LeBron James was an all-state receiver at St. Vincent-St. Mary.

Basketball players have been referred to as the greatest athletes in the world. In the NBA, you see superbly conditioned athletes soar to the basket and throw down rim-rattling dunks or muscle past two or three defenders. Sometimes we marvel so much at these super beings that we, as fans, wonder how pro basketball players would do in another realm, such as pro football.

With the return of the NFL season, I thought it would interesting to put together a football team comprised of current pro basketball players. Who knows? Some of these guys may consider this crazy idea and ditch the round ball in favor of the pigskin. I’m sure NFL general managers would love to have any of these guys on their roster. This concept has been written in the past, but not in the context where each basketball player is assigned a football position. So, without further ado, here is my 25-man, NBA-inspired gridiron gang:

QUARTERBACK

Kevin Durant (6-9, 235)

— If Allen Iverson was still in the Association this would be an easy choice. Iverson was an all-state quarterback in high school and was considered a Michael Vick-type talent in the state of Virginia. But since A.I. is currently out of the NBA the next best option is Kevin Durant. You may wonder why we’re going with KD over skilled passers such as Chris Paul or Rajon Rondo. Durant may not possessed your prototypical quarterback, but he’s a terrific athlete who has shown in the past that he can sling the football. If you recall, during the NBA lockout, Durant flashed his QB skills in a pick-up flag football game. We have visual evidence.

When K.D. asked a bunch of Oklahoma State students in Stillwater, Okla., if he could play in their flag football game because he was bored during the NBA lockout, one of the students asked Durant if he could catch a football. Durant replied, “Are you for real?” Durant may not seem imposing but he’s quick and explosive, and he’s got arms like Mr. Fantastic. The scouting report on Durant would be something like this: has great size to oversee the defense, decent arm strength to get the ball down the field, can elude rushers with his agility, able to make plays when the pocket collapses. Mel Kiper Jr. would have given him a B+ and a second-round grade.

RUNNING BACKS

Derrick Rose (6-1, 190)

— Legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said he knew Curt Warner could play running back for him after watching him in a pickup basketball game. Paterno says if you can run, plant, cut, and change direction quickly on the basketball court then you can play running back on the football field. In terms of changing gears without skipping a beat, very few players in the world can match the Chicago Bulls’ superstar guard.

Deron Williams (6-2, 209)

— Williams attended The Colony High School in Texas, and we all know football is king in the state of Texas. D-Will was also a highly touted wrestler as a youngster, so he is no stranger to using leverage and doesn’t shy away from contact. At 209 pounds, Williams could be a very capable tailback in the NFL.

TIGHT END

LeBron James (6-8, 255)

— The tight end position is where basketball players seem to have the most success on the football field. Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and Tony Gonzalez were power forwards in college before they were drafted as tight ends in the NFL. LeBron was an all-state wide receiver at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio, but he would be better suited at tight end because he would be an absolute nightmare to cover for any linebacker or safety. James has phenomenal quickness for a man his size. He could realistically play any position on the field. He’s big enough to play outside linebacker and he’s fast enough to be a safety. He could also play quarterback if needed. As a tight end, LeBron will be able to utilize his 255-pound frame to block and set the edges. And when it’s time to score in the red zone, LeBron and his 44-inch vertical leap could outjump any defensive back in the end zone. LeBron scored 27 touchdowns in two seasons for St. Vincent-St. Mary. “I think LeBron could come in and do better than Antonio Gates,” said former All-Pro NFL receiver Randy Moss. “LeBron James is the athlete that comes around every so often.”

WIDE RECEIVERS

Matt Barnes (6-7, 226)

— The forward was a former all-state wide receiver at Del Campo High School (Calif.) so he can definitely play the position. Barnes is a tough player who doesn’t mind getting dirty. He should be a perfect candidate to go over the middle and catch passes in tight zones. Barnes may not be Hines Ward in terms of blocking, but he’ll irritate the heck out of the opposing defensive backs.

