Originally published in SLAM 98
The good news is that Andre Iguodala brought some creativity back to the Dunk Contest. The bad news is that the guys holding the scorecards somehow missed this. Or maybe they just didn’t care.
The good news is that, between Josh Smith going two-handed from the free-throw line and Dre’s logic-defying effort pictured above, we saw two of the best dunks we’ve ever seen—on the same court, on the same night. The bad news is that neither of them was good enough to win the damn thing.
The good news is that Jason Richardson’s off-the-glass, through-the-legs mindblower in ’04 is no longer the clear-cut best dunk not to win a contest. The bad news for JRich is that the CL600 hired to carry all the guys who’ve been robbed in a Dunk Contest is starting to get crowded.
And Nique called shotgun a long time ago.
The good news is that Allen Iverson gave Dre a perfect set-up. The bad news is that Jerry Colangelo and Coach K were hiding under the judges’ table talking about how AI doesn’t distribute the ball.
The good news is that Nate Robinson deserved a chance to shine. The bad news is that he spent more minutes trying (and mostly failing) to make his last dunk than Larry Brown has allowed him to play since.
The good news is that Kenny Smith promised us he’d work on his math before next year’s contest. The bad news is it’s too late for Dre.
