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NEW ORLEANS - Something about Terrence Ross in the spotlight still seems unnatural, though he has proven that hes worthy of the attention. Cairo Santos Jersey . On Saturday night hell only take up a third of it when he aims to defend his Slam Dunk title in the new-look contest, taking place at New Orleans Smoothie King Center. A year ago, Ross defeated reigning champion and little-known Jazz forward Jeremy Evans in a fan vote, breathing some new life into a floundering competition. But does he see himself as the defending champ? "I only do that just because thats what everybody calls me or they always ask me if Im going to defend my championship," said the Raptors modest and soft-spoken sophomore, who was reluctant to re-enter the contest this season, though he felt obligated to. "I have to. I just feel like if you win a championship you have to defend it." This year hell share the court with a few more familiar faces. For the first time in 26 years, the Slam Dunk contest will feature three All-Stars, two of which compete on a team with Ross as the event takes on a controversial new format. Teaming up with a couple of Eastern Conference All-Stars in Paul George and John Wall, Ross squad will oppose All-Star Swiss Army knife Damian Lillard and the Wests Harrison Barnes and Ben McLemore. The contests first round, a 90-second freestyle showcase, will force the teams to work together and assist on each others dunks. Ross met with his teammates Thursday evening to rehearse and formulate a strategy. All three say theyre ready to go. "We got our game plan ready," said the Pacers George, an All-Star starter. "Were all going to have fun with it, were all going to be a part of one anothers dunks so itll be a fun game." In the second round the East dunkers will go head-to-head with the competitors from the West until a team of three is crowned champion. Fans will then vote for the "Dunker of the Night" from the winning team. Intended to spice up an event thats lost its luster, the twist is one that may take some getting used to, one that not everyone is on board with. The participants, as you would expect, have high hopes for the new format. "I personally like [the new format]," Ross said. "A lot of people dont like it but after they see whats going to happen, how the dunks are going to turn out everybodys going to like it." "I think it makes it more fun," Lillard agreed. "Its a little bit less pressure on each individual dunker, its a little more of a group thing and a team thing." However, not everyone is so optimistic. "I just feel like the dunk contest from back in the day has always been pretty simple and thats what made it good," said All-Star forward Blake Griffin, who won the 2011 competition after jumping over the hood of a Kia. "So I dont know how I feel about putting in a lot of extra stuff. I think it should just be get out there and let them dunk. I think theyve made it a little too rigid. Just kind of make it more free and let guys have more fun with it and I think theyll get better results out of it." Whether you love it, hate it, sit somewhere in between or are reserving judgment, the NBA will take another stab at reinventing an event that is still haunted by the memory of Vince Carters iconic performance in 2000. 14 years after that fateful night in Oakland, Carters show-stopping dunks remain a hot topic of conversation at All-Star weekend. At the time it was exactly what the dunk-off needed, problem is Carter set the bar too high. "It was almost like he made it feel like it wasnt a dunk contest," said Ross, who was just nine years old when he watched Carter make history. "It was kind of like a clinic or like a tutorial, how he just went out there and every dunk he did was like first try, done, 50. It was unreal to see because you havent seen anybody shut down a dunk contest since." No one has topped it and perhaps no one ever will. All the format changes in the world wont change that but an infusion of young talent and star power could. With Ross, the defending champ, facing off against three brand-name players, theres more excitement going into this weekends event than there has been in years past. Still, everyone is clamouring to see a certain MVP throw his hat in the ring. "LeBron (James) would make the Dunk Contest so much more exciting," Ross admitted. "He would have people hanging from the ceiling just to try to get in and watch it. The atmosphere would probably be unreal and thats something I would like to experience. If he ever does it I would sign up again for it. Hopefully one day he does it." He has a Dunk Contest trophy on his shelf and a 51-point game on his resume, yet Ross is still getting comfortable with the attention. It took him a little while to allow his excitement to build up and come out but with a new format and fresh competition, the 23-year-old finally has his game face on. Better late than never. "Thats even more incentive for me to go in now and try to do it again," he said. "Its like a new contest." Len Dawson Jersey . Ekblad led all defencemen with 23 goals and finished tied for fifth in scoring among blue-liners with 53 points in 58. Marcus Allen Jersey . The Desert Foxes took part in the 2010 World Cup and failed to advance past the group stage, and the African side figures to have a tough time reaching the last 16 this time around as well. Belgiums last appearance on the big stage was the 2002 tournament when the team reached the second round before bowing out to eventual champions Brazil.MALMO, Sweden -- Brent Sutter seemed to be in a nasty mood at practice the morning after Canadas biggest win so far at the world junior hockey championship. The veteran coach was barking orders and slamming his stick at missed plays on Wednesday, as if his team had lost the night before instead of pulling