Asdf's RaptorsDynasty: A dynasty no more

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Ooooohhh, destroying the Lakers in LA... that's gotta hurt, Kobie...

Great recap, buddy

[-BHZMAFIA-]

YES! You killed the Lakers

Even with just two players in double figures, you still scored 97 points.

[John WB]

No, but the Raptors aren't exactly an upper tier team.

You'll think otherwise after I'm done with this team...

I don't think so.

[Its_asdf]

Ooooohhh, destroying the Lakers in LA... that's gotta hurt, Kobie...

Great recap, buddy

Thanks for the comments dweaver, and my recaps aren't that "great" are they?

YES! You killed the Lakers

Even with just two players in double figures, you still scored 97 points.

I never knew you were a Laker hater Mafia....

I don't think so.

Oh you will think so..... You will......

[John WB]

I don't think so.

Oh you will think so..... You will......

Umm.. Nope.

[Its_asdf]

New York Knicks (7-9) vs Toronto Raptors (10-6) Preview

Toronto will return to the Air Canada Centre for their final game before the All-Star Weekend in Denver and are hoping to notch their third consecutive win for this month. After blowing out the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half, Toronto is now in first place of the Atlantic division, and third place in the Eastern Conference. Chris Bosh and Jalen Rose were the only players to score in double figures against L.A., but Bosh had 22 points and 9 rebounds and was one rebound shy of consecutive double-doubles. Jalen Rose also fell short of a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Toronto has also moved athletic shooting guard J.R. Smith back into the lineup after complaining a few days ago about being moved to the bench.

"I felt like putting J.R. on the bench would test to see how well he could take it," said head coach Sam Mitchell. "I think he's gotten a little more humble and hungry, and he really impressed me with his defensive maturity against Kobe Bryant. We will need his athletiscm and quickness on the defesive end against Jamal Crawford, because I think Alvin Williams is better off as a point guard off the bench anyway."

New York is at the bottom of the Atlantic division and is currently battling it out for the 8th place with the Philadelphia 76ers. New York made some aquisitions earlier on in the season, sending backup point guard Moochie Nooris and washed up alcholic Vin Baker to Houston for Maurice Taylor. Although Taylor is better talent wise, Taylor's contract is very large and will not help the Knicks salary problems. Isiah Thomas also made a questionable move in trading their only and developing centre Nazr Mohammed to San Antonio for a few conditional first round draft picks and Malik Rose, who also has a very large contract. Both of these trades have created problems at the power foward position and have given the Knicks no actual centre to work with. However, the Knicks' do have a very strong backcourt, with a fantastic duo of Jamal Crawford and Stephon Marbury, who each score over 20 points a night and dish out over 5 assists per game.

Notes to know
-Raptor point guard Rafer Alston and Knicks' point guard Stephon Marbury are both from New York, and have both made a reputation for being great streetballers earlier in their careers.
-The Raptors lost to New York in the first round of their first playoff appearance in 2000, but Toronto returned the favour next season in the opening series in 2001.
-Stephon Marbury was the December Player of the Month after averaging 24ppg, 6.5 rpg, 8.5apg and 2.5spg. Marbury also leads the league in assists, third in steals and 9th in points per game. Jamal Crawford is not far behind as the 12th leading scorer in the league.
-Jamal Crawford scored a career high 50 points against the Raptors last season as a Chicago Bull.
-Jerome Williams will most likely get a warm welcome in his return to Toronto because he was a huge fan favourite.
-Knicks head coach Lenny Wilkins was Toronto's most successful coach and even led the Raptors to the semi-finals for the first time in 2001.

Starting 5

C - T. Battie(5.9ppg, 6.6rpg) vs K. Thomas(7.2ppg, 7.8rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(18.2ppg, 8.6rpg) vs M. Rose(19.4ppg, 9.5rpg)

SF - J. Rose(17.6ppg, 4.3rpg) vs T. Thomas(13.5ppg, 5.6rpg)

SG - J.R. Smith(12.7ppg, 2.5rpg) vs J. Crawford(22.4ppg, 5.3apg)

PG - R. Alston(9.6ppg, 5.9apg) vs S. Marbury(23.1ppg, 8.6apg)

Key Matchup

PG - R. Alston(9.6ppg, 5.9apg) vs S. Marbury(23.1ppg, 8.6apg)

Both New York born point guards are flashy and quick, and both of them are one of the top ballhandlers the league. Rafer Alston is more of a role player though, and he usually runs plays and sets up the offence while Stephon Marbury is more of an offensive threat and is usually the one generating the offence for the Knicks.

