Jon and Little Danny refused to back down. Gritting his teeth, Jon chased after Little Danny from behind, trying to block the shot. Little Danny was nearly thirty centimeters shorter than Jon, and even after jumping, he couldn't reach as high. But he still clenched his teeth, throwing himself forward with unstoppable determination. He was going to slam that ball in, no matter what.
To make sure of it, he went up with both hands. His hands clamped around the ball like pincers as he drove it toward the rim.
Smack...
Jon's hand hit the ball in Little Danny's hands.
The ball slipped in Little Danny's grasp, nearly flying free.
But only nearly.
Jon failed to knock it loose. Carried by his momentum, his hand struck Little Danny's arm, then continued on and hit him in the head.
If Little Danny had let go and fallen right away, he might not have hit the floor so hard, even if he still fell over on landing.
But Little Danny was willing to risk his life to make that dunk. He didn't let go in midair. Even after losing his balance, he gritted his teeth and forced the ball down through the rim.
At the same time, he lost his balance completely. His back hit the floor almost parallel to it, and he slammed down hard.
The fall was so high that he even bounced slightly after hitting the floor.
"Oh!"
All the fans in the arena cried out in unison. Almost everyone jumped to their feet.
Van Gundy, commentating from the sidelines, cried out, "Oh, no! My God, that fall..."
Ray Allen also let out a startled cry. "Oh, my God..."
He started to make the sign of the cross over his chest.
But he had barely touched the first point