Russell Westbrook (6-3, 190)

–Westbrook is considered one of the fastest players in basketball, and he could certainly give NFL speedster DeSean Jackson a run for his money in the 40-yard dash. The ultra-quick Oklahoma City guard can cover a lot of ground, making him an ideal candidate to be the deep threat on offense. One of Westbrook’s greatest strength is his passion for the game. Football is all about raw emotion, and few NBA players play with more raw emotion than Russ. With Durant playing quarterback on our fantasy squad, it makes sense to have his Oklahoma City teammate to be his primary target.

KICK RETURNER

Darren Collison (6-0, 160)

— The point guard is an absolute blur on the court, able to change gears without losing any speed. Collison can thank his parents for his sprinter’s speed as both were former elite track runners from Guyana.  If it were not for his undying devotion to the game of basketball, Collison easily could have been running track instead of running point.

KICKER

Kobe Bryant (6-6, 205)

— We all know Kobe played soccer when he was in Italy. He follows the sport religiously and has, on more than one occasion, displayed his soccer skills on the pitch. NFL kickers are all soccer-style kickers. Given enough practice and proper technique, Kobe should be able to pick up the nuances of kicking field goals. Kobe is a perfectionist, so if this challenge was presented in front of him he will attack it like a Black Mamba. Because so many football games are won or lost with last-second field goals, who better to put in clutch situations than Kobe Bryant.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Al Horford (6-10, 245)

Kevin Love (6-10, 260)

Kendrick Perkins (6-10, 275)

Zach Randolph (6-9, 260)

Marc Gasol (7-1, 270)

— Blocking in football is similar to setting screens in basketball, except when you use both hands on a screen you’ll get called for a foul. All five of the players mentioned above can all set good picks. But more importantly, each player plays with a bit of a nasty streak, which comes in handy when you need to get a first down on fourth-and-1. Atlanta Hawks center/forward Al Horford could anchor the line at center because he’s likely agile enough to handle the position. We all known center Kendrick Perkins has a nasty streak, and that should translate well on the football field. Power forward Kevin Love, who led the NBA in rebounding in 2010-11, has good size and extremely good hands, which will help him grab an oncoming speed rusher. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are arguably the best center-power forward tandem in the NBA and they certainly don’t mind playing in the trenches. Having these two play on one side of the offensive line bring familiarity, continuity and physicality.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Glen Davis (6-8, 295)

— Can’t think of a better anchor on defensive line than Clippers power forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who has always bragged that he could play in the NFL. Who’s gonna argue with a 295-pound man? Not me. But Davis’ claim is not a stretch. He was a terrific two-way football player at University Laboratory High School in Baton Rouge, starring at defensive end, defensive tackle and tailback. Yes, tailback! He scored 15 touchdowns his junior year in high school so he could be a tremendous goal-line back. But Big Baby hung up his cleats for good when he received a basketball scholarship from LSU. Big Baby shows great agility for a 295-pound (ahem, roughly) athlete. Watch:

DeAndre Jordan (6-11, 265)

— DeAndre Jordan is front Texas, and we all know football is king in the state. Jordan has the size and quickness to be a great edge rusher. And in terms of hand-eye coordination, Jordan could give Houston Texans stud J.J. Watt a run for his money.

Dwight Howard (6-11, 265)

— The Orlando Magic all-star center has the size, strength and agility that would make any defensive line coach drool. Howard’s freakish athleticism is suited at defensive end. He can rush the passer and, using his 40-inch vertical leap, bat down any ball that comes his way. He would be absolutely intimidating if he could only wipe that big smile off his face.

Joakim Noah (6-11, 240)

— Joakim Noah could play defensive end because of his great motor. Noah, a former Defensive Player of the Year in the NBA, has earned the reputation as being one of the toughest competitors in basketball. So, all that effort and energy should bode well on the football field.

LINEBACKERS

Metta World Peace (6-7, 250)

— In building a defense, you start with a nasty, punch-you-in-the-mouth middle linebacker. With that in mind, can you name anyone crazier than the player formerly known as Ron Artest? I think not. There is absolutely nothing peaceful about Metta World Peace, who calls his record label TruWarier. He definitely fits the part of a middle backer. Metta, who is currently playing in China, has his sights set on a possible return to the Association.

Kenneth Faried (6-8, 228)

— When your nickname is the Manimal you’re a perfect fit to play outside linebacker. Faried’s greatest asset is his motor. He plays hard on every play and doesn’t shy away from physical play. Those are two absolute necessities to play linebacker. That should translate well on the football field because Faried can play sideline to sideline and be a disruptive force.

