Printed along the bottom of the photo was a line: "2–2. Game 5. New York."
The article read: "The fans at Madison Square Garden have witnessed many great performances. They have seen Li Fei score 55 in a single game, Sprewell turn a steal into a thunderous dunk, and Houston hit a midrange buzzer-beater. But in Game 5, they need to see more. Because the Lakers are back. Kobe will not give up. O'Neal will not give up. Phil Jackson will not give up. The Knicks need to win Game 5 at home, or the balance of this series will swing decisively toward the Lakers."
The Los Angeles Times headline carried a confidence and arrogance unique to Los Angeles: "2–2! Lakers win another at home to bring the series back to square one. Kobe scores 32, O'Neal posts 24 points and 15 rebounds, OK Duo erupts as Knicks' Li Fei fouls out."
The Chicago Tribune headline had a neutral, almost clinical composure: "NBA Finals tied 2–2, Game 5 set for New York. This series has become a best-of-three battle."
NBC radio's headline was the shortest, and the most powerful: "2–2. Game 5. New York."
That night, fans across the United States went wild.
It was not just one side's fans going wild. It was everyone.
Because this meant the series would last at least two more games.
Maybe three. Maybe four. Nobody knew, but everyone wanted to watch.
On Twitter's trending list, "NBA Finals 2–2" ranked first, "Game 5" second, "Li Fei fouls out" third, "Kobe 32 points" fourth, and "O'Neal 24+15" fifth.
On Reddit's NBA forum, a post was upvoted onto the front page.
Its title was "Lakers win two straight—this series is going to Game 7."
The post read: "In Game 3, the Lakers won by 14. In