Indiana's Fred Jones won the NBA dunk contest practically by default, dethroning two-time champion Jason Richardson when both missed their final jams.
Jones made two impressive dunks earlier in the contest Saturday, including a cool one-handed reverse after throwing a bounce pass to himself from the 3-point line. But two misses on his clever final attempt -- on a pass from a friend in the stands -- should have made it easy for Golden State's Richardson to become the contest's first three-time champion.
But Richardson also missed his final dunk, handing the title to Jones.
PHOTO: AP
"It was an honor to be out here, because Jason Richardson is one of the greatest dunkers ever," Jones said. "I was just trying to be creative and do something different."
Boston's Ricky Davis and Denver's Chris Andersen were eliminated in the first round. Davis made only one dunk, and Andersen got more cheers for his elaborately spiked hair than his jams.
Jones is a longtime fan of the dunk contest who admired Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins before he was tall enough to slam. He was ready for his first crack at the contest: He got a 50 for his first dunk -- a long bounce pass finished off with a hard slam -- and another 50 on his one-handed reverse in the finals.
PHOTO: AP
And in the second round, he brought the crowd to its feet with a leaning, one-handed reverse following a similar pass. Jones rattled the champ, who needed three false starts before making a lackluster 360-degree slam.
Jones needed only a 46 to win, but he went for a difficult original dunk. He passed the ball into the stands to a friend, who threw a high-arching bounce pass toward the basket.
It was a beautiful, unique idea for a slam -- except Jones missed it twice, fumbling good passes. Jones shook his head, while his friends howled their disapproval.
It was the 20th anniversary of the NBA's revival of the contest, which was a cult favorite in the ABA in the 1970s. Phoenix's Larry Nance won the first contest in 1984.
A panel of Lakers greats judged the contest: Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. The crowd didn't care much for their idols' judgments, booing several scores.
Denver's Chris Andersen was eliminated in the first round despite an impressive two-handed slam following a pass off the backboard. He was the tallest dunker in the competition, and the Nuggets' utility player drew the attention of Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson with his heavy gel and spiked hair.
Three-point shooting
Denver's Voshon Lenard denied Sacramento's Peja Stojakovic from a third consecutive victory in the NBA All-Star 3-point shooting contest Saturday night.
Lenard edged Stojakovic 18-16 in the final round.
The Denver Nuggets guard hit all five red, white and blue money balls (worth two points) in the one-minute final. Stojakovic needed to hit the last money ball to force a tie, but it bounced off the rim as the clock expired.
Philadelphia forward Kyle Korver also made the three-man finals. He scored 15 points after hitting all five shots from the left corner. He missed all five attempts at another of the five shooting stations.
Lenard earned US$25,000. Stojakovic received US$15,000.
Players had a minute to shoot as many balls as they could from five spots around the 3-point line. The four orange balls at each station were worth one point.
skills challenge
Baron Davis, the New Orleans Hornets' star who used to wow the crowd across town at Pauley Pavilion, was a winner at Staples Center on Saturday night -- in the NBA All-Stars skills challenge.
The team of Magic Johnson, Derek Fisher and Lisa Leslie won the Shooting Stars contest.
Davis, a former UCLA standout, defeated Stephon Marbury, Earl Boykins and Fisher in the timed test of passing, dribbling and shooting.
Davis finished the course in 28.7 seconds in the first round, then wrapped up the win with a time of 31.6 in the second.
Fisher, filling in for Lakers teammate Gary Payton, had a time of 31.6 in the first round, but a missed jump shot cost him in the second and he was clocked in 37.6.
Johnson, Fisher and Leslie each won US$10,000, with the second-place Spurs getting US$7,500 each.
Davis got US$25,000 for winning the skills contest, and Fisher received US$15,000 to run his total for the evening to US$25,000.
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