Reigning champion James Jones of the Miami Heat will defend his title in this year’s Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Amway Center in Orlando as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Rounding out the field are All-Stars Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks and Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ryan Anderson of the hometown Orlando Magic, Anthony Morrow of the New Jersey Nets, and Mario Chalmers of the Heat.
It’s going to be interesting to see if the big guys (Love & Anderson) can really give this a go. Being a good three point shooter “in game” doesn’t always translate well in this competition especially for big men.
Anderson will have the hometown support fueling him and has a fairly quick release so I like his chances a little better than that of Love’s. He could very well challenge for a spot in the finals and that would certainly make for nice theater in his home arena.
Mario Chalmers as of today has the highest 3 point shooting percentage of anyone in the field. He enjoys the drive and kick opportunities he sees from LeBron and Wade in regular season play and has worked hard to become a better shooter overall. He should probably make it into the 2nd round if not further.
Meeks ranks 14th in 3pt shooting percentage
The selection of Johnson seems a bit peculiar just like his actual All-Star selection. Nothing against Joe, I just think his name was added to give the competition a little more…well name value.
I think a guy like Jodie Meeks should have gotten a look here especially to give the Sixers more representation and exposure during the weekend but Johnson was the league’s choice.
Cest la vie.
While James Jones is the defending champion I like the chances of Anthony Morrow to take home this year’s crown. Morrow has the quickness and right balance on his jumper to be very effective in this competition. Like most shooters he is streaky but I look for him to rise to the occasion and defeat Jones in the finals.
Morrow over Jones to become the new 3point Shooting Champion at All-Star weekend is our prediction.
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Written by Warren Shaw
I am an avid Basketball fan who has worked for the New York Knicks, Alonzo Mourning Charities and various other sports organizations. Having covered many NBA and various professional sporting events has given me the opportunity to provide insight with an unbiased but flavor driven view. I look forward to providing NBA content and interacting with knowledgeable fans and readers.
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