Following last night’s controversial ending to the Dunk Contest, several Utah Jazz players let their feelings on the matter be known.
Even though their weren’t any Utah Jazz players competing during All-Star Saturday Night, it was still an incredibly fun time, filled with mixed emotions. From excitement to disappointment, and from hyped to shocked, many words can describe how it all went down.
I was glued to the couch and literally watched every second of it, so let me fill in those who just so happened to miss it. The Skills Challenge? The year of the bigs! The Three-Point Contest? Last second drama! The Dunk Contest? One of the best! But it also included one of the most jaw-dropping moments in history.
For starters, a guard did not win a single rebound during the Skills Challenge. The finale of Bam Adebayo vs Domantas Sabonis was super fun and showed how the game is evolving.
The Three-Point Contest ended in game-winning fashion off the fingertips of Buddy Hield. He beat out Devin Booker by just one point in the final round with a chain around his neck.
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The Dunk Contest was a back-and-forth duel between Derrick Jones Jr. and Aaron Gordon. Most, including the judges, thought that it would end in a draw, rewarding both players with a win. After Gordon’s final dunk, which was a two-handed slam over 7’5″ Tacko Fall, the score revealed a 47, giving Jones Jr. the win.
As soon as it happened, shock was painted over the faces of just about every single person in the arena. I’m not complaining, because I thought Jones Jr. had the better dunks and deserved the win, but most thought that Gordon was robbed. The ending was certainly fishy.
Users all over social media were up in arms in the aftermath. Fans, players and more all offered different kinds of views on the matter, including some Utah Jazz players.
Donovan Mitchell, a former Dunk Champion himself, thought that both Jones Jr. and Gordon should have won. This was the conclusion that most people came up with both during and after the Dunk Contest.
One of the craziest dunk contest I’ve ever seen!!! @TheRea1DJones and @Double0AG did there thing!!! They both should’ve just won real talk 💯💯💯
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) February 16, 2020
Mitchell’s fellow All-Star teammate, Rudy Gobert, felt that Gordon was robbed, much like he was in 2016 when he faced off against Zach LaVine, in what was one of the best Dunk Contests in NBA history.
https://twitter.com/rudygobert27/status/1228885548930039809
Rayjon Tucker, who made a late push hoping to get an invite to the Dunk Contest, thought that the outcome was the right decision. Glad to see we’re on the same page, Tuck!
For all y’all that’s mad that Arron Gordon lost he did the same dunk that @TheRea1DJones did he should’ve lost on that one 🤷🏽♂️ @TFBChuckTheBoss
— Rayjon Tucker (@th3flighttuck) February 16, 2020
That’s three different views from three different Utah Jazz players. You can’t go back and change the ending, but one thing is for sure, this will be a popular topic that will be heavily discussed for a long time.
Which Jazz player do you agree with? Let us know in the comment thread!
It will be interesting to see how this impacts future Dunk Contests. After this major controversy, will stars be open to competing? Last night revealed the flaws that the Dunk Contest has. Judging and the scoring system could use some tweaks.
It was a fun Saturday night, but tonight is the big one, Jazz fans. Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell will represent our team in the All-Star game, playing with the best this league has to offer. Be sure to cheer on our guys!