[Philantropical]

J.R. IS BACK!

[John WB]

GO KNICKS!!!

[cklitsie]

GO KNICKS!!!

I second that...
well actually not, since this is a Raptors dynasty and the Knicks are already doing well in so many dynasties ( ). Didn't think I would ever say this but good luck against the Knicks and hopefully you beat the shit out of them!

[John WB]

Some Knick fan you are.

[Its_asdf]

Raps Steal One Away From the Knicks (96-93 Raptors*)

Raptors Boxscore
Knicks Boxscore

In the whole entire season, there seems like there is no one else that feeds off of the fourth quarter and clutch situations as much as Jalen Rose does. Jalen struck the New York Knicks right in the heart in the fourth quarter, when he buried a three pointer with 17.8 seconds left to give the Raptors a 94-93 lead. Rose led the Raptors in scoring with 21 and shot 7 for 12 from the field, and Chris Bosh was right behind Rose (yet again) with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

New York has now lost two consecutive games and has sunk even lower into the Atlantic division, where teams like Toronto, New Jersey, and Boston are heating up. Leading scorer Stephon Marbury scored 16 points on 5 for 20 shooting, but Tim Thomas made up for Marbury's off-night with 21 points of his own. Jamal Crawford also contributed 20 points and 6 rebounds, but committed 4 turnovers. Although New York is weak up front and does not have a true centre, the Knicks managed to equal Toronto's rebounding total, while undersized centre Kurt Thomas had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

"We did a good job holding Toronto to 24 points in the third quarter and scoring 34 ourselves, but we let the Raptors trample all over us in the fourth," said Lenny Wilkins, a former Raptor coach. "I would have been a little more satisfied if Jalen Rose made a contested shot instead of an uncontested one, because it shows that we were lazy on defence."

J.R. Smith was happy to come back to the starting lineup, but was yanked out early in the game for letting Jamal Crawford blow by him for two very easy layups. Luckily the Raptors were on top 21-19 in the first quarter thanks to a DeShawn Stevenson three pointer at the buzzer and 10 points from Rafer Alston. Both teams also had a trouble scoring and the game had an uneven pace to it, which resulted in both teams shooting below 40%.

New York quickly fell apart in the first few minutes of the second quarter, where they went 1 for 7 from the field and 0 for 3 from the field. Toronto made no hesitation to take advantage of the sloppiness of the Knicks offence and generated a 12-2 run where Rose scored 8 points. New York luckily caught a break with a scoring drought from the Raptors and caught up by halftime, 42-39. Bosh struggled with foul trouble and was glued to the bench most of the first half and only had 6 points 2 rebounds.

New York took over the third quarter when Jamal Crawford nailed a short jumper and Kurt Thomas had back to back hook shots in the paint to give the Knicks a 45-42 lead. Tim Thomas reeled off 7 consecutive points for the Knicks' largest lead of the game, 52-44. Toronto managed to cut the lead to a 6 point 73-66 heading into the fourth quarter. Kurt and Tim Thomas had 8 and 12 points to combine for 20 of the Knicks 30 points this quarter.

Toronto easily picked apart the 6 point deficit and took a 77-76 lead after a Kedrick Brown tomahawk dunk. New York came back strong to try and retake the game after Stephon Marbury and Tim Thomas nailed a few long range jumpers to give the Knicks a 86-84 lead with 2 minutes remaining, (A.K.A. Rose Takeover Time). J.R. Smith missed a jumper but Chris Bosh cleaned up the mess with a putback dunk. Jamal Crawford had the ball stripped and Alston managed to lay up an easy shot as he easily blew by all of the New York defenders. Tim Thomas responded with a three pointer from the middle and Stephon Marbury converted 2 free throws. Donyell Marshall rattled in a three pointer from the corner. With 29 seconds remaining, Jamal Crawford banked in a runner to give the Knicks a 93-91 lead with 29 seconds remaining. Bosh missed a jumper and Jamal Crawford hastily ran up the court, but was caught in a three-man trap and Rose came up with the ball and called timeout. Alston brought the ball up the court and passed it to J.R. Smith, who drove inside but was met with two defenders. Smith kicked the ball back out to Rose, who was already squared up behind the arc and was wide open for the shot. The Knicks only had 11 seconds to spare, and Jamal Crawford barely touched the rim on a fadeaway jumper and was forced to foul Tony Battie. Battie made both freethrows and clinched the Raptor's third straight win.

