The third player to take the court was Lewis of the SuperSonics!
Lewis stood at 2.08 meters, a fairly standard height for a power forward. However, Lewis disliked playing inside and preferred to shoot threes. It took the SuperSonics two seasons of experimentation to discover the right way to utilize Lewis. Once granted permission to shoot from beyond the arc, Lewis found his niche in the league, with his average points per game soaring from 2.4 to 14.8, which subsequently earned him a starting spot on the SuperSonics!
Lewis could be considered one of the league's earliest "stretch bigs," who played outside and shot threes. He, along with Nowitzki and Brad Miller, simultaneously pioneered a completely new archetype!
Before them, there had been big men who could shoot threes in the NBA, but those who could make three-pointers one of their primary weapons and successfully make it to the All-Star game likely started with these three.
However, Lewis's three-point accuracy seemed unstable at the moment. Although he achieved a 43% three-point shooting percentage during the regular season, in the Three-Point Contest, Lewis was still a rookie. Rookies are prone to making mistakes due to nervousness and excessively high expectations. Before the competition began, Lewis had boasted to He Xi Meng, "If you want a three-peat, you have to get past me first..."
As a result, before He Xi Meng could even make a move, Lewis himself was eliminated in the first round. After shooting all 25 balls, Lewis only made 8 shots, scoring 10 points, and was definitively out of the second round.
The fourth player to compete was the "mid-range king," Allan Houston.
Compared to three-pointers, Allan indeed preferred and was more proficient at the mid-range jump shot. Participating in the Three-Point Contest this time was primarily for amusement. This was his first and last appearance in the Three-Point Contest of his career, and this amusement did not go well! Allan made 9 shots, one more than Lewis, but because he only made one money ball, his final score was also 10 points. He and Lewis were in the same boat, definitely not advancing to the second round.
The fifth player to appear was "The Avenger," Russell!
Of course, this title of "Avenger" was exclusive to He Xi Meng's eyes. To the other contestants, Russell was simply an excellent 3-and-D player whose three-point shooting had exploded this season, thus earning him a spot in the Three-Point Contest.
As a player who had already played seven seasons, Russell was considered experienced. Although it was also Russell's first time participating in the Three-Point Contest, his performance was noticeably more composed than Lewis's.
Ultimately, Russell made 3 money balls and 11 regular balls, scoring 17 points! He successfully eliminated Lewis and Allan Houston, tying with Nash for third place at that moment.
The sixth player to compete was the Mavericks' Nowitzki.
Nowitzki's pursuit of the three-point crown was quite persistent. During last year's All-Star Weekend, Nowitzki had participated in the Three-Point Contest and successfully reached the second round, only to lose to He Xi Meng.
This year's All-Star Weekend saw Nowitzki return, still aiming for the three-point crown. Unfortunately, the "German Tank's" touch this year was even worse than last. Nowitzki ultimately made 3 money balls and 10 regular balls, scoring 16 points and regretfully ranking fourth, automatically disqualifying him from advancing to the second round.
After the first six players had finished, Peja was in first place with 19 points. Nash and Russell were tied for second with 17 points. The remaining two players, Ray Allen and He Xi Meng, needed to score over 17 points to have a chance to advance.
He Xi Meng, the defending champion, held the privilege of being the final competitor.
Ray Allen was the second to last to shoot. Compared to the other players, Ray Allen was more thoroughly prepared and yearned more for the title of three-point king. He shot with composure and precision, successfully making 16 shots, including 3 money balls, ultimately scoring 19 points!
Another tie occurred: 19 points!
This meant that Ray Allen and Peja were currently tied for first place. He Xi Meng's score needed to exceed Nash and Russell's 17 points for him to have a chance to advance!
"Seventeen points?"
He Xi Meng looked up at the big screen, took off his warm-up jacket, revealing his Spurs jersey, number 4.
This year, Kailah was busy filming Steven Soderbergh's "Erin Brockovich" and had not accompanied He Xi Meng to Washington. Therefore, by He Xi Meng's side were his Spurs teammates: Duncan, David Robinson, Ginobili, and Reed.
After taking off his jacket, He Xi Meng high-fived and embraced his four teammates one by one. Duncan, in a rare display, did not offer a blessing to He Xi Meng but instead managed an awkward smile.
"You know, you don't have to smile if you don't want to..."
He Xi Meng teased Duncan before turning and jogging towards the court amidst the cheers of the crowd, waving to the fans, all before Duncan could retort!
"Three-peat, here I come!"
He Xi Meng, having already adjusted his state, immediately sank five consecutive shots, eliciting gasps from the audience.
However, perhaps disturbed by the crowd's murmurs, He Xi Meng missed two consecutive shots at the second shooting spot. But He Xi Meng quickly regained his rhythm, sinking the next three shots.
At the center spot, He Xi Meng continued his streak from the previous spot with three consecutive makes, followed by four consecutive makes, extending his streak to seven. However, the last money ball at the third spot unfortunately rimmed out.
The streak of seven consecutive shots was broken. At the final two shooting spots, He Xi Meng made 4 out of 5 shots and 3 out of 5 shots respectively, his final score settling at 22 points!
This was the first score above 20 points of the day, immediately drawing thunderous applause from the entire crowd.
Nash came up and hugged He Xi Meng. Russell, however, walked off the court without looking back.
Watching Russell's dejected figure as he departed, He Xi Meng could only offer a silent apology in his heart...
He Xi Meng, Ray Allen, and Peja advanced to the finals! This was likely the strongest final lineup in the Three-Point Contest in recent years. Whether there would be stronger ones in the future was uncertain, but in recent years, there likely wouldn't be.
Ray Allen and Peja both scored 19 points, but because Peja shot first and Ray Allen shot second in the preliminary round, for fairness, Ray Allen was scheduled to shoot first in the finals!
Before deciding to participate in the Three-Point Contest, Ray Allen knew that He Xi Meng was not an easy opponent to defeat.
Therefore, for this competition, Ray Allen had prepared thoroughly...