NBA: Be the GOAT starting today!

Chapter 118 Preparations for the Slam Dunk Contest, Christmas Day Approaching

The Olympic Building in New York, NBA headquarters, the president's office.

Stern was sitting behind his desk, looking at the latest news about the Slam Dunk Contest.

Opposite him was Ski Austin, the official in charge of All-Star preparations.

"President, I didn't expect Zhou's decision to ignite the dunk contest so much. The media even hailed this dunk contest as one of the most anticipated dunk contests in history."

As Austin spoke, he looked at the white-haired old man opposite him.

The old man's lips curled up into a faint smile.

Stern recalled the Knicks game a few days earlier, in the second-floor VIP box at Madison Square Garden.

He and Zhou Yi reached an unspoken deal.

The NBA will not limit Zhou Yi's votes, but in exchange, Zhou Yi must actively participate in this All-Star game and create buzz for the league.

Inside the private room, Zhou Yi did not explicitly state what he would do.

Stern originally thought that Zhou Yi would only make some comments in front of the media about actively participating in the All-Star Game, but he didn't expect this kid to make such a big fuss.

Looking at the sports world across the United States right now, countless fans and sports enthusiasts are looking forward to the Dallas All-Star Game in a while.

"This is a great opportunity to generate buzz, and we need to seize it to make the Dallas game a success."

"Ski, make this dunk contest a bit more exciting, get those old guys moving, and let them contribute their remaining energy to the league."

Meanwhile, the entire Clippers team had already flown back to Los Angeles from Oklahoma.

At home, Zhou Yi was reviewing the system in his mind, making plans for the upcoming slam dunk contest.

Look at the opponents in this dunk contest, they're incredibly strong.

Shannon Brown, the Lakers' high-flying man, once dunked over 213cm center Mickey Moore in the preseason. He can easily pull off moves like 360-degree dunks and windmill dunks.

The Bobcats' Elvis Wallace, when he was still with the Kings in 03, also contributed a flying dunk.

He jumped from just inside the free-throw line and dunked over 2.06-meter-tall forward Bostian Nachba.

Andre Iguodala of the 76ers lost to Spud Robinson by only one point in the 06 Slam Dunk Contest, becoming the uncrowned king.

Self-alley-oop windmill dunks, behind-the-back dunks, baseline between-the-legs reverse dunks—these are all signature moves of Andre Iguodala.

What's more, this time there are also Spud Robinson and Dwight Howard participating, and these two have won a total of four Slam Dunk Contest championships.

Zhou Yi is very confident in his jumping height and wingspan, after all, he often delivers impressive dunks in actual games.

LaMarcus Aldridge's dunk of death in the NCAA, a dunk over the Griffin brothers, the Clippers' home court ravages Gasol.

These are all famous moments from Zhou Yi's actual dunks.

However, to be honest, Zhou Yi wasn't entirely confident about this dunk contest.

Because the Slam Dunk Contest is different from a real game, the All-Star stage pursues aesthetics and creativity.

Those players known for their dunks are indeed far superior to some All-Star players in this aspect.

LeBron James repeatedly canceled his participation in the dunk contest due to this concern.

In terms of sheer violence and explosiveness, LeBron is unmatched, but when it comes to aesthetics, LeBron James can only smile and remain silent.

In addition to pursuing aesthetics and creativity, the All-Star Slam Dunk Contest also suffers from referee bias.

For example, Wade's nine points in 20 earned Gordon two uncrowned king titles.

For example, in 24, Jaylen Brown landed blindfolded, and the judges actually gave him 47.6 points, sending him straight to the finals.

Zhou Yi didn't want to be tricked by those old guys when it came to scoring, so he had to make sure that every dunk he made was a perfect score.

Ideally, they should deliver a stunning performance and overwhelmingly defeat everyone to win the championship.

As he pondered this, Zhou Yi finally found what he was looking for in the system.

A showcase of dunking skills by LaVine, Gordon, and McCollum.

Below each of these three individuals' skill sets are detailed descriptions.

[Redeem a skill pack to significantly improve the player's dunking proficiency and slightly increase the required physical requirements.]

Looking at the dunking skill packs of these three players, Zhou Yi was envious and wanted to acquire them all, but his limited exchange points meant he could only choose one.

Ultimately, after comparing and considering various options, Zhou Yi chose Aaron Gordon's dunking skill package.

On the one hand, Gordon's physique is more similar to Zhou Yi's, which allows Zhou Yi to quickly master Gordon's dunking moves.

