The God Yan vs. the Black Mamba!

The first quarter ended.

[Lakers 27:21 Knicks]

The Lakers led by 6.

Even with Su Yan playing well throughout the quarter, the Lakers were still ahead. That showed just how incredible the whole team's performance had been tonight.

After they'd accepted that they were going to lose, they actually played more freely. They weren't tense at all, and that let them perform even better.

This state of mind might not last long, but the Lakers had no other choice. They had to give it a try.

All they could do was fight.

The second quarter began with a battle between the reserves. The Lakers' bench was worse than the Knicks'.

But the same logic applied.

Because the Lakers' reserves were relaxed enough not to care about winning or losing, they just wanted to play at their own pace.

And they played better for it.

The Lakers extended their lead even further.

At the 3:11 mark, the teams made their substitutions.

The Lakers widened their one-point advantage to 9.

Both teams' starters returned.

Su Yan glanced at the scoreboard, a grave look on his face.

He sought out Kobe, accelerated through the contact, and overpowered the Black Mamba... attacking the basket for the score.

Kobe was also on fire. When he faced Su Yan in transition, he didn't call for a screen. He wanted to take him one-on-one.

Kobe was supremely confident.

He charged to the right low post, then followed with a half-turn post-up against Su Yan. With his excellent footwork, he created a step of space... and rose for a fadeaway.

Su Yan chased him down and went for the block. The ball just slipped past his fingertips.

No block.

But Su Yan had seriously disrupted the shot, making it a difficult attempt for Kobe.

Yet, with everyone watching,