Over the last handful of years, the NBA Three Point Contest had lost its spark; over-shadowed by the Dunk Contest and obviously the All-Star Game, the Three Point Contest struggled to include the best of the best, who tended to prioritize other events. Previous winners such as Kyrie Irving portrayed how this contest was in some way snubbed by the true three point specialists. This year, however, it is back with a bang…
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyle Korver, James Harden, headline this year’s contest. And that makes it a real contest, between the creme de la creme of three point shooters this league has to offer.
The beauty of this year’s contest is that it is hard to predict a winner, and contrary to previous years this is not because there is a shortage of pure three point shooters, but in fact too many of them. However, Curry is the obvious favorite if you look at general three point quality, and if he has a good shooting night, he will be very tough to beat.
Yet his teammate Klay Thompson is also an obvious contender. Clearly he is a brilliant shooter, and proved it by his record breaking 37 points in one quarter. With the second best three point percentage in the league, Thompson has the flair and the backing of statistics to make him a very solid favorite.
But in terms of shooting percentage, Kyle Korver is the favorite. With a stagerring average of 53.2%, he is on track to make history, and has a very firm case for favorite. If he can find his rhythm, he will be unbeatable. Players like Curry are outstanding because of their range and their ability to score threes despite being defended, but the three point contest isn’t quite like that; it is more adapted to pure three point shooters, who can score over and over again from the same spot. From that angle, one has to back Kyle Korver to win the contest.
But there are more. Although Bellineli and Irving have made the least threes this season of all the particpants, Kyrie Irving proved that on any given night he can be deadly from beyond the arc, as portrayed by his 11 three pointers against Portland. Belinelli, for his defence, has only played 30 games due to injury, and as the reigning champion, remains a serious threat.
And behind this star-studded pack of favorites there are many other brilliant shooters, such as Wesley Matthews, JJ Redick and James Harden. Any of these players has a case for the title, and that makes this year’s contest one of the most enticing contests in the history of the All Star Weekend.
Move aside the Dunk Contest, the 2015 All Star Saturday Night will be headlined and remembered by it’s incredible Three Point Contest. With every single contestant being a potential winner, it promises to be electrifying.
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