Harris, Parker headline Skills Challenge

"A new PlayStation Skills Challenge champion will be crowned as the New Jersey Nets' Devin Harris, the Orlando Magic's Jameer Nelson, the San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker and the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose will take the floor on Feb. 14, as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night at US Airways Center in Phoenix.


The PlayStation Skills Challenge was introduced at NBA All-Star 2003 in Atlanta and consists of four players competing in a two-round timed "obstacle course" consisting of dribbling, passing and shooting stations. All players must observe basic NBA ball-handling rules while completing the course. The two players with the fastest times from the first round advance to the finals with the order of competition determined by inverse order of the first round times. At the discretion of the referee, television instant replay may be consulted for clarification of rules compliance.


A first-time NBA All-Star, Harris, who paces the Nets in scoring (21.5 ppg), assists (6.4 apg) and steals (1.7 spg), is one of only five players averaging at least 21.0 points and 6.0 assists. Another first-time All-Star, Nelson is averaging a career-high 17.0 points, while shooting .506 from the field and .456 from beyond the arc. Rose, a leading candidate for T-Mobile Rookie of the Year honors and a participant this year's T-Mobile Rookie Challenge on Feb. 13, paces rookies and is among the league leaders in assists (6.3 apg); he ranks second among first-year players in scoring (16.7 ppg). Parker, an All-Star for the third time and a participant in the inaugural PlayStation® Skills Challenge in 2003, became only the second player in NBA history to record at least 55 points, 10 assists and five rebounds when he did it Nov. 5 at Minnesota, joining Oscar Robertson.


Last year in New Orleans, Utah's Deron Williams covered the course in a record 25.5 seconds in the second round to capture the title."





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