With four minutes left in the third quarter, the score was tied at 62. The Lakers ' energy was reaching its limit. Barkley and Charles Oakley's footwork began to sluggish, and Kidd had to frequently check his teammates' energy levels before passing the ball, causing the offense to stagnate.
Someone stepped forward to break the deadlock.
Chris Paul Pierce held the ball at the top of the key, facing Sean Marion, who was known for his speed and wingspan. Pierce rarely lifted both feet off the ground; he lowered his center of gravity and dribbled slowly, but with a heavy, sluggish feel.
After two consecutive crossover dribbles, Pierce suddenly slammed his left shoulder into Marion's chest, using the recoil to drive hard to the right. Marion, with his amazing athleticism, quickly slid to block him, but just as their bodies were about to collide, Pierce executed a solid behind-the-back dribble, stopping abruptly and simultaneously taking a large step back with his left foot.
This shooting space was created entirely by weight, core strength, and a perfect rhythm difference. Marion missed. Pierce jumped steadily beyond the three-point line and brought the shot down.
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in cleanly.
In the next possession, Kidd tried to lob the ball to Barkley, who was cutting to the basket, but Rasheed took a long stride to cover from the weak side and swatted the ball away with one hand in mid-air.
Billups received the ball and delivered a long pass that spanned half the court.
Kevin Garnett took long strides, leaving all the slow-retreating Lakers veterans behind, and finished with a powerful one-handed dunk after receiving the ball.
Boston led the third quarter with a decisive comeback, 67-62.
Staples fans fell into a brief silence, followed by an even more frenzied chorus of boos. Amid this overwhelming hostility, Pierce and Garnett bumped chests forcefully in the halfway line, while Rasheed waved his fist at the stands, making no attempt to conceal his arrogant nature.
As the buzzer sounded at the end of the third quarter, Boston led 71-65, pushing the exhausted Los Angeles Lakers into the final quarter.
During the brief break before the fourth quarter, the air in the Staples Center seemed to freeze.
On the Lakers' bench, the team doctor was massaging Jordan's knees. Barkley slumped in a chair, hands on his knees, panting heavily. Phil Jackson benched Barkley and Charles Oakley, substituted Derrick Fisher, and moved Marion to power forward.
The lineup on the court consisted of Kidd, Fisher, Jordan, Marion, and O'Neal.
The tactical change took effect immediately at the start of the fourth quarter.
O'Neal set a high screen, and as soon as Big Ben stepped out, Kidd passed the ball to Fisher in the corner. Fisher caught the ball and hit a three-pointer.
In the next possession, Jordan had the ball on the left side, drawing the defense of Artest and Pierce. He keenly noticed that Garnett had been pulled to the three-point line, and immediately made a bounce pass, allowing Marion to cut inside and easily score a layup.
Within two minutes, the Lakers went on a 7-0 run, Lakers a 72-71 lead. Staples Center erupted in frenzy once again.
Billups dribbled steadily across half-court and signaled for a one-on-one play.
Pierce received the ball on the right side, guarded by the faster Marion. Pierce refused a screen, lowered his center of gravity, and used raw physical contact, rubbing Marion into the paint step by step. Two meters from the basket, Pierce suddenly stopped and pulled up for a high-arc floater over O'Neal's long arms, banking it in.
Boston regained the lead at 73-72.
In the final eight minutes, the game turned into a suffocating back-and-forth battle. Both teams' shooting percentages plummeted, and every point required intense physical contact.
Jordan's jump shot lost its accuracy under Artest's tight defense, but he changed his strategy. He toned down his dramatic fadeaway and instead used his solid fundamentals to dismantle the defense. Facing Artest's pressure on the right high post, Jordan received the ball with his back to the basket, leaning heavily inward. Using Artest's push, he smoothly executed a half-turn, effortlessly creating half a body length before pulling up for a mid-range jumper. This combination of a half-turn and a mid-range shot was flawless, flowing perfectly and sinking the ball cleanly into the basket. In possessions where he was severely exhausted, he would lower his center of gravity, deliberately leaning his arm against Garnett and Big Ben to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line, keeping the Lakers alive.
