Blake Griffin Wins 2011 Slam Dunk Contest After Dunking Over A KIA

Last night’s Slam Dunk Contest may not have been the best in Slam Dunk Contest history — after Blake Griffin brought out the KIA everyone knew he was going to jump over, the reception went from “Wow!” to “Meh” in record time — but for density of awesomeness, it’s going to be hard to beat. And it’s worth the dunk-by-dunk breakdown, no?

DeMar DeRozan’s East Bay Funk Remix: DeRozan, coached by dunking legend Darryl Dawkins, got to put a little spin on Isaiah Rider’s between-the-legs East Bay Funk Dunk from the baseline with the East Bay Funk Remix.

Remember when we were talking about Blake Griffin dunking over a car in the Slam Dunk Contest tonight? Well, Blake Griffin dunked over a car in the Slam Dunk Contest tonight, and it was as insane as you might have assumed.

Griffin’s dunk itself isn’t quite legendary, but dunking after leaping over the hood of a car while grabbing an alley-oop pass from Baron Davis through the car’s sunroof while a gospel choir sang “I Believe I Can Fly” behind him is a moment that will go down as one of the best in Slam Dunk Contest history.

Allen was the final shooter of the contest, needing 21 to win. He was eliminated midway through the fourth rack, and finished that spot with 13. Commentator Reggie Miller declared that Allen needed to hit all of his shots in the final rack to stay alive, even though 13 + 6 does not equal 20.

Team Texas, starring Dirk Nowitzki, advanced to finals as TNT commentator hit his first halfcourt attempt in the first round. But Team Texas lost to Atlanta by two seconds in the final round, missing the backboard regularly.

Good news: that is indeed a car! Bad news: instead of Kobe Bryant’s Aston Martin, it’s a KIA. KIA happens to be the title sponsor of Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game. And thus, the awestriking idea of Blake Griffin dunking over a car becomes Blake Griffin dunking over product placement.

Tonight’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest is one of the most anticipated in recent memory. Why? Blake Griffin. So what time will Quake Griffin (or the Rim Reaper, or any one of the many fantastic nicknames Griffin’s acquired) be throwing down tonight? And where can you find it on TV? That’s what we’re here for.

Time: Around, and likely after, 10:00 p.m. Eastern. The Slam Dunk Contest is the last event of All-Star Saturday Night.

TV broadcast: TNT, which will begin its All-Star Saturday night telecast at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Location: Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Defending champion: Nate Robinson, whose Lilliputian reign of terror comes to an end this year.

Competitors: Griffin’s the prohibitive favorite as the hometown entrant and the best-known player in the field, but DeMar DeRozan finished second in last year’s Dunk Contest, and JaVale McGee and Serge Ibaka are both bringing lanky frames and pogo stick ups to the court.

Why it matters: Um, Blake Griffin may be jumping over a car.

Prediction: Griffin wows the fans early, then fends off a challenge from McGee in the finals.

Further reading: You can find a quick history of the Slam Dunk Contest and highlight reels from all the competitors in our StoryStream, which will have updates from All-Star Weekend’s Saturday night events as they occur.

Blake Griffin has taken the NBA by storm this year with an array of impressive slam dunks and is the prohibitive favorite to win tonight’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest in Los Angeles. (Especially if he jumps over a car.) Griffin’s been the driving force of the Los Angeles Clippers this year, combining a deft touch near the rim with some awesome athleticism to make the “rookie” from Oklahoma — it’s Griffin’s second year in the NBA, but he missed the entire 2009-10 season with a knee injury — one of the league’s most exciting players. Griffin played in the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge on Friday night, will compete in the Slam Dunk Contest tonight, and should play for the West in the All-Star Game on Sunday.

But it’s his appearance tonight that should highlight Griffin’s All-Star Weekend. Can we even expect to see from Griffin tonight, if his highlight reel is already so thoroughly exhilarating?

We really didn’t need any more reason to be excited over Blake Griffin’s participation in Saturday night’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest, but it looks like we’re getting it anyway. Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times is reporting that tonight, Griffin plans to dunk over a car.

Wow. If this is indeed the plan, let’s break this down. Griffin is 6’10”. For example’s sake, let’s suppose he wants to jump over, say, a 2011 Toyota Corolla, which is about 4’10” at its highest point. We know that he can get eye-level with a 10-foot rim, which means he can lift himself just over three feet off the ground.

Of the four players in Saturday night’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Serge Ibaka’s road here may be the most improbable. Born in the Republic of the Congo to two basketball players, he used his own basketball skills to escape the war-torn climate in which he grew up. The silliness of the dunk contest doesn’t quite jibe with the drama he experienced to get here, but his conclusion is testament to the impression he’s made on the league in his brief career.

In his second year with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Ibaka has complemented superstar teammate Kevin Durant with 9.4 points per game. Ibaka and the Thunder hold one of the best records in the Western Conference, and surely have high hopes for a postseason run.

JaVale McGee will be one of the four participants in Saturday night’s Slam Dunk Contest. This will be McGee’s first appearance in the NBA All-Star Weekend contest, but based on what he’s shown the League so far, he’s capable of giving early favorite Blake Griffin a run for his money.

McGee stands at seven feet tall and weights 252 pounds. The 23-year-old center is in the middle of his third season with the Washington Wizards. Wiz fans will tell you that McGee has room to improve in some areas, but his dunking qualifications aren’t in doubt.