The third quarter begins.
Lakers have possession. Fisher brings the ball across half-court and passes it to Kobe at the top of the key.
Inside, O'Neal boxed out Mutombo in a very deep position.
But Kobe didn't even look inside.
He lowered his center of gravity, faced Eddie Jones ' defense, and after a series of changes of direction, pulled up for a jump shot.
Garnett, positioned on the weak side, reacted immediately. Remembering Lin Qi's instructions during halftime, he decisively abandoned his marker, strode into the paint, and stood in front of O'Neal.
Determine a firm front-line defense!
Not only Garnett, but even Pierce, who was guarding Peja, moved two steps closer to the paint. The Celtics ' defense instantly collapsed, with everyone allowing Kobe to go one-on-one and instead piling all their defensive resources around O'Neal.
"Bang!"
With no defensive pressure, Kobe leaned back and shot over Jones ' long arms, but the ball bounced off the rim.
Under the basket, O'Neal, with Garnett flanking him and Mutombo blocking his lower body, had no space to jump and could only watch helplessly as Garnett grabbed the rebound.
As they retreated on defense, O'Neal yelled at the perimeter, "Lend the ball in! I'm calling for the ball, can't you see?!"
Kobe didn't even turn his head, his voice indifferent. "Focus on your rebounds."
This sentence became the last spark that ignited the powder keg.
In the ensuing third quarter, Staples Center witnessed an extremely unusual scene in NBA NBA Finals history.
Because they were certain Kobe wouldn't pass the ball, the Celtics ' defense began to collapse recklessly. As soon as O'Neal got into position, Garnett and Mutombo were like two iron gates, one cutting off the path in front, and the other desperately guarding from behind.
On the perimeter, Kobe completely took over all ball possession.
He pulled up for a jump shot over Eddie Jones ' defense and forced his way through Gary Payton's defense. With his exceptional individual skills, he did make some difficult shots, but under the wear and tear of Boston's relentless pressure, he ended up missing more and more hard-hitting shots.
In the 8th minute of the third quarter, Kobe's turnaround jump shot from the right corner went wide.
In the 11th minute of the third quarter, Kobe attempted a three-pointer over two defenders, but the ball bounced off the rim.
Throughout the third quarter, the Lakers ' offense completely stalled. The Celtics, on the other hand, relied on fast breaks and Garnett's consistent mid-range jumpers to steadily control the pace of the game.
After three quarters, the Celtics led 68-62, a six-point advantage.
The statistics are even more astonishing: O'Neal, who scored 14 points in the first half, only managed a paltry 2 points in the entire third quarter, relying solely on second-chance baskets. He only attempted two shots! Meanwhile, Kobe took a whopping 9 shots in the third quarter, making only 2.
" Shaq is completely isolated." On the NBC commentary desk, Isiah Thomas shook his head as he watched the court. " Boston assumed Kobe wouldn't pass, so they dared to use three players to swarm Shaq. Kobe's inefficient isolation plays are negating the Lakers' biggest advantage in the paint."
Before the start of the fourth quarter, the atmosphere on the Lakers' bench was extremely tense.
O'Neal kicked away the water bottle at his feet and slumped heavily onto the bench, his chest heaving. Phil Jackson, holding his clipboard, was ashen-faced, but unable to mend the rift between the two stars in the brief timeout.
Meanwhile, Lin Qi looked at the technical statistics table, picked up his water glass, and took a sip.
O'Neal currently has only 16 points.
"Keep this defensive strategy." Lin Qi put down his water glass, his tone calm. " Kobe's energy is extremely depleted; his shooting percentage will drop further in the fourth quarter."
However, Lin Qi accurately predicted human nature, but underestimated the individual capabilities of superstars in dire situations.
The decisive fourth quarter has begun.
The Celtics continued to defend Kobe one-on-one. Kobe, whose stamina was waning, missed his first three shots, and the Lakers fell behind by as many as 8 points.
But just as Boston was preparing to close out the game, that young man wearing number 8 displayed an extremely unreasonable scoring instinct.
