Phil Jackson: Do I Still Have a Chance?

Yao Ming had a chance for the extra free throw.

Just then, a short whistle sounded from the sideline as Harris substituted Jimmy Butler in for Knight.

The substitution came earlier than usual, clearly related to that previous offensive possession.

When Knight saw that he was the one being taken out, he slapped his thigh, then shook his head in slight frustration.

Yao Ming made the extra free throw.

19-10.

The Lakers were starting to stretch the lead toward double digits.

At the crucial moment, the one who stepped up for the Clippers was still Kobe. He took Nash's pass, gave a pump fake, drove toward the baseline, and hit his signature spinning Fadeaway.

Swish!

The ball dropped cleanly through the net.

The gap was back to seven points.

As Kobe retreated into position, he rapidly directed his teammates again.

Clearly, the Black Mamba had sensed the approaching danger.

The Lakers made another small adjustment on offense.

Sun Hao fed the ball to Yao Ming inside again.

The ox was still needed to plow the field. After resting for a while, it was time to get back to work.

But Kobe's defensive directing had worked well. The Clippers rotated over from the weak side, leaving an open shooter on the weak-side perimeter.

Last possession, it had been Knight. This time, it was Jimmy Butler, who had come in for Knight.

Butler was not a great three-point shooter either, but unlike Knight, he dared to shoot.

When he received the pass and saw that he was open, he took aim and let it fly.

Butler's three-point shooting had always been a mystery throughout history.

He could shoot close to 40 percent from beyond the arc in one season, then fall below 30 percent the next.

He simply lacked a shooter's natural