Taco Bell Skills Challenge

Marc D'Amico

CHICAGO – Jayson Tatum was unable to defend his Skills Challenge title Saturday night in Chicago.

After winning the competition at All-Star weekend last year in Charlotte, Tatum fell during the opening round of this year’s tournament to Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis.

“That was quick,” a smiling Tatum joked after the end of the competition.

The challenge, which features two players going head-to-head in a heat through an obstacle course that tests each players’ dribbling, passing and shooting skills, ends with one of the players making a 3-pointer. Tatum and Sabonis reached the 3-point line for their attempts at the exact same time, but Sabonis made one first.

Sabonis missed his first attempt badly while Tatum waited for him to misfire. Tatum’s first attempt then missed short off the front of the rim, and Sabonis followed up with his second attempt that fell through the net for the win.

Tatum said afterward that his loss came down to two things: how he handled his 3-point shooting, and how he prepared – or didn’t prepare – for the event.

“I shoulda shot the second 3 quicker,” he said. “I thought he was gonna miss, but he made it.”

He also added in some context about his lack of practice time.

“I didn’t get no practice in before. I shoulda practiced,” he said. “They let you practice like 30 minutes before they open the doors or something. I got busy taking pictures and other stuff.”

Well, that sorta thing will happen when you become a real All-Star and take over the final game of the NBA schedule before the All-Star break, which Tatum did Thursday night against the LA Clippers.

Despite the loss, Tatum was all smiles after the event, which was won by Miami’s Bam Adebayo. Tatum said he was surprised by all of the big men in the event making their first pass attempt into the small, circular net that that is in the middle of the obstacle course.

“All the bigs made it on the first try,” he said. “I ain’t get that … They had to practice that. I think they practiced.”

For what it’s worth, it didn’t sound like Sabonis was very excited when he found out on live television that he would be facing off against the talented defending champion in the first round of the bracket.

Sabonis told Celtics.com of the draw, “I was like, ‘Of course, I gotta go against Tatum! I couldn’t go against a big or something?’”

Sabonis wound up advancing to the championship round of the bracket before losing to Adebayo.

Tatum said that this may be the final time he partakes in the Skills Challenge, saying, “I’m gonna take some years off from the Skills Competition.”

He did, however, leave the door open for another competition: the 3-point shootout.

“I wanna do that one day,” he said quickly after being asked of his interest in the event.

As for the dunk contest? He shot that one down with authority.

“I ain’t got no special dunks,” he joked. “I just do regular dunks in the game… sometimes I dunk on people.”

He’s got a shot to do so tomorrow night in the big game.

A year ago, Tatum was heading out of town after winning the Skills Challenge title. This year, he gets to stick around and play in the premier event of the weekend as an All-Star for the very first time.

addByline("Marc D'Amico", "Celtics.com", "Marc_DAmico");

tatum-draws-laughs-while-explaining-defeat-in-skills-challenge

Tatum Draws Laughs While Explaining Defeat in Skills Challenge

Taylor Snow

CHARLOTTE – Tallying 30 points and nine rebounds during Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge wasn’t enough to satisfy Jayson Tatum at All-Star Weekend in Charlotte. The Celtics wing was keen on returning to Boston with some hardware.

At Saturday night’s Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Tatum got his wish. And it couldn’t have been earned in a more dramatic fashion.

After making his way through the first two rounds of the event, Tatum lined up on the baseline at Spectrum Center to face off against Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young in the Finals. Tatum fell behind his opponent as the pair made their way through the first three stages of the obstacle course, which consisted of dribbling around five stationary defenders, delivering a chest pass through a sideways hoop located on one of the baselines, and then dribbling to the other end of the court for a lay-up.

After they both made the lay-up, the pair turned around and headed back toward the other basket for the final stage – the 3-point shot. Young, however, made it to the edge of the arc before Tatum even made it to half-court. So, Tatum made the split-second decision to toss up a Hail Mary prayer.

The 20-year-old Celtics sophomore watched as the ball sailed through the air, thudded off the backboard and swished through the net, knocking Young’s only attempt off target in the process.

Raising his hands toward the ceiling, Tatum let the thunderous cheers rain down upon him at Spectrum Center as he became first Skills Challenge winner in Celtics franchise history.