On the one hand, Zhou Yi wanted this uncrowned king's dunking action to help him lift that damned trophy.

With the consumption of 200 exchange points, Aaron Gordon's dunking skill pack was sent to Zhou Yi's mailbox.

Zhou Yi, who couldn't wait, immediately chose to use it.

Then an indescribable feeling spread throughout his body, and Zhou Yi recalled all of Gordon's moves in the two Slam Dunk Contests.

The feeling was amazing, as if I had just completed those spectacular dunks.

At the same time, Zhou Yi also felt subtle changes in his body; his joints seemed more flexible, and his body's range of motion was enhanced.

This feeling seems to have reached its limit, and it seems that further training can bring some improvement.

Feeling the indescribable changes throughout his body, Zhou Yi clenched his fist.

With his own jumping ability combined with Gordon's spectacular dunking skills, plus his understanding of future creative dunks, he was now determined to win the Dallas All-Star Slam Dunk Contest.

At the Clippers' training facility in Los Angeles, the entire team is engaged in intensive and well-organized training.

Since their road victory against the Thunder in Oklahoma City, the Clippers have had three more games, winning two and losing one.

The Clippers easily defeated the Timberwolves, a weak team in the Western Conference.

Zhou Yi scored 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in three quarters, easily clocking out of get off work.

The Clippers then hosted the Raptors at home, with Bosh and DeRozan determined to secure the victory.

However, after Zhou Yi scored 33 points in three quarters, the two could only fly back to Toronto with a 16-point defeat.

In their final game, the Clippers visited the Denver Nuggets.

Although Zhou Yi put up a spectacular stat line of 26 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks, Carmelo Anthony ultimately prevailed this time.

Facing Zhou Yi's defense, Melo had a miraculous hot streak, making 4 of 6 three-pointers and efficiently scoring 38 points to lead the Nuggets to victory over the Clippers.

After scoring high marks and winning the game, Guagua was all smiles.

And so, the Clippers finished all their games before the Christmas Day game.

The team will then have a two-day break, and then resume play on the evening of December 25th at 12 PM.

The Clippers will host the Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day, a game broadcast nationally on television.

On the court, the Clippers' practice was nearing its end.

Finally, with McMalone's whistle, today's training session came to an end.

Veterans like Baron Davis chose to go home and rest. During the long regular season, training is only one part of their lives; for these old bones, maintenance is the most crucial thing.

DeAndre Jordan and Zhou Yi stayed on the court. Jordan was about to go home, but Zhou Yi stopped him and gave him a helmet.

"Deandre, stay and help me with something."

Zhou Yi's words made DeAndre Jordan nod. As a second-year student, he dared not disobey the team leader's orders.

So on the court, DeAndre Jordan was used as a tool by Zhou Yi, who constantly positioned himself in various spots in front of the basket.

Meanwhile, in the Clippers' general manager's office, round-faced Harden was talking to general manager Hennigan.

"Eric, are you sure? If you are, I'll pass on the message and have the league invite you to participate in this dunk contest."

Behind his desk, Hennigan looked at the round-faced Deng with a face full of doubt.

Opposite him, the round-faced Deng nodded firmly.

"Hmm, I'd also like to try this competition. It'll definitely be exciting with Zhou Yi participating."

Seeing that Roundface had said so, Hennigan didn't ask any more questions.

It's normal for multiple players from one team to participate in the dunk contest, like Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady of the Raptors back in the day.

Hennigan could probably guess what the round-faced Deng was thinking; Zhou Yi quickly became the cornerstone of the Clippers thanks to his unparalleled performance.

And the boss.

The round-faced Deng is positioned as Zhou Yi's future deputy.

This is due to their natural talent, as well as their combined abilities on the court.

Although he was somewhat resentful during the preseason, he quickly accepted reality as Zhou Yi performed better.

However, this dunk contest still sparked the idea in this round-faced young man's mind to compete with Zhou Yi.

After all, the round-faced Harden was the seventh overall pick in the 08 draft, and he has excellent physical talent.

With Hennigan's agreement, Roundfaced Deng thanked him and left the general manager's office.

After closing the door, the round-faced man let out a long sigh of relief.

Participating in the dunk contest was a well-thought-out decision for him. Zhou Yi's strength had made Yuan Lian Deng lose all interest in competing for a place on the team.

However, if he could showcase his talent on the All-Star stage, round-faced Deng would think it would be great.

