You Can't Stop Me

"Whistle, whistle." The referee's call signaled the start of the fourth quarter.

Paul Pierce and Vin Baker led three reserves onto the court. The Los Angeles Lakers, by contrast, sent out an all-bench lineup.

Seeing this, the corner of Paul Pierce's mouth curled upward. Who did they think they were looking down on? Did they think a seven-point lead gave them the right to sit on the bench and rest?

In Phil Jackson's eyes, it wasn't about looking down on anyone. He was simply considering the Los Angeles Lakers' situation.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers had assembled the F4 this season and looked formidable on paper, things had actually been going very poorly for them.

Since joining the team, Karl Malone had appeared in only 26 games, averaging 13.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists—a far cry from last season.

Shaquille O'Neal was dealing with an old injury. His leg had been bothering him, so Phil Jackson tried to limit his playing time, especially with the playoffs approaching.

Gary Payton was nearly 36. After years of playing, he was plagued by injuries, and his stamina was nowhere near what it used to be. Just look at this game: guarding the young Goodwin, he'd already hit his limit after only two and a half quarters.

Kobe Bryant had been the one Phil Jackson placed the greatest hopes in, but trouble during the off-season had left him buried in off-court problems, running between courtrooms and the arena. He simply didn't have the time or energy to focus on the game as completely as he had in previous seasons.

Phil Jackson had already begun considering retirement. In fact, he'd thought about it last season, but the team's management had persuaded him to stay for one more year.

Back on the court.

"Clang!" The Los Angeles Lakers missed their first shot.

Vin Baker secured the defensive rebound and passed the ball to reserve guard Ricky Davis.

Ricky Davis pushed the ball quickly across half court, looking for a chance to fast-break.

But the Los Angeles Lakers' reserves hustled back on defense, giving Ricky Davis no opening.

Ricky Davis had no choice but to slow down and wait for his teammates to get into position.

Paul Pierce quickly moved to the low post, spread his arms, planted his backside against the defender behind him, and raised a hand for the ball.

Ricky Davis lobbed it in to Paul Pierce.

The moment Paul Pierce caught the ball, he immediately drove into the defender behind him.

As he pushed forward, he searched for his rhythm.

There it was. This was the spot!

Paul Pierce gathered the ball, turned, jumped, and shot.

The motion flowed seamlessly, and the ball left Paul Pierce's hand, flying toward the basket.

"Swish!" It dropped through the net.

82–87. The gap kept shrinking.

The Staples Center fell silent. They hadn't imagined that a victory that seemed all but guaranteed could vanish in an instant—and that they might even end up being laughed at.

"Defend this possession!" Paul Pierce shouted. They had to take advantage while the Lakers were struggling and tie the game.

"Yeah!"

The Boston Celtics had all the momentum now, while the Los Angeles Lakers looked dispirited.

"Clang!" "Clang!" ... Their successive shots missed.

The Boston Celtics took the opportunity to erase the deficit.

"Timeout!" Phil Jackson called.

87–87, with 8 minutes and 36 seconds remaining.

In just over three minutes, the Boston Celtics had gone on a 7–0 run, bringing both teams back to square one.

"You guys were fantastic!" Doc Rivers praised the players as they came off the court.

He really hadn't expected them to erase the deficit. He'd underestimated them.

The brief timeout ended, and both teams made substitutions, bringing their starters back onto the court.

The showdown was about to begin!

"Whistle!"

The Los Angeles Lakers inbounded from the backcourt. The ball went to Gary Payton, who dribbled across half court and immediately passed it to Kobe on the left.

Kobe leaned into Paul Pierce, then quickly turned and drove to the right.

Paul Pierce hurriedly shifted his feet to the right.

The next moment, Kobe pulled the ball back, stopped on a dime, and rose for the shot. The whole motion was so smooth that Goodwin, watching from nearby, couldn't help admiring it. That was Kobe Bryant.

Not a chance!

Paul Pierce leapt with all his strength, doing everything he could to disrupt Kobe's shot.

But he still couldn't stop Kobe's jumper.

"Swish!" The ball seemed to have GPS, dropping perfectly into the basket.

