NEW YORK -- The Shooting Stars competition has quietly become one of the more entertaining parts of the All-Star weekend and that’s not just by default. People love watching what ends up becoming a half court shooting competition. Sure, you have to get through the other three shots on the floor before you get to the midway point on the floor, but once you get there, the drama builds and the crowd buys into the heaved attempts.

For two straight years, Miami Heat star Chris Bosh has helped lead his team to victory. Bosh has been flanked by NBA legend Dominique Wilkins and WNBA scoring forward Swin Cash. They’ve taken down the team’s of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, James Harden, and many more as they seem to settle in as the Michael Jordan of Shooting Stars competitions. 

With the team looking to 3-peat (Pat Riley, please don’t charge me money for saying that), Bosh and company will have some fierce competition against them. Let’s preview this contest and enjoy it for all its glory:

CHALLENGERS

Team Curry: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Dell Curry (retired), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)

The father-son Curry combination with Bird as the WNBA ringer is a strong display of shooting ability. Everybody knows about Steph’s ability to burn down an opposing team with his jumper and his dad Dell was a career 40.0 percent 3-point shooter (47.8 percent on 2’s). Bird is a career 38.3 percent shooter from 3-point range and is sixth on the WNBA’s all-time list for 3-pointers made.

This team competed last year and lost to Kevin Durant’s team in the first round by five seconds. They got off to a pretty good start by getting to the half court shot after just 13 seconds on the clock, but didn’t hit the half court attempt until Becky Hammon knocked it down at the 1:05 mark. Unfortunately for them, Durant hit the half court shot at the one-minute mark to advance to the finals. 

Here’s how the shooting broke down in their one round:

Team Millsap: Paul Millsap (Atlanta Hawks), Scottie Pippen (retired), Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky)

This team was supposed to be headlined by Anthony Davis, but the Brow’s shoulder will keep him out of the competition and the All-Star Game on Sunday. In his place is Paul Millsap, who is an All-Star in the East and shooting 34.6 percent from 3 this season. He’s joined by Scottie Pippen of Chicago Bulls’ fame. He brings his six championship rings of experience to this fierce competition, but he may need to bring something better than his career 32.6 percent from 3-point range. Donne has only been in the WNBA for two years but is a 41.1 percent 3-point shooter.

Donne was part of the Tim Hardaway Jr and Sr team last year that lost to Team Bosh in the first round. They put up a time of 1:25. Pippen last competed in the 2007 competition when his team made it to the Finals but was disqualified when Ben Gordon shot out of turn. It was the most controversial moment in Shooting Stars history. 

Team Westbrook: Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), Anfernee Hardaway (retired), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever) 

Westbrook last competed in 2013 alongside Robert Horry and Maya Moore. This year, Penny Hardaway and Tamika Catchings will join him. In 2013, Westbrook’s team put up the fastest first round score of 29.5 seconds and then last by one second in the final round to Team Bosh.

Westbrook is a career 30.2 percent 3-point shooter and Penny was a career 31.2 percent 3-point shooter. Catchings also last competed in 2013 but was on the same team as Brook Lopez and Muggsy Bogues. Catchings is a career 35.8 percent 3-point shooter.

REIGNING CHAMPS

Team Bosh: Chris Bosh (Miami Heat), Dominique Wilkins (retired), Swin Cash (New York Liberty) 

The back-to-back defending championship team of Bosh, Wilkins, and Cash has won in two different formats. They’ve won with the team needing to make six shots and they’ve won with the team needing to make four shots. They’re the most versatile Shooting Stars champions we’ve ever seen. 

Wilkins was a career 31.9 percent 3-point shooter but the 3-point shot didn’t become a real weapon until halfway into his career. Bosh is a career 32.6 percent shooter from deep, but has only recently become a volume shooter. He’s making 37.5 percent of them this season. Cash is a career 28.0 percent 3-point shooter but has been instrumental in helping this team win multiple titles.

In 2013, they beat the Lopez team in the first round before squeaking out a victory by the aforementioned one second over Westbrook’s team. In 2014, the format change didn’t hurt them as they took down Team Hardaway by nearly 50 seconds in the first round and Team Durant by 12.2 seconds in the finals. Their 31.4-second final round time was the third fastest final round in competition history.

Can Chris Bosh continue his streak of being the greatest Shooting Stars Competition half court shooter of all-time?

Are we going to see a 3-peat this year? (USATSI)
Are we going to see a 3-peat this year? (USATSI)