Color Me Impressed

Over the years, I've lost interest in the National Basketball Association's annual Slam Dunk Contest. Mostly because it's devolved into a series of sophomoric stunts, like Gerald Green's Cupcake Dunk or Dwight Howard's Sticker Dunk. Time was, the event was strictly about athleticism, like Michael Jordan taking off from behind the free throw line, or Dominique Wilkins' power windmills. Instead of coming up with more creative and more impressive displays of athleticism, twenty years down the line, the NBA's highest fliers are, for the most part, embarrassingly only concerned with kitsch, confection and capes. As a result, the contest has become, well, dull. 

Which is why Nate Robinson's final so-called "Kryptonite Dunk" over Dwight Howard last night is noteworthy and should excite fans of the long-forgotten art of dunking. Although it's been done before--even Nate's done it a few times-- five-foot-nothing Nate clearing the 6-11 Howard is an amazing athletic feat that at once followed in the spirit of the competition and, in the process, took it to new heights of athleticism and showmanship. Just as Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter and even Jason Richardson did before him, and after Julius Irving, Jordan and 'Nique. Add to that the news that LeBron will most likely participate in next year's contest (will he dunk on a 12-foot rim?) and we might be heading into a new and improved era of dunking.