What if, by some chance, I defeat Zhou Yi and win the slam dunk contest?

That would also show everyone that besides Zhou Yi, the Clippers also have young talents like themselves.

As he pondered this, Roundfaced Deng walked down the corridor toward the court.

Even from quite a distance, Round-faced Deng could hear the occasional thud from the court, followed by the sound of the racks shaking.

Are there still people who haven't gone home? Who could it be?

Curiosity instantly welled up in the round-faced Deng's heart.

Standing at the exit of the corridor, the round-faced Deng looked towards the stadium.

On the court, DeAndre Jordan, wearing a helmet, stood facing the basket, holding a basketball above his head with both hands.

Zhou Yi was warming up in the center circle.

"Zhou Yi is practicing dunks! He must be preparing for the dunk contest."

With a determined look in his mind, the round-faced man leaned over the exit of the corridor and stared intently at the court.

After performing a few jumps in place, Zhou Yi charged directly from the center circle towards DeAndre Jordan.

DeAndre Jordan leaping over 2.11 meters?

The round-faced Deng was immediately shocked. He knew that DeAndre Jordan was a center with a thick frame, and it was extremely difficult for him to jump over him.

Although Roundface Harden has also tried to dunk over other players, those were all relatively thin guards.

Can the I Ching be successful?

Round-faced Deng bit her lip tightly, staring intently at Zhou Yi on the field.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the field...

When Zhou Yi stepped inside the free-throw line, his taut calves gave him the energy to defy gravity.

His body stretched out in the air like a soaring eagle, flying towards DeAndre Jordan.

A dunk over a center is a move that many dunk contest champions attempt, but today Zhou Yi plans to add some more flair.

So in the air, Zhou Yishu unfolded his body and spread his legs.

"shi".

'

Before the round-faced Deng, who was watching from behind, could even finish shouting "Shit!", he witnessed a scene that shattered his worldview on basketball.

Zhou Yi caught the basketball above DeAndre Jordan's head in mid-air, and then executed a perfectly natural between-the-legs pass.

His movements were full of power, yet in an instant, they displayed the ultimate beauty of movement.

Time, gravity, and altitude all seemed to be unable to limit the I Ching at this moment.

With a loud bang, even the ball rack seemed unable to withstand Zhou Yi's torment, letting out a painful groan.

Zhou Yi leaped over the 211cm tall DeAndre Jordan and completed a between-the-legs dunk over him.

After Zhou Yi completed the dunk, the round-faced Deng was stunned for three seconds.

His mouth was so wide open it looked like it could fit an egg, and his eyes were so big they looked like they were about to fall to the ground.

If he remembers correctly, this might be the first NBA player in history to leap 211cm and then perform a between-the-legs hand switch.

Yes, that's right!

There are quite a few players who can do between-the-legs hand switches, and there are also a few players who can leap over 211cm.

However, there is only one player in history who can combine these two movements so smoothly.

A wave of relief mixed with helplessness washed over Roundface Deng.

He was glad he had secretly watched Zhou's dunking practice; otherwise, he wouldn't have known that Zhou had such a powerful move.

He felt powerless because he had actually dared to dream of winning the dunk contest against such a player.

Compared to Zhou Yi's terrifying talent, Round Face Deng suddenly felt that his once proud talent was now just a small stream, while Zhou Yi's talent was the ever-flowing Mississippi River.

Suddenly, Round Face felt that being the assistant to such a monstrous genius was actually quite a blessing.

After figuring all this out, Round-faced Deng quickly ran towards the general manager's office again.

Now he needs to stop Hennigan as soon as possible, lest he submit his name to the dunk contest list.

In his Los Angeles villa, Zhou Yi woke up alone in bed early in the morning.

Today is Christmas, which is equivalent to the Spring Festival in China, so Daddario, Harley Quinn, and White Widow are all at home with their families.

Of course, Zhou Yi also received messages from three people.

Daddario: "Honey, I'll be cheering you on from home, and we'll take down the sun."

Harley Quinn: "Go, Master...!"

White Widow: "Darling, if we win today, I'll grant you the request you made last time."

After replying to the three people one by one, Zhou Yi also packed up his equipment.

Since no one is spending the holiday with me, I might as well go to the gym to practice.

What Zhou Yi didn't know was that at that moment, three planes that had taken off from different points were all on their way to Los Angeles.

The three girls all planned to give Zhou Yi a happy surprise.

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