What exactly was he going to do for an encore, anyway? Jump over a Zamboni?
There will be a new NBA All-Star Dunk Contest champion because Blake Griffin is not going to defend the crown, he said Thursday. From ESPNLosAngeles.com.“As of right now I don’t plan on being in it,” Griffin said Thursday night. “Those dunk contests aren’t my thing, I said that last year. There’s a lot of guys that can put on a great show and do some good stuff….
“Last year was hectic and it kind of made it unenjoyable,” Griffin said. “So this year, we’ll see what will happen, but I will try to tone it down a bit and get a break instead of being so busy.”
Last year he was the new star in Los Angeles and the game was in his home town and building, which meant a lot more responsibilities. And that he had to go over the top for the dunk contest. So he did and jumped over a Kia with Baron Davis throwing a lob out of the sunroof.
This year was no-win for him — he would have had to out-do the car dunk and if he didn’t win the contest it would be an embarrassment. If he won, it was expected.
It does take a little wind out of the sails of the contest though; Griffin would have been the biggest name in it. Blake’s buddy and teammate DeAndre Jordan could represent the Clippers. Utah’s human pogo stick Jeremy Evans has a campaign going. We’ll see who else wants to step up and take the crown. And we’ll see if guys keep going in the direction of the prop-assisted dunk (over a car with a choir singing) or if it goes a little more old school.
