Slamma Jamma

The Basketball world was abuzz with the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard's thunderous dunks capped by donning the cape of Superman that brought the house down at the 2008 NBA All Star Slam Dunk Contest held Saturday Night in the City of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Although his dunks were really good and deserve a place to be in the list of the best dunks that were ever seen in the NBA's annual slam dunk competition, for me it was not the best in the history of the NBA All Stars weekend side event.

Yes, Dwight Howard’s creativity was evident in his dunks but they’re not as spectacular as the dunks made by Vince Carter in the 2000 edition of the contest.

In my book, Vinsanity’s insane repertoire of dunks was the greatest and the best of all time. Carter showed us not only his creative side but also his enormous jumping prowess as he did one thunderous dunk after another to rule the one- sided contest against his cousin and teammates with the Toronto Raptors, Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis of the Houston Rockets, among others.

You can also include in the list 5’ 7” Spud Webb’s amazing feat in the 1986 edition wherein he bested his more illustrious teammate, Dominique Wilkins to become the shortest player in history to win the coveted Slam Dunk King title.

But the most intense and electrifying head-to-head match up in the history of the slam dunk contest was the 1988 battle between the Human Highlight Film, Dominique Wilkins of the Atlanta Hawks and His Airness, Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls.

They engaged in a virtual dogfight highlighted by their creativity and intense competitiveness. Where Dominique was power personified, Michael was a mirror of finesse and elegance. The slugfest literally went to the last dunk where Michael Jordan won it by flying from the free throw line as he slammed the ball home to the delight of the Chicago crowd.




2008 NBA All Star Slam Dunk Competition




2000 NBA All Star Slam Dunk Contest: Vince Carter


The Human Highlight Film versus His Airness



1986 NBA All Star Dunk Contest: Spud Webb

Super Bowl XLII: The NY Giants Dwarfs the NE Patriots

The football world is in a state of shock at the end of Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona as Eli Manning and the New York Giants towered over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in what could be considered one of the biggest upset in NFL history thus ending the Patriots' almost-perfect season at 18-0 and failing to win the biggest prize in football and a stab at immortality stopped at their 19th game.

It was one of the most exciting Super Bowls in history what with the nip and tuck game where the result wasn’t decided until the dying seconds of the game.

I really thought the game was already over when Tom Brady threw to Randy Moss for a touchdown with 2:42 to go. But I was wrong.

The NY Giants had to labor and did an uphill climb with less than 2 minutes in the game with spectacular plays from the Giants highlighted by the escape of Eli Manning from the blitz and throwing the ball in traffic to David Tyree who in turn leaped hight to catch it under pressure to commence their comeback. It was a hard- fought battle wherein the outcome was finally decided when WR Plaxico Buress caught Eli Manning's pass for the game- winning touchdown with 35 seconds left.

There were 3 lead changes in the 4th Quarter, a Super Bowl Record and defense dictated the outcome as the Giants shutdown the highest- scoring team in the NFL.

Eli Manning equaled what his elder brother Peyton’s achievement last year and did it in spectacular fashion in the dying seconds of the game earning him not only the MVP award but the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy for his team.

It was sweet victory for the much- maligned Eli who was often criticized for his erratic plays in the regulaar season and compared to his more illustrious older brother.

All that is water under the bridge now as he is now a Super Bowl Champion and thus earned for the Manning family a rare honor of having two members winning the Super Bowl in consecutive years.

I always root for the underdog and I was telling everybody even before the game started that the NY Giants will win the big game. Nobody actually believed it even after the game ended as many were dumbstruck and dumbfounded by the outcome.

But in my blog entry after the Giants' win over the GB Packers, I pointed out that the NY Giants could win the Big One since the NE Patriots are beatable if their December 29, 2007 game against each other will be the yardstick since they were leading the Patriots until their 38- 35 collapse in the end.

It was one amazing run and finish for the NY Giants as they showed a lot of heart and character as they rallied to become the first Wildcard in NFC history to win the Super Bowl. It was the second Wildcard to win the Super Bowl in since 2005 when the Pitsburgh Steelers did the trick in Detroit in Super Bowl XL.

The win is actually sweet for Eli Manning since Tom Brady refused his handshake during the warm- up before the start of the game. On the other hand, it was a bitter pill to swallow for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots as their 18-0 perfect season crumbled in the end.

Once again, the Underdog Triumphs and a New Champion is born.

How Sweet It Is!