The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 389 The Winning Formula
Jordan didn't want to participate in the Three-Point Contest not because he was afraid of losing, but because he felt he didn't have the ability or the qualifications to stand on the competition stage; it wasn't his arena.

During the 85 All-Star Game, I impulsively agreed to Gan Guoyang's suggestion that I participate in the three-point contest. I didn't expect Gan Guoyang to be so crazy, a center actually wanting to participate in the three-point contest.

Jordan thought, "You're already participating in the three-point contest, why don't you just participate in the dunk contest too? Your dunks are pretty good too."

As a result, Gan Guoyang readily agreed and took Jordan to discuss it with David Stern.

David Stern and Rick Wirtz, the league's vice president of media, were greeting the invited Seattle area officials.

Wirtz is from Seattle and worked for the Seattle SuperSonics throughout the 70s, helping them win the championship in 1979.

In the 80s, he was promoted to the NBA office as executive vice president. At that time, he was not yet 30 years old, and he is only 34 years old this year. He can be described as young and promising.

The concept of "All-Star Weekend" was something he took over from President O'Brien and implemented under Stern.

When the two saw Gan Guoyang and Jordan coming together, they assumed they wanted to say hello, so they quickly introduced the two rising basketball stars to the guests from Seattle.

Gan Guoyang got straight to the point, saying, "David, I have something to discuss with you. I want to participate in tomorrow's All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, and Michael wants to participate in the Three-Point Contest. Add our names to the list."

Stern was taken aback, blinked, and thought to himself, "Are these two joking?"
Wirtz, standing nearby, said, "But registration closed a long time ago, and the list has already been finalized..."

Stern interrupted Wirtz and said to Gan Guoyang and Jordan, "If you have any objections to the list of candidates for the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Contest, we can discuss it after the dinner and review and revise the list to ensure fairness and impartiality."

Then, Stern told Jordan and Gan Guoyang to go play somewhere else and that he would tell them the result later.

After the two left, Stern pulled Wirtz aside and said, "Hold a press conference immediately to announce the situation. We've added two more spots to the dunk contest and the three-point contest."

Wirtz wasn't stupid either. He understood the commissioner's thoughts as soon as Stern interrupted him. If these two could participate in both the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Contest at the same time, it would be a huge hot topic for the NBA.

This year's Slam Dunk Contest was already lacking in highlights, as Hawks' super dunker Dominique Wilkins was absent due to injury, and Dr. J Kyrie Irving was too old to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest in his final All-Star game, so Jordan didn't have any decent opponents.

Drexler has always been compared to Jordan, but this year he didn't even make the All-Star team, and his regular season performance was far inferior to Jordan's.

Now that Gan Guoyang is willing to join, the dunk contest has immediately become a hot topic.

The previous Christmas game was arranged by the league. Even though they didn't plan to schedule the Trail Blazers' Christmas schedule again, the president, for the sake of ratings and buzz, created an unprecedented East vs. West Christmas showdown.

The players suffered, but the league benefited, with viewership and buzz skyrocketing.

Now that the two have come to him of their own accord, Stern couldn't be happier.

It's just adding two people to the list, what's the big deal?

"Jordan's three-point shooting... I'm worried it's not that great," Wirtz said, fearing that Jordan wouldn't make it past the first round of the three-point contest.

"It's okay, the three-point contest isn't the point, the dunk contest is. Let's try our best to get Sonny into the finals, but of course, if it's not possible, there's nothing we can do. Let's promote it more before the contest and make good use of the hype."

Stern wasn't very optimistic about Jordan's three-point shooting.

In the three-point contest, it's a one-man show; if you make it, you make it, and if you miss, the referee can't put the ball in the basket for you.

Unlike the Slam Dunk Contest, which uses a scoring system, the Slam Dunk Contest allows for some manipulation.

As long as a player successfully dunks, the judges will have a clear idea of ​​their preliminary scores and will ensure that the most exciting combination advances to the finals.

Wirtz had lost interest in continuing the banquet. He left the banquet hall and immediately convened an emergency meeting of the organizing committee to discuss and decide to temporarily increase the number of participants in the three-point contest and dunk contest, allowing Gan Guoyang and Jordan to join.

