Ray Allen and Curry had broken the Three-Point Contest scoring record one after another. The pressure suddenly fell on Blake Su, who was going last. Or rather, it was almost impossible for him to win now.
"Larry, who do you think will win the Three-Point Contest tonight?"
Hakeem Olajuwon asked from the stands.
"Uh..."
Bird thought for a moment, then said, "I'm optimistic about Blake Su, but Ray Allen and Stephen both performed too well.
"At this point, if Blake Su wants to come back and win with a terrifying score higher than 27, it'll be extremely difficult.
"Besides, he's still a center. When it comes to accurate shooting, I think guards have the edge. So I'm leaning more toward Stephen winning.
"Stephen is going to become an outstanding sharpshooter in the future."
"Yeah."
"The Smiling Assassin" Thomas also nodded, agreeing with Larry Bird's analysis.
Although many fans liked Blake Su, believed in Blake Su, and hoped Blake Su could defeat Curry to win the Three-Point Contest, 27 points was simply too high.
Everyone was faintly worried.
Even Blake Su himself had to admit that Curry's performance tonight had been genuinely impressive.
Of course, even though the difficulty was truly enormous, more fans still held a little hope deep down. They hoped Blake Su could create another miracle.
"More than 27 points?"
"That's not easy, but how do you know it can't be done if you don't try?"
Blake Su smiled faintly.
He was just as confident in his three-point shooting. Even though Ray Allen had scored 26 and Curry had dropped 27, even though both of them had broken the Three-Point Contest scoring record, he still did not panic.
"Tap!"
Under the eyes of countless fans in the arena, their expressions both expectant and worried, Blake Su stepped onto the court. As the final shooter, his performance would decide who the Three-Point Contest champion would be.
"Ready, start!"
With the whistle.
Blake Su began shooting.
First rack, first ball.
"Swish!"
Blake Su raised his hand and let it fly. The angle was straight, the arc was high, but...
"Clang!"
It hit iron.
Right after the first ball, Blake Su shot again. At a glance, the spinning basketball looked like it was flying toward the rim as usual.
But.
"Clang!"
The ball once again hit the side of the rim and bounced away.
"Whoa!"
Blake Su missing his first two shots made waves of sighs burst through the arena.
"It's over!"
Carter shrugged. "This year's Three-Point Contest champion has to be Curry."
"Yeah."
Steve Nash nodded as well. "One scored 26, and the other scored 27. Even though Blake Su is going last, the two before him performed too well.
"They put way too much pressure on him.
"Now he's missed his first two shots and lost 2 points. To beat Curry, he needs 28 points. In other words, Blake Su has to make every single remaining shot.
"He needs to hit 23 straight to come back.
"That really is impossible."
Beside them.
"The Smiling Assassin" Thomas said, "Looks like we can congratulate Stephen early."
"Heh!"
Olajuwon smiled and said leisurely, "What do you think? Could Blake Su come back, hit 23 straight, score 28 points, and beat Stephen?"
"Bird" shook his head. "Give away the first two shots, then hit 23 straight for the ultimate comeback and win the Three-Point Contest, all as a center?
"That's absolutely impossible!"
Every star and fan discussing it felt Blake Su had no hope of beating Curry after seeing him miss his first two shots.
And as they talked, Blake Su, after those two misses, had already finished the first two racks and made the next eight shots.
Even so, no one was optimistic about him.
There was no reason to be.
The third rack, at the top of the arc.
Blake Su did not panic after missing his first two shots. Instead, after hitting eight straight, he became even calmer and made five more in a row, one after another.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
The makes continued.
Thirteen straight.
But the fans and spectators still looked calm, because even then, if Blake Su missed just one more shot, victory would be impossible.
Then came the fourth rack.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Blake Su grew smoother the more he shot, as if nothing could stop him. He did not miss once. With one crisp sound after another, he made all five again, pushing his streak to 18 straight makes.
The final rack.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
Riding that momentum, Blake Su hit three more in a row, bringing the streak to 21 straight. There were five seconds left, and two balls remained. If he made them both, Blake Su would truly complete the ultimate comeback.
"Hey, no way. With this momentum, is Blake Su really going to pull off the comeback?!"
"The Smiling Assassin" Thomas's eyes widened, his face full of shock. "The Dream" Olajuwon looked excited. He said nothing, but his face was full of expectation.
"This..."
"King of Swagger" Bird, who had been completely certain Blake Su could not come back, was stunned after watching Blake Su miss his first two shots and then hit 21 straight.
More importantly.
"Swish!"
While he was still dazed, Blake Su hit another regular ball.
Twenty-two straight makes.
Now, only the final money ball remained. Blake Su already had 26 points. As long as he made this last money ball, he would truly overtake Curry.
"Whoa!"
Blake Su, now completely locked in, had intense confidence flashing in his eyes.
He raised his hand and fired another three, sending the final money ball flying.
Would it go in?
"Impossible!"
"King of Swagger" Bird did not believe it at all. He could not believe Blake Su could hit 23 straight shots as a center, overtake Curry, and pull off the comeback.
"It... it shouldn't be possible, right?"
Curry muttered.
He did not believe it either, but he knew Blake Su's shooting ability all too well. The instant Blake Su released the ball, Curry's heart trembled hard.
Would it go in?
Could it really go in?
Could he really complete the ultimate comeback?
Everyone stared in disbelief at the basketball spinning through the air, watching it fly bit by bit toward the rim, and then... it fell into the net.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net!
Twenty-three straight makes, 28 points. Blake Su overtook Curry and, at the same time, broke the Three-Point Contest scoring record that Curry had just set.
"Boom!"
The moment the ball pierced the net, the fans who had been clenching their fists erupted into deafening cheers. It was an almost impossible comeback.
They roared in excitement, utterly shaken.
"That's just unreasonable!"
"The Smiling Assassin" Thomas shook his head and sighed in amazement.
"Hahaha!"
"The Dream" Olajuwon laughed loudly. "I told you, this rookie Blake Su is always capable of making miracles happen. He's a magical kid."
"Oh, my God!"
Bird shook his head, stunned. "He gives away the first two shots, then hits 23 straight to come back and break the record? And as a center?
"I'm convinced!
"I'm truly convinced by Blake Su!"
...
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