The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 390 5 point

[Sonny is a beast, without a doubt (I can't remember how many times I've called him that in the book).]

—Excerpt from Larry Bird's autobiography, *Drive: The Story of My Life*, published in 1989.

On Saturday night, February 7, 1987, at KeyArena in Seattle, the All-Star Game's Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest kicked off the day.

This arena, which resembles a large pavilion, became the home of the Seattle SuperSonics starting in the 1985-1986 season. In the 80s, the arena was quite modern.

More than 18000 fans filled the arena, waiting for the three-point contest and dunk contest to begin.

As warm-up performances before the All-Star Game, the Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest, once introduced, were just as exciting and popular as the main game itself.

In the first few years after its establishment, the three-point contest and dunk contest featured star players from the league, which was a novel experience for everyone, resulting in excellent viewership and attendance.

Last night, the league announced that Jordan and Gan Guoyang would participate in the Three-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk Contest, respectively, which immediately generated a lot of buzz.

Ticket prices for this match rose overnight, and some people resold their purchased tickets, immediately making a profit of 20% to 50%.

CBS live host Rick Barry said, "I'm not surprised that Forrest Gump participated in the Three-Point Contest. I know he has the ability. His greatest strength isn't his three-point shooting, but his confidence. However, I really didn't expect him to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest. As for Michael Jordan participating in the Three-Point Contest... I can only say, good luck, Michael!"

Rick Barry witnessed Gan Guoyang's long-range shooting in San Francisco. This guy not only had superb shooting skills, but was also incredibly confident, even more confident than Larry Bird.

In addition to Gan Guoyang and Jordan, the participants in tonight's three-point contest include Larry Bird, Danny Ainge, Michael Cooper, Vandeweghe, Byron Scott, Schrempf, Dale Ellis, and Craig Hodges.

There are ten people in total, divided into pairs, competing simultaneously on opposite sides of the field, with the winners advancing to the next round.

The five winners of the first round will be ranked as follows: the top four will advance, and the fifth-place winner will be eliminated. If there is a tie, a tiebreaker match will be held in 24 seconds to determine the winner.

Before officially taking the court, everyone prepared in the locker room. Jordan was more nervous than ever before because he was really not good at three-pointers.

Gan Guoyang kept reassuring Jordan: "It's okay, it'll be over soon. Relax, you won't feel dizzy."

Jordan said, "Fuck, I wasn't even this nervous when I played in the NCAA finals."

Bird wandered around the locker room and said, "You really asked for trouble, you fell for Sonny's trick."

Gan Guoyang said, "Larry, do you want to participate in the dunk contest?"

"Fuck you, I'm not as stupid as Michael."

However, when he actually stepped onto the court, Jordan was not so nervous.

The basketball court was, after all, his domain. As long as he held the ball in his hand and stepped on the maple floor, he felt at peace.

When the players participating in the Three-Point Contest were introduced, Jordan and Gan Guoyang received the loudest cheers and applause from the fans.

Larry Bird was the last to take the court, and he was undoubtedly the most watched star on the three-point shooting court.

"Larry, you're finished this time. First place will be mine." Gan Guoyang said, chewing gum as he stood next to Bird.

“I don’t care about that, but you brought Michael in just to get first place over him, right?”

"That's right, you're really smart. I'm going to win the dunk contest too."

"You son of a bitch."

However, Bird did not believe that Gan Guoyang could win the dunk contest.

Bird was unsure about the three-point contest, as his performance this year wasn't as good as last year.

In the first round, Gan Guoyang and Danny Angie were paired together and played as the third player.

Jordan and Schrempf were paired together and went second, while the first pair to go were Vandeweghe and Dale Ellis.

The two players each use half of the court and start a three-point game simultaneously. In one minute, there are 20 regular balls and 5 fancy balls. A regular ball is worth 1 point and a fancy ball is worth 2 points, for a total of 30 points.

As a result, Dale Ellis scored 13 points in one minute, while Vandeweghe only scored 12 points, and Vandeweghe was eliminated.

After being eliminated, Vandeweghe shook his head and left the court. Gan Guoyang gave him a high five and said, "You were a little nervous when you threw, Qiqi. Relax a bit."

Vandeweghe said, "Not everyone is like you. Shit, I was indeed a little nervous." Vandeweghe's usual training and matches are not at this level, but in real big games, it's all about the player's mental fortitude.

