Chapter 139: Before Pippen won a ring from Danzi, Chen Hao already won one from Danzi!
Chen Hao's face showed a very relaxed expression, as if he felt no pressure at all for this Three-Point Contest. The Fans on site booed him loudly.
Because Chen Hao had just verbally humiliated Paul, and even directly threw Paul flying, which was truly too brutal.
Knowing it was Paul's home court, he still did such a thing, completely disregarding the New Orleans Fans.
Therefore, most of the New Orleans Fans present did not want Chen Hao to win the Championship of the Three-Point Contest, and even hoped he would perform poorly.
Only Pippen seemed very excited, he shouted loudly at Chen Hao:
"Hey, Chen Hao, you need to make all these damn guys hate you!
Slap them hard in the face!"
Chen Hao smiled and nodded at Pippen's shouting:
"I know what to do!"
Generally, the Three-Point Contest starts either from the left or the right.
Chen Hao chose to start from the left baseline. As the referee's signal dropped, Chen Hao took the ball and started shooting!
Chen Hao's shooting rhythm was unhurried and very rhythmic. Of the five shots from the first spot, he made 3.
This made many of the participating players breathe a sigh of relief, indicating that Chen Hao's touch was not yet too good.
At the second spot, the left 45-degree angle, Chen Haocontinued to shoot with a steady rhythm.
This time, Chen Hao's touch came, and he made all five shots!
At this, the noise on site quieted down a lot.
For the five shots at the top of the arc, Chen Hao still calmly took the ball and shot. His shooting motion became more and more composed, and he still shot without missing!
He continued to hit every shot at this spot!
At the right 45-degree angle, Chen Hao's shooting speed suddenly increased, but his accuracy did not drop, still incredibly precise!
Another five consecutive makes!
With only one spot left, the right baseline, there was still plenty of time. Chen Hao even didn't forget to shout in the direction of the participating players:
"Hey, watch closely, this is what a true shooter is!"
After saying that, Chen Hao unhurriedly began to shoot. His touch was still excellent, and he still made all five!
Chen Hao ultimately made 23 shots, scoring 28 points, only missing two regular balls. This accuracy was enough to stun everyone!
Indeed, when Chen Hao finished the competition, the noise on site completely quieted down!
They all looked at Chen Hao in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing!
Even participating players like Nash looked incredulous. They never expected Chen Hao to make 23 shots in the first round of the competition, which was absolutely outrageous!
Thus, Chen Hao, who was the last to finish, got the highest score of 28 points in the first round. At this point, he had already broken the Three-Point Contest record!
Because the previous record for the Three-Point Contestwas 25 points, Chen Hao easily broke this record.
Now, everyone's gaze towards Chen Hao changed!
And Danzi only returned from the audience aisle at this moment. As soon as he came back, he saw Chen Haofinish the competition. He quickly looked at the big screen and saw the slogan announcing Chen Hao had broken the record.
Jordan was completely distraught, because he had not expected Chen Hao to perform like this even in the Three-Point Contest. This was too unexpected for him!
Meanwhile, Pippen did not forget to twist the knife:
"Hey, Michael, do you still remember your score when you participated in the Three-Point Contest back then?
I guess you wouldn't forget it, after all, you also set a scoring record.
But you set the lowest scoring record, while Chen Hao is now setting the highest scoring record.
You both are people who left your names in the Three-Point Contest!
So, you and he are both worthy of respect!"
Jordan: "???"
He really wanted to tear Pippen's mouth apart right now. This guy was truly infuriating.
He was already annoyed, and having Pippen constantly prattling beside him was truly irritating.
"There's still one more round, don't celebrate too early.
Touch is not something you always have!"
Jordan said with a gloomy face.
"You're right, touch is not something you always have.
But I believe Chen Hao will always maintain his touch!"
After the first round of competition, the three players who advanced to the next round were Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chen Hao.
Because Chen Hao had the highest score, he was also the last to appear.
Nash was the first to play, and his expression was very serious. He didn't want to lose this game just like that, because he couldn't stand Chen Hao's arrogant face.
Also, Chen Hao had severely dealt with the Suns' players during the regular season, so he felt it was necessary to get some payback from Chen Hao.
And this Three-Point Contest was the best opportunity.
Not letting Chen Hao win the Championship of the Three-Point Contest would allow Jordan to win his bet with Pippen, which would also be a fierce way to vent his anger!
Just as Nash was about to start the game, Chen Haosmiled and shouted at him:
"Hey, Steve, don't be nervous, don't overthink.
Because even if you overthink, you won't be able to surpass me!"
Nash's originally calm heart was instantly thrown into disarray by Chen Hao's shout.
He glared at Chen Hao fiercely, didn't respond to his taunt, and went directly to the right baseline, ready to shoot.
As the referee's signal dropped, Nash began to shoot!
At this first spot, his touch was good, making four shots, which filled Nash with confidence in himself.
However, when he thought the second spot would be the same, he missed three consecutive shots, which made him anxious.
At the third spot, Nash continued to miss, this time even missing three shots, which made him even more frustrated.
Seeing this, everyone knew that Nash was out of contention for this Championship!
Although he made nine shots in the last two spots, it was already too late. His final score was 18 points, much lower than his preliminary round score.
Seeing this final score, Nash's expression was very gloomy, and his good friend Dirk Nowitzki, with a helpless look, patted him on the shoulder and said:
"Hey, relax a bit, I'll take care of him for you!"
Hearing his good friend say this, Nash's expression finally softened a bit:
"Then it's up to your performance, you absolutely cannot let that guy win the Championship!
He is truly too annoying!"
Dirk Nowitzki nodded seriously, then walked onto the court.
Dirk Nowitzki chose to start from the left baseline this time. He liked to jump shoot, so his release had to be faster, otherwise it would be easy to run out of time.
When the referee's signal dropped, Dirk Nowitzkiimmediately took the ball and started shooting!
His shooting release point was very far back, but the arc was very high, which increased his waiting time, but his accuracy was still good.
He made all shots at the first spot, which made the Fanson the court cheer loudly.
Now, for the home Fans, as long as Chen Hao didn't win the Championship, they could accept it.
Therefore, the better Dirk Nowitzki performed, the more excited they became.
The second spot still had a very high accuracy, four out of five, which already earned him 11 points.
At the top of the arc, Dirk Nowitzki still maintained an excellent touch, making all five shots. Danzi, watching from the sidelines, looked very nervous.
At the fourth spot, Dirk Nowitzki missed one, but in total he had only missed two, which was already a very good result.
He even had a chance to surpass the record Chen Haohad just set.
At the last spot, Dirk Nowitzki took a deep breath, then continued to shoot!
He made four consecutive shots, but he failed to make the last money ball!
So he ultimately missed three shots, two of which were regular balls and one was a money ball.
Thus, Dirk Nowitzki's final score was 26 points, which was already a very good result.
With 26 points, Dirk Nowitzki's expression was very excited, and he high-fived Nash wildly in celebration.
In their opinion, Dirk Nowitzki was very likely to win the final Championship, and Chen Hao should not be able to break his own record.
At this moment, the camera also focused on Chen Hao as he came on stage. He still had a faint smile on his face, seemingly without any pressure.
Before the competition even started, he shouted loudly at Jordan on the sidelines:
"Hey, Michael, do you dare to make a bet with me?
If you lose, you can make me do anything!"
After hearing Chen Hao's words, Jordan's face instantly darkened, but he still wanted to know what kind of bet Chen Hao wanted to make with him, after all, he loved gambling the most.
"What do you want to bet on?"
"Let's bet on whether I can break the Three-Point scoring record I just set!"
Chen Hao's words made Pippen, who was standing nearby, look utterly shocked.
Because in Pippen's opinion, a score of 28 points was already the limit. If Chen Hao wanted to break this scoring record, he could only miss one shot, and it had to be a regular ball.
Otherwise, even if he missed one, but it was a money ball, he would only get 28 points, and still wouldn't be able to break his own record!
Therefore, if Chen Hao wanted to win steadily this time, his margin for error was only one, and the probability was too low!
Even if Pippen truly believed in Chen Hao's ability, he didn't want Chen Hao to bet with Jordan in this way; it was too risky!
At this moment, Danzi, after hearing Chen Hao's words, his expression instantly became very shocked, and he quickly replied:
"Are you serious?
If you can't break the record, you'll let me do anything?"
"Yes, you can make me do anything!
Of course, if I break the Three-Point record, you have to give me a Championship ring!
How about it?"
Chen Hao's words made Danzi's face change dramatically. He didn't expect Chen Hao to be so audacious as to ask for his Championship ring.
When he made a bet with Pippen, he used a Championship ring as the stake, but now Chen Hao's stake was for him to do anything, compared to that, it seemed a bit of a loss!
Seeing Jordan silent, Chen Hao didn't urge him, but instead looked at him with a playful expression.
