Chapter 204 All-Star Skills Challenge

The next day, Tang Tian went to the Barclays Center with Walker and Irving.

All the individual events on the second day of the All-Star Game would take place here.

The first event was the Shooting Stars Competition.

Adam Silver was a reformer, having previously introduced the "Referee Report," and now he had also made sweeping reforms to the All-Star Game.

During yesterday's Rookie Game, he mixed the first and second-year teams into World and USA teams, and the same was true for today's Shooting Stars Competition.

In the past, the Shooting Stars Competition was divided by city, with Bosh previously winning two consecutive championships representing Miami.

This year, Bosh left Miami, so the record was theoretically broken.

But the league came up with a novel idea: instead of classifying by city, players could form their own teams as long as they met the combination of NBA, retired NBA, and WNBA players.

For example, this year's Curry team consisted of Curry, his father Dell Curry, and WNBA's Sue Bird.

This also gave Bosh another chance. Having already won two consecutive championships in this event, they were hoping to make a dynasty.

Because Curry was participating, the Shooting Stars Competition received high attention this year. It was known that the most difficult part of the Shooting Stars Competition was the half-court three-pointer, which was Curry's specialty.

Tang Tian, Walker, and others watched the entire competition from the sidelines.

After a series of competitions, Bosh and his teammates were better and won the final championship, achieving an unprecedented three consecutive championships in this event.

Although he lost the game, Curry had a really good attitude. In front of reporters, he smiled and said that he would definitely win next year, and joked that ending the dynasty was more meaningful.

Tang Tian was amused by it. Honestly, Curry was the kind of person who was easy to get along with and was very likable.

And he was also planning whether to form a team next year, the teammates were all ready, retired players could directly look for Nash, WNBA, there was Moore.

Yes, being able to compete with Curry, and also start training for super long-range three-pointers, it would be killing three birds with one stone.

Just as he made up his mind, Walker was already calling him to get up.

Following the Shooting Stars Competition was the Skills Challenge.

The cheers of the audience reached a climax.

A gathering of stars, this was definitely the focus of today's battle.

The competition was divided into three rounds, with 8 players divided into four groups for head-to-head matches, from the preliminary round to the semi-finals and then to the finals.

The rules of the game were also very simple. Players dribbled the ball from one baseline, over obstacles, to a forty-five-degree angle on the other side to complete a long-distance pass.

The ball must be passed into the designated hole, then dribbled back to the half-court for a layup, and finally returned to the other end to complete a three-point shot.

The player who finished first won.

The interesting thing about this project was that the person who completed the previous steps faster didn't necessarily win, because in the end, it was all about three-point ability.

This was also why Thompson said yesterday that Tang Tian must defeat Curry.

Although Curry's three-pointers in actual combat often defied the heavens, Thompson knew how strong Tang Tian was on the training ground.

The grouping of the 8 people had come out.

Curry vs. Westbrook, Walker vs. Wall, Irving vs. Lillard, Tang Tian vs. Harden.

The game hadn't started yet, but this grouping was already full of highlights.

Westbrook had always been unconvinced by Curry, and this was equal to an opportunity for him.

Walker and Wall, these "two brothers," were competing together, it would be really confusing.

Irving and Lillard were both known for their ball-handling, and the latter was also the defending champion, this should be the most intense group.

And Tang Tian and Harden, who were currently ranked third and fourth in the MVP race, this was equal to a disguised MVP battle.

Every group was full of highlights, and the fans' emotions were also raised high.

The confrontation between Curry and Westbrook began first.

The cheers of the audience were unstoppable.

Durant was also sitting on the sidelines at this time, he was here to cheer for Westbrook.

However, his eyes also lingered on Curry from time to time, not knowing what he was thinking.

Curry had a smile on his face, it could be seen that he didn't care about the outcome of the game, he was here with a playful attitude.

In contrast, Westbrook's expression was much more serious, he obviously wanted to win.

"Who do you think will win?"

Walker's game was in the next group, he asked Tang Tian with a smile at this time.

This guy had a look of losing interest in the world the day before yesterday at the party, but after finding a girlfriend, he was happier than anyone else.

"Stephen."

Tang Tian actually still hoped that Westbrook would win, after all, Westbrook really wanted to win.

But Curry's advantage in the three-point area was too great, unless he himself played abnormally, Westbrook wouldn't have much of a chance.