Picture of the Game

Rose bailed the Raptors out again.

Other Pictures
Alston hits one from behind the arc over another famous New York born point guard, Stephon Marbury.
Jamal Crawford trying to create some space for a miracle shot between Donyell Marshall in the dying seconds of the game.
Tim Thomas went 4-9 from beyond the arc.
Bosh tells Marbury who rules the paint through 1 of his 4 blocks.

Player of the Game
J. Rose
Min - 24
Pts - 21
Rebs - 3
Asts - 1
Stls - 3
Blks - 1
TOs - 1
PFs - 2
FG - 7/12
3ptFG - 2/4
FTs - 5/8

[Its_asdf]

J.R. IS BACK!

yeah he is, too bad he blew ass in his return to the starting lineup.

I second that...
well actually not, since this is a Raptors dynasty and the Knicks are already doing well in so many dynasties. Didn't think I would ever say this but good luck against the Knicks and hopefully you beat the shit out of them!

Wow, even a Knick fan is rooting for me, I feel so...... Cool.

[Fresh8]

aww.. u killed the lakers.. how sad!

[Its_asdf]

aww.. u killed the lakers.. how sad!

I was wondering when you'd pop in and say that


Anyway, next update will be the ROOKIE vs SOPHOMORE GAME! After, that the dunk/3 point contest then the All-Star game! Yay! But With the All-Star game coming up, that also means the trade deadline is coming.

I was wondering what you guys thought about trading Jalen Rose after the break, and even though Jalen is my favourite player on the Raps right now, I still can't stand that large contract of his. So do you guys think that Jalen should get the heave ho or should I stick with him? Remember that his contract will go up to 16 million, which will make him even HARDER to trade next year, and I don't think many teams will take that bloated ass contract.

I'll take any other suggestions for trades as well! So I hope you guys will give some good replies!

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Rose got hacked bad on that play looked like it

Close game, but you came through in the clutch

[Philantropical]

Since you need trade help, try to get young players like Andre Iguodala, Tayshaun Prince, Amare Stoudemire. Don't get old fools on ur team. Keep it a young Raps team.

[Fresh8]

Trade for a young one... maybe trade Rose + Battie for a SF... and start another guy at C!

[Its_asdf]

***All-Star Weekend, Day 1: Rookies vs Sophomores***

Every year, the most exciting event in basketball comes around every season, and we're not talking about the playoffs. The three day February All-Star Weekend has finally arrived to the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado. As usual, the first day's festivites begin with the Got Milk? Rookie Challenge, and is followed by the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout and the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk contest, which then finally leads to the much anticipated All-Star game itself. The Rookie Challenge puts fresh, young talented players against against each other, and this year holds no exception.

Many of last year's rookies will make a return to the game as Sophomores, with players such as Chris Kaman (Los Angeles Clippers), Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), hometown favourite Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls), Udonis Haslem and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat). The only new sophomore to join in on the fun is the deadly jumpshooter Kyle Korver of the Philadelphia 76ers, who replaced Josh Howard who is nursing an injured ankle.

The Rookies will be hoping to make some noise as well, since the Sophomores have won three of the five games under the Rookie versus Sophomore format. Leading the way for the Rookies are the two big men that were drafted as the first two picks of the 2004 draft, Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic. Emeka and Dwight are also joined by other talented rookies such as Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers), Nenad Kristic (New Jersey Nets), Keith Mceold (Utah Jazz), Josh Childress, Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks), Luol Deng and Ben Gordon (Chicago Bulls).