Next, they notified the reporters attending the All-Star Game to hold an impromptu press conference to announce the situation to the public.

Reporters flocked to the scene as soon as they received the news, and some with a keen sense of smell immediately began looking for Gan Guoyang and Jordan, hoping to interview them in person and find out why they had announced their participation in the dunk contest and the three-point contest at the last minute.

As a result, the two disappeared that night, and could not be found at the Ritz Hotel.

After being persuaded by Gan Guoyang to participate in the three-point contest, Jordan decided to find a gym to practice properly.

The Ritz Hotel didn't have an indoor basketball court, so they had their staff contact various basketball courts in downtown Seattle, eventually finding one that was open 24/7. The two left the hotel and went to the court together. Gan Guoyang fed Jordan the ball, encouraging him to shoot a three-pointer.

The three-point line in the arena was closer than in the NBA. Jordan stood a step beyond the three-point line and complained, "Damn it, how can this distance be so far!"

"Shoot, Michael. Even last-minute practice can be effective. Practice tonight, and maybe it will help you score an extra point tomorrow."

"Why don't you practice dunking?"

"Do I need to practice dunking? Let me tell you, my dunking skills and creativity are enough for you guys to study for ten or eight years."

Jordan took a corner three-pointer, but it went way off track and didn't even touch the rim.

Corner shots are the most difficult because there's no backboard to reference for distance, making it easy to shoot too far.

After missing several shots in a row, Jordan started to regret his decision. He felt he had acted rashly and been tricked.

Forrest Gump clearly came prepared; he was just waiting for me to say, "If you participate in the dunk contest, I'll participate in the three-point contest."

Gan Guoyang is usually very good at dunking. Although he is a center, his height of 6 feet 10 inches makes his dunks not clumsy, but very elegant.

His 360-degree spin dunk over an opponent, and his Rock Baby imitation of Dr. J, are among the most classic dunks in NBA history.

Although Jordan was confident he could surpass Gan Guoyang in dunking, even if he won, Gan Guoyang wouldn't be too embarrassed, and getting second place wouldn't be a big deal.

But his three-point shooting? Will he even make it to the second round?
Jordan was very suspicious that he had indeed fallen into a trap set by Gan Guoyang.

Jordan ran to a 45-degree angle and threw another ball, but missed. Gan Guoyang told him to relax and raise the arc of the shot.

Gradually, Jordan found his rhythm and made several shots in a row, and he felt like he was back in form.

After Jordan finished practicing, Gan Guoyang also started practicing, and Jordan kept feeding Gan Guoyang the ball.

Gan Guoyang's shooting speed is very fast; he doesn't even need to aim, he just catches the ball and throws it.

Because Gan Guoyang is strong, his outside shooting motion is very small and stable.

When no one is guarding him, he's like a reliable shooting machine, constantly taking shots and making them.

Jordan had watched Gan Guoyang practice three-pointers before, and he found that the guy's shooting was more consistent and accurate than before.

His core is rock-solid, remaining unshaken no matter the angle from which he attacks.

Even Jordan felt inferior in this respect. He suddenly realized that participating in this three-point contest was the right thing to do, because it allowed him to feel the gap between them.

Of course, regardless of tomorrow's results, Jordan is not planning to improve his three-point shooting, because he feels that would disrupt his game rhythm.

He has his own habits and playing style; he won't change himself to play like Forrest Gump.

The two practiced until late at night, and since they weren't satisfied with just shooting three-pointers, they also played some one-on-one.

Gan Guoyang took the initiative to suggest ending the meeting, as a married man shouldn't keep his wife waiting in the hotel for too long.

When they returned to the hotel, the reporters had already left. Wang Fuxi told Gan Guoyang, "The NBA has officially announced that you and Jordan will both participate in tomorrow's Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest."

"Very good! Stern is sensible after all, knowing that we must capitalize on this wave of popularity."

"By the way, Fuxi, did you buy the things I asked you to buy for me?"

"Don't worry, I've bought it. Are you really going to take it to the competition tomorrow?"

"Of course, this is my winning formula!"

(End of this chapter)