The three-point contest kicked off to the roar of the crowd, with Lian Dao slotted as the fourth shooter.
The rules were straightforward: the player with the highest score within a one-minute time limit wins. Five shooting positions were set up—180° three-pointers on both sides, 45° three-pointers on both sides, and a 90° three-pointer at the top of the arc. Each position had five balls, with regular shots worth one point and the final "flower ball" worth two, for a maximum score of 30 points.
These rules, unchanged since the contest's inception, would later evolve. In 2014, players could designate one shooting position as a "money ball rack," with all five balls worth two points, raising the maximum score to 34. By 2020, the NBA added two ultra-long three-pointers, each worth three points, pushing the ceiling to 40. These changes reflected the league's growing emphasis on outside shooting.
Paul Pierce went first. He struggled at the initial position, hitting only one of four regular shots for a mere one point. True to his veteran status, Pierce regained his rhythm, but his final flower ball rimmed out, leaving him with 17 points. Shaking his head as he left the court, Pierce seemed dissatisfied, though he could only hope the next five shooters would falter. Nobody wanted to be the first eliminated—especially not in a contest meant for fun. Getting knocked out in the opening round was, frankly, embarrassing.
Next up was Chauncey Billups, who started strong, nailing all four regular shots at the first position. Watching from the sidelines, Lian Dao marveled, "That's a champion point guard for you—his shot's rock-solid."
No sooner had he spoken than Billups' first flower ball clanged off the rim.
What a jinx.
Stephen Curry, standing nearby, had been about to nod in agreement but burst out laughing at Billups' miss. Lian Dao's face flushed with embarrassment. Am I channeling Charles Barkley now?
Billups stayed steady for most of his round, but time ran short at the final position. Rushing, he missed three of his first four shots, then the flower ball, finishing with a contest-low 16 points. As he walked off, his expression was grim—he'd been chuckling at Pierce's score moments earlier, only to fall short himself.
Pierce, seeing this, exhaled in relief. At least he wasn't at the bottom.
Curry, the third shooter, repeated Billups' mistake at the first position: four regular shots in, flower ball out. Lian Dao, preparing for his turn, smirked. Karma for laughing at me.
Curry's second position followed the same pattern—four regular makes, one flower ball miss. Lian Dao raised an eyebrow. Is this guy allergic to flower balls, or are they just too hot to handle? Curry finished with 18 points, hitting only one flower ball but still claiming the highest score so far. Despite the lead, he shot Lian Dao a resentful glance, as if blaming him for the jinx.
Lian Dao avoided Curry's glare, adjusted his mindset, and signaled he was ready. The one-minute clock started.
His first shot felt cold and rimmed out, but Lian Dao stayed calm. A slight tweak to his form, and the next three regular shots dropped cleanly. For the flower ball, he paused, mindful of Curry and Billups' struggles, then fired. Swish. Crisis averted.
Lian Dao hit every shot at the second position, missed two regular shots at the third, and dropped the flower ball at the fourth. At the fifth, he was perfect again, finishing with 21 makes out of 25 for a score of 25 points—the highest of the night. The crowd erupted, chanting his name as he waved in acknowledgment.
Billups, now sporting a pained expression, was eliminated. Pierce's face tightened; one more strong performance could send him packing. Even Curry, usually playful, looked tense. The real pressure, though, fell on the final two shooters.
Channing Frye, the fifth contestant, was an unusual sight—an interior player in a three-point contest, following in Dirk Nowitzki's footsteps. Perhaps rattled by Lian Dao's score, Frye stepped on the line multiple times, invalidating several shots. He finished with a dismal 15 points, ensuring Curry's advancement. The "elementary schooler" breathed a sigh of relief—surviving the first round meant he'd live to shoot another day.
Defending champion Daequan Cook closed the round, but Lian Dao's 25 points loomed large. Cook imploded at the first position, missing all five shots. He recovered slightly at the second, hitting four but missing the flower ball. By the third position, he was scoreless again, effectively sealing his fate. Even if he hit every remaining shot, he'd max out at 16 points—one shy of Pierce. Perhaps sensing elimination, Cook relaxed, missing only one regular shot in the final two positions to tie Frye at 15 points. Too little, too late.
The host announced the finalists: Lian Dao, Curry, and Pierce. Billups, Frye, and Cook were out.
As the top scorer, Lian Dao would shoot last in the finals. Pierce, with the lowest qualifying score, went first. This time, he prioritized the flower balls, which made up a third of his total score. He hit all five but struggled with regular shots, making only 10 of 20 for a final tally of 20 points—a solid effort, but it posed no threat to Lian Dao.
Lian Dao lounged on the bench, a calm smile on his face, unfazed by the pressure. When Pierce's score flashed, the camera zoomed in on him.
"Oh, my husband's smile is killing me!" a fan squealed.
"That's my husband, but yeah, he's gorgeous," another chimed in.
"I'd climb into his bed for just one night!"
Lian Dao, oblivious to the crowd's fervor, readied himself for the final round.