"Beep!"

The whistle sounded on the sidelines, and the two set off with the ball at the same time.

In terms of ball-handling skills, the two were about the same, but Curry wasn't as serious, and his speed around the obstacles was slower than Westbrook's.

Westbrook rushed to the passing point quickly, but his first pass didn't go in.

He was a little too anxious.

Curry came late at this time, and his first pass went in.

As a result, he was ahead instead.

The two's layups were about the same time.

When they took the ball again and ran forward, Westbrook's advantage was once again reflected.

His straight-line speed was definitely faster than Curry's.

He rushed to the front court first and picked up a three-pointer.

After shooting it, he looked at the ball with fiery eyes.

"Clang!"

Unfortunately, his first three-pointer bounced off the rim.

Three-pointers were not his strong point.

Curry came late again, he took the ball and shot.

"Swish!"

The game was over.

Westbrook didn't have time to throw the second ball.

After scoring the goal, Curry raised his hands and enjoyed the cheers of the fans.

Westbrook's expression was slightly frustrated.

Tang Tian got up at this time and comforted Westbrook a few words.

Westbrook and he hit it off at last year's All-Star Game, and their relationship was good.

Durant frowned when he saw this scene in the original place, walked over and pulled Westbrook away.

This guy was jealous.

Tang Tian shook his head when he saw this, Durant's measure was really only that little.

Curry advanced first, followed by Walker and Wall.

The two were really similar, if it wasn't for the height difference, it would be really easy to mistake them for non-serious basketball fans.

This group was evenly matched, both of them were very strong in dribbling and passing, and their three-pointers were not very good.

In the end, Walker was a little luckier, and he made a three-pointer on the second shot.

In this way, Curry would meet Walker in the semi-finals.

The third group was Irving and Lillard, when they appeared on the stage, the cheers from the audience obviously became louder.

Irving's popularity was very high in the United States, and Lillard was the defending champion, this group was more interesting than the previous two groups.

And both of them had very serious expressions, they both wanted to win.

The whistle sounded on the sidelines, and the two set off at the same time, the speed of passing obstacles was also very fast, side by side.

Passing, also a successful one-time.

Layup, also a successful one-time, and the two rushed to the front court at a very fast speed at the same time.

There was a burst of commotion at the scene.

The speed of the two was faster than the previous two groups, it was indeed a peak duel.

The two almost took the ball and shot at the same time.

It was also at this last moment that the difference between the two appeared.

Irving's three-pointer bounced off the rim, but Lillard's hit the backboard and went into the basket.

Lillard eventually defeated Irving to become the third player to advance to the semi-finals.

After scoring the goal, Lillard raised his hands to celebrate.

Compared with Curry's action that made people couldn't help but laugh, Lillard was obviously much more domineering.

Although he was an All-Star regret every year, it had to be said that his game temperament was no less than any All-Star.

Lillard's game was over, and the cheers of the fans at the scene were even louder than before.

The last group was Tang Tian and Harden.

Since last season, Tang Tian and Harden had often been compared by fans and the media, and the two were still fighting for the MVP now.

Such a direct contest was full of highlights.

Tang Tian walked to the starting point and turned to look at Harden.

His mentality was more relaxed, after all, for him, this kind of game was more about participation, winning or losing was not so important.

Harden was more serious, he had a smile on his face to everyone else, but Tang Tian had won him too many times, and had been pressing him all the time, he wanted to turn over.

"Beep!"

The game started, and the two accelerated with the ball at the same time.

But soon, Harden fell behind.

Harden weighed a lot now, it was not obvious on the court, but when it came to this kind of pure speed competition, he was much behind Tang Tian.

Tang Tian led Harden by two positions to the passing point, and passed the ball successfully in one pass.

Then he dribbled the ball back for a layup, which was also a successful one-time.

Harden had been pulled away by more than a meter.

Finally, he ran to the three-point line in the front court, and Harden was already 2 meters behind.

Tang Tian was ready to shoot a three-pointer, Harden knew Tang Tian's open-space shooting rate, and threw it directly from the midfield logo position.

"Swish!"

Tang Tian's three-pointer went into the net, and Harden's super long-range three-pointer bounced off the rim.

Tang Tian basically didn't give Harden any chance, and he advanced through the whole process.

The process of this game was a bit like Curry vs. Westbrook before.

The last group was over, and the lineup for the other semi-final was also out, Lillard vs. Tang Tian.

