NBA All-Star Weekend: Breaking Down the Participants in the 3-Point Shootout

It's one of my favorite times of year during the NBA season: All-Star Weekend! 

From the Skills Challenge to the Slam Dunk Contest to the actual All-Star Game itself, this is the one time of year where I and my fellow fans can toss all competition aside and just have some good old-fashioned fun.

One of the events that is sure to be blast this year is the Three-Point Shootout, where some of the league's best long-range shooters will showcase their talents from beyond the arc to the delight of some roaring fans.  For those unfamiliar, the Three-Point Shootout is a contest where players shoot five balls each from five different positions around the three-point line.  At each station, four balls are worth one point while one ABA ball is worth two points, making 30 a perfect score.

Fans are excited this year as Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant has been named as a participant following an injury to Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, so we could be in for some electrifying shooting this year.

That said, let's break down each of the six participants and analyze their chances.

Ryan Anderson, Orlando Magic

Kicking things off for us is 6'10" Ryan Anderson of the Orlando Magic.  This is a guy who if you leave him open, chances are your coach will be giving you an earful shortly afterward.  Starting at the 4 alongside Dwight Howard, Anderson has averaged 16.3 points this year while shooting 43 percent from downtown.

He's certainly got talent regarding his three-point shooting, but it isn't exactly what I would call his primary specialty.  This year, he's shown an ability to get under the basket and get some rebounds (7.3 per game) and while he's not bad from long range, he hasn't made a career out of doing well from there like some of the other participants.

Anthony Morrow, New Jersey Nets

Anthony Morrow is averaging 13 points per game for the New Jersey Nets this year, and I have no problem in saying this: were he on any other team, he wouldn't be averaging anything close to that in terms of scoring.

A pure shooting guard, Morrow has shot 40 percent from three-point range this year.  That's a few points below his career average of around 44 percent.

That part of his game is definitely his greatest strength and he definitely could go far in the contest, but this has also been the worst season of his career in that department.  Then again, the Three-Point Shootout is full of surprises, so there's no telling just how well or how badly Morrow will do when it's his turn.

Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat

With Mario Chalmers, there's only one reason he's even in the shootout.  That reason is his shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc this year.  He may be small at 6'2" and 190 pounds, but he's one of the deadliest players in the game.

With his affinity for making long-range shots, I have no problem saying that he's a lock to get past the first round.

James Jones, Miami Heat

Three-point shooting is the only reason James Jones is still the NBA, as he is shooting 42 percent from that area this season (even though he only averages about 10 minutes a game) and has shot 40 percent from there for his career.

As the reigning winner from last year, he's going to be completely inside his comfort zone during the shootout, as being wide open behind the arc is practically what he does for a living.  That said, there really isn't any reason he shouldn't get a high score and potentially take home the trophy again.

Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

Kevin Love is an absolute beast of a basketball player who is absolutely deadly on offense.  He can attack the rim almost effortlessly and if you leave him open on the wing or behind the three-point line, hold your breath when he takes a shot.  Last year, he averaged 20.2 points while making 41 percent of his threes.

That said, it's interesting as to how Love got selected to the three-point shootout this year.  He's averaging 25 points per game, but his three-point shooting has dipped to just under 35 percent, the lowest of all the participants.

Simply put, Love's performance in the contest is going to go one of two ways.  He'll either put on a great show and maybe snap out of his three-point funk, or he'll absolutely clean house and get himself back on track for the rest of the season.  Either way, he'll be fun to watch in the event.

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

In what is clearly a ploy to sell more tickets to the event, the higher-ups have called on superstar Kevin Durant to replace an injured Joe Johnson.  Durant is having another great season, averaging 27.9 points and eight rebounds.  In terms of three-point shooting, he's made a respectable 36 percent of his long-range shots.

No matter how you look at it, Durant is going to make this year's Three-Point Shootout enjoyable just because of who he is.  Fans love watching top players perform in these little events, and Durant is going to be no exception.

Three-point shooting isn't exactly what I would call a specialty of his but knowing Durant, he'll find a way to put on a great show.