And Chen Hao's words were heard by all the participating players in the Three-Point Contest, and they were all incredibly surprised.
Because in their opinion, if Chen Hao bet with Danzi in this way, his probability of winning would truly be too low!
Three-point shooting actually really requires a certain amount of luck, especially under such high-pressure conditions, wanting to only miss one is truly too difficult!
Therefore, in their opinion, Chen Hao had no chance of winning.
Hence, they believed Jordan could actually agree to bet with Chen Hao, because the odds of winning were truly very high.
If Jordan won, he could completely ask Chen Hao to go easy in the Slam Dunk Contest. Although it couldn't be explicitly said, this could still satisfy the rules.
At this moment, Pippen was the most anxious one. He was truly worried that Jordan would agree to Chen Hao's bet.
"Hey, Michael, you're not really going to agree to bet with him, are you?
This guy is really strange. If he really makes all of them later, your Championship ring will be gone!
I think it's better if you don't bet with him!"
Originally, Jordan was still hesitating, after all, the price he had to pay seemed a bit high.
But as soon as he heard Pippen nervously telling him not to bet with Chen Hao, he instantly reacted!
This meant that Chen Hao's chances of winning were very low!
Otherwise, Pippen would be eager for him to bet with Chen Hao!
Thinking of this, Danzi's face showed a meaningful smile:
"Very good, your words reminded me!
Since that's the case, I can only agree to bet with him!"
Amidst Pippen's terrified expression, Jordan loudly said to Chen Hao:
"Very well, I agree to bet with you!
If you cannot break the scoring record you set yourself, then you must agree to one of my conditions!
As for if you actually break the record, then you can pick any one of my six Championship rings!"
When Danzi agreed to bet with Chen Hao, everyone present was incredibly shocked!
In the eyes of many players, Chen Hao was truly looking for trouble this time.
One must know that breaking the Three-Point record requires a lot of luck.
Now Chen Hao was so arrogant, was he really not afraid of losing?
After receiving Jordan's affirmative reply, Chen Haoinstantly burst into laughter:
"Very good, as expected of the God of Basketball, very courageous!
Then I shall begin my performance!"
The hosts on site also heard the bet between Chen Haoand Jordan, and their faces were filled with shock.
At this moment, Chen Hao was already standing at the right baseline. As the referee's signal dropped, the timer began!
And those who didn't want Chen Hao to win the Championship started cursing loudly at Chen Hao at this moment, trying to interfere with him.
The most nervous was undoubtedly Jordan. He even stood up, his eyes fixed on Chen Hao's shooting.
At the first spot, five balls, after Chen Hao made four consecutive shots, the fifth money ball swished around the rim before finally falling into the basket!
Jordan, who was almost jumping up to celebrate, was ultimately extremely annoyed:
"Damn it, this guy has such good luck!"
At the second spot, Chen Hao still made all five, his rhythm was very smooth.
At the third spot, it was still five out of five.
At this point, Jordan's face had become incredibly grim. He couldn't even help but shout loudly at Chen Hao:
"Hey, if you miss one, you lose!"
He was deliberately trying to disrupt Chen Hao's emotions, attempting to interfere with him!
However, Chen Hao responded to Jordan with a perfect five-for-five at the fourth spot!
Only the last spot remained!
At this moment, everyone held their breath, especially Jordan. He even felt like rushing up to interfere with Chen Hao!
Pippen, standing next to him, also clenched his fists at this moment!
He looked extremely nervous!
At the last spot, Chen Hao still shot unhurriedly!
After making four consecutive shots, before shooting his last money ball, Chen Hao suddenly turned to look at Jordan, and said with a brilliant smile:
"Alright, you can now start thinking about which year's Championship ring you'll give me!"
After saying that, Chen Hao didn't even look at the basket and directly shot the ball!
At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on the basketball in flight!
Chapter 140: Within a single day, Jordan loses two Championship rings! His mentality completely collapsed!
Chen Hao's decision to shoot the final ball without looking at the hoop also shocked countless people.
This was because it concerned the final outcome of his bet with Jordan, and only by making this shot could he break his own Three-Point Contest record, defeat Jordan, and win the final victory of this bet.
Therefore, for this last shot, Chen Hao had to be completely focused, even quite nervous.
But on the contrary, Chen Hao not only showed no nervousness but even shot the ball without even glancing at the hoop!
Those who understood Chen Hao knew that this represented his full confidence in this last shot, which meant he would win the Three-Point Contest, take the Championship title, and defeat Danzi in their bet!
The basketball, under the gaze of the entire audience, arced beautifully and swished through the net—it was a hit!
In the Three-Point Contest finals, Chen Hao once again set a new scoring record for the Three-Point Contest, making all 25 shots and directly scoring a perfect 30 points!
So, Chen Hao not only won this Three-Point ContestChampionship, but he also defeated Danzi in their bet, and he would receive one of Danzi's Championship rings!
The moment the basketball dropped into the net, the entire stadium full of Fans fell silent for a moment.
After a brief stunned silence, they finally reacted, followed by huge cheers and shouts!
Although this was the New Orleans Hornets' home court, and Chen Hao was considered an enemy by the home Fans.
But when he truly shot perfectly, scoring a perfect score to win the Three-Point Contest Championship, many Fans were still impressed by his skill.
So, more and more Fans stood up from their seats, loudly applauding and cheering for Chen Hao.
Pippen, sitting courtside, was so excited that he directly jumped up from his seat, rushed onto the court, and headed towards Chen Hao.
Chen Hao was clearly a bit puzzled by Pippen's excitement. He shrugged helplessly at Pippen and said:
"Hey, Scottie, you really don't need to be so excited.
Because this Three-Point Contest was completely without any suspense.
I just did what I was supposed to do!
Of course, I also conveniently won a Championship ring from Michael.
I hope you don't mind me getting it before you."
"No mind!
I don't mind at all!
You're simply a god!
You did absolutely great!
Look at Michael's expression now!
His expression now is as ugly as if he's eaten shit.
And the one who fed him shit is you!
You're simply incredible!
I can't believe you actually broke the Three-Point Contestscoring record!
You made Michael lose to you in front of everyone, this is simply too satisfying!"
Pippen's mood was exceptionally excited at this moment, as he had personally witnessed Jordan stumble at Chen Hao's hands.
That was a Championship ring, just like that, it was going to be handed over to Chen Hao, which was undoubtedly the most devastating blow to Jordan.
You know, looking across the entire league, the number of players who can own a Championship ring is few and far between, and each one is extremely precious.
Although Jordan has a full six Championship rings, that doesn't mean his Championship rings aren't important!
Every Championship ring he possesses is crucially important to Jordan; they are all a testament to his efforts each year in the NBA.
Now, just because of a bet, he has to hand over one of those rings to Chen Hao. How can he accept this cruel reality?
And the live camera immediately switched to Jordan. All the Fans in the stadium, and viewers around the world watching the game via live television, at this moment, all focused their gaze on Jordan's face!
Even with Jordan's excellent expression management, he couldn't remain unperturbed!
Although at this moment he was frantically telling himself internally to calm down, to suppress all the anger and frustration in his heart.
But when he thought about losing a Championship ring, he truly couldn't do it!
"Fuck!
I really can't calm down!
Damn Chen Hao!
You motherfucker tricked me out of a Championship ring!
Motherfucker!"
Finally, Jordan still couldn't control his emotions and completely erupted!
In front of a global audience, Danzi's expression management failed!
Just as Danzi's expression became incredibly ferocious and angry, Chen Hao took the microphone from the host.
Chen Hao put the microphone to his mouth, and with a playful expression, walked towards Jordan while saying:
"Hey, Michael, if you find yourself losing!
Please don't be sad, and don't be upset.
Because right now you've only lost one Championshipring!
So, what I want to remind you is, if I win the Championship title again in the Slam Dunk Contest.
Then within one day, you will lose two Championshiprings!
Therefore, I still hope you can prepare yourself mentally.
Think carefully about which two rings you should take out and give to Scottie and me!
After all, a bet is a bet, and Fans all over the world know about your bet with us.
Of course, if you insist on reneging and not giving them, to be honest, we can't do anything about it.
However, if you really do that, you might lose a large number of Fans who like you.
Even though you have been retired for many years now."
All the Fans in the stadium, and even the global audience, clearly heard Chen Hao's brutally incisive words, and a huge uproar instantly erupted.
They hadn't expected Chen Hao to show Jordan no respect at all, even publicly humiliating him and telling him to prepare for further losses.
If Chen Hao really won the Championship title in the Slam Dunk Contest, then Jordan would truly become the most tragic NBA legend player today!
Jordan's hands were clenched into fists at this moment. If it weren't for so many people watching him, he would have long since rushed up and severely beaten Chen Hao.
"Damn it!
You cursed guy!
Shut up!"
Ultimately, Jordan's rationality still gained a slight upper hand, preventing him from acting crazily.