With 5 minutes remaining, the Celtics led 76-80.
Kobe received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the left side. Facing Gary Payton's close, physical defense, he took a series of crossover steps and then suddenly stopped and leaned back. In a state of extreme imbalance, he evaded Gary Payton's fingertip-sized defense.
"Whoosh!"
Hollow core into the net.
With 2 minutes remaining, the score is 86-88.
Kobe, facing Eddie Jones at the top of the key, drove hard into the paint. Garnett sprinted to help from the weak side, closing in. In the ensuing double-team, Kobe pulled up mid-air and effortlessly flicked the ball away from under Garnett's arm. The basketball spun twice on the rim before sinking into the net.
88-88 square meters.
The previously subdued atmosphere at Staples Center was completely ignited.
"This is illogical!" Thibodeau clutched his head in disbelief on the sidelines. "How did all those ridiculous shot selections go in?!"
Lin Qi stood up, his brows slightly furrowed.
The tactics were sound, and the defense was in position. Kobe struggled in the second half, missing shots and hurting the team at times, but in the crucial final five minutes, he single-handedly pulled the Lakers back from the brink of defeat with sheer individual skill.
With one minute remaining, the Lakers trailed by only one point, 90-91.
The court had completely turned into Kobe's one-on-one stage. O'Neal didn't even set a screen, just stood on the weak side inside, watching coldly.
Kobe dribbled the ball beyond the three-point line, and time ticked away.
Eddie Jones watched Kobe's footsteps, his jersey soaked with sweat.
With 8 seconds left, Kobe made his move.
A probing step to the right, an extremely swift crossover, followed by a large step back! Jones lunged forward with all his might, almost covering Kobe's face.
But Kobe's shooting form remained perfectly intact; with a slight flick of his wrist, the basketball traced an extremely high arc.
"Whoosh."
A crisp sound.
92-91!
The Lakers have taken the lead! Staples Center erupted in deafening celebration!
In the Celtics' final possession, Pierce's three-pointer missed under Kobe's tight defense. Kobe then calmly sank the final two free throws, ending the game.
The Los Angeles Lakers narrowly won 94-91 at home, tying the series 2-2.
The final whistle blew, and confetti flew in the air.
The technical statistics displayed on the large screen were extremely glaring.
Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal: 18 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists. He only took 4 shots in the second half, scoring 4 points.
Kobe Brian: 28 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists. He shot 10-for-27 from the field, a mere 37% shooting percentage, but he scored Lakers ' crucial points in the final moments.
Kobe tore at his purple and gold jersey, roaring to the sky as he vented his emotions. Today, he proved himself by sinking the game-winning shot in the most unreasonable and damaging way to the team's tactical system.
However, on this night that belonged to Kobe.
As the team's undisputed core player, O'Neal didn't even wait for the celebrations to end. His face was ashen, he pulled a towel over his head, and walked straight into the player tunnel without looking back.
He only scored 18 points throughout the game, and in the second half he was completely relegated to a spectator, running back and forth, watching helplessly as that young guard took a series of wild shots with a terrible shooting percentage throughout the game, only to steal the spotlight in the end. For the proud and arrogant top center in the league, the way this game was won was more infuriating than the loss itself.
In front of the away team's locker room corridor.
Lin Qi stopped and glanced at Kobe, who was enjoying the MVP chants on the court, then at the dark tunnel where O'Neal had disappeared.
"Lin, we lost." Doc Rivers walked over to Lin Qi, his voice filled with deep frustration. "Our defensive tactics were successful, but Kobe's incredible shots ruined it in the end."
Lin Qi turned his head, his expression remaining calm.
"He scored 28 points on 27 shots; it was an extremely inefficient individual performance." Lin Qi reached for the buttons on his suit jacket and strode towards the locker room.
"A system might be broken by a few lucky shots, but once a crack appears, it won't heal easily. Prepare for Game 5. Shaq's current anger is more deadly to the Lakers than losing the game."