Asked by Kenny Smith in a pre-match interview what it would take to become the first player to win both a 3-point and Slam Dunk match, Zach LaVine shot straight.
“Make more shots than the other guys.”
But the Bulls guard’s 22 points were not enough to come out of the first round of the 2021 three-point game, just before the All-Star game. LaVine finished tied with Donovan Mitchell for fourth place on the field, ahead of Jaylen Brown (17) but behind Steph Curry (31), Mike Conley (28) and Jayson Tatum (25).
“I was upset about myself. I missed them green money balls again, that’s what’s holding you back,” LaVine said. “If you make one of them, it really helps worth three points.”
LaVine embarked on its money ball strategy one year after bowling out 23 points in the 2020 qualifier in the first round. He canned 3 of his 5 money balls from the left corner, a zone from which he shot 5-for-5 last season (en route to 10-for-10 from the corners, overall) and has 59.3 percent of his efforts in the 2020-21 campaign.
Eventually, Curry’s first round 31 sank him. The Warriors star was last of the five contestants, beating LaVine and Mitchell from draw for third to outside to look inside.
“Relying on him (Curry) to get a lower score than you enter the last man is not the man you count on,” LaVine cracked. “I almost turned on my warm-up at that point.”
Tatum burned out in the second round with 17, while Conley stayed warm until position 27. For a moment, it looked like Curry would fall short, but a stormy tear cut off by a money ball 3 took him to 28 and printed after his second. 3-point match victory in career.
If LaVine wants to make the said piece of history, it will have to wait another year.
Click here to subscribe to the Bulls Talk Podcast for free.
Download
Download MyTeams today!
