A forgettable Saturday night

No, not just because both Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard came up short in their respective competitions. It was just a lackluster night.

The Sprite Slam Dunk Contest was the best event of the night by far, but even it lacked the luster that it gained from Howard the last few years.

Nate Robinson was the deserving winner -- taking a 52-48 advantage in the fan vote in the final. And he was certainly playful, donning his green Knicks jersey and green shoes with a yellow elbow sleeve to represent the irradiated kryptonite.

But the dunk of the night was his jump over the 6-foot-11 Howard. It was an impressive feet for the 5-foot-5 former (and now current) dunk champion. Other than that, his dunks were more or less a copy of what he has done in the pass.

Yes Nate, we know you are smaller than most basketball players. And yes, we know you can dunk.

Howard's dunks were largely uninspired. The throw off the side of the backboard and his throw from behind the backboard were nice dunks.

But his now trademark Superman dunk was not worth the setup it received. He has been wanting to bring in a 12-foot rim for two years, he finally did and he did not do anything special. The phone booth was a nice touch and I enjoyed the Magic jersey Under Armour (not sure if that is the brand, but I think it is synonymous by now) he sported (thinking about it, the thing had to be from Adidas).

I am curious if Jameer Nelson's injury ended up limiting what Howard could do in the contest. I am sure Howard had some things planned with Nelson that he obviously could not do with his injury.

Howard looks done with the contest. Hopefully he brings it tomorrow night for the big game.

Lewis did his best in the Foot Locker Three Point Shootout. He reached the finals, but had nothing left for the shootout. He was beaten easily by Daequan Cook.

I do not think Lewis has a shot that really suits a 3-point contest. So, I was impressed by his performance.

Follow the Magic at the All Star Break on their offiicial blog here.