So, at this moment, he could only rage impotently at Chen Hao.
Chen Hao appeared very calm in response to Jordan's impotent rage; he even shouted back at Jordan:
"Hey, Michael, don't forget my words!
By the time I finish the Slam Dunk Contest, you'd better have made your choice!
Otherwise, you might really be hounded by me for collection!"
After speaking, Chen Hao walked to the Three-Point Contest awards podium and lifted the Three-Point Contest Championship trophy.
Watching Chen Hao's excited expression, Jordan's back molars were practically grinding to dust.
When he saw Chen Hao break the Three-Point Contestrecord he had set, he had considered reneging directly.
Because in his opinion, Chen Hao, this guy, shouldn't be too aggressive with him, after all, he was just a rookie player.
But what Danzi never expected was that Chen Hao not only showed no embarrassment but even exposed his true inner thoughts in front of a global audience.
If he ultimately didn't give one of the Championship rings to Chen Hao, he believed the public's criticism would directly drown him.
The world is like this: the higher you fly, the more fatal the fall.
Although Jordan is retired now, if he really dared to renege, the backlash he would face would undoubtedly be quite terrifying.
So, Jordan could only accept the fact of losing to Chen Hao and had to fulfill his promise to lose one of the Championship rings to Chen Hao.
What made Jordan very uneasy now was Chen Hao's upcoming Slam Dunk Contest.
His bet with Pippen was whether Chen Hao could win the Championship title in three All-Star events.
Originally, he thought Chen Hao couldn't win three events, but now Chen Hao had already won the first two, with only the last Slam Dunk Contest remaining.
Therefore, Chen Hao absolutely could not win the Championship title in this Slam Dunk Contest.
Otherwise, just as Chen Hao said, Jordan would lose two Championship rings within a single day, which Jordancould not bear!
Jordan was already thinking about what he should do to prevent Chen Hao from winning the Championship title in the Slam Dunk Contest.
So, Jordan began to think rapidly, even considering whether he should meet with the Slam Dunk Contest judges first.
Before this, Jordan had never thought Chen Hao would have the strength to win the Championship title in three events, so he had never considered bribing the judges.
But now the situation was different because Chen Haohad already won two events, and these were the two events Chen Hao was least favored to win.
The last remaining Slam Dunk Contest is widely considered the competition where Chen Hao is most likely to win the Championship title.
After all, Chen Hao had performed many explosive dunks in games, and various death-defying poster dunks were countless.
Therefore, to prevent Chen Hao from winning the Championship title in the Slam Dunk Contest, one must start with the contestants and the judges.
Rather than demanding that the contestants must defeat Chen Hao, it would be better to directly find the judges and have them suppress Chen Hao's scores.
This way, Chen Hao would absolutely not have a chance to win the Championship title.
And Jordan also believed that with his reputation and influence in the league, it would be no problem for him to get the judges to score a bit unfairly.
Thinking of this, Jordan got up and left the stands. He was going outside to call the judges.
Jordan knew all the judges for this Slam Dunk Contest, so he was very confident.
"Damn guy, don't think you've got this in the bag!
This time, no matter what, I can't let you win the Championship title in the Slam Dunk Contest!
You wait to be screwed over!"
Pippen, seeing a solemn-faced Jordan leave the stands, also had an ominous premonition in his heart.
Having been teammates with Jordan for so many years, he knew Jordan's character perfectly.
This guy was simply a gambling addict, and sometimes he would resort to any means to win.
One time that particularly impressed Pippen was when Jordan was flying with a teammate to an away game, and on the plane, Jordan made a very trivial bet with one of his teammates.
The bet was to see if Jordan's luggage would be the first to appear on the baggage carousel.
If Jordan's luggage appeared first, he won.
Conversely, his teammate would win and receive five thousand usd.
The teammate, of course, bet with him, but the final result was that Jordan's luggage really was the first to come out on the baggage carousel.
Jordan won!
Afterward, Pippen found out that Jordan, in order to win this bet, had specifically bribed the airport's baggage handler with money, instructing him to ensure Jordan's luggage was placed first.
From this incident, it can be seen that Jordan would stop at nothing to win; he could even be described as obsessive.
And now, he had just lost a bet to Chen Hao in front of everyone, even losing a Championship ring because of it.
According to his personality, he would definitely try every possible way to win it back.
And the person he wanted to win back from was Pippenhimself!
Thinking of this, Pippen immediately realized that Jordanmight target the Slam Dunk Contest judges.
This made his mood become very angry and anxious, and at this moment, he also chose to get up and leave the stands.
Pippen also knew who the judges for this Slam Dunk Contest were, so he wanted these judges to adhere to the principles of fairness and impartiality when scoring Chen Hao.
In Pippen's view, as long as the judges' scoring was fair, Chen Hao's chances of winning the Championship title were the greatest.
So Pippen had to ensure the fairness and impartiality of this Slam Dunk Contest!
After Jordan called the Slam Dunk Contest judges, he directly stated his intentions, hoping they would be stricter with Chen Hao when scoring and not easily give him a perfect score.
The judges expressed great surprise at Jordan's call, and they were also aware of the bet between Jordan and Pippen.
So they quickly understood the importance of Jordan's call.
However, what Jordan hadn't expected was that before Jordan contacted them, NBA Commissioner David Sternhad already reached out to them, warning them not to arbitrarily lower any contestant's dunk score.
They were not to give high scores to one player and low scores to another due to their personal relationships with players.
The reason David Stern had been able to hold the position of NBA Commissioner for so many years was because he possessed a very shrewd mind.
And he also understood Jordan very well, so he wouldn't allow Jordan to influence the outcome of the Slam Dunk Contest.
Thus, David Stern got ahead of Jordan and warned these judges in advance.
Therefore, when a confident Jordan was met with rejection from these judges, he finally completely broke down:
"Damn David Stern!
Are you just trying to see me become a laughingstock for Fans worldwide?"
However, Jordan's breakdown was ignored, and some judges even wanted to see Jordan suffer.
After all, Jordan had offended many players during his playing career. Although he was very strong, his personality was also very arrogant and domineering; he didn't put any player in his eyes at all.
So, now that it was Jordan's turn to potentially suffer, they were naturally happy to see this happen.
Besides, they weren't intentionally trying to make Jordanlose; they just wanted to score more fairly and objectively.
When Pippen received assurances from these judges, his mood instantly became incredibly comfortable.
"It seems this time, Michael is really going to make a fool of himself!
Losing two Championship rings in one day, just thinking about it is enough to make one's heart ache!
By then, he'll only have four Championship rings left.
Hahahaha."
Chapter 141: Give the old Slam Dunk King, Jordan, a small shock right in front of him!
Jordan was feeling incredibly frustrated and stifled at this moment; he hadn't expected his words to be ineffective, and these judges weren't willing to give him face!
"Damn these judges, they just want to see me lose my Championship ring!
I will not let them succeed!"
In Jordan's view, since the judges couldn't grant his request, he could only seek out the contestants.
This year's contestants included Dwight Howard, Rudy Gay, Gerald Green, and Moon, all of whom had considerable strength, with Howard likely being the strongest.
Before joining the league in 2004, this guy was already famous All-America because of a photo of him kissing the rim.
After four years of NBA baptism, Howard had gradually grown into a top interior player in the league, and the various spectacular dunks he contributed in games also left a deep impression on many Fans.
Therefore, the biggest favorites to win this year's Slam Dunk Contest were Chen Hao and Howard, though Gay and Green also had quite a few supporters.
At this time, Jordan found Howard because he felt that Howard was no less athletic than Chen Hao in terms of jumping ability, and this guy loved to create hype, which was a crucial factor.
In Jordan's view, the Slam Dunk Contest not only competed on the difficulty of dunks but also on their creativity.
By now, the creativity in the Slam Dunk Contest had largely become uninspired.
Therefore, hype became extremely important!
In Jordan's view, Howard, this guy who loved to play tricks, had a great advantage. He believed Howard should put some effort into this aspect, perhaps even drawing inspiration from superhero scenes in anime.
So, he went straight to the players' locker room, where Howard was changing his jersey.
When Howard saw Jordan arrive, his face was full of surprise:
"Hey, Michael, what are you doing here?"
"Hey, listen, kid, I'm betting on you to win the Slam Dunk Contest!
But the premise is that you have to listen to my advice; I think you should wear a Superman cape!
This will get you more attention during your dunks!"
Jordan's words made Howard's expression very shocked:
"Really?
Do you really think I'll get more attention after wearing a Superman cape?"
"Yes! There's nothing new in dunking moves now; you need to focus more on these gimmicks!
Listen to me, you can't go wrong!
You will definitely win the Slam Dunk Contest Championship!"
Jordan said with conviction, which made Howard's mood incredibly excited and thrilled:
"Okay, then I'll go find a Superman cape to wear right now!
