↵↵One Spectacular Snowfall. It was pretty, certainly. Snow fell inside, dancers gallivanted, much time and care was given to Canada's diverse cultural history, and there were some awesome CGI animals. But the last bit of the Opening Ceremony for the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver was a failure, as only three of four spires/flame tracks emerged from the ground, leaving one of the four final torch-bearers without a thing to do. Ultimately, Vancouver's Olympics will be judged on much more than their opening, but if the competition follows the form of the ceremony, it will be occasionally brilliant and often confusing.↵
↵↵A Blur Turns Somber. Nodar Kumairitashvili died after his practice run on Vancouver's luge track on Friday. He was 21. He lost control of his sled on what is considered the world's fastest luge course, went over a retaining wall, and struck an unpadded steel pole. Though medical personnel attended to Kumairitashvili within seconds, they were unable to revive him, and he died later at a hospital. The debate about what went wrong and what to do will rage for some time. But at the Opening Ceremony, quiet tributes took precedence. It began with a tribute to Kumairitashvili, and his Georgian compatriots, who have decided to compete in these Games in his honor, marched into the ceremony with black armbands on in his memory and drew a standing ovation. ↵
↵↵Young Bucks Rule, Reke Havoc Wins MVP. For the first time since 2002, the Rookies squad beat the Sophomores in their utterly meaningless exhibition, 140-128. Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 40 points, and DeJuan Blair had the first 20-20 outing in the game's history, but Tyreke Evans, who had 26 points, was named the game's MVP. If anyone is worked up about that, I encourage you to read the item immediately above. ↵
↵↵Dar Tucker Must Fly. The best highlight from Friday night in Dallas wasn't created by Blair or Westbrook, though. And it wasn't DeMar DeRozan dunking his way into the Saturday night contest. (It certainly wasn't anything from the terrible celebrity game.) It was Dar Tucker, of the NBA D-League's Los Angeles D-Fenders, going over seven-footer, Brian Butch to win the D-League Dunk Contest. Video, via Matt Moore of FanHouse and Hardwood Paroxysm, after the jump.↵
↵↵↵This is very impressive. Not Vince Carter over Frederic Weis, but impressive. ↵
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