“I definitely tried to win,” Tatum said with a smile as he sat behind his freshly polished gold trophy at a podium inside the Hornets’ home arena. “I didn't want to go out there and be too cool. I wanted to leave All-Star with something, just give myself a chance to win.”

Tatum couldn’t have taken a more challenging road to capture the event, as he won all three rounds in comeback fashion.

In the first round, he was randomly matched up against Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley. Both weaved their way through the stationary defenders, but Conley earned an edge by making his first chest pass, while it took Tatum two tries. Both players easily made their layups, though Conley made it to the 3-point line first. However, the veteran point guard missed his first three attempts, while Tatum missed just once before swishing his way into the semifinals.

Next, Tatum faced off against Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. This round was a near mirror image of the previous round for Tatum, who once again took two attempts to make the chest pass, while his competition made it on the first try. Jokic made it to the 3-point line first, just like Conley did, but clanked his first attempt off the rim. That gave Tatum just enough time to catch up and deliver a trey on his first attempt, sending him on to the finals.

For the last, and most important round, Tatum went in with a different mindset: If he fell behind the elite sharpshooter Young as he had in the first couple of rounds, he would heave up a prayer.

“The previous two rounds, the guy was ahead of me and I figured I'd let him (Conley and Jokic) get a shot attempt so I could get closer to the three-point line,” Tatum explained. “I didn't want to give Trae a chance. I honestly didn't know I was going to hit the shot, but I had to give myself a chance, throw it up there, and it worked out for the best.”

By taking that chance, Tatum was able to meet his goal by earning a trophy at All-Star Weekend, allowing him to head back to Boston with a smile on his face.

“It's been a great weekend, a lot better than last year,” said Tatum, whose rookie All-Star experience consisted solely of a 15-point performance in the Rising Stars Challenge. “I played well yesterday. We won, so that was good. We lost last year. And I got an opportunity to participate in Saturday Night this year, which I didn't last year. I get to leave with some hardware, so it was a successful weekend.”

addByline("Taylor C. Snow", "Celtics.com", "taylorcsnow");

tatum-captures-skills-challenge-trophy-via-half-court-heave

Tatum Captures Skills Challenge Trophy via Half-Court Heave

LOS ANGELES – Al Horford’s participation in the Skills Challenge was short, and not so sweet.

Horford squared off with Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid during the first heat of the challenge to tip off All-Star Saturday Night. He cruised through the first three quarters of the event but hit a screeching halt at the final challenge: the 3-point shot.

After dribbling around five stationary defenders and swishing a pass through a small hole and into a net, Horford dribbled to the other end of the court and dunked a ball home before Embiid was able to toss a pass into his net. Boston’s big man then dribbled back to the other end of the court and took his first 3-point attempt before Embiid made his dunk.

Horford was in control, but he missed three 3-pointers before Embiid caught up to attempt his first. Before Horford could let his fourth attempt fly, Embiid sank one through the basket to eliminate Horford from the event.

“The shot, which I was making [during practice], it felt good,” Horford said after the event, “and then I think the pressure got to me a little bit.”

The fact that Horford struggled with the threeball was a bit surprising, as he headed into the All-Star break having made 43.6 percent of his attempts from long distance. He later elaborated on what happened at the top of the arc during the contest.

“Once I was out there, I thought the first shot was good – I was like, ‘Oh! Good!’” he explained. “And then I was like, ‘Oh, I missed it!’ And then … I just wasn’t expecting it. I thought it was good, so then by that time, Joel caught up to me.”

The five-time All-Star smiled and clapped his hands together after Embiid’s win, but he was clearly upset by his defeat following a masterful performance through the opening stages of the challenge course.

“It happens,” he said, “but me and him were having a good talk before, so it was fun.”

Embiid wound up falling in the second round to Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen, who advanced to the finals before falling to eventual champion Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets.

Horford said that he can now scratch the Skills Challenge off of his bucket list and that he will not participate in the event again, but he noted that he enjoyed the experience. He also joked that had he run a pick-and-pop and caught a pass from teammate and co-All-Star Kyrie Irving, he would have drained his first attempt from 3-point range.

In regard to the four-stage course itself, Horford stated that the passing portion is actually the most difficult piece of the puzzle, regardless of how easy he made it look.

