Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Terrence Ross dunks after leaping over a youngster during the 2013 NBA all star slam dunk contest at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Raptors guard Terrence Ross won the 2013 NBA Slam Dunk Contest beating out the defending champion Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz in the final round.

Ross got a fortunate first dunk score of 50 after needing five attempts to finish his slam. After that first dunk he was solid the rest of the way capping off the competition with a between-the-legs dunk over a small boy.

Evans relied on props as expected and was impressive to a degree but not enough to overcome Ross, who took home 58 percent of the fans’ votes.

The favorites, James White and Gerald Green, dimmed in the bright lights of All-Star Weekend. They both struggled to eve finish dunks while not even seeming to attempt the most difficult.

White first took off from the free throw line with two hands and received only a score of 45. His second dunk was planned to be one from the right wing where he switched hands with the ball but he was unable to complete it.

Green, who won the competition in 2007, tried dunking a ball twice in one leap after cutting off the net but could not do so after many tries.

This contest clearly need the game’s best players to compete. Whether it be LeBron James who could easily win it or even someone like Kevin Durant who could at least draw more attention to the event.

White and Green had a chance to put this event back on the map but they failed to do so. Ross was solid but that’s about it.

Feb 5, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) brings the ball up the court during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

NBA All-Star Saturday Night is here and soon we will be crowning this year’s slam dunk and three-point contest winners.

The festivities will begin to get covered at 8 p.m. EST on TNT. It will feature the Shooting Stars Challenge, Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest and then finally the Slam Dunk Contest.

Expect the Dunk Contest to start around 9:30-10:00 p.m. EST.

Who is going to take home the hardware tonight? Will the Slam Dunk Contest finally return to its glory?

There is a new format this year where in both contests three players from each conference will face off. The highest scores from the East and West will then meet in the final round to determine a winner.

3-Point Contest

Let’s start with the 3-Point Contest. For the West we will have Stephen Curry, Matt Bonner and Ryan Anderson. The East is represented by Steve Novak, Kyrie Irving and Paul George.

In terms of getting shots up in a lifetime, no one can match Curry. His dad, Del, was one of the best shooters ever in the NBA and he taught his son well. It’s hard to pick against Steph who has the perfect form, a quick release and the ability to get hot more than anyone in this conference.

His stiffest competition might come from the same conference in the form of the Red Rocket, Matt Bonner. Bonner is as machine-like as any shooter in this competition. Hard work is the only reason he has made it in this league and that starts with his robot-like, three-point making ability.

Novak has to be the favorite coming from the East. There is no other player in the NBA that is more of a specialist than Novak is. Irving may be able to make some noise too but his prowess usually comes in game.

Slam Dunk Contest

The Dunk Contest contestants will be James White, Gerald Green and Terrence Ross from the East and Jeremy Evans, Eric Bledsoe and Kenneth Faried from the West.

White and Green will meet in what has to be the most anticipated Dunk Contest in a long time. They are two of the great dunkers of all-time, especially in contests and were made to do just one thing: be creative in the air and finish dunks.

They are the two overwhelming favorites despite the defending champ, Evans, competing for the West. Evans’ win last year was not thought of very highly by most so expect Bledsoe or Faried to have a good chance of coming out of the West.

The real shame here is that White and Green won’t be able to end up in a dunking showdown in the final round. We might have to settle for fireworks early in this competition.

Final Predictions

3-Point Contest: Stephen Curry

Slam Dunk Contest: James White

November 20, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard James White (4) dunks against the New Orleans Hornets during the fourth quarter of a game at the New Orleans Arena. The Knicks defeated the Hornets 102-80. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

It’s NBA All-Star Weekend and the 2013 Slam Dunk Contest will be held tonight. The Saturday night festivities will begin at 8:30 p.m. EST. The dunk contest will be the final event and likely to start between 9:30-10:00 p.m. EST.

There won’t be any superstars participating in this year’s contest but there is more hope than usual that the contest will return to glory this year.

There is a new format this year where the six contestants will be divided into their respective conferences. There are two rounds where the best scores from each conference will then meet in a final round.

Here’s a look at each contestant and their dunking highlights:

Eastern Conference

James White, New York Knicks
Stats: 6.7 MPG, 1.8 PPG, 0.8 RPG

White is 30 years old and only in his third season in the NBA. He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers back in 2006 and has never really found a home in the league playing in just 44 career games so far. White’s claim to fame has always been his dunking. He finished second in the McDonald’s All-American Slam Dunk Contest and has become a YouTube sensation with some of his dunks in dunk contests around the world. This is the first time White has been on an NBA team at the time of All-Star Weekend so it is fitting that he will be competing in the contest as one of the favorites to win it. White loves getting running starts for his dunks and jumping off one foot. He will use his great speed to his advantage with at least a few attempts from the free throw line tonight.

Gerald Green, Indiana Pacers
Stats: 19.8 MPG, 6.6 PPG, 2.5 RPG

Green has a history with the NBA Slam Dunk Contest already having won it back in 2007. Like White, Green was also out of the league for a little while but has come back strong the past few seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and now Indiana Pacers. Green and White have met before in a dunk contest in Russia a few years back which is known as one of the best ever. Green is a two-footed dunker and gets up extremely high with his face nearly level with the rim often times.

Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors
Stats: 16.9 MPG, 6.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG

Ross was drafted 8th overall by the Toronto Raptors in this past NBA Draft. He came in as a solid outside shooter and great athlete which he has lived up to with his invite to this contest. Ross will join a long list of participants from Toronto in the history of the dunk contest which includes Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. Ross has been especially good with windmill dunks this season.

Oct 16, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Gerald Green (25) lines up along the foul line during a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has lost its luster in recent years. The big named stars no longer participate in it and it’s reliant on props and gimmicks more than anything. It’s become more of a joke and blemish on All-Star Weekend than anything.

This year that could all change thanks to one of the most highly anticipated fields in a long time.

Defending champion Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz will be back in it. He will be joined by Eric Bledsoe from the Los Angeles Clippers and Kenneth Faried of the Denver Nuggets representing the Western Conference.

The Eastern Conference will be made up of Terrence Ross of the Toronto Raptors and the two guys with the chance to save this contest: Gerald Green of the Indiana Pacers and James White of the New York Knicks.

Green already has experience in this contest and won it back in 2007. White has never been in the league long enough to be able to compete in it but now at age 30, he finally made it.

The best part is that Green and White have a history not only in dunk contests, but competing against each other in a dunk contest in Russia back in 2010. As you can see in the video above, it is one of the best dunk contests you’ll ever witness.

It’s time to revitalize this contest. There are no two better players to do so than Green and White. They aren’t the big time names like a Michael Jordan or Dominique Wilkins but they are truly specialists in this area. Green and White were made to dunk and grew up in an era where they have perfected dunks in dunk contests.

Real basketball junkies know what we are in store for this coming All-Star Weekend with Green and White. The casual fan will be in for a surprise. If there was ever time for the dunk contest to return to its glory, that time is now.