Blake Griffin Jumps Over a Car, Wins 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest

LOS ANGELES -- Blake Griffin jumped over a car.

The epic and somewhat ridiculous dunk by the Clippers rookie in the contest's final round capped a memorable 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk contest, and was more than enough to earn Griffin the event's championship trophy.

It went down like this: a silver Kia with tinted windows was rolled out onto the floor, with the hood of the car positioned in the paint. A choir was brought out at the other end of the court, and sang before the dunk was attempted. The head of Griffin's teammate, Baron Davis, appeared out of the vehicle's sunroof, and he was holding a basketball. Griffin got a running start, leaped into the air while clearing the car with ease, and caught a pass from Davis which he slammed home with two hands, bringing his team's home-town, L.A.crowd to a fever pitch.

Like I said: Ridiculous.

"It was actually my idea to use the car," Griffin said. "When they first came to me with the dunk contest idea, they said there was no rules. I was like, 'So I can jump over a car?', kind of playing around. He was like, 'Yeah.' And I was like, 'Oh, maybe I have to do it now.' "

The car was the last and greatest prop used in this year's contest, but it wasn't the first.

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In his first dunk of the first round, JaVale McGee had a second basket wheeled out on a forklift, and raised up to be side-by-side with the one already in place. With a ball in each hand, he threw the one in his right off the backboard, dunked the one in his left through the hoop on the left, before catching the first ball and dunking it through the rim on the right.

This dunk seemed like one that might have been in the works for a while in order for McGee to have felt comfortable enough to actually pull it off. But he said afterward that wasn't the case.

"The first time I did it was the day before yesterday, and I just did it once and I made it," McGee said. "That's the first time I thought of it and everything."

McGee also pulled off a three-balled dunk in the first round -- one in each hand, and the third lobbed at the rim by John Wall, which McGee caught and finished after several attempts. It was enough to earn him a trip to the final round showdown with Griffin. But after seeing the dunk over the car successfully completed once he got there, he knew he didn't have a chance.

"He definitely came prepared with the car, and nothing's going to beat the car unless I bring a plane out or something," McGee said.

McGee and Griffin battled it out until the end, but the other contestants each had dunks that were spectacular and memorable, making this contest one of the most entertaining we've seen from start to finish in several years.

Serge Ibaka completed a first-round dunk in which he legitimately took off from behind the free throw line, but the judges weren't as impressed as the rest of us, and he only received a 45. For his second dunk, he too used a prop -- well, two, actually.

A small child came onto the court and said into Cheryl Miller's microphone, "Oh no, my toy's stuck in the hoop!" It was indeed: a stuffed animal (the Thunder's mascot Rumble the Bison) was attached to the front of the rim, and for some reason it was now Ibaka's responsibility to retrieve it, while still performing his second dunk of the first round. He succeeded on his second attempt, but only received a 45 score from the judges.

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NBA Slam Dunk Contest Highlights

JaVale McGee #34 of the Washington Wizards dunks two balls on the same jump in the first round of the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest apart of NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Staples Center on February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Jeff Gross, Getty Images

Jeff Gross, Getty Images

DeMar DeRozan had two extremely athletic dunks, but on a night that was heavy with props, they didn't resonate with the judges. The first was assisted by Amir Johnson, in which the ball was bounced off the side of the backboard and put through his legs before throwing it down. It was a great dunk, but it took him five attempts to complete, so it only earned him a 45 score.

The second -- dubbed the "Show Stopper" by his coach for the event, Darryl Dawkins -- was completed on his first attempt. It was sweet enough to earn him a perfect 50, and was certainly one of the night's best. DeRozan lobbed the ball towards the rim from out beyond the three-point line, caught it off the bounce in the air, and sort of cupped it with one hand while going under the rim and throwing it down on the other side.

As impressive as it was, his fate was sealed after the low score he received on that first one.

Whether you like the idea of using props in the contest or not, the night was a resounding success. Between the creativity of McGee, the athleticism of DeRozan and Ibaka, and the craziness of Griffin's leaping slam over a car, this contest will be one that's talked about for years.

The only problem is one that Griffin will face if he chooses to defend his title next season. He didn't commit one way or the other, but it's sure going to be tough for him to top his performance in this one.

"We'll see," Griffin said, when asked if he would return to the contest next year. "I have to come up with something else. Maybe a boat next year."

Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/02/20/blake-griffin-jumps-over-a-car-wins-2011-sprite-slam-dunk-conte/

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