A champion has just emerged from the ESPN's inaugural H-O-R-S-E Challenge: Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley. This was thanks to an amazing behind the backboard layup, which earned the 32-year-old the honor of being the first-ever H-O-R-S-E champ.
Behind the backboard ftw!#TeamMike | @espn pic.twitter.com/U2Q4drwVWe
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 17, 2020
This one-of-a-kind competition came to life because of the fact that everyone was placed on home quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Jazz were the first focal point. The H-O-R-S-E event was a novel idea by the league, but initially, more than a few folks were not exactly thrilled by how it was actually executed. For others, it just represented a welcome respite from the withdrawals brought about by a lack of new NBA material available.
The tournament kicked off on April 12, with Conley defeating WNBA legend Tamika Catchings in the first round. The Jazz veteran then went through former NBA champion Chauncey Billups in the semi-final, setting up a finals matchup against LaVine.
For his part, LaVine eliminated Boston Celtics favorite Paul Pierce and then Allie Quigley of the Chicago Sky to reach the finals against Conley of the Jazz.
It is worth noting that the competition's rules stipulates that dunking is not allowed, which would have been a huge advantage for LaVine. The 25-year-old is a former All-Star Dunk Champion, and admittedly, it would have been nice to see him throw down a few.
All things considered, ESPN's H-O-R-S-E competition could be considered as a success. There are indeed a lot of areas for improvement, but at this point, we all need to make do with what's available.
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