SALT LAKE CITY – Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley stood sideways, their arms wrapped around each other as they watched Steph Curry’s last shot rise.
The final blow would determine whether Conley’s great performance in the NBA 3-point contest would be immortalized with a trophy or simply a plan in another shooting award for Curry.
Well, at least Conley made the greatest shooter in NBA history sweat a little.
Mitchell and Conley smiled and returned to everything except distrust after Curry drilled his final blow to beat Conley 28-27 in the final round of the 2021 NBA 3-point contest.
In fact, even though everyone was trying to move him as things got tighter and tighter, Conley knew how it would end.
“I looked up and I liked ‘Oh, I’m up and he has one more ball left – if he misses that, I’ll win,'” Conley said. “But I knew, I only knew deep down. He’s the best shooter of all time, for a reason.”
Conley was a disappointment, however. He learned he was replacing injured Phoenix guard Devin Booker on Friday; and given the amount of entertainment he brought, it was a good thing that he was the one who got that call. Without Conley in Sunday’s competition, Curry, who also won the competition in 2015, could just as well have made early victory rounds around the horn. No one else was even close.
Conley and Curry were the first two players in both rounds. Conley had a phenomenal opening round, amassing 28 points, while Curry, the last in rotation, made a strong statement, effortlessly scoring 31 points.
Jayson Tatum also advanced in the final round by 25. Mitchell, Zach LaVine and Jaylen Brown were eliminated after the first round. Mitchell, who finished with 22 points, was a little disappointed. Especially because he got the best score during the training session.
“I was looking forward to being there,” Mitchell said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t show it. So I’m very disappointed, I won’t lie to you.”
But he was happy to see that Conley had her in the competition.
Tatum was the first to shoot the championship round and it quickly became clear that he would not be able to keep up with the pace he set in the opening round. He struggled to find any rhythm and finished with only 17 points.
Then came Conley. After an inconsistent start on the opening shelves, Conley found his way. He made 4 out of 5 of his money (where each shot is worth 2 points) right away, hit the 30-foot shot with 3 points and then was perfect from the final corner.
This performance put some pressure on Curry to rise to the height of his great reputation. Curry missed his first four shots in the final round, which made some people talk next to Conley.
“Everyone around me kept saying, ‘Uh-oh, Mike; u-oh, Mike, “I would have won,” Conley said. “I’m like, ‘Everyone shut up, shut up, shut up.’ As soon as they started talking, Steph caught fire. “
Curry found his rhythm, hit both 3s deep and then it all came down to the last shot.
“(My mind) was kind of left blank,” Curry said when asked about the moment he was defeated in front of an almost empty arena. “Any crowd is here, I could hear the temperature rise a little bit. It was a wonderful competition. I’m glad I did.”