Anyone who follows the NBA knows that the dunk contest has been suffering for years.  Subpar performances, missed dunks, and bad judging have marred what was once the marquee event of All-Star Saturday Night.  But this year, all of that was gonna change.  The 4 contestants in this years contest included Dwight Howard, former champion, and back in the contest after a 12-year hiatus, Derrick Jones, Jr., a.k.a. “Airplane Mode”, Pat Connaughton of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Aaron Gordon, who arguably should have a title under his belt, but lost a few years ago in a classic showdown with Zach LaVine. 

While all 4 contestants were worthy of entry into the contest, this night belonged to Jones and Gordon.  Once we entered the final of the contest, it was reminiscent of the last time the All-Star Game was held in Chicago, and that infamous showdown between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins in 1988.  That is still recognized as the BEST dunk contest in the history of the contest itself.  And this 2-man show did not disappoint.

The 2 went back and forth, soaring with grace and power.  Each pulling something out of the bag that we hadn’t seen before.  While Jones started off a little slower than Gordon, scoring 46 on his first dunk, Gordon was making light work of all of the challengers scoring 50 after 50 on each dunk.

In the final round, Gordon kept up the blistering pace by continuing his 50-point assault on the rim.  With both contestants tiring, they continued to pull out all the stops, scoring 50 after 50 on each dunk.  On what would turn out to be the final dunks of the contest, Jones scored a 48.  Gordon had not scored less than 50 on any of his dunks.  In order to seemingly cement an imminent victory, Gordon chose Tacko Falls as a prop to jump over and dunk.  Mind you, Falls is 7’6″ tall.  Gordon proceeded to complete the dunk as we all anxiously awaited the score.  He scored a 47, giving the title to Derrick Jones, Jr.

While no one can say that Jones isn’t deserving, it is the feeling of myself and many others that Gordon was robbed.  How can you score 50 on each and every previous dunk and then only get a 47 on a dunk in which you cleared a 7’6″ human obstacle?  It just ain’t right!  If anything, the right thing to do would have been to make this into a tie.  But apparently the judges received pressure from NBA officials saying that a winner HAD to be declared.  If the line is gonna be drawn in the sand, and 1 winner must be chosen, we need to change the rules to make it a little more exact.  We don’t have this problem in the skills competition or the 3-point contest, so we need to take some of the subjectivity out of it.  For instance, if you miss an attempt, you can’t possibly score a 50.

If you have an idea, put it in the comments.  I’d love to hear what my fellow basketball junkies have to say.