It is probably most appropriate to use the phrase "the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment" to describe this year's All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, whether it is Chinese fans or overseas fans, they are powerless to complain about this year's dunk contest. Indeed, looking through all the dunk actions of all the players this year, I am afraid it can't compare to the 12 dunk performances brought to us by LaVine and Gordon last year, is it that the dunking players really did not play well this year, or have we set the bar too high after watching the slam dunk performances in the past two years?

In fact, not only fans, but also players in casual clothes at the slam dunk contest are not very interested in this year's slam dunk contest. Harden's goofy expression seemed to say, "What the hell is this?" Some netizens intercepted Devin Booker's expression when he was used as a prop, and Booker's face was full of lovelessness.

Speaking of dunks alone, the most exciting dunk in this year's slam dunk contest is probably the last dunk of champion Glenn Robinson III, but even if this dunk is at most a copy of the dunk that Wall won the championship that year, in today's aesthetic fatigue of fans, those dunks that can score 50 points are either extremely difficult or unseen. You must know that Glenn Robinson III's dunk can even be easily completed on the street by my country's folk dunk Chen Dengxing, if you just want to rely on the beauty of the dunk to conquer the fans, then the dunk generals will naturally get less applause than saliva.

What's even more regrettable is that Aaron Gordon has already announced after today's game that he will not participate in future slam dunk contests. "If you're as serious about preparing for the dunk contest as I am, you're going to find that it's really going to make you feel exhausted." Gordon said in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

Indeed, Aaron Gordon has more than just the pressure to win the slam dunk contest, fans expect him to go further, expect him to crush his opponents, expect him to win the dunk contest and elevate the beauty of the dunk to a new level. With LaVine unable to play and re-dunk the pinnacle showdown, the pressure on Gordon is almost two-punish, which is why Gordon came up with the idea of using a drone to dunk together.

LaVine is out with an injury, and Gordon's injury isn't really good, so it's hard to ask someone who is physically and mentally exhausted to come up with a world-shaking dunk. Two years ago, LaVine revived people's appetite for the dunk contest, and last year Gordon and LaVine teamed up to bring the best slam dunk performance since 2000.

"The dunk contest has become a bit boring right now," Gordon said, "and you see the fans are actually counting how many three-pointers are made, and they're even starting to talk about whether the three-point contest should be the last item on Game Day 2 of the All-Star Games, because there are so many great shooters in the league right now, and no one is talking about dunks anymore." ”

Gordon is right that the reason why the slam dunk contest is placed in the last of the three individual games is because the dunk is the one that can make fans feel the blood of the blood, but the reality is that the best players in the league prefer to participate in the three-point contest. Take this year as an example, even without Curry, the three-point contest still has Irving, Thompson, Lowry, and C.J. McCollum, Gordon and others are pressing, and now that players are getting more and more accurate in shooting three-point shots, fans will inevitably take a look at the three-point contest.

"I never think too much about safety when I compete, thinking that a certain dunk can ensure that I get to the finals, and my dunk is going for 50 points, so people are looking forward to my dunk this year." Gordon said.

Of the four people who participated in the dunk contest this year, except for Gordon, the other three people seemed to be a little unappetizing. Although Jordan Jr. is famous, many years of experience have proven that players over 2.10 meters tall are not suitable for this game at all. Glenn Robinson III and Derrick Jones Jr. are still marginalized figures on their respective teams, and there don't seem to be many fans who know them, but if they can't stay in the NBA, who will be the winner of this year's Slam Dunk Contest and will anyone remember it in the future?

If the future slam dunk contest is like this year, then the dunk contest will inevitably become a tasteless chicken rib to eat and a pity to discard. Why not think differently and turn the three-point contest into a finale at the end, as Gordon said?

After watching this slam dunk contest, I always feel that something is missing, compared with the previous two years of the slam dunk contest, this year's slam dunk contest lacks the meaning of competition, but the gunpowder smell of commercial war has become stronger.

In November 2015, Verizon, the nation's largest communications operator, signed a contract with the NBA to win the naming rights of the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest. The NBA has taken great pains to protect the interests of its partners, from the appearance ceremony to the judges' seats, and we can always see the big Verizon logo.

The NBA's jersey sponsor will change next season, and current sponsor Adidas will certainly have to seize this last chance. On the long-sleeved training uniforms worn by the players, the triangular logo is extremely eye-catching, and it has made a good show in this slam dunk contest.

Derrick Jones entered the court wearing a pair of gold sneakers, and after the first dunk, Jones took out a pair of white sneakers and replaced them. There is no doubt that the newcomer who aims to win the slam dunk championship is also prepared.

Aaron Gordon's first button uses a high-tech drone, on which the huge Intel logo is clearly visible. Although Gordon's performance in this year's slam dunk contest was disappointing, the drone went viral.

With jersey sponsors and title sponsors, basketball sponsors certainly can't be missed. The ball used by Gordon to dunk is an Adam Shaw autographed ball produced by Spalding, and during the dunk contest, he did not forget to give a close-up of the basketball.

Although the slam dunk contest was named by Verizon, the title of Saturday night of All-Star Weekend fell to the insurance company StateFarm. In the All-Star Weekend Saturday Night signage, we can clearly see the sponsor's logo.

Glenn Robinson III, who finally won the dunk king, is a signed star of a Chinese sneaker brand. As soon as the dunk contest ended, Wade, who also signed with the brand, rushed up to congratulate Robinson. also squatted down to give Robinson's shoes a close-up with his mobile phone.

Although it is only a short slam dunk contest, it is not difficult to find that there are really a lot of commercial things in it. In fact, maybe that's the real reason why we're able to see the slam dunk contest.