Index
NBA All Star Game

2BALL

 

In 1998, the Nba organization replaced the Slam Dunk contest for the 2Ball.
In 2ball, players alternate shooting from their choice of seven locations on the floor during the sixty second competition. Players must shoot from one of seven locations marked on the floor. Each location is worth a different point value (2-8) based on its distance from the floor. There are bonus and violations. The 10 bonus is given to the team that scores from each of the seven shooting spots. The 1 point violation is deducted when any team began before the official whistles, and the 10 points violations happens when any team finishes their 60 seconds without shoot from each position.
In the first edition, the NBA made good use of the contest to promote the WNBA (female NBA). The proof of a professional woman league, who began in 1997, had great response. The NBA introduced them in the NBA All-Star Weekend with this contest.
Eight teams participated, representing all eight WNBA franchises. Each team had a man and a woman, who played in the same city.

    1998

The teams were Phoenix, Cleveland, Houston, Utah, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Sacramento and New York.
There were 2 rounds. In the first, each team had 60 seconds to get the best score. Two best teams passed to the final.
In the first round seven teams were very close (40-54 points), and the worst was Los Angeles (the big disappointment) with 27 points. Houston defeated Utah in the final 73-61. Houston duo made 12-16. Clyde Drexler was almost perfect 7-8, after missing his first shoot (an eight points attempt) he hit his last seven attempts (6-4-5-6-7-8-6) to score 42 points. Cynthia Cooper, who had been WNBA MVP, made 5-8 (7-2-2-3-7) to score 21 points.
Utah used a different strategy. Karl Malone attempted the long 8 points bombs while Tammi Reiss shot from the rest of the circles. They finished with 61 points. Both teams got the 10 points bonus.
Phoenix was the best team in the first round, but they missed the final because of the 10 points violation.

SCORESHEET

1st Round
Team
8 pts.
7 pts.
6 pts.
5 pts.
4 pts.
3 pts.
2 pts.
Violations
Bonus
Total
Houston: Drexler-Cooper
8
14
6
5
4
3
4
0
10
54
Utah: Malone-Reiss
16
7
6
5
4
3
2
0
10
53
Phoenix: Nash-Timms
40
7
12
0
0
0
0
-10
0
49
Sacramento: Richmond-Bolton Holifield
16
14
6
0
4
3
4
0
0
47
New York: Houston-Lobo
16
7
6
10
0
3
2
0
0
44
Charlotte: Rice-Stinson
24
7
0
5
4
0
4
0
0
44
Cleveland: W. Person-M. Edwards
24
0
0
5
4
3
4
0
0
40
Los Angeles: Bryant-Leslie
8
7
0
5
0
3
4
0
0
27

Final
Team
8 pts.
7 pts.
6 pts.
5 pts.
4 pts.
3 pts.
2 pts.
Violations
Bonus
Total
Houston: Drexler-Cooper
8
21
18
5
4
3
4
0
10
73
Utah: Malone-Reiss
24
7
6
5
4
3
2
0
10
61

 

 

    2000

Hornacek sunk a long seven points shot at the buzzer, breaking a 61-61 tie and giving the Utah team the victory. Jeff Hornacek scored 6-8 from the seven points spot (42 points) and Natalie Williams shot 4-6 from the six points spot and a lay-up, making 26 points. Phoenix team made 61 points. Jason Kidd 30 (5-8) and Jennifer Gillom 31 (5-7). Jeff Hornacek also won the AT&T Shootout contest. Hornacek and Natalie Williams used an easy strategy, Hornacek shots from the left and Williams from the right.
In the first round, Utah totaled 75 points with the same impressive baseline shooting, while Phoenix scored 62 points. Grant Hill and Jennifer Azzi, almost reached the final for Detroit with 59 points.
Cynthia Cooper, who won in 1998 with Clyd Drexler, couldn't repeat. This time with Steve Francis, they only scored 38 points.
NBA wanted to involve people in this contest. The pavilion was divided in 8 sectors, each sector played with a team. The winner sector had a present and the chance to win half million of dollars in the case that the winner made a basket from the halfcourt, but Hornacek missed.

SCORESHEET

1st Round
Team
8 pts.
7 pts.
6 pts.
5 pts.
4 pts.
3 pts.
2 pts.
Total
Utah: Hornacek-N. Williams
0
49
24
0
0
0
2
75
Phoenix: Kidd-Gillom
16
28
12
0
4
0
2
62
Detroit: G. Hill-Azzi
0
21
24
10
0
0
4
59
New York: Houston-Hammon
8
28
6
0
0
0
2
44
Sacramento: J. Williams-Griffith
24
0
6
10
0
0
2
42
Houston: Francis-Cooper
16
14
0
0
4
0
4
38
Los Angeles: Fisher-Leslie
0
7
6
10
4
0
2
29
Washington: Hamilton-Holdsclaw
24
0
0
0
0
0
4
28

Final
Team
8 pts.
7 pts.
6 pts.
5 pts.
4 pts.
3 pts.
2 pts.
Total
Utah: Hornacek-N. Williams
0
42
24
0
0
0
2
68
Phoenix: Kidd-Gillom
24
21
6
0
8
0
2
61

 

 

    2001


SCORESHEET

1st Round
Team
8 pts.
7 pts.
6 pts.
5 pts.
4 pts.
3 pts.
2 pts.
Total
Sacramento: Stojakovic-Bolton Holifield
66
Cleveland: Langdon-Nemcova
49
Charlotte: Wesley-Staley