howard wrong during his run. stripped off his blue Magic Dwight Howard of the jersey to reveal an "S" on his chest. He then donned the Orlando Magic won the slam-dun- k contest. cape, and after a running start A red cape trailing behind from near took off line him, Orlando's man of steel just inside the made like Superman and won and fired down the ball. In the final round, Green perhaps the best dunk contest, definitely the most creative, in performed two acrobatic NBA history to close a memodunks, one in only green socks rable after removing his sneakers. Saturday. But neither of those could top Using a variety of props as well as teammate Jameer NelHoward's last two efforts. First, Howard bounced the son, Howard scored perfect 50s from judges on his first two ball off the floor, tapped it dunks before the contest was off the backboard and .dunked with his right hand. turned over to fan voting for the first time in the final round For Howard's finale, Nelson affixed a miniature Orlando Fans, too, picked the backboard next to the rim and Howard, who dispelled an old dunking myth: Big men can balanced a ball on it. " Howard flew in from the fly high. "It's really for the big men," right side, picked the ball off Howard said. "Everybody alcleanly and slammed it in. He ways says, big men can't jump then only had to wait for fans to text message a result that and big men don't look good seemed to be a dunking. I just tried to add Howard won In a landslid, rea little bit of my personality. With me being so tall, I knew it ceiving 78 percent of the vote. was going to be tough, I tried Earlier, Jason Kapono to play to the crowd and have showed nobody's close to him from long distance. fun." In any other year, MinneThe NBA's best shooter this season, the Toronsota's Gerald Green would have easily walked away with to forward with the silky touch won his second straight his second straight dunking crown, but he was upstaged by Shootout, tying a record with a final round of 25. the amazingly athletic How; Kapono missed his first two ard, whose performance has to rank up there with anything shots in the last round before Michael Jordan, Kobe Brydropping 10 straight. By the time he approached the last ant, Vince Carter or even tiny Spud Webb ever did above the rack of balls, Kapono had basket. already clinched the win and didn't have to fire up another The dunk contest, bland for shot. so many years as the game's ... , But he knocked down a few high risers seemed to run out of ideas, was freshened up more anyway, matching three-tim- e most creative winner Craig Hodges' some the of by mark of 25 set in 1986. When aerial assaults in memory. his final shot swished through, Howard, Green, Toronto's Jamario Moon and Memphis' Kapono, who made all five worth two Rudy Gay all used tape, ladders, money balls teammates and even a tasty points apiece and went in the last round, slapped dessert to show their stuff . s "I think the dunk contest is with other THE h three-perso- from All-St- mid-cour- sX r.- I A , , of an NBA player, a WNBA player and a former NBA great from the same city. Contestants had to make six shots with the final one a heave : A?, .... teams consisting n V t. f j - ' ML- - San Antonio completed their final round in 35.8 seconds to beat a Chicago team made up of Candice Dupree, Chris Duhon and B.J. Armstrong. Last year's winner, Detroit's Swin Cash, Chauncey Billups and Laimbeer were knocked out in the first round. Team San Antonio got off to a shaky start in the first round as Robinson missed five straight bank shots from 10 feet, but made up'for his misfires by sinking his first half-cou- title slam-dun- k rt attempt. mid-cour- t, free-thro- ERIC GAYAssociated Press Right, Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams reacts after winning the basketball skills challenge on Saturday in New Orleans. All-St- Below, Dwight Howard soars toward the basket in a Superman costume during the slam dunk contest on Saturday in New Orleans. left-hand- V I 3 m s 8 V '. X o o & All-Sta- high-five- NBA NOTEBOOK Hawks acquire PG Mike Bibby from the Kings ASSOCIATED THE The Atlanta Hawks are trying balance out their backcourt and make a playoff push by bringing in Mike Bibby. Hawks coach Mike Woodson said Bibby, acquired from the Sacramento Kings for four players on Saturday, will provide scoring help for Joe Johnson. Atlanta's snooting guard often faces gimmick defenses because he's the team's only outside shooting threat. "There's another option now," Woodson said. "It'll be .like one-twpunch in the , ATLANTA . All-St- . o . ; backcourt.f ' ' -- iiVby has averaged 16.7" is poins for his career arid, 'making fnbre than 36 percent bf)iia3rpolnt shots for the " .: Vniftth straight year. '. r: