Boobie Shoots, Howard Flies at All Star Fest

The Cavs' Daniel Gibson received an invitation to the NBA All Star game's three point shootout on Saturday. While he didn't clinch his second trophy of the weekend, Gibson still had a respectable second place finish behind reigning champion Jason Kapono. Gibson scored 17 points in both rounds, finishing ahead of Richard Hamilton, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Peja Stojakovic. Kapono tied former Cavalier Mark Price's record, with 24 points in the final round of the event. I know it's all just for fun, but I think it's exciting to see any Cleveland team represented in an All Star event (seriously, how awesome is it to see Boobie walk onto the court between Nowitzki and Nash?). Gibson actually did better than I expected, since it was his first All Star weekend and he was probably a little nervous.

The night before, Gibson went crazy in the Rookie-Sophomore game. Boobie nailed a record 11 three pointers on 20 shots and walked away with the game's MVP award. Judging by the 136-109 score, these guys weren't playing much defense anyway, but at least Gibson got a good workout in over the break.

The real highlight of the night was Dwight Howard's real-life interpretation of NBA Jam. Howard may have single-handedly saved the flagging, 31 year old dunk contest with his creativity and showmanship. Many fans were comparing the originality, difficulty, and athleticism of Howard's dunks with those of Vince Carter back in 2000. I'd put Howard's series of three dunks in the top five of all time, easy. There's really no point in my describing the dunks further, but if you haven't seen them by now, they are worth a look. The Superman dunk can be found at the 2:40 mark:


The technical difficulty of Howard's first dunk was superior in my opinion, but the entertainment factor and sheer power of his Superman dunk makes it my personal favorite. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a slam dunk contest that much. It's too bad LeBron has never given it a go given the insane elevation he can get on his dunks.