A FRESH DUNK DISPLAY JAMES, ANTHONY START OWN CONTEST SOPHOMORES 142, ROOKIES 118.Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer A rumor floated around Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. about a basketball game played Friday night. A box score proclaimed ``Sophomores 142, Rookies 118,'' but that didn't come close to conveying the surreal type of slam-dunk celebration that happened. The NBA's Rookie Challenge The Rookie Challenge is a competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend on the day prior to the regular All-Star game. From 1994 until 1998, the event was called the "Rookie Game," and composed entirely of first-year players. was more of an infomercial for dunks than a competition. With Cleveland's LeBron James LeBron James (born December 30 1984) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). and Denver's Carmelo Anthony Carmelo Kiyan Anthony (born May 29,1984) is an American professional basketball player at the small forward position for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association and the USA National Team. not selected for Sunday's All-Star game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games , the Challenge also showcased the two much-hyped first-year players. James and Anthony, playing on the same team, repeatedly attracted the most cheers and attention, even though it was the Phoenix Suns second-year forward Amare Stoudemire Amare Carsares Stoudemire (born November 16 1982 in Lake Wales, Florida) is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Phoenix Suns and the USA National Team. He is a 6 ft 10 in (2.09 m) and 245 lb (112 kg) power forward/center. who scored 36 points to James' 33 and was named the game's MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. . ``I think I'm satisfied,'' said James, who reiterated that he would not be a last-minute addition to tonight's dunk contest. Defense was optional Friday. And so what if James won't be in the official dunk contest? The final two minutes of Friday's exhibition turned into one. The second-year players, comfortably with the victory in hand, left the court open for James, who drove to the basket, put the ball between his legs and slammed it through. At the other end of the court, the rookies cleared out, and the Detroit Pistons' Tayshaun Prince Tayshaun Durell Prince (born February 28, 1980, in Compton, California) is an American basketball player for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association. Prince is a small forward, listed at and 215 lb (0 kg). did the same dunk. ``Everybody wanted to match my dunk,'' James said. ``Booze (Cleveland's Carlos Boozer) matched my dunk off the glass. I took mine a lot further than Booze's, too. I went between the legs, and Tayshaun came.'' The makeshift dunk contest, which featured plenty of James-to-Anthony dunks and visa versa, lasted until the final buzzer before the sellout crowd. ``It was weird, considering the fact that there were referees and whistles out there,'' Golden State forward Mike Dunleavy said. ``But it was fun to watch. They might as well show it off because it ain't going to happen in real games.'' Although the final two minutes were overtly individual based and hardly a game, pretty much the entire contest was like that. ``It was sort of virtual reality basketball,'' said Doug Collins, who coached the rookie team. He laughed at the notion of trying to bring defense into the game. ``You can't,'' he said. ``There's nothing you can do. You start pleading, `Can you please guard somebody?' '' Officially, there were 48 dunks - 24 per team. It was such a ``dunk-a- thon'' that Miami Heat rookie forward Udonis Haslem got booed for passing up a dunk and completing a layup. ``It was an offensive onslaught,'' Clippers rookie Chris Kaman said. ``I've never seen so many players play so much offense and so little defense.'' Joe Stevens, (562) 499-1338 joe.stevens(at)presstelegram.com ALL-STAR GAME Staples Center Sunday, 5:45 p.m. TV: TNT TNT: see trinitrotoluene. TNT in full trinitrotoluene Pale yellow, solid organic compound made by adding nitrate (−NO2) groups to toluene. Radio: 710-AM CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: (color) Dunks came frequently for everyone Friday night, especially Cleveland rookie LeBron James on this breakway. Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press Box: GAME RECAP |
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