What Have These Mavericks Done During All-Star Weekend?

 

The NBA All-Star Weekend festivities will invade the city of New Orleans this weekend and the Mavs will have minimal involvement.  Guard Wesley Matthews will be the lone representative of the Mavericks organization in the Big Easy as he will participate in the Three Point Shooting Contest on Saturday night.

 

This will be the second time for Matthews in the contest after he took part in the 2015 edition when he and the likes Klay Thompson and James Harden fell to Steph Curry.  Something many other people have done in a shooting contest before.

 

The Dallas Mavericks-involvement in All-Star Weekend has been relatively light in recent history, but there are some current Mavericks who have had some good and bad moments under the bright lights of the Saturday night festivities recently.

 

Dwight Powell in the 2016 Rising Stars Game

 

Dwight Powell took part in the 2016 Rising Stars Game and was a member of the “World” team as a native of Toronto.

 

Powell actually had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in 16 minutes of playing time.  

 

Harrison Barnes in the 2015 Slam Dunk Contest

Does anyone else remember this?  The 2014 Dunk Contest might have been the most forgettable edition with the incredibly unsuccessful “team” concept that left everyone scratching their head.

 

Harrison Barnes, as a member of the Golden State Warriors, was on the “West” team with Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard and Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore.  Hardly a trio of players anyone would think of when it comes to electrifying play above the rim.

 

 

Needless to say, it wasn’t the prettiest thing to watch.

 

Dirk Nowitzki Wins 2006 Three Point Contest

 

 

The season that Dallas made their first trip to the NBA Finals, 2005-2006, also featured Dirk Nowitzki making a splash on All-Star Weekend.

 

Nowitzki and teammate Jason Terry competed in the shooting competition against the likes of Ray Allen and Chauncey Billups.

 

Dirk won with a score of just 18 in the final round with Gilbert Arenas coming in second with a score of 16.  Nowitzki would go on to compete in the 2007 and 2008 competitions as well. 

 

How will Wesley Matthews fair this weekend?  Matthews is shooting 38.1% from beyond the arc this season.  That’s pretty consistent with where he’s been most of the season, but a big time 43% in the month of December has definitely helped keep his percentage up during some of his cooler times.

 

While Matthews is way down on the three point shooting percentage list among league leaders, he is all the way up at 8th in the league in total three point attempts this year with 378.  He’s also tied for 11th with Bradley Beal for 11th in the league in 3’s made with 144.  So his percentage isn’t elite, but the green light he has with attempts and the high number of makes suggests that he certainly belongs in a contest like this.

 

Who are your picks for the Saturday night contests?