Albert added, "And pay attention to the timing and force of Sabonis's pass. He didn't just fling it out there. He released it before O'Neal had fully landed. At that instant, O'Neal's body was still in the air, Fisher's eyes were still on the ball, and Kobe's attention was still on defense. The Lakers' entire transition defense was paralyzed for that one second. Sabonis saw that window, seized it, and tore open the Lakers' defense with a full-court pass."
Harlan concluded, "Sabonis has done three things in this game—converted an and-one over O'Neal, stopped O'Neal's low-post attack one-on-one, and grabbed a rebound before sending a full-court assist to Li Fei for a dunk. None of those are things a thirty-five-year-old veteran should still be able to do. But he did them. Because this is his final season, because these are his final NBA Finals, because this is his last battle."
On the court, Li Fei did not celebrate after the dunk.
He turned and ran back on defense. As he passed Sabonis, he reached out and gave the Lithuanian a pat on the back.
Sabonis did not look at him. He simply nodded.
That nod meant: I told you I would leave everything on the court.
Twenty thousand people were still roaring, and the lights of Madison Square Garden glittered beneath the dome.
Sabonis ran back on defense, bent over, and braced both hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
His knees hurt, his ankles hurt, and his back hurt too. But there was something in his eyes—not exhaustion, but the focus of an old warrior making his final charge.
He looked at O'Neal across from him, and O'Neal looked back. Their gazes met over the center circle. Neither spoke. There was no need.
O'Neal's eyes held anger, incomprehension, and