Last year, Amare Stoudemire won the MVP as a sophomore and set a Rookie Challenge record with 36 points and 11 rebounds in a highscoring, fast paced, exciting game with the Sophomores outscoring the Rookies 142-118. Bothe teams set a total points record in a Rookie Challenge game with 244 points and also had a combined for a whopping 184 points in the paint. With size and NBA experience as their advantage, the Sophomores dominated the rookies with a 45-24 rebounding advantage and also dished out more assists (36-28). Rookie Ben Gordon says that the Rookies will be the ones with the last laugh this game.

"The Rookies lost pretty badly against the Sophomores last season, but I can gurantee that it will not happen to us. I have a feeling that we are going to come up on top," Gordon said with a huge grin on his face.


Chris Bosh will be the only Raptor to represent Toronto in the Rookie vs Sohpomore game.

Rookies

C - Dwight Howard(16.5ppg, 10rpg)

PF - Emeka Okafor(20.8ppg, 11.2rpg)

SF - Luol Deng(14.4ppg, 6.1rpg)

SG - Andre Iguodala(15.4ppg, 5.4rpg)

PG - Ben Gordon(16.8ppg, 4.1apg)

Sohpomores

C - Chris Kaman(7.9ppg, 8.7rpg)

PF - C. Bosh(18.2ppg, 8.6rpg)

SF - Carmelo Anthony(16.6ppg, 8.7rpg)

SG - LeBron James(27.2ppg, 9.5rpg)

PG - Kirk Hinrich(19.6ppg, 6.9apg)

[Its_asdf]

Rose got hacked bad on that play looked like it

Close game, but you came through in the clutch

Yep, it's sort of becoming a habit now to rely on Rose in the cluctch.

Since you need trade help, try to get young players like Andre Iguodala, Tayshaun Prince, Amare Stoudemire. Don't get old fools on ur team. Keep it a young Raps team.

I've tried getting Iggy, but there are too many salary complications for the trade to work. Tayshaun Prince's salary is too low and is rated too high, so I can't really get him either without picking up a larger contract, and the same with Amare.

Trade for a young one... maybe trade Rose + Battie for a SF... and start another guy at C!

Hehe, thanks Sit, but actually Battie has played quite well in centre for me, but I'll definitely think about that.

[Its_asdf]

***Got Milk? Rookie Challenge: Sophomores Squish Rookies 115-95, Bosh MVP***

The All-Star weekend started off with a bang, thanks to another high-octane performance delivered from the young stars in the making in the Rookie Challenge. The superior sophomores were the victors once again, going on a fourth quarter charge that quickly turned the tide of the game in the sophomore's favour. As expected, the quartet of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade led the way, and Chris Bosh took the MVP honours and was all over the floor, scoring 28 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. Other sophomores put on a good show as well, and LeBron James also put on a noteworthy performance of 23 points and 6 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade also had 14 of his 18 points in the second half. Denver's own Carmelo Anthony struggled a bit, scoring 17 points but on 7 for 19 shooting.

"This is definitely really big for me," Bosh had said after he had recieved the MVP award. "I had so much fun playing such exciting basketball with guys like LeBron and Wade, and I think that was the reason why I came out here. But this MVP award is just the icing on the cake, and has made this night even more memorable."

The Rookies also put up quite a bit of resistance until the fourth quarter against the second year pros, with the number one draft pick out of high school Dwight Howard leading the way with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks. Howard's frontcourt counterpart and rival Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats struggled though, only scoring 5 points. The Bull's rookie tandem of Luol Deng and Ben Gordon both did solid jobs, with Deng scoring 15 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Gordon scored 16 points and had 4 assists. Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala also managed to score 14 points and pull down 4 rebounds.

The Sophomores started out slugglishly on defence, committing 3 straight team fouls and would go over the limit very early on in the first quarter. The Sophomore squad went on a 9-0 run soon after, closing out the quarter with a 33-27 lead. Bosh already had 12 points and LeBron had 9. The Rookies managed to keep the score close by going to the charity stripe 12 times and making 11 of those attempts. Dwight Howard had 8 points and 4 blocks to pace the Rookie squad.

An 8-2 run orchestrated by back-to-back Kyle Korver three's gave the Sophomores a 41-29 advantage, but an 11-2 run was sparked by the Rookies' Ben Gordon closed the gap back to 53-49 by halftime. Gordon had 7 points this quarter and the Sophomores struggled on offence, shooting only 39% from the field.