“I couldn’t believe I nailed it like that,” he said. “I got lucky that I did it, but the pass is the most challenging because you can just throw it and if you miss it you lose some momentum.”

Horford had momentum for a brief stretch Saturday night, but Embiid caught up and snagged that momentum away in a hurry. Boston’s big man didn’t take home the Skills Challenge trophy, but look at the bright side: he was still able to cross off a piece of his basketball bucket list.

horford-updates-bucket-list-after-falling-to-embiid-in-skills-challenge

Horford Updates Bucket List After Falling to Embiid in Skills Challenge

LOS ANGELES – Many of the NBA’s top players raved about Al Horford’s skill set ahead of tonight’s Taco Bell Skills Challenge as part of All-Star Saturday night.

Horford is one of four big men who will participate in the competition, along with Joel Embiid, Lauri Markkanen and Andre Drummond. The other challengers are guards Spencer Dinwiddie, Buddy Hield, Jamal Murray and Lou Williams.

Celtics.com asked two of Horford’s opponents about his chances tonight, and both gave him glowing reviews.

“Well he can shoot, he can dribble, he can pass, and I think that’s what the Skills Competition is,” said Williams, who just faced off against Horford and the Celtics Wednesday night in Boston. “I think we’ve got to throw the ball through three hoops three different ways, you’ve got to make a jump shot, you’ve got to dribble through the cones. Those are all things that he does on a daily basis, so it shouldn’t be any different for the competition.”

Markkanen, a 20-year-old rookie from the Chicago Bulls, has looked up to Horford for years because of the five-time All-Star’s skillful versatility.

“He can do multiple things,” Markkanen said. “That’s one of the guys that I learn from is Al. He can do everything on the court.”

Maybe the best resource to ask about what Horford brings to the table is his teammate and co-All-Star, Kyrie Irving. Irving made it sound as if Horford should be considered as a favorite to win the competition.

“That’s easy, man. That’s easy for Al. That’s easy,” he said with a chuckle. “Dribbling a basketball, shooting a 3, weaving between the defenders a little bit, or the stick guys that they have up there… it’ll be fun for him.”

Horford didn’t say that running through the course will be easy for him, but he did agree with Irving that he will have fun tonight. He’s already enjoying himself while preparing for the event, and that’s why he committed to participating in it in the first place.

“I think it’s going to be fun for me, honestly, just hanging out with Joel (Embiid) already,” Horford said with a big smile Saturday afternoon. “It’s a blast being around him and some of the other guys. I’m just really trying to make the most of it.

“I think that I have a good chance. So I’ll obviously take it round by round, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Horford would be lying if he said he didn’t have a good chance. Although most fans would assume that the competition is tailored for guards, the last two champions, Kristaps Porzingis (who is injured and cannot defend his crown) and Karl-Anthony Towns, are both big men.

Horford is as skilled as both of those players, as his fellow NBA players described this afternoon, so don’t be surprised if he comes away with a trophy tonight.

The action tips off at 8 p.m. EST on TNT. Following the Skills Challenge, the league’s top shooters will participate in the JBL Three-Point Shootout before the top dunkers come together to participate in the Verizon Slam Dunk contest.

kyrie-and-others-rave-about-horford-ahead-of-skills-challenge

Kyrie and Others Rave About Horford Ahead of Skills Challenge

NEW ORLEANS – Isaiah Thomas fell to Gordon Hayward in the semifinals of Saturday night’s Taco Bell Skills Challenge at All-Star weekend.  The defeat may have stemmed from, of all things, a conversation the point guard had the previous day.

Thomas revealed after the event that he met Michael Jordan on Friday, and their conversation prevented him from getting much rest ahead of All-Star Saturday night.

“He said he’s been watching,” Thomas said of his conversation with Jordan.  “He said, ‘Keep killing.’  He said, ‘Take the night off when you play us (the Charlotte Hornets), but keep doing your thing.’

“That’s crazy,” he continued.  “I couldn’t sleep last night when he said that.”

Thomas added that receiving such compliments from “the greatest player ever” was a jarring moment, which led to his restless night in bed.