Blake Griffin (6-10, 250)

— Few can match Blake Griffin in terms of speed and power. Griffin is a gifted athlete who has earned a reputation as one of basketball’s best dunkers. We won’t need Blake to thrown down dunks. Instead, we’ll need him to throw down quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers.

CORNERBACKS

Nate Robinson (5-8, 200)

— Nate the Great is the only player on this entire list who actually play college football. Robinson played point guard in basketball and cornerback in football for the University of Washington. Robinson is a physically gifted athlete who can run all day and is built like granite. He is such a well-conditioned athlete that he could probably be a good two-way player.

Robinson’s reputation as a football stud didn’t get lost with Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who invited him to Seahawks camp in 2011. Robinson didn’t show up, but he may have to revisit that offer once his basketball career is over.

Tony Allen (6-4, 213)

— Grizzlies guard Tony Allen is one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the NBA and could transition into a solid man-to-man cover corner. In 2005, Allen was charged with aggravated battery stemming from an altercation outside a restaurant in Chicago. Police charges? Battery? Altercation? Sounds like Allen has a little bit of Pacman Jones in him.

SAFETIES

Kawhi Leonard (6-7, 230)

— Can you imagine Kawhi playing safety in the NFL? He can run with any receiver. He can lock down any tight end or running back. And he’s got massive hands. If a pass comes his way, you know Kawhi won’t drop a sure interception.

Dwyane Wade (6-4, 220)

— Before he became a full-time hoopster, Wade played wide receiver and defensive back for high school football powerhouse Richards High in Oak Lawn, Ill. Wade has the size to make plays at the line of scrimmage, and he can certainly outjump and outrun a lot of NFL receivers and tight ends. Wade grew up watching the Chicago Bears as a youth so you know he’s familiar with the Monsters of the Midway.

PUNTER

Manu Ginobili (6-6, 205)

— Manu Ginobili is a native of Argentina, so you know he played soccer as a youngster. Manu may arguably be the second-greatest athlete from Argentina, behind only soccer great Lionel Messi. Ginobili can also be a field-goal kicker, but since we already have Kobe at kicker, Manu will have to channel his inner Ray Guy.

There you have it. A 25-man football team comprised of current NBA players. Since Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen owns the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks, he is the right man to sign the checks for this fantasy football team.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Carlos Boozer is averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds in his last seven games. (GETTY IMAGES)

Don’t look now but the Chicago Bulls are beginning to look like contenders again. The Bulls manhandled the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, 97-58, and star point guard Derrick Rose is reportedly on schedule to return to the lineup after the All-Star break.

That’s great news for the Bulls, bad news for the rest of the league.

“I see him in the gym working really, really hard. He wants to come back 100 percent, so for us we’re just trying to hold it down until he gets back,” Bulls guard Nate Robinson said about Rose, who is close to going full speed in practice.

Robinson has been a pleasant surprise for the Bulls this season. He’s averaging nearly 11 points per game off the bench (playing 21 minutes) and has energized the Chicago second unit.

Rose says he has gained some muscle rehabilitating and his jump shot has improved. If that’s true, look out!

Head coach Tom Thibodeau is not going to rush Rose back into the lineup, and he wants to make sure the face of the franchise is completely sound before he even gets into full scrimmages at practice.

In the meantime, the Bulls are holding it down until Rose returns. The team has won five out of seven and even much-maligned forward Carlos Boozer is playing well. Boozer is averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds in his last seven games, and his frontcourt partner Joakim Noah is averaging a double-double (12 and 10) for the season.

The Bulls held the Hawks to just five points in the second quarter and led 48-20 at the break. Ivan Johnson had a basket for the Hawks with 2:54 left in the first quarter, and Atlanta did not score again until Al Horford’s tip with 5:15 left in the second. The Hawks missed 17 consecutive shots during the drought while getting outscored 14-0.

They finished the 2 for 21 from the field in the second quarter, with Smith making a free throw and a jumper for Atlanta’s other points. The Hawks shot 20.5 percent on 8-of-39 shooting in the first half. Josh Smith was 3-for-10 and Horford 2-for-8 in the first half.

