While Carter competed fiercely with his teammate and brother, McGrady, on the court, T-Mac also put on an outstanding performance, scoring a perfect 50 points on one dunk and 49 on another, for a total of 99 points.
Rockets' Francis, despite being only 1.91 meters tall, displayed incredible explosiveness and executed breathtaking dunks, earning a final score of 95 points.
The remaining three competitors, Ricky Davis, Stephen Jackson, and Larry Hughes, scored 88, 83, and 67 points respectively. It wasn't that they dunked poorly, but rather that the top three were simply too formidable!
Years later, many looking back at the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest would deem it the strongest in terms of overall talent in nearly twenty years! Had it not been for Carter, McGrady and Francis, with their performances that year, would have been more than capable of winning any Slam Dunk title in the past five or future five years...
Of course, such a statement might be a slight exaggeration. After all, the 1997 Slam Dunk Champion was none other than Kobe Bryant of the Lakers!
In the final showdown, with McGrady assisting, Carter executed an equally spectacular catch-and-go between-the-legs dunk. For his final dunk, he delivered the classic windmill slam! During this windmill dunk, Carter's forearm went deep into the rim. The camera cut to Shaquille O'Neal, whose jaw had dropped, leaving him in a state of petrification...
Carter's explosive performance made everyone else's dunks seem lackluster. McGrady's dunks possessed considerable power, but they lacked a certain fluidity that Carter displayed. Francis's dunks were sufficiently flashy, but they missed the composure and dominance Carter exuded.
In essence, Carter elevated the Slam Dunk Contest to a new level, captivating countless fans under the halo of his "half-man, half-god" persona.
In terms of individual accolades, the Slam Dunk title granted Carter a unique status.
However, from a team perspective, the Slam Dunk title subtly became the greatest impediment to Carter's growth. Everywhere Carter went, fans would inevitably shout, "Dunk one..."
As if a Carter who didn't dunk was no longer Carter.
It was only many years later that Carter truly realized that dunking had brought him more than just glory and happiness.
If his talent for dunking hadn't been so dazzlingly decisive back then, if he had transitioned early, like Ray Allen had, from a dunker to a shooter, would his career have unfolded differently?
But history cannot be rewritten. Carter is Carter, and from the day the crown of Slam Dunk King was placed upon his head, he was undeniably one of the league's unshakeable monarchs!
Even his brother McGrady, to escape his shadow and pursue his own path to a dynasty, requested an immediate departure from Toronto... because the Raptors unequivocally belonged to the present Carter!
The dunk contest concluded, and as fans departed, they remained enthralled, still discussing Carter's performance that year.
Kyla, having witnessed Carter's magical display, turned to He Xi Meng and asked, "Why didn't you participate in the Slam Dunk Contest?"
Could He Xi Meng not dunk? No.
He Xi Meng was taller than Francis, and his jumping ability and core strength were no less than Francis'. If Francis had participated in the Slam Dunk Contest, why wouldn't He Xi Meng?
"Is it because of your physical condition?"
"No."
"Is it because of your dunking technique?"
"No."
"Since both your physique and technique allow it, why don't you try dunking more?"
Kyla's question left He Xi Meng speechless.
The NBA is a commercial league, focused on attracting fans, getting them to buy tickets, watch broadcasts, and purchase team merchandise...
Dunking is a technique in basketball that is highly appealing to fans. However, dunking is also a technique that can easily lead to player injuries.
He Xi Meng enjoyed watching others dunk but didn't particularly like dunking himself. His self-assessment was that of a top-tier point guard and a top-tier shooter; he wanted to avoid the label of "dunker" if possible.
Furthermore, the concepts of point guard and dunker are often contradictory.
As a point guard develops to his peak, he becomes a floor general, an invisible coach on the court, focusing on directing the team, mobilizing teammates, including the dunkers to charge forward.
One is in front, the other is in the rear.
For example, on the battlefield, how could a marshal commanding the three armies possibly be the vanguard general leading the charge?
"I don't care! Anyway, in tomorrow's All-Star Game, you have to dunk!"
"You're being unreasonable..."
"I am being unreasonable! So what? Isn't being unreasonable a privilege of girls?"
"Mmm... You're right, I'll dunk, is that not okay?"
"Mmm! Since you've decided to dunk! You can't just do it half-heartedly, can you? If you're going to dunk, you have to do it beautifully!"
"What constitutes a beautiful dunk?"
"Simple! Just dunk like Carter did on those four shots..."
"My goodness! Is your standard really that simple?" He Xi Meng couldn't help but want to applaud Kyla.
"Mmm?" Kyla squinted, pretending to be angry, and snorted, "Do you seem to have some objection to my standard?"
Seeing Kyla put on a "man-eating" expression, He Xi Meng immediately recalled the time he had "stumbled out leaning on the wall" and had no interest in any ball. He quickly agreed, "No! No! You're right! We'll dunk according to Carter's standard..."
The All-Star Game has always been the highlight of the All-Star Weekend.
In this year's All-Star Game, the undisputed Eastern Conference leader was Allen Iverson of the 76ers! The other four starters, Alonzo Mourning, Eddie Jones, Grant Hill, and Carter, who had just won the Slam Dunk title, were all somewhat overshadowed by Iverson.
The Western Conference's leadership, however, had become somewhat delicate. Last season, the Lakers had won the championship, boasting a formidable quartet: Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, He Xi Meng, and Glen Rice, all of whom were All-Star caliber players. Theoretically, the Lakers' leader, O'Neal, was the leader of the Western Conference.
But the issue was that before the start of this season, He Xi Meng had transferred from the Lakers to the Spurs. And last season, the Spurs, with their twin towers of Tim Duncan and David Robinson, had given the Lakers a run for their money. This season, with He Xi Meng's addition...
The comparison between the core strengths of the Spurs and the Lakers became a 3-on-3 matchup!
While O'Neal was the league's most dominant center, Duncan this season was essentially the league's most dominant power forward!
As of this point in the season, O'Neal was averaging 29 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks, while Duncan was averaging 26 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2.5 blocks. It was hard to say who was leading whom.
Precisely because of this, in the promotional photos leading up to the All-Star Game, the league placed Duncan and O'Neal side-by-side in the center, with He Xi Meng and Kobe Bryant behind them...