With the trade deadline now less than one week away, teams and players begin their six-day hiatus today for what is considered to be one of the biggest events on the NBA calendar: All-Star Weekend.
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This year’s events will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, while the actual All-Star Game will be played at Madison Square Garden on Sunday for the first time since 1998 (Michael Jordan was the MVP of that game).
Selected players will align for the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three Point Contest and Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, all being broadcast on TNT.
Below is a preview of the main events and we make predictions as well.
(Check out the All-Star Snub team here.)
Rising Stars Challenge
Friday night, 9 p.m. ET
World Team Active Roster
Dennis Schroder – Hawks
Nikola Mirotic – Bulls
Gorgui Dieng – Timberwolves
Andrew Wiggins – Timberwolves
Rudy Gobert – Jazz
Dante Exum – Jazz
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Bucks
Bojan Bogdanovic – Nets
Matthew Dellavedova – Cavaliers
Kostas Papanikolaou – Rockets
Coached by Alvin Gentry, the likely starting five will be Antetokounmpo, Wiggins, Dieng, Mirotic and Dellavedova. So much athleticism on the perimeter between Wiggins (favorite for Rookie of the Year) and the Greek Freak. Papanikolaou, Bogdanovic and Mirotic will provide the three point shooting.
U.S. Team Active Roster
Shabazz Muhammad – Timberwolves
Zach LaVine – Timberwolves
Nerlens Noel – 76ers
Robert Covington – 76ers
Cody Zeller – Hornets
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Pistons
Mason Plumlee – Nets
Victor Oladipo– Magic
Elfrid Payton – Magic
Trey Burke – Jazz
Coach Kenny Atkinson will have an athletic rotation for big men headed by Plumlee, Zeller and Noel. The starting five should consist of Oladipo, Caldwell-Pope, Plumlee, Muhammad and Zeller.
Prediction: World Team wins. It will be a showdown between Wiggins and Oladipo, but the rookie Wiggins scores a few more points and throws down the top highlight dunks as well.
Foot Locker 3-Point Contest
Saturday night, coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET
Eastern Conference
Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers – 112 3PM, 270 3PA, 42%
Kyle Korver, Hawks – 161 3PM, 308 3PA, 52%
Western Conference
Marco Belinelli, Spurs – 45 3PM, 118 3PA, 38%
Stephen Curry, Warriors – 161 3PM, 404 3PA, 40%
James Harden, Rockets – 140 3PM, 366 3PA, 38%
Wesley Matthews, Trail Blazers – 161 3PM, 404 3PA, 40%
J.J. Redick, Clippers – 119 3PM, 273 3PA, 44%
Klay Thompson, Warriors – 155 3PM, 352 3PA, 44%
This year’s contest will include the top two leading MVP candidates in Curry and Harden. Curry will be the obvious favorite and is widely considered the best shooter in the game today with his quick release and ability to pull up off the dribble from anywhere without losing precision. Not too far behind is Thompson who can heat up fast in his own right. Irving, Matthews and Belinelli are all sleepers to come out on top.
Prediction: The Splash Brothers have all the hype going in – but Korver will come away the winner. On the year, he’s shooting 51 percent from the field, 91 percent from the free throw line and 52 percent from three, the highest of all the participants.
Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
Saturday night, coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET
Mason Plumlee – Nets
Zach LaVine – Timberwolves
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Bucks
Victor Oladipo – Magic
All four players are first-timers in the event. Plumlee, the lone big man, is more of a power dunker and will have to be creative to beat out the bounce that the other three will exhibit. LaVine is a guy who when he dunks, his head is eye level at the rim in most cases, and he plays best above the rim. Antetokounmpo’s biggest advantage is his length which is a reported 7’3″ but he can also jump sky high. Oladipo is the smallest of the crew but is a fast-twitched, two foot jumper who likes to provide the flash.
Prediction: Like John Wall did last year, LaVine will execute a dunk which has not been seen in the contest before, eliminating the Greek Freak in the final round. Remember NBA Live?
Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time
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