“They say third time is the best and I’m glad it happened here. For his return to the land of his former franchise, Lillard won the title of best trigger of the All-Star Weekend after a final decisive shot at the buzzer, bringing his score to 26 in the final at the end of his third participation in the prestigious competition.
“It’s a perfect situation. I’m glad I got to do it when I got back to Utah,” said “Dame,” who studied at Weber State University, 40 miles north of Salt Lake City.
“Most of the best shooters in the history of our sport have one,” Lillard said of the trophy. “Being in this competition multiple times and not having won it, I just wanted to do it at least once,” added the sixth-highest three-pointer in NBA history.
“I’m glad I got it. Now I can retire from this competition,” he smiled.
The 32-year-old point guard won the final against Indiana Pacers gunner Buddy Hield, winner in 2020, and Sacramento Kings player Tyrese Haliburton, author of 31 points in the first round of the competition. The latter thus equaled the record set in 2021 by the master of the discipline, Stephen Curry.
perfect dunks
Despite Damian Lillard’s buzzer victory, Saturday’s big surprise came in the dunk contest when the unexpected Mac McClung earned a perfect score in the final and the title of top dunker.
Unknown to the general public, McClung comes from the antechamber of the NBA, the G-League, and was only called up to the big league earlier this week by the Philadelphia Sixers.
” It’s awesome. I’m really happy and grateful to the NBA for giving me this opportunity, he said. I’m not surprised by this stuff, but I’m very grateful. »
The first G-League player to enter and win the dunk contest, McClung, 24, is also the first Sixer to put his name on the charts.
The 6-foot-8 point guard has only played four NBA games, but he’s been known since high school for his acrobatic dunks.
Unusually, after receiving the trophy from Julius Erving, 1970s legend and one of the most spectacular dunkers in NBA history, he vowed to defend his crown. “If you want me, I will come back”, he reacted, to the applause of the public.
For his inaugural dunk, McClung had the only perfect score of the first round: he jumped over a man sitting on another’s shoulders, tapped the ball on the board and finished with a reverse dunk.
“It was great,” he savored. “Making my first dunk felt good. »
For his final dunk, McClung donned his Gate City high school jersey, raced to the basket and performed a 540-degree spin that was rewarded with a perfect score that had the crowd roaring, sealing his triumph.
Finally, the Utah Jazz trio, made up of Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton and Walker Kessler, won the agility competition at home, consisting of passing, shooting and relay courses.
LeBron James, savior of a somewhat pale All-Star Game
Fresh top scorer in NBA history, the “King” will provide after-sales service for the All-Star Game where his record 19th participation will try to inject some interest into the event, in the absence many stars.
Of the ten incumbents designated by the vote of fans (50% of the vote), journalists (25%) and players (25%), three, injured for several weeks, are forfeited: Stephen Curry, defending champion with Golden State, who had animated the previous edition with 50 points scored, logically collecting the MVP trophy, Kevin Durant, just defector from Brooklyn to Phoenix, and Zion Williamson, the phenomenon of New Orleans.
And it may not be over, as Giannis Antetokounmpo sprained his wrist Thursday in Milwaukee’s win at Chicago. The “Greek Freak” (the Greek monster), who also planned to compete in the agility competition with his brothers Alex and Thanasis, nevertheless appeared all smiles on Friday during the celebrity match.
As for Joel Embiid, he cast doubt on his participation. “I’m not sure, I don’t feel healthy. I haven’t been for the last three weeks,” he said Wednesday after Philadelphia’s win over Cleveland.
In the meantime, if there is one who has continuously ensured his presence since 2005, it is LeBron James. At 38, the Lakers superstar will play his 19th “ASG”, setting a new record in this area. The legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whom he has already dislodged from the throne of the best scorer in NBA history, has like him 19 selections but had only honored 18 on the floor.
Source: AFP
“They say third time is the best and I’m glad it happened here. For his return to the land of his former franchise, Lillard won the title of best trigger of the All-Star Weekend after a final decisive shot at the buzzer, bringing his score to 26 in the final at the end of his third participation in the prestigious competition. “It’s a…