Despite the lack of sleep, Thomas did advance to the semifinals of the event after easily knocking out Phoenix’s Devin Booker in the first round.  The point guard had a chance to beat Hayward and advance to the finals, but for the second consecutive year, he was unable to connect on a 3-pointer to down his opponent.

“I didn’t make the shot,” he said after the event.  “I guess it wasn’t the fourth quarter.”

Thomas’ comment was a witty allusion to his NBA-leading average of 10.7 points per fourth quarter this season.

The point guard, who has now participated in the Skills Challenge three times, stated that this year’s event would be his final Skills Challenge.

“It’s fun, but it sucks losing,” he said.  “I hate losing no matter what it is.”

Big man Kristaps Porzingis went on to win the title, defeating Hayward in the final round.

Surely, Thomas would have preferred to have taken down the win, but at least he lost for good reason.  The greatest player in the history of the game praised him, face-to-face, on Friday.  That’s a fair reason to be up all night.

it-falls-in-skills-competition-after-sleepless-night

IT Falls in Skills Competition After Sleepless Night

Boston Celtics

photos-isaiah-thomas-skills-challenge-at-all-star-2017

Photos: Isaiah Thomas Skills Challenge at All-Star 2017

TORONTO – Isaiah Thomas was one 3-pointer away from taking the Taco Bells Skills Challenge trophy home to Boston.

Instead, he’s left Air Canada Centre with an empty feeling after falling to big man Karl Anthony-Towns in the championship round.

“I would’ve been fine losing to a guard.  I’m low-key – I’m upset right now,” Thomas said with a smile after the challenge came to an end.  “I lost to a big.  I let the guards down.”

The Skills Challenge is an obstacle course that tests a player’s dribbling, passing and shooting skills.  This year’s Challenge was the first to pit guards against big men in the championship round.

The obstacle course has four different stages.  First, each player must navigate three quarters of the court while dribbling and zig-zagging around stationary obstacles.  They then must toss a lengthy chest-pass through a tight circle, grab a ball on the baseline and take it the length of the court in the other direction for a layup.  Lastly, they must dribble back to the other end of the court and make a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Thomas defeated his first two opponents, Emmanuel Mudiay and C.J. McCollum, respectively, with ease as he motored his way through the obstacle course.  He nailed both passes during the first two rounds, which he said set him up for success.

“Once you make the pass for the first time, I think it gives you a little bit of room for error for missing a couple of jumpers,” Thomas said.  “I just knocked the pass down and then just finished the play.”

Anthony-Towns proved to offer a bit more competition than Thomas’ first two challengers.

Thomas pulled out to an early lead in the championship round purely by way of speed.  He and Anthony-Towns navigated the obstacles with ease as they dribbled up the court, but Thomas was just ahead of Minnesota’s big man as they both nailed their first chest-pass attempt.

The two players were neck-and-neck as they went to the other end of the court and put home their layups.  Thomas jokingly cut Anthony-Towns off as he went in for a left-handed layup from the right side of the basket.

“I needed to go in with my left,” he joked.  “My first two layups (both right-handed) were shaky.”

The players sprinted to the other end of the court and began firing from long range at nearly the exact same time.  Each player missed his first two shots, but Anthony-Towns was firing away at rapid speed.  In the end, Thomas saw that fact as the difference in the challenge.

“He was shooting so fast,” said Thomas.  “I was like, ‘I’m not about to waste a shot with our balls hitting each other.’  So I was just trying to time it and I just timed it wrong.“

Anthony-Towns attempted four 3-pointers to Thomas’ two.  The big man connected on his fourth shot before Thomas could let his third attempt fly.

Thomas walked away from the loss with a smile but did note that a change could be made to improve the Skills Challenge.  Although the both players started and ended the obstacle course at the same ends of the court, and that fact led to some fun drama down the home stretch, the layout did lead to some issues.

As Thomas noted, players had to avoid each other if they attempted their layups at the same time.  If they reached the 3-point challenge at the same time, they also were forced to wait for their competitor to release their shot before shooting their own.

Thomas suggested that the NBA have each competitor start and end at opposite ends of the court during next year’s competition so that they will not be in each other’s way at any point.

And you can bet that Thomas wants to be in the middle of the action should a change be made.

“I definitely want to do it again,” he said.  “I want to do it until I win.”