In the third quarter, the Sohpomores created a 7 point buldge between the Rookies, but the Rookies quickly shaved the lead to 61-60. The Rookies took control after Luol Deng made a putback dunk, 67-65. The lead was short lived by the Rooks though, as Jarvis Hayes of the Washington Wizards (who finished with 10 points), made a nasty double-pump reverse slam to spark a 6-0 run. The score was 83-78 in favour of the Sophomores, but Ben Gordon and Luol Deng each had 7 and 8 points in the quarter.

The fourth quarter is when both teams stopped the joking and fooling around and started playing to win. The Sophomores must have been upset that they lost last year as Rookies, so they began to play some very intense defence, limiting the Rookies to 17 points while maintaining the exciting fast-paced action. Dwyane Wade reeled off six straight points for the Sophs, usually by starting a fastbreak with a steal and then finishing off at the other end with a powerful slam dunk. The Rookies could not handle the Sophomores any longer, and the Sophomores burst out with a 16-2 run which led to a dunk-athon by James, Wade and Bosh. The Rookies could not come any closer than 17 points and the game finished with the Sophomore's winning the Rookie Challenge for their fourth time out of six.

Picture of the Game

Bosh hoists the hardware after a very solid performance

Other Pictures
Wade had 4 steals in the fourth quarter.
Rookie Andre Iguodala is Kyle Korver's teamate of the 76ers, but buries this shot right in his face.
Udonis Haslem going up for the slam, but was caught off-guard by Dwight Howard.
Bulls Sophomore Kirk Hinrich splits the defence over the two Bulls Rookies Luol Deng and Ben Gordon.
Although not the best dunker, Jarvis Hayes probably had the best looking dunk of the night with an incredible double-pump reverse.
Heat teamate Udonis Haslem gives teamate Dwyane Wade a hand with a pick.
Deng flushing it home for the Rookies first lead.
You have to wonder why LeBron James chose not to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest.....
Dwight Howard's ankles must have been sore after this Bosh crossover left him in the dust.

MVP Stats
C. Bosh
Min - 27
Pts - 28
Rebs - 14
Asts - 4
Stls - 1
Blks - 3
TOs - 2
PFs - 3
FG - 11/17
3ptFG - 0/2
FTs - 3/4

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Bosh the MVP... No real surprise there...

Keep 'em Raptors rollin'

[Philantropical]

NICEEE! BOSH REPRESENTIN!!

[Its_asdf]

Bosh the MVP... No real surprise there...

Keep 'em Raptors rollin'

Oh really? I thought it would surprise everyone....

NICEEE! BOSH REPRESENTIN!!

Yeah, he certainly has....


Anyway, I have a problem with the slam dunk contest, the freakin' thing keeps crashing on me right in the middle of the contest and usually when I take a picture and I have to alt+tab the window. (I was just one dunk away from J.R. winning it too!) Any help is appreciated!

Edit: Nevermind I managed to play the whole contest without crashing, I guess I was just unlucky for it to crash so many times that I've played it.

[The X]

you using fraps? I know it helped me....

good to see Bosh doing well

[Its_asdf]

Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest

There is probably one thing that can put up a better show than All-Star game, and that is the Slam Dunk Contest. Denver was coincidentally the place that held the very first dunk contest in 1976 for the ABA. Although the dunk contest has lost some flair over the past few years, the Dunk Contest still remains one of the most anticipated and one of the most popular event in the All-Star Weekend.

Fred Jones, last years victor over two-time defending champ Jason Richardson in Los Angeles a year ago, chose not to participate and refused an invitation without any reason. Jason Richardson also declined an invitation, saying that he needed rest his wrist and even though the injury is mild, Richardson told the media that he did not want to risk causing further injury.

It was in 2000 that the dunk contest was reinstated after a brief 3 year hiatus. Vince Carter, who was still a Raptor, captivated and awed the crowd with some of the most exhilerating dunks ever seen. Now a new Raptor has entered the stage, and that Raptor is J.R. Smith, who is in his first season in the NBA and came straight out of highschool. Smith is joined by Tracy McGrady, who is the cousin of Vince Carter and also participated in the 2000 Dunk Contest. Corey Maggette also partcipated in the 2001 Dunk Contest, where Desmond Mason took home the dunk crown. Also joining the dunk contest is the 6'3 combo guard Ben Gordon, who is a rookie like Smith and is a rising star with a lot of talent.

