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Closer look Stojakovic's 3-point title marred by controversyPosted: Sunday February 09, 2003 2:13 AMUpdated: Sunday February 09, 2003 3:33 AM
By Marty Burns, SI.com ATLANTA -- In golf, it's called a mulligan. On the playground, it's called a do-over. Either way, it often leads to controversy, grumbling and cries of foul. It was no different Saturday night at the 3-point Shootout at Philips Arena. When Kings forward Peja Stojakovic was granted a "do-over" during the final round of his head-to-head battle with Grizzlies swingman Wes Person -- enabling him to win the contest and the $25,000 prize -- many fans and participants were left arguing over whether Person had been robbed. "It's tough," Celtics forward Antoine Walker said. "But when the buzzer went off, it took Peja out of rhythm." "It was unfortunate," added Hornets guard David Wesley. "But I think it was fair they gave him another shot." The controversy began midway through the final round, after Stojakovic and Person had eliminated Walker, Wesley, Brent Barry and Pat Garrity. Stojakovic and Person each scored 20 points in the final round, so a tiebreaker was needed. Stojakovic was to shoot first. He was doing reasonably well, too, until midway through the third rack, when the buzzer mistakenly went off. Stojakovic stopped briefly. Then, realizing that the clock was still running, the 6-foot-9 Yugoslavian resumed shooting.
Immediately it was decided that Stojakovic should be given another chance. He made the most of it, racking up 22 points to easily defeat Person, who put up 16. "That buzzer, it kind of threw me off," Stojakovic said. "I'm glad they realized that [and let me] go again. They did the right thing." Person, who finished runner-up for the second year in a row, seemed to view it differently. Though he didn't complain, he did point out that the league's decision to let Stojakovic shoot again had a negative impact on his strategy. After expecting to go last in the two-man final round, Person suddenly had to shoot first so that Stojakovic could rest. "I shot before him, and you know how it is when you compete," Person said. "You see what's out there on the board and just try to go out there and beat that." For Person, it was yet another heartbreaking result in the 3-point shootout. Last year he lost to Stojakovic 9-5 in a tiebreaker in the final round. Though he tried to smile after Saturday's strange ending, David Wesley said the disappointment was etched on his friend's face. "Yeah, he probably is a little [upset]," Wesley said. "It was just unfortunate. I would have liked to have seen Peja finish without that disruption. It would have been interesting." Though disappointed, Person didn't leave empty-handed. He still took home $15,000 for finishing second. He also showed NBA fans that if he's not the best 3-point shooter in the game, he still possesses one of its prettiest strokes. As for Stojakovic, he joined an elite group of players with multiple 3-point contest trophies. Fair or not, his name goes in the record book as the 2003 Shootout champion. But as Phil Jackson might say, this one probably deserved an asterisk.
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Peja Stojakovic reflects on his controversial 3-point Shootout victory. 
