What gets me is his Superman "dunk" wasn't even a dunk. He got a 50 for it. Moon did the same thing on one of his dunks and had to replace it.
Still, Howard was very creative and was by far the best. Green was very good too and, as Dr. J said, his barefoot dunk was pretty difficult.
2
qwert Donor
ID: 2910242819 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 12:24
apparently moon's second dunk wasn't what he had planned because he didn't know he had to use a teammate in the first round.
nonetheless...howard deserved it all.
still...i would have liked to see moon in the finals rather than green. his dunks were good...but i just don't get any enjoyment out of watching him.
3
JTSERB
ID: 481020120 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 12:25
Yea, agreed Howard should have won, but his superman was not a dunk
4
G Donor
ID: 5810561615 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 12:26
I too don't quite understand the Superman shot counting. Had it been another player, it wouldn't have counted, but it is entertainment. Look for a rule to quietly be put in place next year that requires the need for physical rim contact.
5
qwert Donor
ID: 2910242819 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 13:09
I think when it happened, they didn't know it wasn't a "dunk"...and the outfit had everyone so excited that they didn't care.
Wonder if Diesel is upset with the pinching of 'superman' status. Shaq's was always understated, but he has a tattoo, etc.
6
KrazyKoalaBears
ID: 15023167 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 13:10
I don't want to get too much into the technical details and such, but Dictionary.com has a definition of "dunk shot" as: a shot in which a player near the basket jumps with the ball and attempts to thrust it through the basket with one hand or both hands held above the rim.
I would have to say that what Howard did clearly fits that description. I suppose one could argue the "near the basket" part, but it's not like he threw it from half-court.
To me, the difference between what Howard did and what Moon did was the "thrust it through the basket" part. Moon's shot appeared more to be pushed in the general direction of the basket (just a bit more than a layup, in my mind) and went through. Looking back at the shot, it didn't even seem like what he was going for.
Howard's shot, on the other hand, was forceful. He didn't just put the ball in the basket, he threw it in there... with mustard on it! And you could tell that's what he meant to do.
Personally, I hope they DON'T change the rules for next year to include a requirement for physical rim contact. If a player can get high enough in the air such that he can throw the ball in a straight line through the hoop, he should be able to.
7
Twarpy Leader
ID: 386242821 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 14:21
Don't think Howard was trying to take the Superman 'status' that Shaq 'has/had'. He was just trying to 'crank that' as he did in the Adidas commercial.
8
G Donor
ID: 5810561615 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 16:55
of course a question may be, is it a dictionary "dunk shot" contest or a wikipedia "slam dunk" contest? Since the name is the Sprite Slam Dunk contest, I am guessing contact needs to happen.
According to wikipedia physical contact is necessary...
A slam dunk (or simply a dunk) is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball through the basket with one or both of his hands, then grabs the rim shortly after the ball passes through the hoop. ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slam dunk
I personally think Howard practiced that shot by catching it and then dunking the ball with physical contact.
If you think about where Nelson threw the ball from, timing has to be close to perfect to get that dunk. IMO, the ball went a little too far and Howard couldn't get close enough. However, when the ball went through, and people reacted, he just went with it.
9
Mike D Leader
ID: 041831612 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 17:10
It goes to the weight of the judges. If they aren't impressed because he didn't bang the rim, so be it. Apparently they were more than impressed judging by the score.
10
Perm Dude
ID: 2138188 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 17:13
I'm not so sure you want to spend a lot of time analyzing what goes into the judge's decisions in this case...
11
Mike D Leader
ID: 041831612 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 17:17
It's better than dictionary.com or wikipedia.....
12
Kyle Donor
ID: 052753312 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 17:29
I think eliminating the rule of having to use a teammate in the first round should be the first thing that is done for next year.
13
Yehosh Sustainer
ID: 181082023 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 18:54
Moon's first dunk was great and I regret him not being able to complete his 2nd dunk properly
I think by far the best dunk was Howard's first dunk which is a little similar to something Iggy did in the past, but Dwight took it to another level. The superman dunk was just funny, so everyone (including me) loved it. Dunk or no dunk, thats entertainment for you.
14
KrazyKoalaBears
ID: 421148121 Tue, Feb 19, 2008, 19:13
"According to wikipedia..."
Sorry, but the credibility got lost after that. ;)
Seriously though, I actually agree with #9.
If I were a judge, I would have been blown away by a player actually throwing the ball through the hoop with such force. Whether he planned it that way or not, the force cannot be denied. I've seen many dunks that involved the player touching the rim that had far less force than what Howard did. In fact, I saw several shots at the actual dunk contest that had far less force than Howard's "dunk."
To me, it's about the authority with which the dunk is completed. I actually miss the days of backboards being shattered...
15
Pacers Rule Sustainer
ID: 910311210 Wed, Feb 20, 2008, 00:55
An outstanding show to be sure. That was pretty fun stuff. That was the most lopsided victory that I remember. I guess I wasn't watching when Jordan won it - in '88 was it?
16
Ref Donor
ID: 539581218 Wed, Feb 20, 2008, 01:00
'Nique really won that '88 contest.
I don't think the judges even knew that Howard didn't really dunk it.
17
qwert Donor
ID: 2910242819 Wed, Feb 20, 2008, 09:48
15 - VC in Oakland was pretty lopsided
16 - there weren't judges for the superman dunk, were there?
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