I'm going to enter the competition as Superman!"
Jordan nodded approvingly, very satisfied with Howard's willingness to follow his advice.
Afterward, he also found Gay and Green, telling them his thoughts on the Slam Dunk Contest and even offering them some advice.
After receiving Jordan's advice, Gay and Green were filled with confidence, believing that this Slam Dunk Contest was in the bag!
After Chen Hao won the Three-Point ContestChampionship, Fans worldwide had already focused all their attention on the Slam Dunk Contest.
Jordan's appearance in the players' locker room was also reported by many journalists, making many Fans feel that Jordan was starting to get anxious!
"It looks like Michael is getting desperate!"
"He's going to find players now, just to make them defeat Chen Hao!"
"But the effect of him doing this isn't obvious!"
"Jordan can at most give them some advice; he can't possibly play for them!"
"So, going into the Slam Dunk Contest with the confidence Michael gave, I don't think the effect will be that great either!"
Clearly, in the eyes of many Fans, Jordan was undoubtedly making a dying struggle, as his actions were not having a significant impact.
After all the contestants had made their entrance, the Fans in the arena all turned their gaze to Chen Hao.
At this moment, Chen Hao's face showed no signs of nervousness; he even looked at the expressions of the other contestants with interest.
From the expressions of these contestants, they seemed to be full of confidence about this competition.
It seemed Jordan had indeed given them a lot of confidence, which made Chen Hao start to look forward to this Slam Dunk Contest.
When the host announced the official start of the Slam Dunk Contest, the Fans in the arena immediately erupted in huge cheers and shouts.
The first to appear was Moon; his dunk was a 360-degree reverse dunk after dribbling to the basket, a move that only earned him 42 points.
The judges for this Slam Dunk Contest included Dr. J, Karl Malone, and the Human Highlight Film, Wilkins.
They were all NBA legends, so their requirements for dunking moves were quite high.
Moon's dunk, although powerful and quite fluid, lacked creativity, so he only received 42 points.
Next up was Rudy Gay, who chose a one-handed power dunk after taking off from the free-throw line!
This move was mainly to showcase Gay's powerful jumping ability and his body control in the air!
This move, being a tribute to Jordan's free-throw line dunk back in the day, received recognition from many Fans.
The judges also gave Gay a score of 45 points at this time, which was considered a relatively high score!
Gay was very satisfied with this, and he excitedly made a celebratory gesture towards the Fans in the arena.
However, in the eyes of the Fans, his move really had nothing to be proud of; it simply lacked any creativity.
The third to appear was Gerald Green, last year's Slam Dunk Contest Championship!
His chosen dunk was a windmill dunk over a teammate!
This move was clearly more difficult, and he even jumped over as many as three teammates, which significantly increased the difficulty of the dunk!
Therefore, the judges' score for Green also came in at 46 points!
The fourth to appear was Dwight Howard; after making his entrance, he directly ripped off his jersey, instantly revealing the Superman cape he was wearing underneath!
This action immediately drew cheers and shouts from the entire arena!
Even the host laughed and shouted:
"Oh my goodness!
Dwight is wearing a Superman cape!
He's telling us that he's participating in the Slam Dunk Contest as Superman!
This is so cool!
I think he's definitely going to have some spectacular dunks!"
Seeing the Fans so excited, Howard felt very relieved, and he even excitedly shouted to his teammate:
"Hey, throw the ball higher later; I'll definitely catch it and dunk it!"
His teammate nodded emphatically in response to Howard's request, indicating that he was ready.
So, under the gaze of all the Fans, Howard went beyond the three-point line, even directly walking near the half-court line!
After two loud shouts, he was seen rushing towards the basket at top speed!
When he sprinted to the vicinity of the free-throw line, he took off with one foot on the line!
And his teammate also threw the ball into the air at this moment!
Seeing this scene, the Fans in the arena all understood Howard's idea for this dunk!
He was going to catch the ball and dunk it while taking off from the free-throw line!
This difficulty was considerably higher than Gay's earlier one!
Because Howard needed to firmly catch the ball in the air to ensure he could dunk it into the basket!
Therefore, this dunk tested not only Howard's jumping ability but also his ability to control his body in the air!
Most people really couldn't pull off this kind of dunk!
Chen Hao's expression remained incredibly calm; of course, he knew Howard would perform such a dunk, after all, he had watched this Slam Dunk Contest back then.
If history had followed its normal course, Howard would have won this Slam Dunk Contest Championship, but now that Chen Hao had appeared, it was naturally impossible for Howard to win the Championship again!
Under the gaze of all the Fans, Howard had already firmly held the basketball with one hand in the air, and finally, while flying towards the hoop, he dunked the basketball into the basket with one hand!
This dunk made the Fans in the arena cheer loudly!
Even many of the judges kept nodding, approving of Howard's dunk!
So, the judges all gave high scores, with 3 tens and two nines, for a total of 48 points.
This was already the highest score for this round of dunks; although it wasn't a perfect 50 points, Howardwas already very satisfied!
At this moment, the camera focused on Chen Hao; no tension could be seen on his face, which was even filled with a smile.
Seeing Chen Hao's expression, even the live commentators were very curious:
"Looking at Chen Hao, he seems to be a bit dismissive of Dwight's dunk!
Could it be that he really has an even more spectacular dunk to offer us?
That would be truly exciting!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Hao had already stood up from his seat and walked to the center of the court.
At this moment, he was already holding a basketball with one hand; this move surprised many Fans, indicating that Chen Hao's hands were truly enormous!
The camera focused on Jordan at this moment because everyone knew about the bet between Jordan and Pippen.
If Chen Hao won the Championship in this Slam Dunk Contest, Jordan would lose a Championship ring.
Therefore, the most nervous person should actually be Jordan.
The live commentator even joked with a smile:
"It seems Michael's mood is quite tense right now!
This is even more anxious than when he himself participated in the Slam Dunk Contest!
As for Scottie, his expectant look makes me full of curiosity about Chen Hao's performance!"
At this moment, Chen Hao had already walked beyond the three-point line, he made a shooting motion, throwing the ball towards the basket!
But clearly, Chen Hao's shot this time had very little power; the basketball fell to the ground before reaching the basket, and then bounced up from the ground!
The moment the basketball landed, Chen Hao had already quickly rushed towards the basket!
The moment the basketball bounced high, Chen Hao had already jumped into the air!
All the Fans in the arena held their breath, staring intently at Chen Hao's actions!
Chen Hao, now airborne, firmly caught the basketball with both hands!
And sharp-eyed Fans, at this moment, noticed that Chen Hao's head was already well above the rim!
Chen Hao, holding the basketball with both hands, first performed a between-the-legs dribble in the air, switching the basketball from his left hand to his right hand!
Then, he quickly brought the ball behind his back in a full circle from his right hand, returning the ball to his right hand!
Behind-the-back dribble after between-the-legs!
After completing this series of moves, Chen Hao then dunked the ball into the basket with one hand!
Chen Hao completed this series of movements incredibly smoothly, without any hindrance; all the spectators in the arena were stunned!
Even most of the Fans had their mouths wide open, looking incredibly incredulous!
The most excited was Pippen, who was sitting courtside!
At this moment, he excitedly stood up, gesticulating wildly, and shouted loudly at Jordan:
"Did you see that?
Did you see that?
This guy's dunk is definitely a perfect score!
You can go home!
All those contestants can go home too!
They are no match for Chen Hao at all!
The difficulty of this guy's dunk is simply too high!
No one can reach his level of difficulty!"
Jordan's face turned incredibly gloomy at this moment, because he also felt that Chen Hao's dunk move was simply too difficult!
Even if he tried it at his peak, it would be impossible to pull off!
Because this not only tests a player's jumping height but also his hand-foot coordination, and more importantly, it requires completing two high-difficulty hand-switching moves in the shortest possible time!
One between-the-legs switch is enough to make many players find it extremely difficult, yet Chen Hao even added a behind-the-back dribble switch!
This guy truly suspended himself in the air, defying the effects of gravity!
Just as Pippen said, when the judges saw Chen Hao's dunk, they were all shocked, and even laughed as they gave their final scores!
There was no suspense!
All five judges gave a perfect score of 10 points!
Chen Hao became the first player to receive a perfect score in this Slam Dunk Contest!
However, Chen Hao's expression was calm at this moment, shaking his head slightly, as if he was somewhat dissatisfied with his dunk!
Seeing Chen Hao's action, the other contestants' faces became extremely grim.
Because in their opinion, Chen Hao's move was already enough to put immense pressure on them!
But in Chen Hao's view, this move didn't seem very satisfactory yet?
Could it be that he still had even more difficult moves to perform?
Is this guy really that strong?
Soon, they got their answer!
Because Chen Hao's previous dunk put a lot of pressure on the opposing contestants, causing them to bear a huge psychological burden.
