The 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest wasn’t precisely well-received, and critics had no scarcity of ammunition to make use of towards it. Lack of star energy, largely unoriginal dunks and questionable judging all contributed to what was finally a disappointing Saturday night time headliner. On Monday, we bought a glimpse of what may need been had issues gone barely otherwise.
Chuck Millan, the NBA’s official Dunk Contest coach, shared a video of one of many dunks Jacob Toppin initially deliberate to make use of. The dunk itself was unimaginable: Toppin does a 360-degree spin within the air whereas throwing himself a behind-the-back move earlier than slamming it down.
Have a look:
In an occasion that has turn out to be extremely repetitive lately, the dunk would have stood out as a real unique. So why did not we see this dunk on the printed? As a result of Toppin was saving it for the ultimate spherical, which he didn’t make.
Now, it could be simple to put the blame for that squarely on the judges. They have been seemingly the one folks watching the occasion that believed that Jaylen Brown’s first two dunks have been higher than Toppin’s. In a simply world, we might’ve seen Toppin’s showstopper within the finals. However Toppin should not have been ready the place he felt he wanted to save lots of that dunk within the first place.
The format of the Dunk Contest is basically anticlimactic. Essentially the most entertaining strategy to plan a dunk contest could be to construction it in such a approach that the perfect dunks are saved for final. Typically it really works out this manner. As a rule, voters are put within the troublesome place of getting to determine whether or not or not they will afford to attend that lengthy. Since two of the 4 dunkers are eradicated after solely two dunks, dunkers are subsequently incentivized to make use of their finest dunks early to make sure passage into the ultimate spherical.
Toppin did not do this, and he was eradicated early. It will be simple to say that he ought to’ve emptied the bucket earlier, however then he may not have had something left for the ultimate spherical. Think about if Blake Griffin had jumped over that Kia within the first spherical. Takes among the enjoyable out of that contest, would not it?
The repair right here could be to regulate the construction in such a approach that each dunker is aware of precisely what number of makes an attempt they’re going to have earlier than the competition begins. The present format has two dunkers combining for eight dunks and two extra dunking solely twice apiece. That is 12 whole dunks.
Why not get rid of the idea of a remaining spherical totally and simply permit every contestant three dunks, with the best cumulative rating profitable? Sure, it could deprive us of dunks from the theoretically “superior” dunkers, however it could permit for correct dramatic pressure and lighten the inventive load on every of the opponents. It is simpler to give you three entertaining dunks than two.
It is an oversimplification, however the objective of the Dunk Contest is to indicate cool dunks. Maybe the perfect deliberate dunk of the occasion did not make it to air this yr, and that ought to be an indication to all events concerned that the construction resulting in that consequence must be modified. Happily, the NBA has confirmed to be pretty malleable on the subject of All-Star Weekend lately. The sport’s format has modified a number of instances, and the league added a one-on-one 3-point shootout between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu that turned out to be the spotlight of the weekend. Change is critical within the Dunk Contest as nicely, and hopefully the league sees that.