The Bulls set a record for the fewest points allowed, eclipsing the previous mark of 59 by Orlando last March 19. Atlanta’s 20 points in the first half also set a Chicago record for the fewest allowed in a half, bettering the 22 scored by the Knicks in 1999. The Bulls also limited New York to five points in the second quarter of that game.

”We have to play a certain way,” Thibodeau told the Associated Press. ”When we came out I thought Joakim and Carlos set the tone.”

Noah wasn’t surprise by the defensive performance.

”I wasn’t shocked, but our mindset was more be ready for the first 5 or 6 minutes of that third quarter. We had been in positions where we were up by 25, 26 points and lost before. So we feel no lead is big enough,” Noah said.

Kevin Garnett and Antawn Jamison will become free agents this summer. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

There are some quality players available this summer for those teams that have money under the NBA’s salary cap and here is one jabroni’s opinion on the top talent available:

1-Kevin Garnett

KG played well in the postseason and showed that he can still bring his A game when needed. For the first couple rounds of the playoffs, he was the NBA’s possible postseason MVP.

2-Gerald Wallace

He has decided to opt out and test the free agent market. Wallace is an excellent defender that can also provide 15 points per game to a team that needs a third or even a fourth option on offense. And he will get paid.

3-Chris Kaman

He might be often injured, but he will be in demand. That’s for sure. When DeAndre Jordan signed a four-year contract worth $12.8 million per season before last season, this assured Kaman will get a very similar deal since he is a better offensive option at center. Kaman would be a very nice fit on a team like the Boston Celtics that need a legit center in the low post.

4-Kris Humphries

Humphries isn’t a top 5 PF, but he averaged just under 14 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. He is a solid option that would be a seamless fit for a lot of teams. If the Indiana Pacers hadn’t signed David West last year he would have been a perfect fit on their team. Some team will be very happy with a very good young player.

5-Goran Dragic

Talk about a player that took advantage of an opportunity. Dragic averaged 18 points and eight assists per game in 28 starts when Kyle Lowry got injured. He is a good ball-handler, passer and a solid outside shooter.

6-Spencer Hawes

A lot like Humphries, he isn’t a top-five center, but he is a top-10 center in the NBA. He reminds me a lot of a younger Brad Miller. He’s a good rebounder and passer, a solid scorer and an improving defender.

7-Ray Allen

He can still shoot and would be a solid fit on the Los Angeles Clippers or Chicago Bulls.

8-Nate Robinson

He probably isn’t a starter for most teams, but he provides a lot of energy and scoring off the bench.

9-Brandon Bass

Bass decided to opt out to test the free agent market after a solid season in Boston where he averaged 12 points and six rebounds.

10-Antawn Jamison

His starting days might be numbered, but he’d be an excellent sixth man on a contending team that needs instant offense on their second unit. You wouldn’t want to bring him in to start because he tends to be a chucker, but a very viable option as a backup.

Others that are available are:

Andre Miller

He is a steady influence as a PG and could play late into his career like Jason Kidd has. His game isn’t built on speed and quickness, but rather intelligence and smart basketball play.

Leandro Barbosa

A solid scoring presence off the bench, but he is slowing down a bit.

Carl Landry

Undersized tweener forward, but he gets the most out of his talent and plays hard. He hustles and provides a lot of energy off the bench.

Darren Jacks is contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Email him at djroxalot@gmail.com.

Nate Robinson hops on Glen Davis' back after he scored a layup in the fourth quarter that gave the Boston Celtics a six-point lead. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Game 4 of the 2010 NBA Finals turned into the Nate Robinson & Glen Davis Show.

Little Nate and Big Baby were a huge hit on Thursday night both during the game and afterward, pumping a different vibe into this hotly contested series that is now tied at 2-2 with still one game left to play in Boston.

The defining moment of the game occurred early in the fourth quarter, and Big Baby had a big part in it with a supporting role from Little Nate.

There was a loose ball on the Lakers’ end and Davis beat Jordan Farmar to the ball and flipped it to Ray Allen to start a Celtics fastbreak. Allen penetrated and fed Tony Allen near the basket, but he missed the easy layup. Fortunately for Boston, Davis followed the play and was able to grab the offensive rebound and scored, plus a foul, to put Boston ahead, 70-64, with 8:22 remaining in the game.