87–89.

The Los Angeles Lakers had retaken the lead.

"Ahhhhh!" "Awooooo!" "Ahhhhh!" "Awooooo!" "Ahhhhh!" "Awooooo!" ... The Staples Center finally found its voice again. After holding back for several minutes, the fans let it all out at once.

We had Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe, and Gary Payton. How could we possibly lose?

But just over ten seconds later, Paul Pierce answered right back.

He used a series of fakes to create room for a shot and let it fly without hesitation.

Quick as a flash, the shot went in for two.

An answer!

89–89.

"Yes!" Paul Pierce roared.

After that, no matter how the Los Angeles Lakers scored, a Boston Celtics player always stepped up to answer.

Taking the lead, tying it, taking the lead, tying it...

Time flew by. With 2 minutes and 13 seconds left, the score was 98–100, and the Boston Celtics had possession.

"Mike, the ball!" Goodwin used a screen from Mark Blount and ran to the three-point line on the left, about 60 degrees from the basket.

Mike James passed it over immediately.

The pass arrived just as Goodwin did.

Goodwin caught the ball without taking a moment to set himself. He jumped, hung in the air, and released.

"Swish!" The ball dropped neatly into the basket.

Goodwin had hit another three.

It was his seventh three-pointer of the night.

101–100.

The Boston Celtics had taken the lead.

"Ahhhhhhh!" The Boston Celtics bench erupted into wild celebration, cheering like mad. After being held down all game, they could finally let loose.

Shaquille O'Neal's expression changed. He turned to Gary Payton. "Payton, give me the ball."

"Okay!"

The Los Angeles Lakers reset their offense. Gary Payton dribbled across half court, then passed the ball inside to Shaquille O'Neal.

Shaquille O'Neal caught the ball and bulldozed into Mark Blount, who was guarding him. Mark Blount kept stumbling backward, and even when Vin Baker came over to help, they couldn't stop Shaquille O'Neal.

Shaquille O'Neal turned and slammed the ball down with both hands.

101–102.

The Los Angeles Lakers had regained the lead.

Goodwin, nearby, curled his lips into a faint smile. If they couldn't stop them, they'd simply have to outscore them. Three was always worth more than two!

He believed in his three-pointer, especially tonight.

He'd made seven out of eight three-point attempts, an astonishing 87.5 percent. It was like he'd turned on a cheat code.

The Boston Celtics inbounded. Mike James quickly dribbled across half court and looked for Paul Pierce.

But Kobe had Paul Pierce tied up, giving him no chance to get the ball.

Mike James had no choice but to look for Goodwin.

Goodwin ran along the baseline from one end to the other, then slammed on the brakes and sprinted toward the three-point line on the right, at a 45-degree angle.

Rick Fox put every ounce of strength he had into keeping up with Goodwin.

The next moment, a figure stepped in front of Rick Fox.

Thud! Rick Fox ran right into him.

In an instant, Rick Fox lost sight of Goodwin.

Mike James flicked his wrist and sent the ball over.

The instant Goodwin caught it, he jumped, rising into the air.

"Watch out!"

Vin Baker's warning reached Goodwin's ears, but the next second, a massive figure charged toward him.

Goodwin paid no attention. He stuck to his rhythm and released the ball.

The instant it left his hand, there was a thud.

Goodwin was sent flying like a balloon that had been hit.

Then he slammed hard into the floor.

Ow, ow, ow... That hurts.

For a split second, Goodwin felt like he was standing in the middle of the road, about to be hit by a speeding truck.

"WTF, you're trying to kill him!"

"What the hell are you doing, you piece of shit!"

Countless voices rang in Goodwin's ears. He took a moment to recover, then opened his eyes and clutched his aching back as he slowly got up from the floor.

When his teammates saw Goodwin get back up, they didn't bother arguing with Shaquille O'Neal. They went straight over to check on him.

"How are you, Goodwin?"

"Goodwin, are you okay?"

"Goodwin, let the team doctor check you out."

Goodwin shook his head and stared at Shaquille O'Neal nearby, whose face was full of remorse. "You can't stop me."