Wei Guo was really into playing around at this year's All-Star Game.
In addition to the main competition, Wei Guo also registered for the Three-Point Contest, Slam Dunk Contest, and Skills Challenge.
It's rare for someone who's 2.16 meters tall to sign up for these events.
Let's start with the three-point contest...
Three-point shooting has always been the domain of shorter players. At 2.06 meters tall, Bird was considered tall even among three-point shooting contestants, while Wei Guo was 10 centimeters taller than Bird.
As for the dunk contest...
Players of similar height to Carter and Jordan, who possess both skill and explosiveness, are more likely to perform spectacular dunks in the dunk contest, and it's rare to see a player who is 2.16 meters tall enter the dunk contest.
Finally, the skills challenge...
Needless to say, this tests dribbling, passing, shooting, and other skills, which these smaller players excel at.
......
Wei Guo was the first player to announce that he would participate in these three entertainment events.
Over the past season and a half, Wei Guo's all-around performance has attracted many top players who want to compete against him in these events.
Players who have registered for the three-point contest:
Kobe, Ray Allen, Peja, Reed, Nowitzki, Weiguo
Players who have registered to participate in the Skills Challenge:
Kidd, Nash, Iverson, Marbury, Stockton, Weiguo
Players who have registered for the Slam Dunk Contest:
Kobe, Carter, Richardson, Weiguo
........
Atlanta, February 13, 2003.
A constellation of stars...
This was a basketball extravaganza, with many celebrities from the entertainment and sports industries in attendance, in addition to the All-Star players.
The three-point shooting contest is about to begin.
Wei Guo strolled into the locker room and saw Nowitzki and the others chatting together. Just as Wei Guo was about to speak, Nowitzki joked, "We're discussing who should come in second."
Bird had a classic moment of showing off.
During the 1986 All-Star Game, Bird said to the other players in the locker room, "I'm going to win this game. Who's going to come in second?"
On showing off...
Bird and Wei Guo are still at a different level. Wei Guo often shoots a three-pointer after crossing midcourt in a game, and then confidently turns around.
But...
Every single shot went in.
No one in the league has dared to imitate Wei Guo like this yet, so Nowitzki started teasing him when he saw Wei Guo.
"Hahaha..."
Kobe was also amused by Nowitzki's remark and burst into laughter, slapping the table.
Wei Guo shrugged. "If any of you can get 31 points, I'll concede."
Kobe laughed and said, "Then I'll have to ask the referee to prepare an extra basket of basketballs for me."
The three-point shooting contest consists of five baskets of basketballs, placed in two bottom corners, two 45-degree angles, and the top of the arc. Each basket contains five basketballs, with one of them being a "flower ball" (meaning a bonus ball) that counts as two points, so the total score is only 30 points.
In other words... it's impossible for anyone to get 30 points.
........
Reed was the most serious during warm-up; he was under a lot of pressure.
This time...
They're all experts at shooting three-pointers.
Reed's three-point shooting percentage is second among the six players, and he doesn't want to be eliminated in the first round.
In the early 21st century, coaches believed that the closer to the basket, the more reliable the score. As a result, players opted to attack the basket and take mid-range shots. Coupled with the high intensity of physical contact, the three-point shooting percentage was not very high.
The three-point shooting percentages of these six players are as follows:
Weiguo: 56.1%
Reed: 43.9%
Kobe: 38.3%
Peja: 38.2%
Nowitzki: 37.9%
Ray Allen: 37.7%
However, three-point shooting percentage does not accurately reflect a player's three-point shooting ability.
For example, Wei Guo, Kobe, Nowitzki, and Ray Allen are all star players of the team, and their average points per game this season are all ranked in the top ten in the league, while Reed and Peja are more like shooters.
This is also... the reason why Reed is under the most pressure.
He's the worst of the six, and his only skill is three-pointers. It would be too embarrassing if he were eliminated in the preliminary rounds.
......
After warming up, Reed was the first to go out.
He stood in the right corner, his hands on the basketball, and when the whistle blew, he grabbed the first basketball and threw it towards the basket with a very standard posture.
The first ball...
"bang~~~"
Forging!
The second ball...
"bang~~~"
Forging!
The third goal...
"bang~~~"
Forging!
After missing three shots in a row, Reed seemed to hear the jeers of the fans in the stadium.
This caused him to lose his composure, and although he made some simple adjustments, he couldn't regain his touch.
With the last ball tossed into the basket, Reed's preliminary score was now set at 13 points.
Reed's Bucks teammate, Sam Cassell, sat on the court, frowning, and asked, "Man, what's wrong with you? This isn't your usual level..."
"I'm nervous."
Reed scratched his head and gave an awkward smile.
13 points!!!
This score is very likely to be the lowest, and it's almost certain that Reed will miss the final.
After Reed, the second player to take the field was Nowitzki.
Nowitzki was very relaxed; he had no intention of winning the championship, and participating in the three-point contest was just for fun.
"Beep!!!"
After the whistle blew, Nowitzki began to shoot.
The basketball has a high arc, but it always manages to land precisely in the basket.
"Whoosh!!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
"bang~~~~"
"Whoosh!!!"
"........"
"Whoosh!!!"
"bang~~~"
"Whoosh!!!"
In the end, Nowitzki missed two money balls and five regular balls.
21 points!!!
This score is relatively safe, but it doesn't guarantee a spot in the finals. The pressure will fall on Peja, Ray Allen, and Kobe, who will play later.
......
Peja is the Kings' starting point guard. In the first two seasons, his three-point shooting percentage was close to 41%, and he averaged 20+ points per game. This season, his performance has declined slightly, with a three-point shooting percentage of only 38.2% and an average of only 19.2 points per game. However, Peja is still a young player and has room for growth and improvement.
Unlike Reed...
Peja was also selected for this year's Western Conference All-Star team, making him a star player.
"Phew~~~"
"Phew~~~"
"Phew~~~"
After taking three deep breaths, Peja began to shoot. The 2.06-meter-tall Peja shot very steadily.
"Whoosh!!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
"........"
"Whoosh!!!"
Peja made all five of his shots at the first shooting spot, scoring 6 points.
Nowitzki muttered, "That was an incredibly accurate shot."
"so..."
Wei Guo pointed at Peja, who was shooting a basket, and asked, "Were you guys just discussing letting him get second place?"
"Hahaha..."
Nowitzki laughed and said, "Anyway, it wasn't me, and it wasn't Reed either. Reed's shooting is even worse than mine."
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