Overtime began, and the Lakers sent out PG Kobe Bryant, SG Eddie Jones, SF Bruce Bowen, PF Ben Wallace, and C Shaquille O'Neal.
Campbell was completely out of gas. Against Barkley, he had been utterly helpless. Harris could only send Ben in to guard him and see how it went.
Houston made no adjustments. Their stars were all unwilling to come off the court for a rest.
Overtime began, and O'Neal won the tip against Olajuwon.
"Old man, are you tired? Why not sit on the sidelines and watch me perform?"
"Little fatty, don't cry later."
Kobe brought the ball up, and Drexler was still assigned to defend him. As long as Drexler was willing to keep guarding him, Rudy Tomjanovich would not undermine his star player's confidence.
Kobe looked straight at Drexler. His defense had already reached its limit, but his stamina had slowed his feet and made shifts in his center of gravity harder to control. This was a major reason Kobe had exploded in the fourth quarter. A Drexler at his peak was not someone the current Kobe could simply destroy.
But now, Drexler was no longer an opponent Kobe needed to worry about.
Kobe lowered his body and drove down the left with a crossover. His explosive power and incredible coordination instantly created separation from Drexler.
Damn it, this kid was really hard to deal with. Drexler turned around and could only see Kobe's back.
Kobe faced Olajuwon's help defense, while Barkley rotated over to cover O'Neal. Any pass would be a turnover!
Kobe did not pass. He soared into the air, drifted backward, and released the ball at the limit against Olajuwon's block attempt.
It went in again!
That shot had nearly been swatted away. Olajuwon's help-side shot-blocking was simply too strong.
"You won't be