Late at night in Manhattan, New York, the lights still blazed brightly.
The fans around Madison Square Garden gradually dispersed after their celebration.
But the Lakers' designated road training gym and meeting room remained brightly lit.
Having just suffered a heartbreaking Game 1 loss on a buzzer-beater, not a single Lakers player went to rest early.
The entire team gathered for an emergency closed-door postgame review.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was oppressive and somber, without arguments or complaints.
The air was thick with intense unwillingness, exhaustion, and regret.
Every player wore a grave expression after the defeat.
They had long since changed out of their jerseys and into casual training clothes, but the fatigue from sweat-soaked bodies still showed between their brows.
Toni Kukoč lowered his head and rubbed his palm in silence.
Steve Kerr leaned against the back of his chair, his brow slightly furrowed as he replayed the game's details over and over.
Glen Rice sat with his hands folded on the table, his eyes vacant and filled with regret.
They had given everything throughout the game, only to fall in the final second.
The crushing frustration of coming so close yet falling short hung heavily over the entire team.
Shaquille O'Neal sat in the front row, his massive body leaning slightly forward.
The dominant big man was unusually quiet, his expression serious and exhausted.
Forty-eight minutes of high-intensity physical offense and defense had drained most of his energy.
But compared to physical exhaustion, the psychological blow was even harder for him to let go.
Kobe sat closest to the podium, his posture straight and his back taut.
Unlike the other dejected players, there was no despair in his eyes, only blazing anger.
In his mind, he replayed that final game-winning three-pointer that had hit the