It was a sequence events that summarized Boston’s night and may have injected some new life into the dragging Celtics, who were struggling mightily against the Lakers’ set defense until the final quarter when the bench gave them a big boost.

Davis was so jacked up after his basket he screamed at the top of his lungs. Then Robinson jumped on Davis’ back and both men proceeded to perform some serious primal yells, and that’s when Davis did something that all big babies do – drool.

During the postgame news conference, ESPN’s Rachel Nichols asked Davis if he was aware of his slobbering moment, and he said he was aware of it but defended his action.

“Let me tell you something, when you’re in the moment you’re in the moment. So if I slobber, snot, spit … please excuse me. Kids don’t do that. Have manners,” Davis joked.

“Sorry about that. Did I catch you with something?” Davis told Nichols.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers claims he has seen the Davis Drool before, and it usually occurred after a long run in practice.

What began as a nightly presser turned into a comedy routine between Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy … oops, I mean Glen Davis and Nate Robinson. When asked if he knew that Robinson was riding his back as he was slobbering his way to midcourt to celebrate, Davis turned to his bench buddy and joked: “You were on my back? I didn’t feel that.”

And Robinson’s response was, “Yeah. We’re like Shrek and Donkey.”

Davis and Robinson – aka Shrek and Donkey – spearheaded an energetic Boston bench that scored 21 of Boston’s 36 points in the fourth quarter that enabled the Celtics to win Game 4, 96-89.

“They really stepped on in in the fourth quarter,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “Their bench outplayed us. But even with all that, at the end of the game, we had our shot.”

When Jackson was pressed on the Lakers’ defensive strategy on Robinson and Davis, the Lakers coach replied: “Nah, I’m not going to talk about that.”

Jackson’s refusal to answer a reporter’s question regarding Boston’s new dynamic duo was brought up during Davis’ and Robinson’s time at the podium, and Davis was quick to submit a witty reply.

“I don’t have no comment either. If Phil Jackson don’t have no comment then I don’t have no comment,” said the Celtics forward, who scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and made seven of 10 shots from the field in 22 minutes.

Davis took advantage of a Lakers interior defense that only got 12 minutes from 7-foot center Andrew Bynum, who started the game but did not start the second half. Bynum had just two points and three rebounds, and was clearly bothered by his ailing right knee, which swelled up after Game 3.

Bynum’s injury forced Lamar Odom to play heavy minutes and the Lakers’ 6-10 forward struggled to contain the 6-6 Davis.

“I just felt like a beast. Really, I’m just being honest,” Davis said. “I feel like I couldn’t be denied.”

Davis added: “I don’t think that what we did today was really on the scouting report. A lot of things that we did was just will and determination, and seizing the moment.”

If Davis brought the muscle then Robinson brought the speed to the game. When the game got stagnant and starter Rajon Rondo needed a break, Rivers turned to Robinson for a spark and the former New York Knick provided the Celtics with some much needed outside punch.

“I just want to bring energy. The more energy I bring, I get the crowd involved and my teammates,” said the 5-8 guard, who scored 12 points in 17 minutes. “You can’t scout energy, no matter what. Something my college coach used to say that the more energy you bring you’d be surprised what the outcome of the game would be. Play as hard as you can for as long as you can. That’s what we try to do. Play through the calls, play through everything.”

Robinson added: “When you’re playing like that you just want to play as hard as you can and as long as you can, and then you want the starters to go back in so they can carry us home.”

Trailing by two at the end of the third quarter, Rivers went to his bench mob to start the fourth quarter and he didn’t go back to his starters until with about three minutes left. Davis, Robinson, Tony Allen and Rasheed Wallace joined starter Ray Allen on the court and the unit turned a two-point Lakers lead into a seven-point Celtics advantage in four minutes.

“All I kept thinking about was ‘Let’s win.’ I’m not thinking about anything else,” Davis said. “I’m not even thinking about how Kobe was making all these shots, or worry about this or worry about that, I’m just worried about winning. Whatever it takes to win and make sure that I give my teammates positive energy to finish out the game.”

