The NBA HORSE Challenge started with Chauncey Billups scoring an upset over betting favorite Trae Young and then saw Mike Conley Jr. dominate thanks to ambidexterity and an indoor gym against Tamika Catchings. The most fun competition of the first round, though, was the third matchup that pitted Paul Pierce against Zach LaVine, as the two had some funny banter as well as some of the most fun creativity we’ve seen.
The key to HORSE being good is when folks try things that aren’t normal shots, and that’s what both of them did pretty well with their creativity, even trying some goofy stuff off the top of their heads.
Zach giving PP34 the work early!@ZachLavine: NO LETTERS@PaulPierce34: H-O
: @espn pic.twitter.com/1hzY2PSUr6
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 13, 2020
The “no dunk” rule they put in might as well have been the “Zach LaVine Rule” but he found a way to circumvent that rule by still doing wildly athletic shot attempts, like this tap the backboard reverse layup that Pierce couldn’t even get an attempt on.
NBA HORSE Challenge
“Tap the backboard with the left… reverse on the right!”@ZachLaVine leads @paulpierce34 in Round 1 of the NBA Horse Challenge presented by State Farm! pic.twitter.com/shiBmGyunK
— NBA (@NBA) April 13, 2020
Finally, LaVine went off the court and fired in the game-winner from the dirt outside his halfcourt, forcing Pierce to try something similar from the grass, which he was unable to do.
“I’m in the dirt. Show him I’m in the dirt.” @ZachLaVine wins in a familiar way… with a deep triple.
: NBA Horse Challenge presented by State Farm on
ESPN pic.twitter.com/XyNZYjKO6k— NBA (@NBA) April 13, 2020
It was a highly entertaining 5-0 skunk from LaVine, but the worst part was we never got to see what Paul Pierce had planned for his little pink scooter he wheeled out to tease some weirdness that was coming if he ever got to choose the next shot.