NBA All-Star 2017 Taco Bell Skills Challenge Results and Review

NBA All-Star 2017 Taco Bell Skills Challenge kicked off the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night providing plenty of entertaining moments and a surprise winner.

All-Star 2017 Taco Bell Skills Challenge – Bigs versus Guards

Participants:

Last year in Toronto the Skills Challenge event got a major revamp. In the tweaked format the NBA capitalized on the ever expanding glut of mobile big men, pitting them against guards. The new format was highly entertaining with the big men seemingly taking it more serious than the guards.

Big Men Participants:

Kristaps Porzingis – Knicks
DeMarcus Cousins – Kings
Nikola Jokic – Nuggets replaces Joel Embiid – (Sixers)
Anthony Davis – Pelicans

Image off TV from NBA TV episode

Guards (or “smalls”) Participants:

Isaiah Thomas – Celtics
Devin Booker – Suns
Gordon Hayward – Jazz
John Wall – Wizards

Smalls Round One:

Hayward versus Wall

Both players missed all 3 chest passes, Wall’s speed allowed him to pull ahead, but Hayward got him on the three point shot, hitting his first attempt.

Winner Hayward

Thomas versus Booker

This was an easy win for Thomas who nailed his first chest pass which allowed him to get almost a full court lead on Booker. He missed his first 3-point attempt, but still had time to get up his second (which was successful) before Booker shot one.

Winner: Thomas

Bigs Round One:

Porzingas versus Cousins

Porzingis hit his first chest pass and missed his first 3-point effort, then knocked Cousins ball from falling and on his third attempt nailed the shot.

Winner: Porzingis

Jokic versus Davis

Fans were pulling for their home town star Davis, but he was pitted against stiff competition facing the NBA’s newest star Jokic, who brought his all-round skill set to the court. Davis got off to a quick start hitting his first chest pass attempt. But, instead of streaking down the court to take advantage of Jokic (who missed his first two chest pass attempts) he loped easily toward the lay-up. Davis missed his first 3-point attempt enabling Jokic to catch up to subsequently nail his first three-point shot.

Winner: Jokic

Smalls Semi Final Round:

Thomas versus Hayward

Both players hit their first chest pass attempts, but had trouble connecting on their 3-point shot. It took six attempts with Hayward prevailing.

Winner Hayward

Bigs Semi Final Round:

Jokic versus Porzingas

The unicorn jumped out to a quick lead nailing his first attempt at the chest pass which led to him having a full court lead on Jokic. As it turned out Porzingis needed that lead because his second 3-point effort dropped in mere moments before Jokic banked his first attempt in.

Winner: Porzingis

Final Round: Gordon Hayward versus Kristaps Porzingis

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The big man Porzingis had a perfect round hitting all his first attempts on the pass and the three. The pivotal moment came with Hayward’s lay-up when the Knick got there second, shot the lay-up so it allowed him to grab the rebound and take an edge getting back up the court ahead of Hayward to drain his 3-point shot.

Winner – Kristaps Porzingis

Best line of the night came courtesy of Kenny ‘the Jet’ Smith who in response to Reggie Miller saying “this is the best thing that’s happened to the Knicks in a long time.” Kenny replied “yeah, with the Knicks luck he’ll drop the trophy on his foot and break it.”

Following his win the 7’3″ Porzingis was ecstatic, using the moment to encourage ‘unicorns’ and youth all over the world:

“It’s a good feeling that I’m able to showcase my skill with my size and show to the kids that you’re capable of doing that even if you’re tall and lanky like me,” Porzingis articulated following the win. “I think a lot of kids now growing up will improve those perimeter skills just seeing guys like — I don’t want to mention myself, but big guys with perimeter skills that can do it.”

Next up the JBL 3-Point Challenge and Verizon Slam Dunk Contest.