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Its the NBA All Stars weekend as we wind down to the main event on Monday night (US time), where East meets West on the basketball court for some NBA All Star action. The Sprite Rising Star Slam Dunk Competition is in the books and it was a sizzling one.

Over the past couple of years, the orgisers of the NBA All Star games have been contemplating the removal of the Slam Dunk competition as it starting to fizzle out. It was getting to a point where the fans were losing interest. However, this year’s Slam Dunk competition definitely sets the tone for the rest of the week as the finalists, Nate Robinson and Andre Iguodala, took to the court.

Robinson, a 5′9″ rookie from the New York Knicks was first up. For his first dunk, he initially tried an off the board under the leg slam. However, after several failed attempts, he stopped bouncing the ball off the board. But even so, he still couldn’t stick the dunk. Frustration was building as the fans fell silent. He finally made the dunk, earning him a score of 44 from the judges.

Next was Iguodala from the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers who had managed to get a perfect score in all prior rounds leading up to the finals. He didn’t disappoint with his jump-first behind the back slam which notched him a perfect 10 from all the judges. That woke up the crowd some but was soon to be overshadowed by a stunning performance from his competition.

Robinson pulled out all the stops and threw in a surprise guest star in the form of 1986 Slam Dunk champion Spud Webb. Webb was the only NBA star under 6 feet to have ever won the competition. In his second electrying above the rim maneuver, Robinson caught a bounce pass from Webb, jumped OVER the ex-champ, and nailed the dunk with power and style. The crowds were wide awake and on their feet after that performance which put the rookie back in the running with a perfect 50 (I’m sure the judges would have given him more had the scorecards allowed them to).

Iguodala needed a 45 to win the championship but didn’t have an answer to Robinson’s challenge. He only managed a lackluster behind-the-back slam coming from the sidelines which earned him a low score of 44.

94 against 94. It was a tie! That meant a great treat for the fans in the stadium as they witnessed the first ever dunk-off in NBA All Star action.

Riding the wave of his last big slam, the crowd favourite Robinson went all out to please the fans, attempting to complete a dunk that saw him throwing an under-leg leaping lob off the back board from half court, catching up with the ball near the free throw line and dunking it. Unfortunately, the timing just wasn’t right and he failed some 13 attempts before deciding to bring it a little closer to the rim. Starting from the top of the key (three point land), he finally nailed the slam earning him a respectable 47. That put the pressure on his rival to perform.

Unfortunately, Iguodala crumbled, and could only manage a 46 on his next dunk. That gave Robinson the championship. The only other sub-six footer player to win the Slam Dunk championship. A great rousing performance by the rookie, showcasing his talent and physical conditioning.

If today’s Slam Dunk competition is anything to go by, the week’s just gonna get hotter. So tune in to ESPN for some live coverage of the festivities leading up to the clash of the titans. You don’t want to miss out on the action. Makes me want to take a day off work just to catch it live (Tuesday morning in Malaysia).