Dynasty: Chris Bosh, Dominique Wilkins, Swin Cash win third straight Shooting Stars
NEW YORK — Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times, though? That’s a dynasty.
For the third straight year, Team Bosh — Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins and Swin Cash of the WNBA’s New York Liberty — kicked off 2015 NBA All-Star Saturday Night by winning the Degree Shooting Stars competition, beating Team Westbrook (consisting of Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and Tamika Catchings of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever) in the championship round of the evening-opening shooting competition.
In the two-round timed shooting competition, each team had to complete shots from four numbered shooting locations of increasing distance and difficulty — a 10-foot shot from the right of the basket, a 20-footer from the top of the key, a 3-pointer from the left wing and a half-court shot — in order, as fast as they can. Each team had up to 90 seconds to complete the course, with the two fastest teams moving onto the championship. In this year’s competition, the teammates had to rebound for one another, adding a wrinkle and, in some cases, an extra second or two to the teams’ times.
In the opening round, Team Curry, consisting of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, his father, Dell Curry, and Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm, completed the circuit in 47 seconds. (It would’ve been faster had the typically sharp-shooting Currys not needed seven tries — four for Dell, three for Steph — to can their jumpers.) Team Westbrook posted a blazing 35.2-second time thanks to Penny hitting the half-court shot on his first try.
Team Millsap, led by Paul Millsap of the Atlanta Hawks — a late entry into the competition after New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis had to bow out of All-Star Weekend due to injury — along with Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, and Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky couldn’t match the pace of its predecessors, finishing the competition in 51.4 seconds, eliminating them from the competition. Team Bosh, for their part, looked every bit the rampaging, all-conquering armada that we’ve come to know and love, tearing through the course in a scant 30.8 seconds — capping the proceedings with a swished set-shot by Bosh — to knock out Team Curry and advance to a finals matchup against Team Westbrook.
Westbrook and company, sadly, peaked too early, struggling mightily with the half-court shot. In fact, they missed ’em all, going 0-for-26 from the timeline, as they were unable to knock one in before the buzzer sounded at the 1:30 mark … and then, almost immediately afterward, Penny hit one. (Of course.)
Team Bosh didn’t look as crisp in the championship round, either, but thanks to Westbrook and company failing to make the half-court shot, they didn’t have to be, wrapping up their historic victory with a half-court shot by ‘Nique — whose long-range shooting prowess TNT’s Kenny Smith derided before the contest started — at the 57.6-second mark.
Ahem. pic.twitter.com/FboauxiRyt
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 15, 2015
Team Bosh celebrated as all great champions do: with high-fives that don’t quite connect.
… well, at least, that’s how they’ll start celebrating.
Chris Bosh on celebrating Shooting Stars win: “About to pop a couple bottles of champagne … & mess up the locker room, trash it real nice”
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 15, 2015
After the victory, Bosh was asked what was going through his mind when he jumped on the 55-year-old Wilkins’ back:
CHRIS BOSH: “Oh, I hope he don’t fall.”
DOMINIQUE WILKINS: “I said I hope I didn’t, either.”
CHRIS BOSH: “He was telling me about his back problems, but I forgot all about that after. He’s a strong guy. So he’s all right.”
He’s better than all right, Chris. He is, once again, a champion.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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