As expected, He Xi Meng, who appeared last, made 5 consecutive shots upon entering, delivering a warning to everyone present! He Xi Meng's shooting touch fluctuated slightly in the middle few spots, but he made another 4 consecutive shots at the last spot, ultimately surpassing Nowitzki with a solo performance of 20 points for the entire game, ranking first and advancing to the finals!
In the finals, Hornacek went first, but his touch was not as good as in the first round. In the first round, Hornacek's slow shooting rhythm caused him to run out of time for the last few shots. Therefore, he learned his lesson and increased his shooting speed in the finals, which resulted in a decrease in his accuracy... As a result, Hornacek only scored 13 points in the finals! If this score had appeared in the first round, he probably wouldn't have even had a chance to advance.
On the sidelines, a pair of perfectly sculpted children caught He Xi Meng's attention. They were Hornacek's son and daughter. Both were disappointed by their father's uncharacteristic performance, their beautiful big eyes filled with dejection.
He Xi Meng called out to Kayla beside him, pointing to Hornacek's two children and asked her, "Do you prefer boys or girls?"
Kayla answered without hesitation, "Girls!"
"Why?"
"Because studies have shown that daughters inherit more of their father's genes in terms of appearance..."
"Then you might be disappointed in the future."
"Why? How do you know our future children will all be boys?"
"Because I once had my fortune told, and the fortune teller said that at least my first two children will be boys!"
"What is fortune telling?"
"Fortune telling is a prediction of future destiny! Like astrology, tarot cards, and so on..."
"Oh, what about the third child? If we have two boys first, then we can have a third one! I don't believe it, they'll all be boys..."
"Uh? A third child? Can we afford it..."
While He Xi Meng and Kayla were fantasizing about the future, Nowitzki, who appeared second, had already finished his basketball shots. 11 points, even lower than Hornacek who went first.
This means that He Xi Meng, who appeared last, only needed to score 14 points to defeat Hornacek and successfully defend his title!
He Xi Meng tore off the white towel from his shoulder and returned to the court. To show respect, He Xi Meng took off his training uniform, revealing his number 4 jersey...
The three-point contest had 5 shooting spots, with 5 balls at each spot, totaling 25 balls. 5 of these balls were money balls, doubling the score, for a maximum of 30 points.
To score 14 points out of 30, one only needs to achieve a 50% shooting accuracy. Without any defense, this requirement is truly not difficult for a top shooter like He Xi Meng. The only difficulty is completing 25 three-point shots within one minute, which tests the shooter's consistency and mental fortitude.
And mental fortitude happens to be He Xi Meng's greatest strength.
He Xi Meng made 4 shots at the first spot, including one money ball, scoring 5 points.
At the second spot, He Xi Meng's accuracy declined slightly, making only 2 shots and scoring 2 points.
However, at the third spot, He Xi Meng regained his rhythm and his accuracy returned to 4 out of 5 shots, scoring another 5 points.
After three spots, He Xi Meng had already scored 12 points. In the remaining 10 shots, he only needed to score 2 more points to securely defeat Hornacek...
But He Xi Meng was not thinking about Hornacek's 13 points during the competition. His entire attention was focused on himself. He wanted to try to break his preliminary round score of 20 points and see if he could go even further in the finals...
Thus, at the fourth spot, He Xi Meng made the first shot, directly tying Hornacek... The entire crowd stood up, thinking He Xi Meng would surpass Hornacek with his second shot. However, He Xi Meng's second shot at the fourth spot hit the rim and bounced out. But his third shot at the fourth spot was a steady make, giving him the 14th point!
The entire crowd cheered, celebrating He Xi Meng's successful title defense!
He Xi Meng paid no attention to the applause and cheers echoing in the stadium, immersing himself in his own world of shooting.
He made the fourth shot at the fourth spot and the fifth shot, which was the money ball! At this spot, He Xi Meng again made 4 out of 5 shots, scoring 5 points, bringing his total score to 17 points!
To surpass his preliminary round score, He Xi Meng needed to score 4 more points at the last spot!
The first shot at the last spot slipped, hitting the rim and bouncing out.
The second shot at the last spot, He Xi Meng adjusted and made it steadily.
He made the third shot at the last spot as well.
The fourth shot at the last spot bounced out.
...
Before shooting the last money ball, He Xi Meng had already reached 20 points, equivalent to his preliminary round score. With little time left for the last money ball, He Xi Meng had no time to adjust and could only shoot hastily. In the end, it circled the rim and fell out...
He Xi Meng shook his head with regret, feeling a slight disappointment that he couldn't break his preliminary round record. The fans watching on television, who missed Hornacek and Nowitzki's shots, assumed He Xi Meng had failed to defend his title and that this year's three-point contest champion had gone to someone else...
After learning the truth, these fans all sarcastically commented that He Xi Meng had channeled his inner "Master Brother 'Unbeatable'", calling him arrogant...
In this year's three-point contest, He Xi Meng, in a posture of "seeking no equal," easily defended his title, overpowering the other two excellent three-point shooters in the finals. His victory seemed a bit too fortunate, as he didn't face any significant challenges.
The subsequent slam dunk contest was hailed as one of the most exciting and spectacular in league history, its status comparable to the peak battle between Jordan and Wilkins!
Carter's first dunk was a half-court run-up, followed by a 360-degree spin and a perfectly executed one-handed windmill dunk! This dunk combined Wilkins' power with Jordan's aerial hang time. After Carter completed it, the entire arena was stunned, and the host even exclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, the competition is over..."
Indeed, with just this first dunk, Carter had convinced most people that this year's Slam Dunk Champion would be Carter!
Carter's second dunk was a baseline reverse, a one-handed windmill dunk without a run-up! Although not as graceful as the first dunk, it was equally fluid and a powerful one-handed windmill dunk!
As expected, Carter's two dunks in the first round both received a perfect score of 50 points!