Therefore, in the second round of dunks, many players performed poorly.
Even the confident Howard made a mistake during the dunk contest!
He ultimately only scored 45 points.
So, Chen Hao only needed to play steadily and score 45 points to easily advance to the second round.
However, for Chen Hao, he couldn't play it safe; he wanted to completely shatter the contestants' mentality and utterly crush Jordan's hopes!
Chapter 142: Chen Hao's enormous star power, Yang Mi's desperate move! Can't walk anymore?
Under the gaze of the entire audience, Chen Hao took the court again!
He was holding two basketballs, which made the Fanspresent very confused.
"What does it mean that he's holding two basketballs?"
"Does it mean he's going to complete two dunks?"
"One dunk with each hand?"
"Although this dunking method is unique, the difficulty shouldn't be very high, right?"
"If he makes the dunk more difficult, that's fine!"
Apparently, these Fans all felt that if Chen Hao was going to dunk twice, he would have to do it with much greater difficulty.
Pippen's expression now looked very relaxed, because Chen Hao's advancement was already a certainty.
So, he looked at Jordan with interest and teased:
"Hey, Michael, do you think he's really going to complete two dunks?"
Jordan glared at Pippen and said angrily:
"Even if he really completes two dunks.
This idea won't get him a perfect score.
It's an old-fashioned dunking method, he's run out of ideas!"
Apparently, Jordan had already concluded that Chen Haohad lost his imagination, and even if he could advance to the second round of the Slam Dunk Contest, he wouldn't be able to come up with better dunk moves.
This rekindled Jordan's hope for Howard.
So at this moment, he fixed his gaze on Chen Hao, constantly praying in his heart for God to make Chen Haomake a mistake.
Chen Hao had already walked beyond the three-point line, holding a basketball in each hand, and after looking at the hoop for a while, he began to run towards the hoop!
The Fans present held their breath, eager to know what kind of move Chen Hao would use to complete this dunk!
Chen Hao's speed was neither fast nor slow, and when he reached the basket, he jumped off one foot!
Facing the hoop, he didn't dunk the ball immediately!
Instead, he completed a turn at this moment, after a 360-degree mid-air spin!
Chen Hao faced the hoop again!
At this moment, the basketball held in his left hand performed a small scoop, and then he pressed the ball into the hoop!
During this time, his right hand had been holding the basketball without any shaking!
After the left-hand scoop completed the dunk, Chen Hao's right hand actually performed a small windmill!
Finally, after the right hand completed the small windmill, he dunked the ball into the hoop!
When Chen Hao completed the 360-degree spin in the air, the Fans present were completely stunned!
Holding two balls, he was able to complete a 360-degree mid-air spin; such body control was unprecedented!
They originally thought Chen Hao would just dunk the ball like that, but they didn't expect him to have additional moves with both his left and right hands: a left-hand scoop, and a right-hand windmill!
In the end, Chen Hao dunked both balls into the hoop!
The creativity was indeed somewhat lacking, but the difficulty was sky-high!
How could the judges not give him a perfect score for such a dunk?
When Chen Hao completed this dunk, the judges all unanimously gave him perfect scores!
Chen Hao once again received a perfect score of 50 points!
This result instantly ignited the Fans!
It was simply too spectacular!
Chen Hao's dunk moves were one more difficult, one more imaginative than the last!
And at this moment, Pippen shouted even more excitedly:
"My God!
This guy's dunk moves are too terrifying!
He actually completed other moves with both his left and right hands after a 360-degree mid-air spin!
Two dunks, I think he should get a hundred points!
Don't you agree?
Michael!"
Jordan almost killed Pippen after hearing his words.
Because Jordan's mood became incredibly tense again; Chen Hao was just one round away from winning the Slam Dunk Contest Championship.
At that time, Jordan would truly lose another Championship ring.
He wanted to do something to stop Chen Hao, but he couldn't.
At this moment, he even prayed that Chen Hao would suffer an injury during the Slam Dunk Contest, so he really wouldn't be able to win the Slam Dunk Championship!
Now Jordan finally realized in despair that Chen Hao's talent and imagination in dunking already far surpassed all other contestants.
Even Jordan couldn't think of any other way to defeat Chen Hao!
And at this moment, the commentator on site shouted excitedly:
"My God!
I feel like I should shout that phrase:
Let's go home!
Let's go home!
After two rounds, Chen Hao has fully displayed his strength!
He told us that his dunking is simply not on the same level as other players!
Dwight's dunk might have some difficulty, but in front of Chen Hao's dunk, it's just a little brother!"
The Fans present burst into laughter after hearing the commentator's shout!
The dunks Chen Hao displayed indeed exceeded their imagination.
It turns out there really are people in the real world who can complete such high-difficulty dunk moves, and this person is also from the Dragon Country!
This was simply too unbelievable!
Similarly, in the Dragon Country across the ocean, many Dragon Country Fans were gathered in front of their televisions, watching this grand Slam Dunk Contest!
They were even more excited than Chen Hao himself that he had already won two events.
Because Chen Hao not only won the Three-Point Contestbut also defeated Jordan in a bet, winning one of his Championship rings.
Chen Hao should be considered the fastest player in NBA history to win a Championship ring, right?
Before the regular season was even over, Chen Hao had already won a Championship ring, which was indeed a remarkable achievement.
Therefore, the Dragon Country Fans hoped that Chen Haowould continue to win in the Slam Dunk Contest, in which case Jordan would once again lose a Championship ring!
This way, Chen Hao would defeat Jordan twice in a row, which was already incredibly exciting to think about.
Similarly, besides ordinary Fans, many entertainment stars and public figures were also watching this game.
Among them were Yang Mi and Liu Tianxian, who had previously watched Chen Hao's games in person.
These two were deeply impressed by Chen Hao, especially his unbeatable good looks and the powerful strength he displayed in the game, which deeply shocked their hearts.
At that time, they originally wanted Chen Hao to accompany them on a tour of the local area, but Chen Hao refused their invitation.
After all, in Chen Hao's eyes, what level were they?
They actually wanted Chen Hao to accompany them?
Did they have no self-awareness?
So, after being rejected by Chen Hao, the two had no choice but to return to the Dragon Country disappointed.
After returning home, they were very regretful, thinking they should have begged Chen Hao more at the time to let him take them out to play.
Not leaving a good impression on Chen Hao then caused a lot of trouble for their subsequent opportunities to leverage Chen Hao's popularity.
Now seeing Chen Hao's fame soaring, their unwillingness grew even stronger.
"Perhaps we can go to America again to watch his game live.
After the game, we can find him directly and invite him to go sightseeing together?"
Yang Mi's idea was very bold; she didn't want to miss such a good opportunity.
Now, everyone in the Dragon Country knew Chen Hao; his fame far surpassed Yao Ming's.
Moreover, in the perception of many Dragon Country Fans, supporting Chen Hao meant being his good friend, which was trustworthy.
So, once Yang Mi could connect with Chen Hao, she would truly receive an enormous amount of popularity.
She no longer wanted to consider Liu Tianxian; she had to seize this opportunity, otherwise, she would truly regret it if she missed it!
So, she immediately told her agent to book her a flight to America.
Even though the All-Star Weekend would be over by the time she arrived in America.
But that didn't matter at all; the All-Star break was over, weren't there still regular season games?
And now that A'lian had become Chen Hao's teammate, the Boston Celtics now had two Dragon Country players, which was also a big highlight.
Yang Mi had to watch A'lian's first game after joining the Boston Celtics live.
This game would undoubtedly be broadcast All-America, so she could enjoy immense attention and popularity.
If she could have dinner with Chen Hao and A'lian after the game, she believed she would become the number one goddess in the hearts of Dragon Country Fans!
No sooner said than done, Yang Mi urged her agent to book her a flight to America.
And her agent, after learning of her idea, also greatly praised it, believing her approach was very wise.
So, Yang Mi once again boarded a flight to America.
Now, back to the scene!
The first round of the Slam Dunk Contest ended, and Chen Hao advanced to the next round with a perfect score.
Howard also advanced with him.
But for Howard, advancing to the finals was not a happy thing.
He even endured immense pressure.
Because the strength Chen Hao displayed was truly too powerful!
After seeing Chen Hao complete two high-difficulty dunk moves, he was completely stunned!
He didn't expect that dunking could be played like this!
Someone could actually suspend in the air for so long!
Moreover, from Chen Hao's dunk moves, he completed them quite easily.
This indicated that he might not have fully exerted himself yet!
This was completely outrageous!
Did that mean he would have even more explosive dunk moves to perform?
If that were the case, what was Howard even playing for?
Wouldn't his entry into the finals just make him a backdrop for Chen Hao?
He was so strong now, and he himself was so weak; after this Slam Dunk Contest, he might very well become a complete laughingstock!
All the talk about a Superman cape, all the gimmicks, now seemed like nonsense!
