It's telling that the best dunks in the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest came from a contest that lost in the finals and one that didn't even make it out of the first round. DeMar DeRozan should have a legitimate gripe after throwing down two amazing dunks, yet still not making it to the finals. JaVale Mcgee also put on a show in the first two rounds, but fell to hometown favorite Blake Griffin.
It was all about the pageantry on Saturday night at Staples Center, but DeRozan got the night started off right with a new twist on an old favorite.
That's the Vince Carter, except with a nice twist to it. DeRozan followed that up with an incredibly underrated dunk, showing off both his leaping ability and agility with a reverse-windmill dunk in the second round. Notice the Auburn dig directed at Barkley in the video, as well.
Of course we'd be remiss if we didn't show the dunk that won Blake Griffin the contest. Griffin took flight, jumping over the hood of a Kia while catching an alley-oop through the sunroof from teammate Baron Davis*. To add a bit more theatrics to it all, Kenny Smith was testifying while a local choir sang "I Believe I Can Fly." Once again, it's all about the show.
*As an aside, check out this picture of the dunk. Note Davis' face through the sunroof as Griffin flushes the jam.
Finally, be sure to check out JaVale McGee's two-ball dunk and three-ball dunk. Both were spectacular, yet couldn't quite push him over the edge in the fan vote. Still, McGee killed it in the dunk contest, putting on a fantastic show for the fans.
For more videos from Saturday night, check out our Slam Dunk Contest StoryStream.