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The 2021 NBA All-Star Game Slam Dunk contest may have been oddly placed (halfway through the main game) and was slightly lacking in power, but Cassius Stanley, Obi Toppin, and Anfernee Simons made quite a splash nonetheless. show. Simons looked fabulous with his Portland Trail Blazers logo and Oregon t-shirt. He was ready to fly.
Stanley came in first in the first round and threw a windmill between his legs for an impressive score of 44 … four 9s and an 8. It was a great dunk; the judges were probably saving room for later scores, if necessary.
Toppin went second, tossing the ball to the ground between his feet, then catching it for a reverse jam on the other side of the rim. He scored a 48, three perfect 10s and two 9s.
Simons went last in order. An arena worker used a plastic circle to pin a ball to the top of the square on the back panel. Simons got up and grabbed him with both hands, making the feat almost too easy. He rolled a 46, with a perfect 10 and four 9s.
The second dunk of the first round went in order of the score of the first dunk.
Stanley lifted the ball from the three-point arc, caught it in the air, and tried to spin it between his legs. He failed twice, then tried twice to do the same draw with a simpler catch and dunk. The judges gave him a 37, for a combined score of 81.
Simons donned a Tracy McGrady jersey to copy an old McGrady dunk, throwing the ball, catching it, knocking it down, spinning 360 °, then blocking hard. He scored a 49 (four 10s) for a combined score of 95, securing him a place in the final.
Toppin brought Julius Randle and his own father out, jumping over the two (pushing Randle’s back) and hugging him home. That got him a 46 for a combined score of 94. He would face Simons in the final.
The format of the final round is changing this year. Each contestant would perform a single dunk and the judges, instead of scoring them, would simply pick a winner.
Toppin jumped about two feet inside the foul line – impressive, but not revolutionary – then slipped through his legs for a simple slam. This left the door open for Simons.
Anfernee came sideways, skied high, and pretended he was kissing the rim. He didn’t come within a foot of it with his lips, but still finished the dunk with his front over the rim, although again dipping too gently and without too much force.
That dunk was enough to give Simons a nod on Toppin 3-2. It was the first time a Portland Trail Blazers player had won the slam dunk contest.
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