Two logo threes!
Twelve three-pointers!
Fifty points!
Breaking two Rookie Challenge records and being named Rookie MVP, Blake Su handed in a Rookie Challenge performance that satisfied everyone.
"Boom!"
Amid the roaring atmosphere inside the arena, the Rookie Challenge officially came to an end.
However, tomorrow's contest night, especially the Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest featuring Blake Su, was something the fans were eagerly looking forward to as well.
Before it arrived, everyone was still immersed in the Rookie Challenge and Blake Su's series of brilliant performances.
Then, the next evening, the contest night began.
Tonight featured four events: the Shooting Stars competition, the Skills Challenge, the Three-Point Contest, and the Slam Dunk Contest. The main attractions were undoubtedly the Three-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk Contest.
And the event that drew the most attention from the fans was the Slam Dunk Contest, with its violent beauty.
So tonight, even more players came to Staples Center to watch than yesterday, including Kobe, Pau Gasol, the "Heat Big Three," Garnett, Shaq, and a number of other All-Stars.
Besides them, retired legends such as "The Dream" Hakeem Olajuwon, "The Smiling Assassin" Isiah Thomas, and "Bird" Larry Bird also came to the arena.
In short, Staples Center was even livelier tonight than it had been last night.
First came the Shooting Stars competition.
After that was the Skills Challenge, with five participants: Curry, Russell Westbrook, Rose, Wall, and Paul.
In the first round, Russell Westbrook struck first, recording the fastest time at 30.0 seconds. Curry followed close behind at 34.1 seconds, temporarily sitting in second, while Rose finished in 35.7 seconds.
He narrowly lost to Curry.
Wall and Paul did not perform well, both finishing over 40 seconds and falling out of contention.
So after the first round, Curry and Russell Westbrook advanced to the finals. At that point, more people favored Russell Westbrook, who seemed to be in better form.
But who would have thought?
In the finals, Curry went first and completed the course in 28.2 seconds, the fastest time of the entire event. That undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on Russell Westbrook.
It directly affected Russell Westbrook's performance. His form dipped during his run, and he ultimately finished in 44.2 seconds, far behind Curry's 28.2.
In the end, Curry won the Skills Challenge championship.
After taking the trophy and acknowledging the fans, Curry immediately rushed over to Blake Su and showed off. "See, Blake Su? This is my form today.
"Next, I'm definitely winning the Three-Point Contest too!"
"Heh!"
Blake Su smiled. "Is that right? Then I'm looking forward to seeing what you do next."
Winning the Skills Challenge and then coming over just to show off to him?
Blake Su shook his head, amused. Curry really was a total elementary school kid.
...
Soon.
The much-anticipated Three-Point Contest arrived.
Like the Skills Challenge, it also had two rounds. However, the Skills Challenge was about time, while the Three-Point Contest was about points.
There were five spots in total: the two corners, the two 45-degree wings, and the top of the arc. Each player had five shots at every spot, with the last ball on each rack being the money ball.
A regular ball was worth 1 point, while a money ball was worth 2 points, for a total of 30 points.
In addition, every ball had to be shot within one minute. Any balls left after time expired could not be taken. So in the Three-Point Contest, accuracy was not enough. You also had to be quick.
This was the real test of ability.
The contestants were Curry, Blake Su, Ray Allen, Pierce, Jones, and Durant.
At the moment, there were still fifteen minutes before the main event. That time was for the contestants to warm up, and also to make the contest more entertaining.
In the stands.
"Go, Jones!"
"Go, Blake Su! Go, Curry!"
"Go, Durant!"
The "Heat Big Three" cheered for Jones. Steve Nash and Carter cheered for Blake Su and Curry. Russell Westbrook and Harden, who had just narrowly lost earlier, were also cheering for their boss, Durant.
Of course, Celtics players such as Garnett and O'Neal were also cheering for Pierce and Ray Allen.
"The Dream" Hakeem Olajuwon looked at the players warming up on the court and smiled. "Every one of these players is one of the league's top shooters.
"This year's Three-Point Contest is going to be exciting."
"Yeah."
"Bird nodded, his eyes falling on Blake Su. "A center taking part in the Three-Point Contest. That really is rare.
"This rookie Blake Su is bold because he has the skill to back it up."
"Heh!"
"The Smiling Assassin" Thomas laughed. "It is rare, but compared with you, the 'King of Swagger,' he's still got a ways to go.
"Back then, when you entered the Three-Point Contest, you said, 'Are you all here to fight for second place?' Then you won the whole thing without even warming up.
"That kind of swagger really was unmatched."
"Haha!"
Bird shook his head and laughed. "No need to bring up old stories. Everyone was young and arrogant once. But if Blake Su wins the Three-Point Contest as a center, now that would be the ultimate swagger."
"I think it's possible."
"The Dream" Hakeem Olajuwon was full of anticipation.
The veterans chatted and laughed.
Amid the noisy atmosphere inside the arena, the Three-Point Contest officially began before long. The first-round order was decided by draw, and the final order was:
Curry, Jones, Pierce, Durant, Blake Su, and Ray Allen!
First up was Curry.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
He made all five shots from the first spot, and his touch stayed hot afterward. Curry struck first and finished the first round with an astonishing 24 points.
Out of 25 shots, Curry only missed four, including two money balls, giving him a very high score of 24.
That immediately put huge pressure on the other players.
Next was Jones. Shooting under pressure, Jones seemed to do fairly well, scoring 20 points. It was not great, but it was not bad either.
He still had a chance to reach the next round.
After him came Pierce. His accuracy was decent at the first two spots, but once he reached the top of the arc, his shooting percentage dropped sharply. In the end, he only scored 10 points.
Barring something unexpected, he was probably going to be eliminated.
Then came Durant. He went onto the court with a smile that mocked Pierce, thinking that Pierce, as last year's Three-Point Contest champion, must have been ice cold to score only 10 points.
The result.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
The repeated sounds of misses gradually made him panic. The more he shot, the worse it got. Out of 25 balls, he made only five, including one money ball, for a total of 6 points.
Even worse than Pierce.
When Durant looked back, he suddenly realized that the clown was himself.
"Hahaha!"
Pierce, who had been a little depressed, immediately burst out laughing when he saw this, and his mood improved at once.
"Tch!"
Durant snorted and shook his head as he left the court.
"Blake Su is about to go up!"
Curry, currently sitting comfortably in first place, spoke from the bench with a relaxed expression. Then he watched as the 215-centimeter Blake Su slowly stepped onto the court.
...
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