I only chose this picture for one reason -- Sam Cassell's in the background.

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will both participate in the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, which will be held next Saturday, February 19. (Celtics.com)

Reigning champion Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics will defend his title in this year’s Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Staples Center in Los Angeles as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night. Rounding out the field are All-Stars Ray Allen of the Celtics and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Daniel Gibson of the Cleveland Cavaliers, James Jones of the Miami Heat, and Dorell Wright of the Golden State Warriors. Allen won the contest in 2001.

In case anyone was wondering, I have won one of the two three-point contests I’ve participated in. The contest I didn’t win, however, was bad. It was at a high school all-star game (yeah, I find it hard to believe I was in the all-star game, too), and I choked. We used the same rules as the NBA contest, and I made something like eight shots. I’m not sure the exact number, because I’ve tried to wipe the memory as far away from my brain as possible. But I missed a lot more than I made. I even started out my very first rack with an airball. Talk about embarrassing. And, believe it or not, I was actually a pretty good shooter.

Come to think about it, my three-point contest win wasn’t much better than the loss. I am a 23-year old man (and I use the term “man” loosely) who made my JV basketball players (all freshmen or sophomores in high school) hold a shootout just so I could earn victory. But when you’re as old and out of shape as I am, you’ve gotta do SOMETHING to boost the ego, right? And at least I won. Beating kids barely half my age is better than losing to them.

I’m a little disappointed Shaq, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins didn’t make the cut, but there’s always next year.