Tpe Hawks sent starting ;V poiit guard Anthony Johnson 3d07 pick Shelden 'WWiaiTis; backup pointguard Tyronn Lue, veteran forward Lorenzen Wright and a 2008, second-roun- d pick to the Kings. d watching that the Sonics are heading out of Seattle," Stern said during his annual weekend press conference. "I accept that inevitability at this point. There is no miracle 1999. here." Woodson and Michael Gearon Jr., one of the team's owners, were pleased the team did nc--t have to touch its core of promising young players to acquire Bibby. "We've still got Marvin (Williams) and Josh Smith and Josh Childress; we were able to keep the core group together, along with Al Horford and Zaza (Pachulia)," Woodson , Stern revealed he has encouraged the SuperSonics to make an offer to the city to buy out the remaining two years of the lease to Key Arena. He said the offer approached $30 million and was ' said.-- ' ; first-ropn- in the Eastern Conference and percentage points behind the eighth and final playoff spot, are trying to make the postseason for the first time since The Hawks, PRESS V P ' ,'. , ' -- .. ' ninth place in ' ". ..; All-St- ' , I Stern says SuperSonics' depary ture from Seattle h an at this point': At New . .Orleans, Sorry Seattle, there is no saving your Sonics. That's the feeling 6f NBA , coitunissioner David Stern, Vho said Saturday he expects the SuperSonics to leave the city, either this year or when their lease expires in 2010. "It's apparent to all who are 'inevi-tabilit- . . rejected. Sonics owner Clay Bennett and his predecessor, Howard Schurtz, have both said the Sonics couldn't remain in Seattle without public funding for. a new arena But despite the efforts of both of them, Stern, and a group of fans called "Save our Sonics" state law-- , . makers have given no indica- - ' tion that is a priority. Bennett has informed the league he plans to move the '. team to his hometown of Oklahoma City after this season. But a potential move is currently on hold after the city filed a lawsuit against the more optimistic about the team, attempting to make it fulfill the terms of the lease. prospects of the team meeting the goals that have been set," Stern doesn't think there is Stern said. "The people I hear much point. "There's not going to be a interviewed, the businessmen I speak to, the fans, the govnew arena. There's not going ernment officials, I think there to be a public contribution is going to be a unique, unified and that's everyone's right. I mean that sincerely," Stern effort to make sure that New said. "So the only question now Orleans is very much a basketball town." becomes, is the court going to rule that you can fulfill the I Bryant sits out terms of the lease by paying practice to rest injured finger but money for the remaining two years after this? Or, despite ev- still expects to start game: At erything, there is some reason New Orleans, Wearing a black to keep them there as the clock brace on his injured right hand, Los Angeles Lakers superstar winds down." Kobe Bryant sat out the WestStern spoke more hopefully about the future of the Hor- - ' ern Conference's light practice on Saturday but still expects to nets' here. The franchise will have the right to opt out of its ' , start in Sunday's NBA lease at New Orleans Arena ; game. t' Bryant, the MVP in last if it doesn't average 14,735 ' ,, of the 200849 fans at the end game, has a torn pinkie year's " season. , ligament from dislocating the The Hof nets average only finger on Feb. 5 in a game 12,645 currently, 29th in the against New Jersey. Although ' league. But Stern hopeS'" surgery harbeenrecom-- ' 'All-Stweekend helped turn mended, Bryant wants to keep over some new fans. playing and postpone any operation until after the Beijing When I leave here after the All-StOlympics in August. game, I'm much '. All-St- All-St- H m f-- While his teammates broke d a sweat doing some drills and shooting during a workout, Bryant sat on the bench. At the end of practice, Bryant heaved up one half-spee- . shot Bryant would prefer not to play Sunday night, but he doesn't have a choice. League policy dictates that if a player is healthy enough to play in the final game before the break and the first one after, he has too play in the midsea-so- n All-St- event. During media availability, Bryant said he would start for the West squad but doesn't expect to play much. He understands the importance of not risking injury to help the Lakers in the second half of the season. ... "I have an obligation to the organization to get ready to ; play," he said. Bryant also knows hsxould , worsen theinjury1''" ' j, "It's always a concern,' he said. "If I dislocate it again I'll have some issues, so I just have to be very careful about it." -- |