Judges


From left to right: James Worthy, Julius Erving, George Gervin, Dee Brown, Cylde "the Glide" Drexler.

First Round

First Dunk: J.R. Smith J.R. wasted no time getting the contest up to speed by throwing a nifty pass off of the jumbotron and putting it under the legs and slamming it with style .
The Toss....
The finish....
Score: 50

First Dunk: Tracy McGrady T-Mac took off from just inside the freethrow line and finished with a double pump reverse.
Just inside the line!
Putting it home with style!
Score: 45

First Dunk: Corey Maggette Corey Maggette earned himself a very low mark with a very plain and bland tomahawk dunk.
There was no style to this ugly dunk....
Score: 33

First Dunk: Ben Gordon Gordon gently lobbed the ball to himself and slammed home a windmill reverse.
Ben thows it up
Slamming it behind him.
Score: 43

Second Dunk: J.R. Smith J.R. started his second dunk with a lob of the backboard and finishing it with a double pump reverse as well.
Throws it off the board to himself
Bringing it down hard.
Score: 44

Second Dunk: Tracy McGrady A nice but strange looking one handed windmill earned him 4 points shy of a 50.
Elevating high in the air
Finishing it off nicely.
Score: 46

Second Dunk: Corey Maggette Maggette put a little more effort into this one, going in for a decent looking 180 dunk.
A little better for Maggette, but not looking too good.
Score: 43

Second Dunk: Ben Gordon It was Gordon's turn to seem unmotivated as he threw a simple bounce pass off the backboard for an easy dunk.
An average looking pass
The finish wasn't too good either.
Score: 36


Final Round: T-Mac vs J.R. Smith

First Dunk: Tracy McGrady Tracy McGrady seemed to run out of ideas by the final round as he bounced the ball of the backboard and slammed it home for his first dunk.
Lobbing it off the board
and throwing down an easy dunk.
Score: 38

First Dunk: J.R. Smith Smith on the other hand, still had a couple more bags up his tricks. He bounced the ball off the camera and finished by slamming it under his legs, but not before making a 360!
A pin-point pass to the camera?!?!?
Turning a full circle and slamming it down!
Score: 50

Second Dunk: Tracy McGrady T-Mac managed to make up for the bland dunk with a stylish 360 statue of liberty dunk.
The Terence Stansbury dunk had everyone quivering with delight.
Score: 50

Second Dunk: J.R. Smith J.R. only needed a 39 to beat T-Mac, but decided to finish off stylish anyway. Smith bounced the ball off the shotclock and finished off the dunk contest with an absolutely nasty 360 windmill.
J.R. getting ready the pass to himself.....
T-Mac's defeat was official when Smith slammed it home for a 360 windmill!
Score: 50



J.R. posing after scoring another 50 for his final dunk.



Dunk Contest Summary

After the final dunk by J.R. Smith, announcer Kenny "the Jet" Smith roared out"Oh my goodness! Did you see that? That was Vince Carter all over again! I am speechless ladies and gentlemen."

We think that Kenny has every right to be shocked, and we couldn't agree more. J.R. Smith was the new dunk champ. Scoring two perfect scores in the final round and 3 perfect scores in total, J.R. completely blew away any competition out there and just made a name for himself. After another Raptor by the name of Vince Carter won the contest in 2000, nobody would have thought that any other Raptor would win the contest.

J.R.'s final dunk was very reminicent of Carter's. Carter made a 360 windmill as well, but Vince never threw a bounce pass off of the shotclock like J.R. Smith, and that is what set a completely different level apart from the two dunkers. J.R. also finished the dunk by pointing both of his hands upward, which is what exactly Vince Carter did when he won the contest.

"Everyone is always talking about Vince Carter being the best Raptor dunker of all time, so I decided to show that I can do the same dunks that he did, but I also put my own special little spin to it to give it a different style."


J.R. holds up the award. Smith is the second Raptor to recieve an award this All-Star weekend.