PBA: Melton, Guevarra declared co-champions of slam dunk contest

San Mig Super Coffee's Justin Melton and Meralco's Rey Guevarra were declared co-champions of the 2014 PBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest, Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Tied at the end of three rounds, Rey Guevarra's 360 one-hander secured a perfect 40. Justin Melton responded with an equally-vicious alley-oop to himself, posing in the air for a left-hander and another 40.

Justin Melton wowed the crowd in the elimination round, jumping over two San Mig Super Coffee Ball boys for a one-hander and a perfect score of 40. Meralco's Rey Guevarra also surprised the crowd with a clean finish, opting to go baseline for a between the legs dunk and another perfect score. Japeth Aguilar scored 45 with a Vince Carter-esque 360, while Cliff Hodge also scored 45 with a backboard alley-oop from former NLEX Road Warriors teammate Chris Ellis. Ellis himself finished with a 37, while Alex Nuyles scored 36. Calvin Abueva got a 32 for a behind-the-ring dunk.

 

In the second round, Abueva finished with a 36, while Japeth Aguilar went to LA Tenorio for an alleyoop and a GoPro shot. The theatrics proved too much for the high flyer, as he failed to finish in three tries for a 29. Another clean attempt from Rey Guevarra netted a solid 39, while Cliff Hodge rallied three of his teammates in Guevarra, Gary David and John Wilson for his next performance. The three "props" put on a show as well, but the buzzer ran out on their attempt. The crowd and the judges obliged in giving Hodge another shot way after the buzzer, and he got a 20 for his attempt. Melton came on next, hanging on the rim with the left hand before finishing with the right for a 39. Alex Nuyles failed to convert on his second run, earning him a 20. Chris Ellis rounded things up with a 33.

In the final round, it was Guevarra and Melton who went head-to-head after finishing with 79 points each after two rounds. Guevara had another clean run with a double-pump reverse slam and another 40 points. Melton went next, and had two heart-stopping attempts that failed to connect. His alley-oop to himself which ended in a reverse also netted a 40, keeping things tied between the two. - AMD, GMA News