The phrase “one for the ages” gets used in the world of sports more often than Steph Curry sinks 3-pointers, but hoo-boy, the NBA Slam Dunk Contest was definitely one for the ages.
Amid all the stars in Toronto this past weekend, it was a pair of 20 year olds who stole the show on Saturday night.
Minnesota’s Zach LaVine and Orlando’s Aaron Gordon put on one of the greatest battles in the contest’s history.
The two displayed a masterful array of innovative aerial acrobatics that elicit the wonderment that the competition had lacked for years.
But the real battle began in the final.
With Stuff, the Magic’s mascot, holding the ball and spinning on a hoverboard, Gordon grabbed the ball with one hand, put his other hand behind his head, spun 360 degrees and dunked.
LaVine, the 2015 champion, responded by lobbing the ball, catching it and doing his own 360 one-handed windmill.
Game. On.
The battle went to double overtime as each player tried to one-up his competitor. LaVine would come up victorious, receiving a perfect score of 200, edging out Gordon’s 197.
For my money, Gordon should have won after his second dunk in the final. Leaping over Stuff, he grabbed the ball and put it below both his legs, seemingly sitting in mid-air. Incredible.
Whether these two become all-star caliber players remains to be seen, but come 2017 in Charlotte, their rematch will be the hot ticket at all-star weekend.
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• Woody Paige thinks so.
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this weekend.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Six-time Olympic gold medalist and Denver native Amy Van Dyken-Rouen turns 43.
Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or @joenguyen