Howard even blamed Jordan for this!
In his opinion, Jordan deliberately made him look foolish in the Slam Dunk Contest!
His Superman cape was Jordan's idea, and now it seemed like a clown's costume!
But if he took off the Superman cape now, he would immediately become a clown!
So, no matter whether he took it off now or continued to wear it for the game, he couldn't escape the fate of being a clown!
Thinking of this, Howard's mood became extremely depressed!
"Damn Michael, it's bad enough that he's going to lose a Championship ring!
Now he's even dragging me into this embarrassment!
It's really infuriating!"
At this moment, Jordan's expectations for Howard had also plummeted!
He originally thought Howard could shoulder his heavy responsibility and defeat Chen Hao in the Slam Dunk Contest.
Now it seemed that his judgment was flawed, even terrible!
Howard simply couldn't stop Chen Hao from winning the Championship; now it seemed he was about to lose another Championship ring!
The thought of this made Jordan want to go crazy!
The Slam Dunk Contest finals continued!
Howard was the first to appear!
At this moment, his face had completely lost its smile, replaced by a solemn expression!
And now, he couldn't think of any good dunk moves!
Finally, he could only signal to the staff to raise the height of the hoop, directly by fifty centimeters!
Seeing Howard make such an adjustment to the hoop height, the Fans immediately guessed his next dunk move.
This was purely about competing on the difficulty of the dunk!
Because after the hoop was raised by fifty centimeters, completing a dunk was truly not a simple matter.
If Howard could complete a dunk at such a height, it would mean his jumping ability was astonishing!
And Pippen, after seeing Howard's action, also said with a surprised look:
"It seems Dwight still has some ideas!
At the very least, if he can complete this dunk, he can still get a good score!
At this hoop height, even you and I would find it quite challenging to complete a dunk!
It seems Dwight won't lose immediately!"
Pippen's words didn't get any response from Jordan, because Jordan felt that even if Howard completed this dunk, his score couldn't be perfect.
After all, the tastes of these five judges had been spoiled by Chen Hao; to get them to give a perfect score, it had to be more difficult and more creative!
As they talked, Howard was already dribbling and rushing towards the hoop!
Howard, arriving at the basket, leaped high and slammed the ball into the hoop with both hands!
Even with the hoop fifty centimeters higher than normal, he could still easily complete the dunk!
Howard's physical prowess was truly astonishing!
The Fans present also applauded quite loudly, acknowledging this dunk!
But the judges seemed somewhat picky about his dunk.
The final score was only 48 points!
Finally, it was Chen Hao's turn to appear!
Just as the staff were preparing to lower the hoop to its original height, Chen Hao signaled them not to lower it!
"Just keep it at this height!"
Chen Hao said calmly.
When he said these words, the Fans present were instantly shocked!
Even Pippen shouted with a surprised look:
"Hey, Chen, you don't have to dunk at the same height as him!
You can totally lower it to the original height and use your dunk moves!
Don't let him dictate the pace!"
Jordan, next to him, was instantly invigorated by Chen Hao's action.
This hoop height was indeed very high for average players!
Even if Chen Hao's jumping ability was astonishing, it wouldn't be easy for him to perform moves on a hoop of this height!
"If you've got the guts, dunk at this hoop height!
Dare to bet with me?"
Jordan's words instantly piqued Chen Hao's interest:
"You sure you want to bet with me?"
Chapter 143: Danzi Lost Even His Underwear! Three Championship Rings Gone Just Like That!
Chen Hao had originally not intended to lower the hoop height for a dunk; if Howard could dunk at that height, Chen Hao naturally could too.
But now that Jordan had actively proposed a bet, wanting him to complete a dunk at this height, Chen Hao naturally found it very interesting.
So, he curiously asked Jordan what he wanted to bet on.
After being questioned by Chen Hao, Jordan was momentarily speechless.
He really didn't dare to use his Championship Ring as a bet again; he had already lost one, and the second was about to be lost.
If he were to put up another one to bet with Chen Haonow, he would truly lose three Championship Rings, and that would be unbearable.
So, Jordan was currently thinking about what to bet with Chen Hao.
Seeing Jordan's hesitation, Chen Hao shook his head in disappointment:
"You're not even willing to use your Championship Ring as a bet.
You really disappoint me immensely!"
After being mocked by Chen Hao, Jordan's expression turned incredibly ugly. He stared intently at Chen Hao, then gritted his teeth and said:
"If you want me to use a Championship Ring as a bet, the hoop height must be raised again!
Do you dare to bet with me?"
Jordan quickly stated his idea, because he felt that Chen Hao's jumping height could allow him to complete a dunk at the current height.
However, if the hoop height were raised again, Chen Haomight not be able to complete it.
The current hoop height had already reached 3.55 meters, which was quite terrifying, and most players found it difficult to complete a dunk.
And if the hoop height were raised further from this base, even with Chen Hao's incredible jumping ability, it would be very likely that he couldn't complete the dunk!
Jordan was now comparing Chen Hao's jumping ability to his own. He believed that if he couldn't complete a dunk, Chen Hao definitely couldn't either.
So, he now wanted to see if Chen Hao had the nerve to bet with him. He felt that Chen Hao would very likely fall for his provocation.
Thus, Jordan was now looking at Chen Hao with a playful expression.
Pippen, standing nearby, heard Jordan's words and his face instantly changed. He felt that Jordan was deliberately provoking Chen Hao to make him agree.
Moreover, Jordan's goal in doing this was to make Chen Hao unable to complete the dunk, which, in other words, meant Jordan would not only win this bet but Chen Haomight also lose the Slam Dunk Contest.
This way, Jordan would truly kill two birds with one stone. He would ultimately only lose one ChampionshipRing, which was the best possible outcome for Jordan.
So Pippen believed that Chen Hao had no need to agree to Jordan's bet. He even thought Chen Hao didn't need to pay attention to Jordan at all.
"Hey, Chen, you don't need to bet with him at all.
You just need to complete a dunk at the standard hoop height, and the Championship will be yours!
He's deliberately using provocation to trick you, to make you fall for it!
Don't agree to it!"
Pippen shouted loudly at Chen Hao, his tone filled with urgency.
But after hearing Pippen's shouts, Chen Hao calmly shook his head and said:
"Don't worry, he won't beat me!"
After speaking, Chen Hao smiled and asked:
"So, what height do you want me to set the hoop to?"
Jordan heard Chen Hao's question and said with a determined expression:
"Raise the hoop height by another thirty centimeters!
If you can still complete the dunk, then I lose!
I will give you another Championship Ring!
If you can't complete the dunk, you'll return the Championship Ring you just won from me!
How about that?"
Jordan's words made Pippen's face change dramatically. He angrily shouted at Jordan:
"Damn Michael!
Listen to yourself, are those the words of a human being?
Raise the hoop height by another thirty centimeters, wouldn't that bring it to 3.85 meters?
Is there anyone in this world who can complete a dunk at that height?
I beg you, be a human being!"
In Pippen's opinion, Jordan had truly lost all shame now, to dare to say such words.
Meanwhile, the other contestants also heard the conversation between Chen Hao and Jordan, and their faces showed expressions of shock.
They hadn't expected Jordan to say something so outrageous—completing a dunk on a 3.85-meter-high hoop?
How could that be possible?
One must know that the top of the backboard is 3.95 meters high, and almost no one can truly touch the top of the backboard.
But now the hoop height would reach 3.85 meters, so to complete a dunk, one would at least have to jump to the height of the top of the backboard to even have a chance!
Although Chen Hao's jumping ability was astonishing, asking him to jump to the height of the top of the backboard and complete a dunk was simply a fantasy!
Therefore, they believed Chen Hao would not agree to Jordan's bet request, and would even choose to refuse directly!
Little did they know, when Chen Hao heard Jordan's words, he instead asked with a smile:
"Are you sure what you just said counts?
If I can really complete a dunk on a 3.85-meter-high hoop, then you'll lose another Championship Ring to me?
Otherwise, I'll have to return one to you?"
Jordan had originally thought Chen Hao would directly refuse his request, and then he would appropriately lower the hoop height and ask Chen Hao again.
This was the best chance he had thought of to turn the tables; he didn't want to miss it.
In Jordan's view, even if the hoop height was lowered to 3.75 meters, it would be incredibly difficult for Chen Haoto complete a dunk!
So, he was now worried that Chen Hao wouldn't agree to bet with him, in which case he would truly lose all chances of a comeback!
When Jordan heard Chen Hao's counter-question, he nodded seriously, telling Chen Hao that was indeed his idea.
And after Chen Hao received Jordan's answer, the smile on his face grew even wider:
"Very good, it seems you really want to turn the tables!
Since that's the case, I'll make sure you lose convincingly!
Are you sure you want to bet with me again?
The stake is one Championship Ring?"
