The timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court.
Both teams kept the same lineups.
The Los Angeles Lakers inbounded from the frontcourt, and Kobe immediately went over to receive the pass.
The ball reached Kobe safely.
Kobe wasted no time attacking after receiving the ball. He used a series of fakes, trying to shake Paul Pierce, but Pierce didn't bite.
Kobe wasn't surprised.
Just then, Shaquille O'Neal came out from the paint.
The Los Angeles Lakers' secret weapon: the OK Pick and Roll!
O'Neal's massive frame blocked Paul Pierce, while Mark Blount didn't step up to help. In an instant, Kobe had room to shoot.
He gathered the ball, bent his knees, jumped, and released.
His shot was picture-perfect. The ball arced through the air and swished straight through the net.
A long two-pointer.
106–106
The Los Angeles Lakers had tied it again.
Clap!
Kobe and O'Neal slapped hands in celebration, then both hustled back on defense.
Paul Pierce and Mark Blount watched them go, a trace of helplessness in their eyes.
The OK Pick and Roll was practically a cheat code!
If they switched, Kobe would be wide open. Against a player like Kobe, who could score from anywhere, that was practically a free basket. But if a big man stepped up to challenge him, that was a free basket too, because O'Neal would immediately roll to the rim.
"It's okay, it's okay!" Doc Rivers shouted from the sideline.
Just then, Phil Jackson, who had been as steady as a rock, walked onto the court and gestured to the players.
The players on the court froze for a moment, especially Kobe.
He hadn't expected Phil Jackson to give that kind of instruction, and he was a little unhappy about it. But Phil was the head coach.
So