Baker's Dozen - All-Star Edition

March 07, 2021

A unique All-Star weekend has come to a close and despite some bumps along the way, the event was a success. 
The skills competition gets one sentence because it's my least favorite event - Domantas Sabonis won. 

The 3-point contest went down to the last shot attempt by Steph Curry and of course - he made it. Curry's performance was sublime. He once again proved that he is simply the best shooter of a basketball that has ever existed on planet earth. 

When the main attraction started, both Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo were out for blood and the MVP award in the 1st half. Curry went 8/11 FG (including 6/8 3P), including a rare alley-oop dunk and a logo three at the end of the 2nd quarter. The Greek Freak went a perfect 11/11 FG (including 2/2 3P) and dominated the paint, which isn't out of the ordinary for the Milwaukee Bucks superstar. 

At half-time, the NBA Dunk Contest took center stage and Cassius Stanley was the first victim of terrible judging on the first dunk of the evening - getting a 44 for his between-the-legs, off-the-bounce dunk with the left hand. In going back and forth with Cousin Keith, he thought it was a 48 at minimum - and I agree. 

For my money, it was the best dunk of the whole competition, which started out with a bang and went out with a whimper. In the end, Anfernee Simons won the 2021 Slam Dunk Contest, as his three dunks showed off his incredible leaping ability. 
The 2nd half of the game was a continuation of the 1st half, as Team LeBron put on a show by winning all 4 quarters. Damian Lillard finishing the game with a logo three was a fitting way to end the game, and may have pushed his case for MVP past Curry, but not enough to overcome the perfect shooting night from Antetokounmpo, who finished 16/16 from the field to win his 1st Kobe Bryant award for All-Star MVP. 
All-Star Day MVP: Curry put on a show in the 3-point contest and was excellent during the All-Star Game, further cementing his legacy as one of the premier players of this generation. In the midst of an MVP-caliber season, Steph is averaging 29.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg (a career-high), 6.3 apg, 1.3 apg while hitting 41.1% on 3P. Look for big things from Steph in the 2nd half of the year, as he pushes the Warriors into the playoff picture (they're currently 9th in the Western Conference) and himself towards the top of the MVP discussion. 

Top 10 Dunks of the 1st Half Year:

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Photo Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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