Betting ten thousand to earn one thousand dollars was purely a gesture of goodwill for these millionaires, a way to play along with Boss Joe.
Since it was a game, they didn't care about how much they earned. More importantly, it was to test their judgment or simply to foster camaraderie through spending.
For instance, Marion, in return, steadfastly bet on Nash to defend his title.
Pierce, on the other hand, firmly opposed He Xi Meng, wishing for He Xi Meng to lose! Thus, he chose Nash, who appeared more seasoned, among Nash, James, and Wade.
O'Neal originally intended to bet on He Xi Meng, but seeing Wade without any support, the always warm-hearted Shaq apologized to He Xi Meng and shifted his bet to Wade.
Looking around, James turned out to be the most unfortunate among the four candidates.
Even Duncan, who had previously favored James, had already placed his bet on He Xi Meng in this round.
After a small profit of $20,000 from betting on Parker in the first Slam Dunk Contest, Duncan felt indifferent even if he lost this round. Therefore, he bet more readily than anyone else this time, completely forgetting Popovich's admonition not to participate in gambling...
Fortunately, He Xi Meng extended a timely hand, betting $10,000 on James, thus preventing James from facing the embarrassment of only having himself to support.
Well, He Xi Meng had easily earned $120,000 in the previous round, and taking out $10,000 this round was a way to reciprocate Boss Joe's gesture, while also gaining favor with James, a win-win situation.
This year, James likely had no chance of winning the Skills Challenge. If history remained unchanged, Wade would ultimately triumph. If history did change, it would likely be He Xi Meng snatching the trophy that rightfully belonged to Wade...
The preliminary rounds began, with Wade being the first to take the court.
Wade's dribbling and passing segments were very smooth, but he encountered problems during the three-point shooting segment. The basketball bounced off the rim for his first four attempts.
O'Neal, on the player's bench, was anxiously scratching his head, yelling repeatedly at Wade on the court: "Higher arc! Higher arc..."
Wade seemed to have heard O'Neal's reminder. On his fifth shot, he significantly increased the arc and successfully made the basket.
"Hey, man, you should have listened to me earlier!"
After Wade finished the competition, O'Neal rushed to meet him, offering a comforting hug.
It was evident that Wade was not satisfied with his performance on the court.
However, with O'Neal's humorous distraction, Wade didn't have time to dwell on his disappointment and had to first answer O'Neal's questions.
"You can come on the court and try it yourself. It's not that I didn't want to listen to your reminder, it's just that once the game starts, I can't hear anything from the sideline..."
"I know, I know! It's okay, just remember to adjust the arc in the finals!"
"Do I even have a finals?" Wade looked at his final time, 39 seconds!
"Yes! Believe me, you'll definitely make it to the finals!" O'Neal patted Wade's shoulder confidently and accompanied him back to the player's bench.
The second participant was James!
Before coming out, James high-fived Wade. Wade reminded him: "Remember to adjust the arc..."
James nodded. As a result, James ran into trouble during the first passing segment, making five attempts before finally getting the darn ball into the designated hole.
At that moment, He Xi Meng observed a slight loss of composure on James's face...
Perhaps, the "Little Emperor" regretted in that instant that he should have chosen the Slam Dunk Contest...
During the mid-range shooting segment, James encountered trouble again. However, with Wade's helpful reminder, James immediately adjusted his shot to a high arc and finally made the basket with two fewer attempts than Wade.
In the final layup segment, an unwilling James ended his performance with a soaring tomahawk dunk.
James's final time was 40.5 seconds, 1.5 seconds slower than Wade.
James was clearly not satisfied with his performance.
Although James had repeatedly claimed before the competition that he was just testing the waters in the Skills Challenge and enjoying the experience of being a point guard, deep down, James was very confident in his passing and ball-handling abilities.
Unfortunately, James did not perform at his best today.
If the remaining two contestants, He Xi Meng and Nash, performed as usual, James's time would have no hope of reaching the finals.
However, the last two participants were the two strongest active point guards in the league. Would their performance be worse than James'?
He Xi Meng, the third participant, did not forget to high-five James as he exited the court.
James also kindly reminded He Xi Meng: "You must get that pass right... and remember to adjust the arc for your shot, it's proven effective..."
He Xi Meng smiled and nodded: "That's what I told Shaq..."
James was stunned, while He Xi Meng jogged onto the court.
At the referee's whistle, He Xi Meng quickly dribbled past four obstacles, first accurately completing the chest pass, then a precise bounce pass. He completed both passing segments in one go, wasting not a single second!
Next was a 7.63-meter jump shot, a distance that posed no difficulty for He Xi Meng.
However, to be cautious, He Xi Meng stabilized his rhythm to ensure a direct hit!
After the jump shot, He Xi Meng made another direct pass in the third passing segment, and finally navigated around three obstacles to complete the layup!
Although he didn't end with a spectacular dunk like James, He Xi Meng's fluid dribbling, passing, and shooting skills throughout the process not only captivated the entire audience but also drew applause from the All-Star players on the sidelines.
"25.7 seconds! Incredible! Simon has tied his finals record from last year!"
The on-site commentator exclaimed, followed by gasps from the applauding fans in the arena.
This consistency was truly astonishing!
As He Xi Meng walked off the court, even Nash couldn't help but applaud him.
"It's your turn! Let's see if you can tie last year's record!"
As He Xi Meng high-fived Nash for the transition, he passed the pressure back to Nash.
Nash nervously ran his long hair through his fingers and took a deep breath, saying, "I'll try! Let's see if I can still get as lucky as last year..."