As you already know, the participants this year for the Dunk Contest are Harrison Barnes, Ben McLemore, Terrence Ross, Paul George, John Wall, and Damian Lillard. But, new to the Dunk Contest this year is the format. Check it out:
The players are going to be split up into two teams; East vs West. Leading the East is Captain Paul George, (Defending Champion) Terrence Ross, and John Wall. Leading the West is Captain Damian Lillard, Ben McLemore, and Harrison Barnes.
The Dunk Contest is divded into three rounds: Freestyle, Battle, and Final Round. Here’s what each one contains:
Freestyle Round: The players in each conference will have 90 seconds to attempt as many dunks as they possibly can. After each conferences completes their freestyle, the judges will vote East or West.
Battle Round: The winning conference of the Freestyle Round will then get to decide who goes first in the Battle Round. Plain and simple, it’s a head-to-head dunk-off. The winner will be determined by judges. The winner of the Freestyle Round gets to choose the order of the Battle Round. The Dunk Contest winner will be determined when no players from one conference are remaining in the competition.
Final Round: Fans will be able to vote online through various apps and websites to determine the best individual dunker. However, rather than being the Dunk Contest Champion, he will instead earn the new title “Dunker of the Night.”
Now many people are not too happy with this change and were not afraid to speak out on twitter:
On the other hand, Paul George is all for it!
George says, “It’s a real honor to serve as the Captain of the Eastern Conference Team for All-Star saturday night. This is a great opportunity to support and raise awareness of very worthy charities while entertaining our fans with contests showcasing the athleticism, creativity and excitement of our game. I’m particularly pumped to be in the Slam Dunk Contest as the new format provides players with the chance to display our individual skills while battling for conference bragging rights.”
What do you guys think? Comment your opinion of the new dunk contest format!