Jordan nodded heavily after hearing this and said:
"Yes, as long as you can complete a dunk on a 3.85-meter-high hoop, I lose!
Otherwise, you lose!"
At this, Pippen, standing nearby, almost jumped up to cover Chen Hao's mouth!
He hadn't expected Chen Hao to actually agree to bet with Jordan; this was an impossible task!
A dunk at this height, even if the legendary streetballer Goat from back then came, he might not be able to complete it, right?
Now Chen Hao, full of confidence, had actually agreed to Jordan's bet request; he was truly overly confident!
However, despite Pippen's strong objections, Chen Haostill chose to take this bet with Jordan. His expression was very calm, and then he said to the staff:
"Raise the hoop by another thirty centimeters, set it to 3.85 meters!"
The host on site, upon hearing Chen Hao's words, almost had his eyeballs pop out!
"Are you sure?
At this height, just touching the hoop would be considered remarkable, wouldn't it?
You actually want to complete a dunk at such a height?
Can you really do it?"
The host's shock was understandable, as it was truly terrifying.
Moreover, he had clearly heard the bet between Chen Hao and Jordan, which made him even more perplexed!
Chen Hao had absolutely no need to agree to this bet with Jordan, because Chen Hao's chances of winning were minuscule.
In the host's opinion, Chen Hao's actions were actually due to vanity; he was even overly confident in his own abilities!
Because truly no one had ever completed a dunk at this height; he was playing with fire!
But Chen Hao remained very calm in the face of the host's shock:
"Yes, I'm going to attempt to complete a dunk at this height!
You all heard clearly about the bet between Michael and me, right?
So, you are all witnesses!"
After speaking, Chen Hao gestured for the staff to quickly get to work!
After receiving confirmation from Chen Hao, the staff really began to adjust the hoop height to 3.85 meters.
During this time, Jordan even specifically walked onto the court, confirmed that the hoop height was 3.85 meters, and only then returned to the stands, satisfied!
When the Fans in the arena saw the staff raising the hoop height again, they were also full of shock!
"What's happening? Why is the hoop still going up?"
"Oh my God! Look at the height of this hoop, it seems to have reached the top of the backboard, right?"
"Good heavens, is Chen Hao playing for such high stakes?"
"Is he perhaps a bit too confident in himself?"
"This guy is really too arrogant!"
At the same time, the host on site announced the current hoop height and also informed the entire audience about the bet between Chen Hao and Jordan!
Instantly, the entire venue erupted in an uproar!
"A height of 3.85 meters? Can a human complete a dunk at this height?
He's crazy, isn't he???"
Not only did the Fans on site think Chen Hao was crazy, but even the viewers in front of their televisions thought Chen Hao had lost his mind.
How could this be possible?
At this height, they didn't even think Chen Hao could touch the hoop!
And he's thinking of completing a dunk?
He must be deluding himself. Having just won Michael Jordan's ring has led him to an incorrect judgment about himself!
It must be this way!
Many Fans believed that Chen Hao was now overly confident; he even thought his strength had surpassed all other players!
At this moment, Chen Hao slowly walked onto the court amidst the shocked gazes of all the Fans.
Chen Hao became the focus of the entire arena!
The live camera even gave a big close-up of Chen Hao's face, wanting to capture his subtle expressions!
But no signs of nervousness could be seen on his face; he even wore a faint smile!
Moreover, normally, for a dunk at this hoop height, the run-up distance would have to be quite long, at least past half-court!
But Chen Hao's current position was just outside the three-point line!
He took a deep breath, looked at the hoop, then dribbled the ball and charged towards the hoop!
After two consecutive dribbles, he had already reached the restricted area!
Chen Hao collected the ball, took off, and finally jumped off his left foot!
Everyone stared intently at Chen Hao, all believing that Chen Hao would find it very difficult to complete a dunk at this height!
However, in the next moment, all doubts turned into shock!
After taking off, Chen Hao, like a helicopter, soared upwards!
Finally, with the basketball held in one hand, he truly appeared in front of the hoop!
Everyone clearly saw that the basketball Chen Hao was holding had already surpassed the height of the hoop, and had even surpassed the top of the backboard!
And at this moment, Chen Hao still didn't directly dunk the ball into the hoop. Instead, he performed a folding motion in mid-air, then rotated 180 degrees, and finally, with a reverse dunk, slammed the ball into the hoop!
The moment Chen Hao dunked the ball into the hoop, the Fans on site had already completely fallen into a frenzy!
And Pippen, who had been worried that Chen Haowouldn't be able to complete the dunk, was now completely ecstatic!
He jumped directly from his seat, then pointed at Jordanand burst into laughter:
"Hahahaha
Hahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahaha.
You have your day too!
You lost!
You lost two Championship Rings at once!
In total, you lost three!
You now only have three Championship Rings left in your hand!
You are a clown!
I'm dying of laughter!"
At this moment, Jordan was completely frozen in his seat!
He never dreamed that Chen Hao could actually complete a dunk at this height, and even with a relatively difficult posture. This was too incredible!
And the host on site, at this moment, also shouted hoarsely:
"Chen Hao did it!
He really did it!
He actually completed a dunk at a height of 3.85 meters!
This guy is possessed by God!
We can go home!
I declare that the Championship of this year's Slam Dunk Contest is Chen Hao!"
At the same time, all five judges on site unanimously gave a perfect score of 10 points!
They all excitedly stood up from their seats and vigorously applauded Chen Hao!
It was truly spectacular!
They had never seen such an amazing Slam Dunk Contest; Chen Hao's performance was too incredible!
What surprised them most was that Chen Hao had even won another of Jordan's Championship Rings in this Slam Dunk Contest.
Chen Hao now had two of Jordan's Championship Rings in his possession, an achievement that everyone envied immensely!
At this moment, Chen Hao, after completing the dunk, had lightly landed on the ground. He walked up to Jordanwith a smile, spread his hands, and said:
"Hey, to be honest, I felt my last dunk wasn't my best performance!
But I still managed to complete the dunk!
So, the Championship Rings you owe me have now become two!
Of course, you also owe Scottie one, so you'd best get them to us as soon as possible!"
Chen Hao's words made Pippen shout excitedly, his face alight:
"That's right, Michael, you lost!
So, the Championship Rings you owe us, it's time to give them to us!
Oh my God!
Chen Hao, you are simply divine!
You are too strong!
You are the God of Basketball in my heart!
No one will ever be able to replace your position in my heart!"
At this moment, Pippen didn't care what others thought of him, because he was simply too happy!
He had finally legitimately beaten Jordan once, and had severely humiliated him!
It was so damn satisfying!
Chapter 144: Lao Da, that's not funny! Don't think you're really strong; I can easily crush you!
If you were to ask who the most heartbroken, frustrated, and angry person in the Stadium was that night, everyone's answer would surely be the same: Michael Jordan.
Because in one night, he consecutively lost three Championship rings!
Two of them were lost to the same person, Chen Hao.
As for the other one, it was lost to his former teammate, Pippen, Scottie Pippen.
So, Michael Jordan, who originally had two three-peats and six Championship rings, now only had three Championship rings left!
Losing half of his Championship rings in one night—no one could accept that in such a short time!
Especially since the news of Jordan losing three Championship rings had spread to All-America Fans and even Fans worldwide.
This was the most terrifying part, because whenever Jordan was mentioned, people would immediately think of him losing three of his six Championship rings in one night.
Moreover, he lost to a rookie player, and even lost twice in a row!
For Jordan, this was an immense humiliation, one he could never wash away in his lifetime!
What frustrated Jordan the most was that he couldn't even renege on the bet, because everyone was watching him.
If he really did renege, countless media outlets, Fans, and paparazzi would surely help Chen Hao and Pippencollect, even without them having to ask.
Because this was already huge news, and if he really chose to renege, the news could be continuously hyped up.
Although Jordan had retired, as the former God of Basketball, he still commanded immense traffic.
This was the downside of being a celebrity, and Jordanwas currently in such an awkward predicament.
In fact, after losing three Championship rings, Jordan was still full of defiance.
In his opinion, he had only misjudged some details, and he felt there was still a chance to win them back!
So, Jordan finally took out his three Championship rings, which were from 1992, 1993, and 1997.
The 1997 ring was given to Pippen, while the 1992 and 1993 rings were given to Chen Hao.
After handing over his three Championship rings, Jordanstill stubbornly said:
"Hey, these Championship rings are just being held for safekeeping.
I'll win them back, so you two better take good care of them for me!"
After hearing Jordan's words, Chen Hao smiled and teased:
"Hey, you're welcome to win them back anytime.
But the premise is, you have to beat me first!
I advise you to quit while you're ahead, because your gambling luck is truly terrible!
The three Championship rings you have now are already your last glory!"
Chen Hao's words made Jordan's expression even uglier. He glared fiercely at Chen Hao and said:
"Young man, don't be too impetuous.
You haven't even entered the playoffs yet.
