"Basketball is played by five people. The responsibility for losing falls on the whole team."
"He was the one who dragged us back from the mire of being behind. Without his explosion, we would've lost the right to compete long ago."
"That shot missed by the tiniest margin. Anyone could have made an error under that kind of extreme physical strain."
"Don't place the entire burden of one loss on a young man's shoulders."
"We gave it everything we had. The series has only just begun. We still have a chance."
After O'Neal finished speaking, he declined any further questions, pushed through the crowd, and headed for the Lakers' locker room.
Meanwhile, in the TNT studio, the three commentators were discussing the interview in real time.
Kevin Harlan leaned back in his chair, deeply moved.
"O'Neal's remarks showed the leadership of this team."
"He didn't blame Kobe for the loss. Instead, he chose to shoulder it for the entire team."
Marv Albert nodded.
"Kobe taking all the responsibility upon himself was also a rare display of accountability."
"But we have to face reality. Tonight's Lakers loss was absolutely not the problem of a single player."
Bill Walton spoke slowly.
"This is the cruelty of the NBA Finals. You can put up an epic individual performance and still fail to come away with the win."
"The resilience of the OK Duo is already enough to command respect."
The camera returned to the Lakers' tunnel as the players entered the closed locker room.
The atmosphere in the room was oppressive, the air thick with the scent of sweat and disappointment.
The players sat down one after another. Some lowered their heads and wiped away sweat, while others leaned against their lockers without saying a word.
Phil Jackson slowly walked to the middle