EVANS ABOVE! JEREMY SLAM DUNKS RIVALS

 

Jeremy Evans won the 2012 The Sprite Slam Dunk in Orlando after the least bad series of jams on All Star Saturday Night.

He beat out the Houston Rockets’ Chase Budinger, the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Derrick Williams in an event notable for its misses as much as its makes.

Long Range Love

Who says Big Men can’t jump? Kevin Love won the three-point shooting contest on NBA All Star Saturday Night in Orlando.

The Minnesota Timberwolves centre beat out Mario Chalmers in a play-off, ending up on top of a field that also included Kevin Durant.

“I’m a guy who loves to rebound the ball, a guy who loves to play inside, really a physical player,” said Love. “But for me, coming into the league, I was told not to shoot three-point shots. So to be where I am now and continue to work on my game, I think this definitely speaks to my versatility.”

Parker pens in skills

San Antonio point guard Tony Parker won the Taco Bell Skills Competition of the NBA’s All-Star Saturday night festivities with a time in 32.8 seconds.

The Frenchman was the only one of six participants to break 30 seconds in the first round (29.2) and this time of 32.8 in the final run on the obstacle course was better than Boston’s Rajon Rondo (34.6) and New Jersey’s Deron Williams (41.4).

New York take liberties

The Haier Shooting Stars competition at All-Star Saturday Night comes down to the half-court shot. But things were different this year, as Team New York won its first Shooting Stars title with an efficient performance through the first five shots.

Allan Houston, who hasn’t played an NBA game in over seven years, hit the half-court shot in both rounds for New York, who also included current Knick Landry Fields and NY Liberty’s Cappie Pondexter.

Friday: Irving is Rising Star

Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving was a perfect 8 for 8 from beyond the arc and finished with 34 points as Team Chuck beat Team Shaq 146-133 in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge on Friday in Orlando.

This year’s Rising Stars Challenge had a different format, with the rookie and second-year players mixed together on teams for the first time. The league also inserted a little more name recognition with former stars Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley serving as general managers and drafting the teams.

But it was the Number 1 overall pick who stole the show for the second year in a row following Wizards point guard John Wall’s MVP show last season.

In a fairly mediocre game, Irving stood out with some high flying moves.

“These stats don’t carry over into the season,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it was still fun to get out there with those talented guys. So it was a great experience.”

Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson scored 20 points to lead Team Shaq. New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin only had two points.