"Good heavens."
"He made that?!"
Inside the broadcast studio, Mike Breen clutched his head, his face filled with shock. Kobe had somehow made an impossibly difficult layup with his back to the basket.
He was stunned.
So was Van Gundy, along with everyone inside the arena.
"Whoa!"
The crowd erupted in waves of astonished cries, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
"How is that possible?!"
"How did that happen?!"
"That can't be real, can it?!"
Everyone stared in stunned disbelief, their jaws practically hitting the floor.
But the game was not over yet.
After Kobe's steal and impossible game-tying layup, the Suns still had 2.1 seconds remaining.
They had no timeouts left either.
"Full-court press!"
Kobe immediately scrambled up from the floor. With a low growl, he went straight back to Blake Su, refusing to let him receive the ball.
Even with only 2.1 seconds left, Blake Su could still bury a logo three if given the chance.
And end the game.
The odds were slim, but Kobe was desperate to win. He wanted no surprises whatsoever.
George once again prepared to inbound from the baseline. Unable to get the ball to Blake Su, he passed it to Curry instead.
Curry caught it, took one dribble, and launched a full-court heave.
Would it fall?
"Clang!"
No.
The two teams finished regulation tied, sending the game into overtime.
The Suns and Lakers had battled through a brutal Game 5, and neither side had managed to pull away after four quarters.
"Roar!"
Kobe had refused to give up and poured everything he had into forcing overtime. His face twisted with intensity, sweat streaming down his cheeks as he pumped his fist and roared.
It was his way of releasing all the emotion inside him and telling everyone that the game was not over.
He had not lost yet.
During the break, "Magic" Johnson watched Kobe resting on the bench and clicked his tongue in admiration.
"That's the Mamba Mentality. Kobe has given everything he has tonight."
"Baby-Faced Assassin" Isiah Thomas nodded, respect rising in his eyes as he looked at Kobe.
"Kobe never gives up. His attitude toward basketball is something everyone should learn from. It's that kind of spirit that keeps the game moving forward."
After listening to them, "The Dream" Hakeem Olajuwon also sighed with admiration.
"Kobe is a man who never gives up. He is always eager to learn, and he has never stopped working hard.
"He takes basketball seriously.
"That is why he has achieved everything he has today. Everything he possesses has been earned. He deserves all of it.
"But tonight, he is facing Blake Su, an equally fierce competitor who led his team to the miracle of [coming back from a three-game deficit to win four straight].
"Forget the past for now.
"The game has reached overtime. The stage now belongs to the superstars. Who has the last laugh will depend on Kobe and Blake Su.
"Let's see which one of them comes out on top."
... At the same time, inside the broadcast studio, Mike Breen finally managed to compose himself. Even then, he continued shaking his head in amazement.
"What a thrilling battle. It has been close from beginning to end.
"First, Blake Su came up with a chase-down block to regain possession, then buried a deep three that crushed the Lakers' hopes.
"Then Kobe answered by ripping the ball away from Nash and converting an impossibly difficult layup with his back to the basket, tying the score and forcing overtime.
"This game has been incredible!"
"Absolutely."
Van Gundy nodded repeatedly before continuing.
"After four quarters, Blake Su already has 39 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 4 blocks.
"That is another spectacular stat line.
"Kobe has 33 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. His numbers are just as impressive, but what Kobe has contributed tonight cannot be measured by statistics alone. He is giving everything he has.
"Blake Su and Kobe are both players I admire. I'm looking forward to an even more exciting overtime."
"Hey, Van Gundy, Blake Su already has 39 points. Do you think he could reach 50 tonight?"
Mike Breen narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Hmm..."
Van Gundy considered it for a moment, then his expression sharpened.
"It's certainly possible."
... After a brief rest, overtime finally began.
The teams would not switch ends for the five-minute overtime period. Possession would be decided by another jump ball, and each team had three timeouts.
However, neither team could use all three timeouts during the final two minutes. In other words, each side could call no more than two timeouts in that span.
"Jump ball!"
Blake Su and Bynum faced each other at center court once again.
Bynum's desire to win the tip was clearly not as strong as it had been at the beginning of the game.
Was it because he knew he could not beat Blake Su?
No.
After four grueling quarters and 48 minutes of high-intensity offense and defense, Bynum had simply burned through too much energy. For a center of his size, the strain was becoming difficult to bear.
In truth, everyone was exhausted.
But with only five minutes remaining, they all had to keep fighting until the game was won.
"Smack!"
Blake Su once again reached the ball first, tipping it away and securing the opening possession of overtime for the Suns.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Nash brought the ball across half court and handed it off to Blake Su at the top of the key.
Facing Odom, Blake Su paused for a moment before suddenly accelerating past him.
He then fired a bounce pass across the court, slipping it past Pau Gasol and into the hands of Nash in the left corner.
Nash caught it and immediately rose for three.
"Clang!"
No good.
At the other end, Kobe fed Bynum beneath the basket.
Bynum tried to power his way up, but he was clearly lacking strength. The ball bounced off the rim, and George secured the rebound.
Nash brought the ball up himself.
Blake Su cut along the baseline without the ball, drawing the defense toward him. Nash seized the opening, drove inside, and whipped a behind-the-back pass to Curry on the opposite side.
Curry fired another three.
"Clang!"
Still no good.
On the next Lakers possession, Pau Gasol posted up Blake Su in the low post before passing out to Fisher at the top of the key.
Fisher caught the ball, rose immediately, and launched a three.
"Clang!"
That missed as well.
"Whew..."
"Both teams are running on empty. It looks like they've fallen into another scoring drought."
"Overtime is where superstars take over. Blake Su and Kobe are the leaders of their teams.
"It's time for them to step up."
...
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