There was a short streetball performance on the spot, and after the performance, the semi-finals started immediately.

Curry and Walker started first.

Before the game started, Curry waved his hands to stir up the emotions of the fans.

There were constant cheers at the scene.

The Warriors had risen strongly this season, but because it was very sudden, the number of fans was actually not that many.

Just like the way many people looked at the nouveau riche, most people were more disdainful of the Warriors.

But their attitude towards Curry was different, this star with a baby face was really lovable.

"Kemba, come on!"

Tang Tian cheered for Walker on the sidelines.

Although he felt good about Curry, that little bit of emotion was not worth mentioning in front of his brother.

"Beep!"

The game started quickly.

Curry was obviously serious in the semi-finals, although winning or losing was not the most important thing, but in competitive sports, you had to go all out for whatever reason.

The speed of the two was very fast, and the passing was also successful in one pass.

Layup, also successful in one pass, the last three-pointer, Walker's straight-line speed advantage came out, he took a three-pointer before Curry.

The scene was suddenly silent, and everyone's eyes were on the spinning basketball.

Tang Tian's eyes also moved with the basketball.

This ball was thrown very straight, and the strength was well grasped, it was almost certain to go in.

"Bang!"

The ball hit the edge of the basket, rolled around on it for a circle, and then slipped out!

Walker was unlucky, this ball was forced to go on that one-tenth probability.

Curry's three-pointer had already been shot at this time.

At the moment when Walker's ball spun out, it went into the net.

Curry thrillingly advanced to the final.

But Walker was really in a good mood after getting a girlfriend, although he lost, he still smiled and congratulated Curry.

It was Tang Tian and Lillard's turn.

The cheers at the scene reached a climax.

Tang Tian's dribbling, passing and three-pointers were all top-notch, although it was his first time participating, he showed his strength in the preliminary round.

And Lillard's performance as the defending champion in the first round was also particularly outstanding.

It was definitely a strong dialogue.

"Beep!"

The whistle sounded, and the two rushed out in one stride.

Tang Tian had the same mentality as Curry, not for winning or losing, but to go all out.

The two quickly bypassed the obstacles, and the passing was done in one go, and the layup was also swift.

Moreover, Tang Tian's strong straight sprint didn't take advantage, Lillard also took a three-pointer half a body ahead of him.

The three-pointers of the two were shot at the same time.

An interesting thing happened, the balls shot by the two collided on the basket and then changed their trajectories.

Originally, the two balls that looked like they were going to go in were bounced out.

Tang Tian reacted half a beat faster than Lillard, he picked up the second ball and shot quickly.

Although he rarely ran without the ball to throw catch-and-shoot three-pointers now, the advantage of desperately training three-point shooting speed when he was a role player in San Antonio was reflected.

That half-beat of reaction plus the fast shot, his second shot was faster than Lillard's.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

Two crisp sounds, Tang Tian and Lillard's shots went into the net one after another.

But Tang Tian's ball went in first.

Tang Tian won Lillard, stopping the latter's defending journey in the semi-finals.

Lillard shook his head after scoring the goal, but he still came over to congratulate Tang Tian.

He had a high spirit, but Tang Tian's performance was absolutely perfect, and he was convinced that he lost.

"You performed very well too."

Tang Tian also replied to Lillard, if it wasn't for his previous accumulation, Lillard's touch tonight would have had a great chance of defending the title.

But this was the charm of the All-Star Game, just like the duel between Walker and Curry before, the victory or defeat was in an instant.

Another dance performance was inserted on the spot.

When this dance ended, the cheers of the fans at the scene were completely unstoppable.

The final of the Skills Challenge was about to begin, and the two people who entered the final were Curry and Tang Tian!

Curry had participated in the 2011 Skills Challenge and won the championship in the end.

At that time, the Skills Challenge was about time, and his score was 28 seconds, which was also ranked in history.

And Tang Tian, who participated for the first time, completely won Harden in the first round, and eliminated the defending champion in the second round, his strength was obvious to all.

This was definitely a peak duel.

The two walked to the starting point, and their expressions seemed very relaxed.

Winning or losing was not the most important thing for the two of them, but they needed to go all out to live up to the expectations of the fans.

"Beep!"

Along with the whistle on the sidelines, the two rushed out with the ball, and the cheers from the fans at the scene were overwhelming.