On the Lakers' offensive possession, Kobe had the ball again. This time, he drove into the paint, drawing Sabonis over to help.
Kobe passed to O'Neal under the basket. O'Neal caught the ball, rose up, and prepared to dunk. But Sabonis did not give up. He turned and lunged at O'Neal, reaching his right hand toward the ball.
It was not a block—it was a disruption. His fingers brushed the side of the ball, changing its trajectory. It struck the rim and bounced up.
Li Fei grabbed the rebound. Knicks ball.
"Sabonis! He disrupted O'Neal's dunk!"
Harlan's voice had already gone hoarse. "
He wasn't defending—he was defending with his life! His knee hurt, his ankle hurt, his back hurt, but he still jumped, still reached out, still got a hand on the ball!"
On the Knicks' offensive possession, Sabonis operated from the high post.
He held the ball with both hands above his head, his eyes sweeping over every teammate on the court.
He saw Li Fei cutting from the weak side, saw O'Neal's attention fixed on him, and saw that the passing lane was clear.
He made the pass.
Not an ordinary pass, but a bounce pass.
The ball bounced past O'Neal's feet and landed precisely in Li Fei's path.
Li Fei caught it, rose up, and dunked it with both hands. 8–2.
"Sabonis with the assist! That's his second assist of the game!"
Harlan's voice echoed from the commentary booth. "His court vision is incredible, and his passing is pinpoint. He knew O'Neal would focus on him, knew Li Fei would cut in from the weak side, knew the bounce pass was the only way around O'Neal. So he made the pass. No hesitation, no second thought."
Walton added, "Among the centers in this league, Sabonis' passing