Sprewell froze for a moment, then erupted in even greater fury. He roared at the referee, complaining nonstop about the unfair treatment.
Jeff Van Gundy hurried to the sideline and grabbed Sprewell, trying to stop him from doing anything else rash.
But Sprewell had completely lost his reason. He shook off Van Gundy's hand and stared daggers at the fans hurling abuse at him from the stands.
Amid the cheers and insults from the crowd, Sprewell turned toward the players' tunnel. When he reached the entrance, he stopped.
He slowly raised his right hand and flipped off the Lakers fans in the stands, his eyes brimming with contempt and rage.
The arena instantly erupted in an uproar. The fans' insults grew even fiercer, and the referee shook his head, signaling for staff to escort him out as quickly as possible.
Sprewell did not care in the slightest. A mocking smile curled his lips as he walked into the tunnel without looking back.
He knew the gesture would definitely earn him a fine from the league, but he no longer cared.
The score had reached 58–36. The Knicks trailed by a full 22 points, and their hopes of a comeback were growing slim.
Li Fei watched Sprewell disappear down the tunnel without a flicker of emotion in his eyes. He simply turned around and returned his focus to the game.
He knew this was no time for complaints or anger. No matter how far they fell behind, he would fight until the final second.
In the third quarter, Li Fei's shooting remained red-hot. He not only scored himself but also tried to get his teammates going, dishing out several assists.
Stephen Jackson came off the bench to try to fill the void left by Sprewell's departure. He knocked down a three