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All-Star Saturday: The best pictures
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The dunk contest during this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago will go down in infamy. A fantastic duel between the Miami Heat’s Derrick Jones Jr. and the Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon was ruined by questionable judging decisions in the final …
The dunk contest during this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago will go down in infamy. A fantastic duel between the Miami Heat’s Derrick Jones Jr. and the Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon was ruined by questionable judging decisions in the final tiebreaking dunk-off. The debate as to who should have won this will live for years.
But before the panel of Dwyane Wade, Common, Candace Parker, Chadwick Bosman and Scottie Pippen made its biggest blunder of the night, it made one that served as a precursor to what eventually happened. Notre Dame legend Pat Connaughton, now with the Milwaukee Bucks, didn’t make it out of the first round even though a strong case could be made for it.
This first dunk, for which Connaughton was dressed in “White Men Can’t Jump” garb and Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich was involved, only netted him a 45, but tell me this shouldn’t have been a 50:
WHITE MEN CAN JUMP. Pat Connaughton! I thought this was a lot better than a 45. #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/REqQnLx8fp
— Dan (@statsbydan) February 16, 2020
Connaughton’s second dunk involved teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo. He got a 50 this time, but it wasn’t enough to escape the undeserved low score of the first dunk.
Pat Connaughton gets đ over Giannis and has enough time to hit the backboard before throwing it down. đ±đ„
Watch #NBAAllStar Saturday Night on SN ONE. đ pic.twitter.com/lnmjJDrOoY
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 16, 2020
Oh, and perhaps in the ultimate show of disrespect, DJ Khaled, who was tasked with introducing the participants, admitted to the whole world he couldn’t pronounce Connaughton’s last name, even though he should have had more than enough time to learn beforehand.
DJ Khaled introducing Pat Connaughton lol pic.twitter.com/rxBiJeWylE
— âïžarcusD â¶ïž (@_MarcusD3_) February 16, 2020
Oh well. Enter the contest again next year, Pat. Maybe things will go a lot better.
Notre Dame is still pretty far from serious NCAA Tournament consideration this March but a win over bubble team Virginia would certainly be a nice step Tuesday night.
Notre Dame has won four straight games as their ACC record has gone from just 2-6 to a much more respectable 6-6. Things get tougher starting tonight though as Mike Brey and the Fighting Irish are in Charlottesville, Virginia to take on the defending national champions.
Notre Dame is still pretty far from serious NCAA Tournament consideration this March but a win over bubble team Virginia would certainly be a nice step Tuesday night.
With that preface, here are five numbers to be aware of heading into tonight’s Notre Dame vs. Virginia match-up.
Five Numbers:
1 – That’s the number of ACC teams who are scheduled to play three conference road games in a seven day stretch that season. Which team is it, you ask? Notre Dame as game two of three (at Duke, Saturday) takes place tonight.
2 – The number of wins Notre Dame has all-time in basketball against Virginia. It leaves a lot to be desired seeing as the Cavaliers have taken 12 versus the Fighting Irish.
4 – Where Mr. Double-Double, John Mooney could be by the end of this evening in total rebounds by any Notre Dame player during the Mike Brey era. His 815 are the sixth most for any Notre Dame player since Brey took over and with nine or more this evening he’ll pass both Zach Auguste (822) and Pat Connaughton (823) on the all-time list.
6 – Where Notre Dame enters Tuesday night’s contest ranked nationally in terms of assists per game. Their 17.2 assists per night are the best in the ACC. For comparison, Virginia is averaging 11.2 per game.
19.4 – That’s the amount of points per game more that Notre Dame scores than Virginia (76.2-56.8). However, the Cavaliers also allow just 51.7 to Notre Dame’s 68.4 and have found success in their ways with a 15-7 overall record and 7-5 ACC mark.
Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET from Charlottesville, Virginia and can be seen on ESPN 2.
Pat Connaughton of the Milwaukee Bucks will be participating in the annual Slam Dunk Contest
Notre Dame may only currently have one player on an active NBA roster but that one player will be in the spotlight this coming All-Star Weekend as Pat Connaughton of the Milwaukee Bucks will be participating in the annual Slam Dunk Contest.
Shams Charania of The Athletic released that news on Monday:
Milwaukeeâs Pat Connaughton has committed to invite to the NBA Slam Dunk contest at All-Star weekend in Chicago, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Aaron Gordon, Dwight Howard, Derrick Jones Jr., Connaughton so far set.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2020
A few of the responses are incredibly predictable:
LMFAOOO TRASH
You gotta be kidding me lol
white men can’t jump lmao
What?
Huh
Those that watched him at Notre Dame remember his athleticism but in case you’ve forgotten, here’s some of his best from 2018-2019:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjEDre8tyQY&w=560&h=315]
Connaughton averages 17.8 minutes per game for the league-best, 42-7 Bucks. He’s averaged 4.9 points per game this season and over four rebounds per outing.
What you need to know is that the owners of the best record in the NBA right now are the team that employs that one former Notre Dame cager.
Coincidence?
I think not.
You may or may not be aware that there is currently one former Notre Dame basketball player on an active NBA roster.
What you need to know is that the owners of the best record in the NBA right now are the team that employs that one former Notre Dame cager.
Coincidence?
I think not.
Pat Connaughton was an absolute beast for Mike Brey’s Fighting Irish, starting the second half of the season his freshman year and never looking back.
As you remember he was a very-key piece on the 2014-15 ACC Tournament Champion team that went to the Elite Eight and nearly knocked off unbeaten Kentucky and with a Final Four bid on the line.
Connaughton decided to follow the NBA route after the Portland Trail Blazers drafted him in 2015, opting for basketball instead of baseball where the Baltimore Orioles selected him previously as a pitcher.
Connaughton is still in the league and playing for the Milwaukee Bucks where he’s averaging over 17 minutes per game this season.
His biggest highlight to date in a Bucks uniform came Monday night as he did his best Vince Carter impression against the Chicago Bulls.
PAT CONNAUGHTON JUST DID THAT đ± pic.twitter.com/Kz9jqAfmxi
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 31, 2019
The Bucks wound up winning the contest 123-102 to improve their league-best record to 30-5.
