Chapter 354: Green's Record
After Irving, Love also scored 21 points.
Since the addition of the spot with all money balls, everyone's scores had increased.
With this, Johnson was already eliminated, and whether Irving and Love could make it to the finals depended on the performance of the last three shooters.
The fourth shooter was Lillard...
Lillard stood at the baseline and turned to look at Dong.
"Huh...?"
This action caught the attention of the players around Dong. James even gave Dong a nudge and said, "Lillard wants to imitate you."
"Not necessarily..."
Dong smiled. "He wants to surpass me."
As soon as Dong said this, James, Durant, and the others burst into laughter. Imitation was understandable, but surpassing Dong? That was a bit far-fetched.
"Huff..."
Lillard took a deep breath and began shooting.
Swish!!!
Swish!!!
Swish!!!
G~~~
G~~~
Lillard's performance at the first spot was average, scoring only 3 points. After completing the first spot, Lillard quickly moved to the 45-degree angle and grabbed another ball to continue shooting.
Swish!!!
...
Swish!!!
He scored 4 points at the second spot.
Then, at the third and fourth spots, after shooting at four spots, Lillard had already accumulated 15 points.
At the last spot, all five balls were money balls. If Lillard made all of them, his score would surpass Irving's, and he would basically secure a spot in the finals. However, if he missed even one, it would be risky.
"Huff... Huff..."
Lillard took a deep breath again, showing his composure under pressure.
Swish!!!
Swish!!!
Swish!!!
G~~~
Swish!!!
At the last spot, Lillard made 4 out of 5 shots, scoring 8 points. This brought his total score to 23 points.
Lillard was somewhat dissatisfied with this score, as Irving had scored higher, and there were still Curry and Green to go. He had automatically dismissed Green, but Curry was a very accurate three-point shooter. If Curry scored more than 23 points, Lillard wouldn't even make it to the finals.
His earlier words to Dong were now coming back to haunt him.
"Brother Dong, let me go eliminate Lillard!"
After Lillard finished his turn, Green clenched his fists and walked onto the court, ready to show off his skills.
"That's the spirit."
Dong shrugged. "But eliminate Lillard? With your skills... I don't think so."
Green: "Huh??"
Although he felt a bit disheartened by his teammate's lack of trust, Green still walked to the baseline and grabbed the first ball when the whistle blew.
G~~~
The ball bounced off the rim.
Second ball...
Third ball...
Fourth ball...
Fifth ball...
At the first spot, Green missed all five shots. He walked to the 45-degree angle with a dejected look on his face, ready to start shooting at the second spot.
G~~~
G~~~
...
G~~~
At the second spot, he also missed all five shots.
"Damn..."
Dong widened his eyes, finding it hard to believe what he was seeing. Green's three-point shooting wasn't great, but it wasn't this bad, was it?
Meanwhile, Durant covered his face with his large hand and said to Curry, "Tell me when Green makes a shot. I can't bear to watch anymore."
At the third spot, by the third shot, Green started throwing the balls randomly out of frustration.
Gulu...
Ironically, one of these random shots spun around the rim and dropped into the basket.
"He made it! He made it! He made it!"
Curry was thrilled, like a child, and shook Durant vigorously. "Little Handsome, open your eyes and look! Green made a shot!"
"Really?"
Durant parted his index and middle fingers slightly, creating a gap, and peered through it.
Just then, Green reached the fourth spot.
Swish!!!
Green made another shot.
"Great job, Green!"
Durant immediately shouted, "You've made two three-pointers!"
Green: "Huh??"
Durant's voice was so loud that it clearly disturbed Green, causing him to miss all his remaining shots.
In the end, Green scored 2 points, breaking Bynum's record for the lowest score in the Three-Point Contest.
After his turn, Green had only one thought: Why was the rim so tight? There wasn't even a tiny gap to squeeze through.
The three teammates on the sidelines, Curry, Durant, and Dong, were already laughing hysterically.
Dong even rushed over to hug Green. "Congratulations! You've broken the record for the lowest score in the Three-Point Contest. To be honest, it will be hard for anyone to break this record in the next few decades. You now have a record that people will remember you by."
"I don't want to be remembered for this."
Green walked to the sidelines and sat down, looking unhappy.
...
The last shooter was Curry.
Apart from Irving, who remained calm, everyone else was a bit nervous. Dong wanted Curry to eliminate Lillard and advance to the finals.
"Good luck!"
Before Curry took the court, Dong reminded him, "Don't let Green's foolishness distract you. Focus on your game."
"Okay..."
Curry nodded lightly. When he placed his hand on the basketball, he became extremely serious.
Beep!!!
The whistle sounded, and everyone's attention was on Curry.
Curry grabbed the first ball and shot with a perfect form.
Swish!!!
The first shot was a swish.
Then, Curry went on a roll, making three-pointer after three-pointer.
At the first spot, he made all five shots!
Curry quickly moved to the second spot and made all five shots again!
Lillard's expression was awkward. Curry had already scored 12 points, and with five money balls at the last spot, it was almost certain he would surpass Lillard. Lillard had made a bold statement earlier, and if he couldn't even make it to the finals of the Three-Point Contest, it would be embarrassing.
At the arc...
G~~~
Curry's first shot at the arc missed.
G~~~
His second shot also missed.
Lillard's eyes lit up, as he saw a glimmer of hope for making it to the finals.
But at the third shot, Curry paused for about half a second, adjusted his posture, and shot again.
Swish!!!
The third shot swished through the net.
...
By the time Curry reached the last spot, he had already scored 19 points.
At the last spot, all the balls were worth 2 points, so Curry only needed to make two shots to tie Lillard and three to eliminate him and advance to the finals with Irving.