ALL Star Weekend 2013
SATURDAY, FEB. 16
• 8 p.m. | TNT NBA Tip-Off | TNT
• 8:30 p.m. | NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm | TNT
-- 2013 Sears Shooting Stars (1st Event)
-- 2013 Taco Bell Skills Challenge (2nd Event)
-- 2013 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest (3rd Event)
-- 2013 Sprite Slam Dunk (4th Event)
Dunk Contest
James White: Your favorite dunker's favorite dunker. White has become a legend in the basketball community for the displays he's put on in the D-League dunk contest, as well as overseas. The question is, at the age of 30, are his hops what they once were?
Jeremy Evans: Last year's dunk champion has flown under the radar this season, but his leaping ability and length at 6'9 always make him a threat.
Terrence Ross: Maybe the early favorite, Ross has already established himself as one of the NBA's premier dunk artists in his rookie season. Could he be the next shooting guard who ascends to stardom with a transcendent performance on one of the NBA's biggest stages?
Eric Bledsoe: At 6'1, he's the shortest of this year's participants in a contest that has always favored the little man. But while he doesn't have the size of his competitors, he wasn't dubbed "Mini-LeBron" for nothing. He can get up.
Kenneth Faried: The "Manimal" has become a fan favorite due to his relentless energy level on the court. Can he replicate that in a more controlled setting?
Gerald Green: The cupcake dunk is enthusiast is back again. Green, the 2007 champion, is averaging just over seven points per game for the Pacers this season.
3pt Shootout
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors -- Many thought Curry, the leading scorer on a surprise Warriors team, would be playing on Sunday. The son of legendary shooter Dell Curry, Steph has made a name for himself in recent years. This season, he's averaging a higher field goal percentage from beyond the 3-point line (45 percent) than he is from the field (43 percent). He's probably the early favorite.
Steve Novak, New York Knicks -- Maybe the sentimental favorite in this year's class. At 6'10, Novak's stroke is almost effortless and he has become a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden for his near automatic range from beyond the arc. He's the definition of a 3-point specialist: of his 253 field goal attempts this season, 205 of them have come from 3-point range, where he's knocking down 44 percent this season.
Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Hornets -- One of the most prolific 3-point taker and 3-point maker in the league, Anderson knocks down 40 percent of his shots from deep. While that percentage isn't enough to even crack the top 25 in percentage, Anderson is the definition of a big-man gunner who could be streaky enough to do well in the 3-point contest.
Matt Bonner, San Antonio Spurs -- Taking a hit in floor time this season hasn't stopped Bonner from keeping hope alive that he'd be selected to the shootout. After all, he's still knocking down a solid 42 percent for the Spurs. Bonner has initiated his own #LetBonnerShoot campaign, writing in SLAM Magazine that he's yet to make it, likely because of the red hair and New Balance kicks.
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers -- The second-year point guard is averaging 24 points per game this season, and a quarter of those points are coming from 3-point range. Irving is taking taking nearly five threes per game and knocking down 2.1 per game, good enough for a 43-percent clip as one of the NBA's 10 best 3-point shooters by accuracy.
Paul George, Indiana Pacers -- Justifiably, George is taking two more 3-pointers a game than he has for his career. It's justifiable because George is hitting 39 percent of his 5.7 attempts per game, and that's even more impressive when considering he's probably getting most of those shots in the halfcourt for the defensive-minded Pacers.
Skills Challenge
Parker has only improved since last year's run that saw him receive MVP consideration. He's averaging 20.3 points and 7.6 assists per game, and won last year's Skills Challenge.
Lin's first full season as a starting point guard will see him compete in front of a hometown crowd in Houston on Feb. 16.
Holiday has quietly had a huge season for the Philadelphia 76ers. He's averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists per game, and the four-year pro should be capable of showing well with his athleticism, passing ability and jump shot. Likewise, Teague and Knight fit in the same realm as scoring point guards who will be challenged with chasing Parker's speed.
Lillard, who is also participating in the Rising Stars competition, leads all rookies in scoring (18.4 per game) and assists (6.5 per game).
Shooting Stars Challenge
No one cares. I suggest you go grab a quick bite.