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PLAYER
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TEAM
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POS.
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HT .
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WT.
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COLLEGE
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Vince Carter
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Toronto
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G/F
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6-6
|
225
|
North Carolina
|
|
Steve Francis
|
Houston
|
G
|
6-3
|
195
|
Maryland
|
|
Ricky Davis
|
Charlotte
|
G-F
|
6-7
|
197
|
Iowa
|
|
Larry Hughes
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Philadelphia
|
G
|
6-5
|
184
|
St. Louis
|
|
Tracy McGrady
|
Toronto
|
G/F
|
6-8
|
210
|
Mt. Zion (Durham, N.C) Christian Academy
|
|
Jerry Stackhouse
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Detroit
|
G/F
|
6-6
|
218
|
North Carolina
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THE FAVORITES
Vince Carter
Raptors
The best dunker in the game should have a few tricks up his sleeve
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Tracy McGrady
Raptors
Carter teammate has the athleticism and enthusiasm to steal the title
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Jerry Stackhouse
Pistons
Jamison would have been a favorite, so now we pick Stack, who is also hurting
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Slam Dunk Contest
Why you should care: Not sure. Who would want to see the greatest dunkers in the NBA put on a show? Well, everyone! Year after year this is the one part of All-Star weekend that never disappoints. Vince Carter is here, and if you ever watch Raptors games or SportsCenter, you know he dunks quite well. Everyone here is capable of a great show. We asked the ESPN.com users who would have the best chance to beat Carter and about 40 percent went with Toronto teammate Tracy McGrady. The other contestants, in order of where users picked them, are Steve Francis, Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes and Antawn Jamison. Jamison withdrew with an injured knee and was replaced by Ricky Davis of the Hornets.
What to watch for: A lot of ooohs and aaahs. Carter can do just about anything when it comes to dunking, and probably a bunch of things nobody has ever even thought of. This group of leapers will put on a show.
Key players/matchups: Everyone here is a key player. The Toronto angle is certainly an interesting one, with McGrady trying to out-do his teammate. Francis is the fourth Atlantic Coast Conference player to be in this event. So Hughes is the only player here to go to a college outside the ACC.
Carter is clearly the favorite. After watching him in games the last two seasons, one can only imagine what he can do when it's not in the flow of a game. For this event, Carter will try some things never seen in games, maybe even, rumor has it, dunking a basketball twice without hitting the ground. Francis is only 6-3, but he is an exciting dunker. McGrady and Hughes are only 20 and have shown creativity in games before.
History: Who can forget when this event made its debut back in 1984. Julius Erving, Dominique Wilkins, Darrell Griffith and Clyde Drexler were in the original event, and Larry Nance won it. Believe it or not, Dr. J never won one of these things (He beat David Thompson in the ABA's final year). Three people have won this event twice: Wilkins, that Jordan guy, and Harold Miner (remember him?). Some of the greatest All-Star weekend moments have come here, from Cedric Ceballos doing it blindfolded, Dee Brown pumping up his sneakers first and Spud Webb rising high. And plenty of kids have the poster of Jordan flying from the foul line, just like Dr. J, for the winning dunk in 1988 to beat 'Nique.
"Mike and I just went at it that year, playing to the crowd," Wilkins said.
"It was the way we did it, back and forth. People came to see it. It
mattered more than the game itself."
Who should win: Is it heresy to pick against Vinsanity? Yep.
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ALSO SEE
NBA All-Star Game 2000
NBA All-Star 2000 Viewer's Guide
Sizing up the Shootout competition
Sizing up the Rookie Challenge
Sizing up the 2ball competition
 NBA East: Mutombo no ordinary Hoya
NBA West: Stockton deserves selection
Ratto: Latrell's not coming, if anyone noticed
Lawrence: All-Star game is kid's stuff
All-Star game rosters
All-Star Game history
NBA Power Rankings, Feb. 8
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