out a 3-2 victory over the defending champion United States to take first place in its preliminary round group. But the shouting had a tactical side. He didnt want his team feeling too good about themselves heading into the single-game knockout part of the tournament. Canada plays its quarter-final on Thursday against the Swiss, who finished fourth in the other group but who have shown they can pull off upsets against teams that take them lightly. On paper, its a game Canada should win handily, but that may be what Finland thought when they lost to the Swiss in a shootout in their final round robin game. "Theyre a disciplined hockey team," said Sutter. "Theyve kept games close. "Theyre in this position for a reason. Theyre a very structured team. Youve got to be disciplined in your game when you play them. You cant get frustrated." Canada beat the Swiss 4-1 in an exhibition game Dec. 23, profiting from five power plays to build a 2-0 first period lead. At one point, there were four Swiss players in the penalty box. Despite the loss, the Swiss came out of the game feeling good about their chances. "We know their players now," said Swiss goalie Melvin Nyffeler. "Theyve got a pretty good power play. "Last game we lost because they had so many power plays. Now were looking forward to playing them and lets see. In hockey, anythings possible. We have a chance against anybody." Canada went into its showdown with the Americans needing to win in regulation time to take over first place. They did it with a two-goal third period and some brilliant saves from Zach Fucale. But a day later, Sutter made sure to remind them they havent won anything yet. As well as Canada played against the Americans, he said "I dont want to see it slip. "When you get to this point, every game is like a Game 7. We have to make sure our emotions are in control and our details are good. It doesnt matter who your opponent is, you have to be at the top of your game. Weve got to practice like its for keeps. You cant just turn a switch on." Finishing first was a bonus on paper as it gave Canada a quarter-final against Switzerland and, if they win that, a semifinal against either the Czech Republic or Finland. The Americans now must face Russia in the quarter-finals and, if they manage a win, play the winner of Sweden-Slovakia in the semis. Sutter understands what it takes to win tournaments. He guided Canadian teams to gold medals at the 2005 and 206 world juniors without losing a game. His record at the tournament is 15-0-1. Canada improved from game to game as it built a 3-0-1 record in the preliminary round, and the coaching staff was active. Through three pre-tournament exhibitions and four round robin games, lines have been juggled and re-juggled. Centres play on the wings aand move back to centre. Cairo Santos Red Jersey. In Curtis Lazars case, you play left wing, right wing and centre in the same tournament. "Youve got to think the game well, have a good hockey IQ, and make sure you have a third guy high all the time," Lazar said Wednesday. "Im just trying to better myself so I can be prepared for all these situations." Sutter said there isnt time in a tournament to build chemistry on the ice. Players have to adapt immediately or changes will be made. Nine of the 13 forwards are centres on their club teams, so five have to play on the wings. "Its a matter of finding what theyre most comfortable with when theyre playing wing," said Sutter. "They cant all play centre, so who they can play with as pairs and threesomes to feel comfortable? "Its been a revolving door. Theres not really a plan in place. You just have a feel for your team. If somethings not working, youve got to change. You dont have time to let it progress over a month. If somethings not working or someones not playing well, you have to change it up quickly." There were two moves of note against the U.S., moving Lazar off left wing to the right side, and switching Frederik Gauthier from the wing to centre, where the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect used his considerable size to win some key defensive zone faceoffs. Sutter had particular praise for Lazar, who has scored in consecutive games while still playing well defensively. "We started him on left wing because thats where he finished the game before, but we talked after the first period," he said. "He was having a bit of difficulty at that position, so I moved him back to right wing and he got his game back to where it was before. "Hes most comfortable on right wing or centre ice. Hes been one of our best forwards, if not our best, so we have to make sure hes feeling comfortable." He had similar praise for 18-year-old Sam Reinhart, a centre who has played mostly right wing. "He plays 5-on-5, power plays, penalty killing, 5-on-3," he said. "He and Curtis, as far as forwards go, have been very adaptable and have been our most complete players in that they can be put into any situation." At practice, Reinhart skated with centre Bo Horvat and captain Scott Laughton, while Lazar was with centre Nic Petan and 16-year-old Connor McDavid. Gauthier centred Kerby Rychel and Josh Anderson, while Jonathan Drouin was between Taylor Leier and Anthony Mantha. Charles Hudon missed practice to treat a shoulder injured in Canadas 5-3 win over Slovakia on Saturday. "It doesnt really matter where we play because were all pretty different," said Laughton, a centre playing on left wing. "We all dont really know each other. "Right now, weve got four complete lines that can work and all have size, so I think were pretty set on the lines right now." Petan and Rychel both signed entry-level NHL contracts this week -- Petan with the Winnipeg Jets and Rychel with Columbus. "I was pretty cool," the diminutive Petan said. "It was a good New Years present." cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
