"You can't stop me." "You can't stop me." "You can't stop me."... The words echoed endlessly in Shaquille O'Neal's ears.
In an instant, O'Neal's apologetic expression vanished, replaced by a murderous look. "Kid, I'm really sorry about what just happened, but this game belongs to me."
O'Neal had tried to help on defense, but he'd charged in too fast to stop himself and crashed straight into Goodwin in midair. He'd also been called for a foul.
That brought O'Neal's foul count to five, just one away from fouling out.
"It's fine. It's part of the game," Goodwin replied.
Goodwin's words also calmed the riled-up Boston Celtics players.
Still, Doc Rivers decided to call a timeout and have the team doctor check Goodwin over.
"Coach, I'm really fine. You're wasting a timeout." With only one timeout left, Goodwin didn't think it was worth using it here.
Doc Rivers shook his head and said earnestly, "It's not a waste at all. You're one of the key players in this game."
The team doctor examined Goodwin, and only after confirming he was fine did Doc Rivers finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Doc Rivers knew exactly how important Goodwin was to the team—not just in this game, but throughout the rest of the regular season and even the playoffs. Without Goodwin, the Boston Celtics' offense would take a serious hit.
When play resumed, Goodwin stepped to the free-throw line to take three shots.
"Boo! Boo! Boo! Boo!" The fans in the arena tried everything to distract Goodwin.
Goodwin remained calm, letting the boos go in one ear and out the other. No matter how loudly they shouted, they couldn't stop him from scoring.
Swish. He made the first free throw.
Swish. He made the second, too.
After he sank the first two, the