Come On, You Can Do It

"Shaquille O'Neal!" "Shaquille O'Neal!" "Shaquille O'Neal!"...

"Kobe Bryant!" "Kobe Bryant!" "Kobe Bryant!"...

"Gary Payton!" "Gary Payton!" "Gary Payton!"...

Amidst the cheers of the fans, the Los Angeles Lakers F3 walked out of the player tunnel one after another.

As for Karl Malone, he was absent from this game due to a knee injury.

On the other side, Goodwin watched as the superstars he had previously only been able to chase on television stood alive and well right in front of him, his heart racing and his hands trembling.

Am I really playing on the same court as them? This isn't a dream, is it?

Goodwin couldn't help but raise his hand and slap himself across the face.

Smack! A loud, crisp sound.

His teammates on the side looked on, completely bewildered. "Goodwin, what's wrong with you?"

"Yes! It's not a dream, I'm really standing at the Staples Center to play against them." Feeling the pain radiating from his face, Goodwin clenched his fists in excitement.

Unable to watch any longer, Paul Pierce walked over and gave Goodwin a kick: "Goodwin, what are you doing?"

Goodwin seemed not to feel the pain, turning to look at Paul Pierce excitedly: "Senior Paul, I'm so excited right now. I never thought I'd be able to play against such superstars one day—Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, OMG!"

Shaquille O'Neal, the most dominant interior player in the NBA; Kobe Bryant, the most dominant guard since Jordan retired; "The Glove" Gary Payton, the only point guard in NBA history to be named Defensive Player of the Year.

At this moment, it was hard for Goodwin to express his emotions in words.

Hearing Goodwin's words, the corners of Paul Pierce's mouth curled up slightly; once upon a time, he had felt this way too.

Paul Pierce reached out and patted Goodwin on the shoulder: "Goodwin, the best way to make them remember you is to beat them on the court."

Beat them?

Two seconds later, Goodwin nodded solemnly and said: "Senior Paul, I will try my best."

The warm-up ended, and the starting players from both sides took off their warm-up jackets and stepped onto the court.

Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup: Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Rick Fox, Slava Medvedenko, Shaquille O'Neal.

Boston Celtics starting lineup: Mike James, Paul Pierce, Goodwin, Vin Baker, Mark Blount.

Shaquille O'Neal and Mark Blount arrived at the center of the court, standing on opposite sides, both preparing for the jump ball.

Beep. As the whistle blew, the game officially began.

Thwack.

Shaquille O'Neal won the tip-off without any surprise.

The Los Angeles Lakers gained the first possession of the game.

Gary Payton dribbled the ball across half-court and flicked his wrist, passing it to Kobe Bryant on the left.

The moment Kobe Bryant caught the ball, Rick Fox ran over to set a screen for him.

Using the screen, Kobe Bryant drove toward the middle.

"Goodwin, help defend!" Paul Pierce shouted as he navigated around the screen to recover.

Goodwin had already prepared to help on defense.

At the same time, Mark Blount shifted over from the interior, forming a defensive circle with Paul Pierce and Goodwin.

Facing such a trap, Kobe Bryant didn't slow down at all; in fact, he accelerated, crossing the free-throw line in an instant before leaping into the air.

Mark Blount jumped, raising his hands high, with one hand even pressing against the ball.

At the same time, Paul Pierce and Goodwin also jumped.

Mid-air, Kobe Bryant pulled the ball back to his waist, flicked his fingers with force, and the ball flew through the gap in the defensive circle.

(꒪ꇴ꒪(꒪ꇴ꒪ ;) Huh?

Shock was written all over the faces of Paul Pierce and his two teammates. How could he pass that out?

The ball went to the unguarded The Diesel, Shaquille O'Neal, in the paint.

I'm coming, old buddy!

The rim: NO!

Shaquille O'Neal jumped and slammed the ball into the rim with both hands.

Boom.

The immense force caused the rim to shake violently.

"Ahhhhh!" "Ooooooh!" "Ahhhhh!" "Ooooooh!" "Ahhhhh!" "Ooooooh!"... In an instant, the entire Staples Center erupted.

0:2

The connection between the OK Duo successfully helped the team score first.

Goodwin stared blankly at the backs of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Is this the OK Duo?

Amazing ୧(๑•̀◡•́๑)૭

The Boston Celtics inbounded the ball in the backcourt, passing it to Mike James, who quickly dribbled across half-court.

As soon as he crossed half-court, Goodwin began running off-ball, sprinting toward the paint.

After taking just two steps, Goodwin slammed on the brakes, pushed off hard with his right foot, and cut back toward the perimeter.

What?

Rick Fox scrambled to chase after him.

Goodwin reached the left 45-degree three-point line, and the ball arrived right as he did; Mike James delivered the pass immediately.

Upon receiving the ball, Goodwin set his feet for a shot.

"Don't even think about it!" Rick Fox lunged over, jumping with all his might, determined to block Goodwin's perimeter shot.

Seeing this, Goodwin instantly changed his mind; instead of forcing the shot, he took one dribble to the left, evaded Rick Fox's block, aimed, jumped, hung in the air, and released the ball.

The ball traced a beautiful arc through the air.

Swish.

The three-pointer was good.

3:2

"Yes!" After scoring, Goodwin clenched his right fist, pumped it into the air, and shouted in excitement.

He immediately turned and ran toward Mike James, saying, "Mike, keep passing to me. I'm in great form today."

"No problem." Mike James couldn't have asked for more; before Goodwin joined the rotation, Mike James averaged only 3.6 assists per game, but since Goodwin's arrival, that average had climbed to 6.8—a massive increase of 3.2.

He was practically an assist-generating machine.

What point guard wouldn't love a shooter like that?

"Shoot boldly, shoot with confidence, Goodwin," Mike James said with a smile.

Once Goodwin got his shot going, it was a good thing for the Boston Celtics, especially when facing a team like the Los Angeles Lakers that possessed such a dominant interior presence.

Even though Shaquille O'Neal averaged 2.5 blocks per game, just his mere presence in the paint exerted a natural pressure on any player driving inside.

If they couldn't attack from the perimeter, the game would essentially be over right there.

Gary Payton walked up to Rick Fox and reminded him, "Fox, you can't let him get open looks. His perimeter shooting is extremely accurate."

A shooter who averaged 56% from three-point range and 66% from the field—comparable to an interior player's efficiency—was essentially giving away points if left open.

Rick Fox nodded.

The Los Angeles Lakers reorganized their offense. This time, Gary Payton and Shaquille O'Neal ran a pick-and-roll; as soon as Shaquille O'Neal rolled, he drew the full attention of the Boston Celtics, leaving Gary Payton wide open as he drove in.

"Swish." Gary Payton scored with a floater.

3:4

The Los Angeles Lakers took the lead once again.

"Faster on the help defense!" Doc Rivers shouted from the sidelines.

This was the power of the OK Duo; whether it was Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O'Neal, both put immense pressure on the Boston Celtics' defense.

Come on, you guys can do it.

Doc Rivers silently cheered his players on.