When the playoffs come, you'll know what real intensity means!
I hope you'll still be as arrogant then as you are today!"
With that, Jordan turned and left. He truly didn't want to see Chen Hao's arrogant face anymore.
As for Pippen, who was beside him, overly pleased with himself, Jordan felt an immense disgust. He would absolutely not let that guy be happy for too long!
Chen Hao won three championships in all the events on the second day of All-Star Weekend, becoming the first person in NBA All-Star Weekend history.
Moreover, he won each championship with undisputed results, as he broke records in every single event!
And the records he set, with the exception of the Skills Challenge which might be broken, the Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest records should be unbreakable!
At most, they could only be tied, because the records Chen Hao set were already the highest scores!
Thus, Chen Hao once again became the most watched star of All-Star Weekend, and overnight, the number of Fans who liked Chen Hao exploded!
After the Slam Dunk Contest concluded, the final event of All-Star Weekend finally arrived: the All-Star Game!
This All-Star Game, a showdown between Eastern and Western Conference All-Star players, was the most anticipated game for Fans.
After all, the players on the court were the strongest players from every NBA team, and the teams they formed were incredibly powerful!
Due to Chen Hao's unprecedented achievements in yesterday's events, many Fans were more optimistic about the Eastern All-Star team winning the final victory.
However, many players also believed that this game wasn't about the strength of individual players, but rather the overall strength of the team.
Besides, the All-Star Game was just an exhibition match, with both sides not playing intensely, so the final outcome wasn't truly important.
But when the game officially began, the situation surprised many Fans.
It was the Western All-Star team that took the lead, and under Kobe's leadership, they began to relentlessly attack the Eastern All-Star team's basket, with various dunks and three-pointers coming in rapid succession!
The Eastern All-Star players didn't expect the opponent to come out so aggressively, attacking their basket fiercely, catching them completely off guard.
Less than five minutes into the game, the Western Conference had already extended their lead to over 20 points!
40:20!
Since the Eastern Conference wasn't playing defense, Kobe had the highest score, racking up 20 points in five minutes, clearly aiming for the All-Star Game MVP.
Actually, for Chen Hao, he didn't really care much about this game, and even proactively requested to be subbed out less than two minutes after getting on the court.
After all, it was just an exhibition game, so he didn't want to waste too much time on the court. Wouldn't it be better to let the players who wanted to perform do so?
Watching Kobe's various drives, dunks, and mid-range shots from the sidelines, Chen Hao's face showed a faint smile:
"This guy, he's actually trying to find a sense of presence in the All-Star Game. There's no need for him to do that!"
Seeing Kobe's furious scoring, the Eastern Conference players were actually a bit annoyed.
Because in previous All-Star Games, intense play usually only started in the last few minutes of the final quarter.
But looking at Kobe, it seemed he wanted to enter berserk mode from the very beginning of the game!
But the problem was, everyone was playing no-defense, so was his scoring really meaningful?
So, when Kobe hit another three-pointer from beyond the arc, Howard, unable to stand it, proactively taunted him:
"Hey, Kobe, you're not trying to break your personal scoring record in this game, are you?
If you are, just say the word, and we can help you break that record!"
After hearing Howard's words, the Eastern Conference players instantly couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
Everyone could tell that Howard was joking, but after hearing it, Kobe's face instantly darkened.
He glared fiercely at Howard and shouted:
"Kid, that's not funny!
For me, when I step onto the court, I'm here for victory!
I won't just stand by and watch the game be lost!
Especially when I'm healthy!
So, if you can't stand it, you're welcome to come and stop me!
Of course, I'm saying this to all of you as well!
If you don't stop me, just wait and watch me break the scoring record!
I will absolutely show no mercy!"
Kobe's words made the Eastern Conference players look at each other, and even the Western Conference players were stunned.
Because before the game started, Kobe hadn't told them he wanted to win this game. At that time, Kobe looked very serious, as if he had something very important on his mind.
Now it seemed he had that expression because he wanted to win this game.
But what puzzled them was, what would winning this game accomplish?
After learning about Kobe's thoughts, Howard's expression became a bit awkward. He really was just joking.
He didn't expect Kobe to take it seriously and even spray him in front of so many people?
Didn't he care about his reputation?
Since he said that, he should also show him a thing or two!
So, in the upcoming game, Howard also began to relentlessly attack the Western Conference's basket!
In response to Howard, Kobe launched an even fiercer counterattack!
He started relentlessly targeting Howard, using various scoring methods under Howard's defense, including driving layups, pull-up jumpers, and step-back three-pointers!
In short, Kobe brought out all his skills, just to humiliate Howard.
And Howard, due to his height and slow movement speed, was indeed completely outplayed by Kobe. He simply couldn't defend Kobe, which made Howardextremely irritated.
What angered Howard even more was that every time Kobe scored over him, he would shout at him with a disdainful look:
"Hey, you can't guard me!
None of you can guard me!
All of you Eastern Conference guys are trash!"
At this point, Kobe had already scored 38 points in a single quarter, and his shooting touch was incredibly hot!
At this moment, the basket, in Kobe's eyes, was truly as wide as the ocean, no wonder he was so arrogant.
And after hearing Kobe's taunts towards Howard, the other Eastern Conference players couldn't stand it anymore.
So, in the time that followed, Eastern Conference players took turns defending Kobe.
But Kobe's shooting touch was simply too good. Neither Wade nor James could effectively contain Kobe, and his scoring continued!
The entire Eastern Conference was being torn apart by Kobe alone!
Of course, this was when Chen Hao was not on the court!
So, by the end of the first quarter, the Eastern Conference Head Coach looked at Chen Hao with a frustrated expression and said:
"Hey, Chen, do you really not want to go up there and teach Kobe a lesson?
That guy is just too accurate today!
He's tearing apart all our players.
If you don't go up there, no one will be able to stop him!"
To the Head Coach's inquiry, Chen Hao silently shook his head and said:
"This game has no meaning at all. What if we win?
He's only beating others, not me!
I don't need to go on the court!"
In Chen Hao's opinion, Kobe was just showing off in front of his teammates right now, and he had no need to stick up for them.
Unless that guy was blind and insisted on showing off in front of him, then Chen Hao would consider letting Kobeclearly see his own strength.
Just at this moment, the second quarter began!
Chen Hao still chose not to play, and when the Fans saw Chen Hao still sitting on the bench, they all started shouting Chen Hao's name, wanting him to play.
After all, the Eastern Conference was already trailing by as many as 30 points, with the score already at 70:40!
The Eastern Conference players couldn't stop Kobe, so the only person who had a chance to stop Kobe was Chen Hao. Of course, they hoped Chen Hao would play!
However, despite the Fans' requests, Chen Hao still chose not to play, and Kobe continued to display his fierce offensive desire.
When there were five minutes left in the second quarter, after Kobe hit a three-pointer over James' defense, he shouted loudly at James:
"You can't guard me!
None of you can guard me!
You might as well double-team me!
Besides double-teaming, you have no other options!
Even if that guy sitting on the bench comes on, he won't be able to do anything to me!"
Perhaps it was because he was hyped up, or perhaps it was because his shooting touch was simply too good today, but after Kobe shouted at James, he still felt it wasn't enough. At this moment, he actually turned to face Chen Hao and shouted loudly at him:
"Hey, Chen Hao, do you see that?
I've torn apart all your teammates!
Are you too scared to come on the court because of me?
I can tell, you're really scared stiff by me!
Don't look so calm, your heart is actually panicking like crazy!
Am I right?!
Hahahahaha"
At this point, Kobe was completely hyped up, which was actually very understandable.
Anyone who loves playing basketball should have had their own highlight moments, the so-called entering the "zone mode."
The "zone mode" essentially means having an incredibly hot shooting touch, where every shot goes in, and no matter how the opponent defends, scoring over the defender's head is effortless.
So, people who enter that state genuinely develop a huge illusion:
That is, he can defeat all players, he can disregard all defense!
Currently, Kobe was precisely in such a state, which is why he shouted such words at Chen Hao!
Originally, Chen Hao didn't want to bother with Kobe, after all, that guy just wanted to rack up points.
But now, this guy was actually provoking him in front of all the Fans, even saying that he was too scared to play?
Chen Hao was truly amused by Kobe's audacity!
"Lao Da, Lao Da, you really shouldn't have provoked me at this moment!
Since you're looking for death, I can only grant your wish!"
So, with five minutes left in the second quarter, Chen Haoslowly stood up and turned to look at the Head Coach:
"Hey, Coach, someone wants to step all over me right now.
I'll go up and play with him then!"
After hearing Chen Hao's words, the Eastern Conference Head Coach instantly became excited and nodded frantically, saying:
"It should have been this way a long time ago!"
Thus, the Eastern Conference requested a substitution!
Chen Hao replaced James, and Chen Hao matched up against Kobe!