Artest picked up his fifth personal foul while guarding Jordan, and one more foul would send him off the court. But he didn't back down an inch and remained right on Jordan's heels.
With 39 seconds remaining in the game, the scoreboard showed a tie at 86.
Boston has possession.
Billups controlled the tempo at the top of the key until there were eight seconds left on the shot clock. Suddenly, he started his drive, using Big Ben's screen to force his way down the right flank. Kidd quickly circled around the screen to chase him down, and O'Neal also stepped out to block him.
Just as everyone's attention was drawn to Billups, he subtly flicked his wrist, and without looking at anyone, accurately passed the ball to Garnett at a 45-degree angle on the left.
Garnett received the ball. Marion immediately pounced on him. Without hesitation, Garnett took a jab step and then pulled up for a shot.
The basketball flew through the air, but due to exhaustion, the long two-pointer bounced off the back of the rim. O'Neal used his broad back to shield Big Ben Wallace behind him, securing the crucial defensive rebound.
Phil Jackson called the final short timeout of regulation time.
The entire arena rose to their feet, their breath almost stopped. With twenty-four seconds left, the Lakers held the game-winning shot, the final possession that would lift the trophy.
The timeout has ended, Lakers inbound the ball from the sideline.
The court was stretched out. The ball was passed to Jordan on the left side of the three-point line. He was still being guarded by Artest had five fouls.
Time ticked by. Jordan dribbled between his legs repeatedly, lowering his center of gravity. With six seconds left, he suddenly swerved to the right. Artest gritted his teeth and slid to follow, the two colliding violently. Jordan abruptly stopped mid-drive, turned towards the baseline, and jumped.
It was a textbook fadeaway jump shot, but Artest leaped high with his last breath, his long arms almost blocking Jordan's face.
The exertion made the shot a little shorter.
"Bang!"
The basketball bounced off the front edge of the rim.
Chaos erupted under the basket. Garnett, Marion, and Big Ben all jumped to grab the rebound. But against overwhelming height and size, all positioning skills were rendered meaningless. Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal rose from the crowd, his massive arms shoving the deadly offensive rebound into his arms.
There are 2.3 seconds left on the clock.
O'Neal roared, grabbed the ball with both hands, and prepared to jump and dunk for the game-winning shot. If he could just slam the ball into the basket, Los Angeles would win another championship trophy in franchise history.
Just as he gathered his strength and prepared to raise the ball overhead...
Ben Wallace leaped from his blind spot to the side and behind. Big Ben knew very well that if O'Neal completed his jump, no one could stop him. His only chance was in those fractions of a second when O'Neal was charging up.
He swung his right arm in a wide arc, fingers together, aimed at the basketball in O'Neal's hand, and slashed down hard.
"Smack!"
A crisp sound of flesh striking leather echoed throughout the stadium.
Big Ben's massive arms unleashed astonishing power, slicing the basketball right out of O'Neal's enormous hands!
The basketball fell to the floor. Rasheed Wallace and Kidd simultaneously lunged to grab possession, and the two rolled around on the floor in a heap.
The red lights around the backboard lit up at this moment. The final buzzer sounded.
The referee crossed his arms, signaling the end of regulation time. The score was now 86-86.
There was no game-winning shot.
A chorus of gasps and sighs of regret erupted from Staples Center. O'Neal waved his arms in frustration, while Jordan bent over, bracing himself on his knees, panting heavily.
Big Ben was pulled up from the floor by Garnett and Pierce. The Boston players looked fierce and full of fighting spirit.
This series of NBA Finals 7s ended in a grueling 48 minutes of play, with neither side able to gain the upper hand, forcing overtime.