Near-Kill and Counter-Kill

The Boston Celtics bench fell deathly silent, as if time itself had frozen.

They stared wide-eyed at everything happening on the court, unable to believe it. Just moments ago, they had held a four-point lead, with victory seemingly within reach.

Yet their opponents had pulled off a four-point play and dragged the game into overtime. They found the result hard to accept, and even the usually composed Goodwin was no exception.

Goodwin was filled with disappointment and anger. He had thought he was only one step away from lifting the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy he had dreamed of.

But now, all that effort had gone to waste. He wanted nothing more than to curse Tony Allen out, but after taking several deep breaths, he realized it would be pointless.

Even if he cursed at him, it would not change the fact that they had been forced into overtime.

Besides, a fierce overtime battle still awaited them, and the team still needed Tony Allen's strength.

When Tony Allen returned to the bench, he stood there in a daze, his face white as paper. He slapped himself hard twice, the crisp sounds echoing through the air.

Yet no one comforted him. Even his teammates remained silent. Everyone was drowning in immense disappointment, unable to say a word.

Coach Jack looked helplessly at his players. He knew what losing this game would mean for the team.

At best, losing would allow their opponents to pull one game back; at worst, it could even become the turning point of the series.

Just then, the seasoned veteran The Diesel Shaquille O'Neal rose to his feet. He clapped his massive hands together, producing a thunderous sound, and shouted, "Everyone! What are you doing? We haven't lost yet! It's only tied—we still have overtime waiting for us!