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NEW ORLEANS - Shortly after hoisting his second Slam Dunk trophy, this one hell have to share, Terrence Ross was stunned to hear that the contests format change was not especially well received. "It was one of the best shows ever," said the Raptors guard, disagreeing with the critics. "Its really what people wanted to see. You couldnt see those dunks without three players on the court so it worked out for the best I think." The Slam Dunk Contest - the pride and joy of All-Star Saturday Night - adopted a team concept this year, pitting the three participants from the East against the Wests trio in a two-round showcase. It was, for all intents and purposes, a bust. In the final round, a head-to-head session, the team from the East - consisting of Ross, John Wall and Paul George - defeated the West in a clean sweep. It was an unorthodox victory for Ross, who only threw down one dunk, outside of the initial freestyle round. "Hey, a wins a win," the sophomore said, elated after the competition came to an end, not unlike most in attendance and watching from home. "Im gonna take it either way. Ive never lost a dunk contest at this point so Im happy." The real champion, assuming anyone can really be considered a winner after that performance, was John Wall, who was awarded the fan vote for Dunker of the Night. Wall capped off an anticlimactic evening with the only real jaw-dropping dunk, leaping over Wizards mascot G-Man, taking the ball out of his hands and completing a two-hand reverse jam to seal the Easts victory. Off the top, each team had 90 seconds to work together and complete as many dunks as they could. The team dynamic, allowed the dunkers to collaborate and be creative in their attempts. Ross and the East took advantage, while the West - with Damian Lillard, Harrison Barnes and Ben McLemore - ate up nearly a third of their allotted time before converting a notable slam. To call it organized chaos would be putting it mildly. Mostly, it was a disjointed mess with an occasional highlight, a couple from Ross, who put down a reverse to open the contest. The battle round had promise but lacked any semblance of rhythm or flow, as actual dunks were few and far between. Just as it started to come around, it ended abruptly. Lillard led off the proceedings - competing in his third event of the night - facing Ross, who brought along a friend and colleague for assistance. With last years trophy in hand, Raptors global ambassador Drake accompanied Ross on the floor to the tune of Started from the Bottom. Ross, wearing a boxing robe as he entered, would miss his first two attempts before eventually taking the ball from Drake, putting it through his legs and throwing it down with the opposite hand. As it turns out, Drake was a late substitution for Ross teammate and original assistant. "At first I knew the dunk I wanted to do and then I was like, DeMar (DeRozan) is going to do it," said the Raptors sophomore. "And then I was like, let me ask Drake because that would be a little better fit with him being the global ambassador, so I said that might work. I had fun with it, he was willing to help in any way he could." In the end, Ross was happy with the format change and embraced the chance to team up rather than go at it alone. "We got to throw off the shot clock, the backboard, bounce it off the ground," he said. "It was fun, everybody loved it." Ross maintained the team concept allows participants to be more creative, giving each of them a greater opportunity to come up and execute something new. For that reason, he believes the format should be here to stay. "It was fun, just coming up with certain things. I was trying to see if we could throw it off the jumbotron and see if we could do something like that but they said that would probably break it." Format changes encapsulated the entire night, certainly not what the league was going for. The Skills Challenge also had participants competing in teams for the first time. DeRozan - who was paired with Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo - more than held his own, sinking the chest pass on his first attempts and nailing the jump shot from the top of the key in two tries. His partner needed three tries to complete the pass and as a result, they were eliminated in the opening round, bested by Michael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo by 1.7 seconds. That pair would go on to lose to Lillard and Trey Burke by a tenth of a second in the finals. Former Raptor Marco Belinelli, the eventual winner of the Three-Point Contest, would not have made it past the first round if not for a new twist which allowed for one entire rack filled with money balls. He went on to defeat Wizards guard Bradley Beal in a tie-breaking round. 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"Im excited - Its everything you could ask for as an athlete," the New England Patriots quarterback told WEEI Radio in Boston on Monday.ASHBURN, Va. - If Robert Griffin III is completely ready, hell start for the Washington Redskins against the Dallas Cowboys next Monday night.If hes not, Colt McCoy — rather than Kirk Cousins — will be Washingtons quarterback.Robert has to, first of all, be honest with himself and how hes feeling, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Monday.Griffin, the 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, has been sidelined since dislocating his left ankle in Week 2 against Jacksonville.I wouldnt rule him out. Hes got a ways to go to show that he can play, show that that ankles 100 per cent. Thats the big thing, Gruden said. Hes got to be 100 per cent ready to go. We dont want to put him out there at 85 per cent and have it be weak and have him do something else to it. We want to make sure hes ready to go if hes out there.At practice last Wednesday, Griffin threw passes in individual and 1-on-1 drills for the first time since his latest injury.On Sunday, before Washingtons 19-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Griffin was out on the field, taking snaps and throwing passes.Cousins, who took over as the starter during Griffins absence, was benched at halftime after his 10th and 11th turnovers of the season, and McCoy led the comeback that ended a four-game losing streak for the Redskins (2-5).A series of decisions will need to be made for Griffin to return. First, the team trainer and doctors will need to give the go-ahead.Then Griffin will need to say OK, after figuring out, according to Gruden, Can he cut without pain? Can he run without pain? Is he full speed? Is it sturdy enough?And if he says, Yes, then I have to feel comfortable about putting Robert out there in the game, Gruden explained. Well go through that pprocess.ddddddddddddIf, instead, McCoy begins the game against NFC East leader Dallas (6-1), it would be his first NFL start since December 2011, when he was with the Cleveland Browns.He does have great intangibles, in my mind. Hes very poised. Hes a great competitor. And I feel like hes going to get us in the right play and make the right throw, Gruden said about McCoy.Hes had some opportunities to succeed in the past as a starter, and had some rough patches. But hes here for a reason. And Ive always liked his demeanour.After the Redskins home crowd booed the team off the field at halftime, with the Titans leading 10-6, McCoy took over at quarterback, and his first pass, a simple curl route, was turned into a 70-yard touchdown by Pierre Garcon.It was McCoys first NFL pass attempt in nearly a year, his first TD toss since December 2012 with Cleveland, and the longest scoring throw of a career that began as a third-round draft pick out of Texas in 2010.In all, he was 11 for 12 for 128 yards against the Titans.I like Jay a lot, and when Jay came and told me to be ready to play, I just didnt want to let him down, McCoy said Sunday. If he goes with you, and you go in and turn the ball over, and dont start fast, or dont win the game, or dont play well, that just doesnt look good.Notes: LB Brian Orakpo will miss the rest of the season because of a torn right pectoral muscle. Thatll be a big loss, Gruden said. Orakpo, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, had a half-sack this season but Gruden said hes been very good against the run.___Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '