The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 84 - 82: The Future Is Yours (2-in-1)

The All-Star individual events took place on the second day of the All-Star weekend, and Hansen was scheduled to participate in the three-point contest that day.

This year’s All-Star game was special, as the main game wasn’t being held at the Mavericks’ home court, the American Airlines Center, but at the Cowboys Stadium, which could accommodate 100,000 people.

This number of spectators was set to break basketball history worldwide, and even the NCAA finals couldn’t come close.

Of course, that was the main game to follow later, along with the celebrity game, rookie game, and individual events, which were still held at the American Airlines Center.

However, the fans who had traveled from afar weren’t likely to just watch a single main game, so on the day of the individual events, the arena was completely packed.

The servers struggled to deliver drinks and food to the stands through the aisles, creating such difficulty that they eventually stopped the service altogether.

This was probably the most intense atmosphere of any individual events in NBA history.

After the Shooting Stars and Skills Challenge contests, the three-point contest was next in line.

The player introductions began, and there were six competitors in the three-point contest, including Hansen, Curry, and Pierce, as well as last year’s three-point champion, DeQuan Cook, Nuggets’ Billups, and the Phoenix Suns’ Channing Frye.

During the preparation phase for the players, there were interviews by journalists.

Soon, a journalist approached Hansen.

When Hansen appeared on camera, there was already a chorus of boos throughout the venue.

In terms of popularity, both negative and positive, Hansen was far ahead of the rest.

"What are your expectations for the three-point contest?" asked the journalist with a professional smile.

"Right now, at this moment, amidst this scene, there’s only one quote that fits my mood best from my idol Larry Bird," Hansen said.

Your idol Larry Bird?

You’ve never mentioned him before!

The journalist sensed something off upon hearing this.

"I want to say to the other contestants, are you here to fight for second place? Are you?!"

Before Hansen finished speaking, a wave of boos filled the air.

Hansen smiled and raised his hands to welcome the sea of boos—or rather, the value of his "haters."

That was the feeling, the feeling of taking flight.

"What did I just hear?" Over at the commentary booth, the guest commentator "Magic" Johnson widened his eyes in surprise.

He hadn’t sensed this kind of king-like aura in many years.

"We must admit that what he just said might actually be true, too bad Michael didn’t come to the venue today," laughed Barkley, who was sitting beside him.

Which quote?

My idol Bird.

Hansen’s exaggerated statements had found their source.

Too bad for Jordan, all these years he’d been looking for a player like Bird, and they could have grabbed such a player directly with the 12th pick at this year’s draft.

After the introductions, the players made their final preparations.

All the other contestants had stars chatting with them, except Hansen, who was left alone due to his arrogance.

"Don’t be nervous, I believe in you," said O’Neal upon seeing this, putting down the camera he had been holding and standing up to encourage Hansen.

"Don’t worry, it’s a sure win," Hansen’s confidence made O’Neal laugh, and he patted Hansen on the back before settling back down with his camera ready to shoot.

Hansen was the first to take the stage.

He truly looked pressure-free because he had no pressure at all.

If he lost, he’d be terribly trolled.

If he won, he’d be trolled even worse!

Being trolled whether you lose or win, where was the pressure in that?

Moreover, starting from his NCAA days to assess his three-point ability, Hansen had begun training using the method of the three-point contest.

Later, sending Barkley the video of Rondo making 25 straight shots was also based on this.

Although his overall three-point level might not even be on par with Curry’s, mainly because he couldn’t match Curry’s ball-handling skills, most of the time, the winners of the three-point contests weren’t players like Curry but were specialized three-point shooters.

Why? Because all they needed to do was focus on making threes.

Now, at the Cavaliers, Hansen didn’t have to do much, and with the team’s emphasis on three-pointers, his own ability was sufficient.

The three-point contest consisted of five spots, with five balls at each spot—four regular balls plus one money ball, with the money ball placed last, counting for two points each, and a perfect score being 30 points.

The player could choose to shoot from left to right or right to left, and Hansen chose to start from the right corner.

He placed his hands on the first ball, ready to begin, and the venue fell silent with anticipation.

While they had contempt for Hansen, they wouldn’t intentionally cause disturbances at a time like this; after all, they were curious to see just how good Hansen really was.

As the whistle sounded by the court, Hansen began his competition.

From picking up the ball to the jump shot and release, Hansen’s entire feel was no different from his practice sessions.

After shooting the five balls at the first spot, he made four—it was just a pity that the final money ball went off target.

Nevertheless, his performance was enough to stun the audience, with the commentators at the booth all simultaneously widening their eyes.

Generally speaking, it’s quite difficult to shoot accurately at the first station, being the first one up and with hands not yet warmed up.

But Hansen’s performance was like that of a shooting machine.

Especially after Hansen once again made four out of five shots at the second spot, including the money ball, the crowd could no longer contain their restlessness.

The commentators were no longer just widening their eyes but were also gaping in astonishment.

Hansen’s performance was excessively steady!

The three-point contest wasn’t so much about three-point shooting ability as it was about the rhythm of the game, experience, and mindset.