บท 156: Chapter 156: Three-Point Contest (Part 1)
"I almost didn't make it!"
Before the Three-Point Contest began, Wade Dong walked over and asked with a smile, "Have you warmed up?"
Several players participating in the Three-Point Contest walked over and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Brother Dong, on winning the Skills Challenge."
During the All-Star Weekend, there are three events: the Skills Challenge, the Three-Point Contest, and the Slam Dunk Contest. In the past, there have been players who participated in two events at the same time, like Jordan in 1991, who participated in both the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Contest. In the Three-Point Contest, Jordan set the historical lowest score.
This year, the six participants in the Three-Point Contest are: Curry, Irving, Novak, Anderson, Wade Dong, and Bynum.
Bynum signed up for the Three-Point Contest because he was inspired by Coach Gold's motivational speech. He wanted to prove to the league that even big centers can shoot three-pointers.
Moreover, Brother Dong had said that in the future of the league, centers pulling up for three-pointers would become the norm.
This made Bynum believe that his time was coming, and he would become the first center in history to do so. Therefore, after being invited, Bynum did not hesitate to sign up for the Three-Point Contest.
Of course, Wade Dong did not quite understand Bynum's actions, but since Bynum was determined to participate in the Three-Point Contest and wanted to compete with Wade Dong, if he was willing to be a sacrificial lamb, Wade Dong could not stop him.
"Swish!!!"
After Curry made a super long three-pointer, he also said to Wade Dong, "Congratulations, Brother Dong, on winning the Skills Challenge."
"Hey~~~ This is just the beginning."
Wade Dong waved his hand and then asked, "Did you guys discuss who would come in second while I was participating in the Skills Challenge?"
Irving: ╮(╯﹏╰）╭
Although this statement was quite arrogant, Curry still reminded him, "Brother Dong, Bird said the same thing thirty years ago."
"He said his, I said mine, no conflict."
Wade Dong smiled and said, "Besides, Bird was born in the wrong era. If he were in my era, he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant."
Curry, "..."
Back then, Bird was known as the "King of Trash Talk," and he was quite good at it. But if we just compare three-point shooting ability, he seemed to be inferior to Wade Dong.
If we compare other aspects, the gap seemed even larger.
Wade Dong, although he had played fewer games, could easily outperform Bird with any statistic, such as "Quadruple-Double Man," "37 points in a quarter," "82 points in a game," "18 blocks in a game." These were all achievements that Bird could not match.
"You guys warm up well. After I win the Three-Point Contest, I still have to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest, so I need to conserve some energy."
Wade Dong said and then walked to the side, leaving several opponents whose mental states were about to collapse.
Anderson quietly asked Bynum, "You and Wade Dong are teammates. Is he always like this?"
"Brother Dong is not usually like this."
Bynum said with a straight face, "He is usually even more arrogant than this!"
"Damn..."
Originally envious of Bynum for having Wade Dong as a teammate, Anderson suddenly felt that there was nothing to be envious about.
Curry said, "Let's warm up well. With Wade Dong here, he brings us pressure, but at the same time, he gives us a lot of motivation!"
"Right!!!"
What Curry said was not wrong, and everyone started to warm up.
They were just waiting for the competition to start. If any of them could defeat Wade Dong in the Three-Point Contest, it would be a historic achievement!
At least it would bring glory to their ancestors, as Wade Dong had been invincible since his appearance, and no one could defeat him!!!
Thinking about it, if they really beat Wade Dong, it would increase their own value, even if it was just an ordinary Three-Point Contest.
The Three-Point Contest was about to begin, and the atmosphere on the scene was very lively.
Kobe also walked over and chatted with Wade Dong for a while. Then, Wade Dong and these players, wearing their team jerseys, walked to the center of the court.
The lights in the arena dimmed, and the DJ began to introduce the players. The fans also cooperated with the DJ, bursting into cheers.
"The Three-Point Contest is about to begin!"
"Let's welcome Curry from the Warriors!!!"
"Wow~~~"
"Let's welcome Irving from the Cavaliers!!!"
"Wow~~~"
....
"Let's welcome Wade Dong from the Suns!!!"
"Wade Dong! Wade Dong! Wade Dong!"
When Wade Dong's name was announced, the fans in the arena chanted his name in unison, showing his immense popularity.
The rules of the Three-Point Contest are very simple, continuing the previous rules.
There are five shooting spots: two corners, two forty-five-degree angles, and the center line. Each spot has five balls, with the last one being a money ball worth two points, so the maximum score is 30 points.
The preliminary round eliminates three players.
The top three scorers advance to the final round, which is a knockout round. The lowest scorer is eliminated first, and the final two compete for the Three-Point Contest championship.
By 2013, the record for the Three-Point Contest was 25 points, set by Kapono in 2008.
....
The first shooter was Novak, a pure shooter. This season, his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 45%, second only to Wade Dong's 53%, and Curry's three-point shooting percentage was only 41%.
"Hoo~~~"
Novak blew on his palm and then placed his hand on the basketball.
"Beep!!!"
With the sound of the whistle, Novak started shooting.
"Clang!!!"
"Clang!!!"
"Clang!!!"
Three consecutive shots hit the rim, and the sound of disappointment echoed through the arena.
Novak paused, adjusted his shooting motion, and then made the next two corner three-pointers. At the first spot, Novak scored 3 points.
The forty-five-degree angle was Novak's most familiar spot. He made four shots at the second spot, including one money ball.
His condition gradually improved. Coming to the last shooting spot, Novak had already scored 16 points.
...
Yu Jia, "Let's see Novak's last corner three-pointer."
Coach Zhang, "If he can score 4 points at the last spot, getting 20 points would be safer."
...
With 10 seconds left before the shooting ended, the countdown began.
"Swish!!!"
"Swish!!!"
"Clang!!!"
"Clang!!!"
Four shots, two made, Novak had one money ball left, with 3 seconds remaining before the shooting ended.
"3!!!"
"2!!!"
The countdown continued, Novak adjusted his breath, adjusted his shooting posture, and shot steadily.
The basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air.
"Swish!!!"
The last money ball went in smoothly, Novak breathed a sigh of relief, and seeing the score of 20 on the screen, a smile appeared on his face. It seemed that he was quite satisfied with this score.
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