Video courtesy of NBA.com

Throughout the 2010 NBA playoffs, Rivers made it a point after almost every Celtics practice to remind Robinson to stay focused, be ready and told him to “stay engaged.” “At some point, you’re going to win a game for us,” Rivers said to the little-used point guard. “I can’t tell you when you’re gonna play, I can’t tell you if you’re gonna play.”

The Celtics coach proved to be prophetic as Robinson got his opportunity in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals and delivered a superlative game off the bench that catapulted the Celtics to a series-clinching 96-84 victory and a trip to the NBA Finals.

Robinson – the 5-foot-9 three-time slam dunk champion who was acquired by the Celtics from the New York Knicks during the trade deadline – led a Boston second unit in the second quarter that pushed the Boston lead from 11 to 21 points. He scored 13 points in nine minutes and made two huge 3-point shots that not only got the crowd excited but inspired his teammates.

Nate Robinson provides a big lift for the Celtics in the second quarter of Game 6 in the Eastern Conference finals. He scored 13 points, including two crushing 3-point shots. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

“They actually made their big run with Rondo sitting on the bench,” said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. “That’s not a knock on Rajon Rondo. I’m not sitting up here saying they’re a better team without Rajon Rondo. But tonight they were.

“Nate Robinson was great. He’s a real talented guy,” Van Gundy added. “He scored a lot of points in New York, and what he did tonight was probably what they had in mind when they made the deal. I guess, for whatever reason, he hadn’t played much for them. But in an absolutely huge game he stepped up and played great.”

Paul Pierce, who led the Celtics with 31 points and had 13 rebounds, credited Robinson for sticking to the script and staying sharp despite the limited action.

“He kinda fell off the rotation, but my hats off to him because usually young players mentally fall out of it when they don’t play, just go through the motions in practice and really not into it because they’re worried about their time. That’s normal for a young player,” Pierce said of Robinson, who turns 26 this month. He had averaged just five minutes of court time in this year’s playoffs.

“But he kept his poise. He went to practice and got his work in, shot the ball, and did what he had to do to stay ready. Tonight his number was called and that just shows his true professionalism,” Pierce continued. “The game could have went either way at that point. We were only up by six or eight [points] and Rondo gets hurt, and he comes in and was a huge sparkplug, and really pushed the game for us.”

Rivers noted that he had already decided to give Robinson more playing time for Game 6 after he played well during the Game 5 loss in Orlando, and it became absolutely necessary when Rondo hurt his hip during the first quarter. “Even though we had played awful, [Robinson] came in and had bought into our defensive system and he was able to run a couple of sets in our system,” Rivers said.

Robinson carried over his solid Game 5 performance with an ever better one in Game 6. He was aggressive on offense and, more importantly, applied heavy pressure on Magic point guard Jameer Nelson, who struggled to a 5-for-14 evening and had just 11 points.

Orlando fought valiantly in this series and Rivers credited Van Gundy for keeping his team together even when most people had already counted them out when they fell behind 0-3.

“We got away from our game when we got behind. Unfortunately, it happens to every team. When we missed shots early, we didn’t stick with our game,” said Van Gundy, who pointed out that the first quarter was the key to the whole series.

“There’s this thing that people try to perpetuate that the NBA is fourth-quarter league, and you don’t even need to watch the first three quarters. That’s for people who don’t study at all and don’t follow NBA basketball. Go back through the years, two thirds or three quarters of the games are won by the team that wins the first quarter. It’s a first-quarter league. You gotta be ready at the start.”

The Magic fell behind 30-19 in the first quarter and played uphill the rest of the game.

Robinson, the defending champion, didn’t have to bring his “A” game because the competition failed miserably. Shakira and Alicia Keys had better performances than the slam dunk competitors. Nate “The Great” outlasted rookie DeMar DeRozan in the finals to claim his third dunk trophy. DeRozan had one real good dunk, but seem to run out of ideas once he got to the finals.

Shannon Brown and Gerald Wallace, two guys who were thought to be contenders, both fizzled in the first round and their vanilla dunks didn’t impress the judges. I think Brown and Wallace were saving their best dunks in the finals. The problem was, they didn’t make it past the first round.

For highlights of the 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, click on the video link courtesy of NBA.com: