The Knicks are well represented in Houston this weekend: Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler are playing in the All-Star game, and Steve Novak and James White are participating in the three point shootout and dunk contest—the main events of the All-Star Saturday Night festivities.
The All-Star game itself is a pretty straightforward proposition. Anthony will take some turns going one-on-one against lax defense and Chandler won't know what to do with himself as defense is pretty much prohibited. The only real drama is whether LeBron James, in the middle of the best stretch of play by any player in nearly a generation, will win the game's MVP award. That will give him a chance to join the elite fraternity of players who have won the All-Star, regular season and Finals MVP awards in the same season (Willis Reed, Michael Jordan and Shaq have all done it). You can expect a late game face-off between LeBron and Kevin Durant, the only player who seems capable of keeping King James from getting the trifecta.
So the real fun for Knicks fans will come Saturday night. The history of the three-point shootout suggests that it's a tall man's game, so Steve Novak, shooting 45% from three on the season, has a good chance to win although Steph Curry is currently the favorite. Ryan Anderson and Matt Bonner are also players to keep an eye on. Bonner's set-shot is especially fun to watch.
The most anticipated part of the evening, though, will be the dunk contest. James "Flight" White, known for years as the best contest dunker in the world, will participate for the first time. His history in dunk contests goes all the way back to the 2001 McDonald's All America Game dunk contest that was won by a certain former Knick in what can at best be called a controversial decision.
His dunking prowess developed from there as he became a basketball vagabond and played all over Europe.
His development as a contest dunker probably culminated with this performance in Germany in 2008, where he went between his legs on a dunk from the free throw line while wearing a ridiculous white hat.
White, though, is thirty years old now and the dunk contest is a young man's game. He'll have stiff competition from Gerald Green, a two-time dunk contest winner who White defeated in a cult-classic dunk contest at the Russian domestic league championships in 2010.
Defending champion Jeremy Evans and Eric Bledsoe are also sure to pose a challenge to White. Purists will appreciate White's approach which is sure to be simple: just fly, pump and dunk. No props.
Should be a fun weekend for Knicks fans who have an added (somewhat pathetic) rooting interest: no team has won more dunk contests than the Knicks, who have won four (Nate Robinson three times and Kenny "Sky" Walker once). With a win by White, the Knicks can get to five and take decisive lead over the Atlanta Hawks (three wins) for the all-time lead.
The festivities start tonight at 8:30.