Especially continuous long-range shots are a huge test of a shooter's physical and mental strength. The physical strength gets worse as time goes on, and the shooter becomes more impatient as time goes by. Once impatient, the shooting percentage will drop sharply. If the shot is missed, the shooter will become even more anxious, falling into a vicious cycle.

This is why long-range shooting is inconsistent in games; even the best shooters can have periods of brilliance followed by periods of slump, as it puts a great strain on a player's overall performance.

When it was the second group's turn, Jordan took a deep breath and stepped onto the court amidst cheers from the fans.

Gan Guoyang cheered loudly for Jordan from the sidelines, "Michael! You have to make those shots! If you make five, you win!"

Jordan wanted nothing more than to kick Gan Guoyang. Couldn't this guy just shut up? What did he mean by "I win if I score five goals"? Was I here to play an exhibition game?

After adjusting his stance, Jordan moved to the corner and looked at the basket, feeling a little uneasy.

The corner three-pointer is the most difficult. Jordan doesn't usually practice corner long-range shots much. He practiced it a bit more last night, but his shot was terrible.

If he had a choice, he would like to start shooting from the top of the arc to get his touch back, rather than wasting energy in the corner.

But the order wasn't something he could choose. The game started, and Jordan began shooting—his first shot missed, and it was way off target.

The second shot also missed. His shooting form wasn't designed for a three-pointer; the arc was too straight, and it hit the outside of the rim.

The third one missed, the fourth one missed, the fifth one still missed... Jordan missed every single one of the first spots.

The second shot was at a 45-degree angle. The first one still missed. The second, the third, and all the way to the fourth, Jordan finally made his first shot.

Gan Guoyang was almost dying of laughter watching from the sidelines, but he didn't dare to laugh, afraid that it would be captured on camera and become evidence against him. After all, the two were good friends, and it wouldn't be right for him to trick someone like that.

So he had to pretend to be worried, looking distressed, and applaud and cheer for Jordan when he finally made his first shot, even though he was secretly overjoyed.

The situation at the top of the key is a bit better; Jordan has made two shots and already has 3 points!

By the fourth point, Jordan was already a bit discouraged, cursing Gan Guoyang and himself in his mind.

He cursed Gan Guoyang for dragging him into the three-point contest and making him lose face, while also cursing himself for not recognizing Gan's trap and falling into it.

In the second half of the dunk contest, we have to save face no matter what.

He only managed to score one of the four shots, and then, in the final corner, Jordan took a deep breath and missed three consecutive shots!
Finally, on the fourth ball, he spun in a three-pointer, but then he missed the fifth one.

When all the balls were shot, Jordan himself laughed, "Damn, 5 points!"
The TV cameras focused on Jordan, whose expression was both bitter and helpless.

Gan Guoyang used all his skills to suppress his laughter, while Bird, standing to the side, didn't hold back at all and laughed more heartily than anyone else.

"Michael, after I shoot the first point, I estimate I'll surpass your score," Bird said to Jordan without any mercy.

Jordan pursed his lips without refuting, then sat back on the bench and laughed to himself; it was too embarrassing.

His opponent, Schrempf, scored an astonishing 19 points in the first round, nearly four times that of Jordan, easily eliminating him.

Schremf is in very good condition.

Then it was Gan Guoyang's turn to play in the third group. Before going on the court, he patted Jordan on the shoulder and said, "Michael, I will avenge you."

Jordan thought to himself, "Damn it, who needs your revenge? You're my biggest enemy!"

Gan Guoyang took the court and shot from the corner, scoring 3 points on the first spot. Then, he hit the sweet spot at the 45-degree angle on the second spot, making five consecutive shots to score 6 points!
After shooting from two spots, he had already surpassed Jordan. Then, his touch was quite good, scoring 4 points at the top of the arc. After shooting from five spots, he scored 17 points, eliminating Ainge.

Anji actually shot quite well, scoring 14 points. If he were in another group, he would have already won and advanced. Unfortunately, he ran into Gan Guoyang.

In the next group, Bird only scored 13 points, but he eliminated Michael Cooper and then defeated Dale Ellis, who also scored 13 points, in a tiebreaker.

As a result, Gan Guoyang, Bird, Hodges, and Schramf advanced to the second round of the semifinals.

Jordan's Three-Point Contest journey ended there, and there was never a second time, never again.

(End of this chapter)