The quiet pause at the end of the third quarter saw the dead silence inside the Staples Center continue to spread.
More than twenty thousand Lakers fans sat in their seats, remaining silent for a long time.
In a mere twelve minutes, they had witnessed with their own eyes an unbelievable individual performance.
The desperate situation of trailing by eleven points at halftime was forcibly reversed by Li Fei's thirty-five-point single quarter.
At the entrance of the Lakers locker room tunnel, Phil Jackson stood with one hand in his pocket, his expression as calm as still water.
He had witnessed countless superstar explosions in his coaching career, yet he had never seen such an unsolvable dominance from mid-range.
There were no fancy driving dunks or crazy, random three-point shots.
Time and time again, machine-like, steady mid-range pull-up jumpers tore apart all of the Lakers' defensive schemes.
The Lakers players gathered around the tactical board, the atmosphere suppressing them to the absolute limit.
O'Neal breathed heavily, his jersey already thoroughly soaked through with sweat on his chest.
He had engaged in crazy, physical wrestling with Li Fei the entire night, and his physical stamina was already on the verge of exhaustion.
Kobe lowered his head to stare at the ground, a never-before-seen gravity resting in the depths of his eyes.
He had exploded for twenty-four points in the first half and should have led the team to steadily control the situation.
Yet in the span of a single quarter, the situation had completely overturned, leaving their advantage washed away into nothingness.
For the fourth quarter, push the pace, press, and play physical contact.
Phil Jackson's voice was low and powerful, breaking the silence of the locker room.
*Do not give Li Fei any chance to receive the ball easily, and everyone