Kobe hitting two game-winners against the Suns?
That was right.
In Game 4 of the Suns and Lakers' first-round series during the 2005-06 playoffs, Kobe first tied the game with a layup at the end of regulation, sending it into overtime.
Then, in the closing moments of overtime, he hit a buzzer-beating jumper to defeat the Suns, completing an incredible pair of clutch shots and leading the Lakers to a comeback victory.
Tonight, the Suns were facing the Lakers again, and the game had followed almost exactly the same course as that one.
No wonder Mike Breen was so shocked when the memory came back to him.
"Is Kobe really going to repeat his two clutch shots against the Suns from back then?"
Van Gundy froze in surprise.
...
On the Suns' bench, the situation looked grim. They trailed by two with only 4.7 seconds remaining.
Aside from George, however, everyone remained relatively optimistic.
After all, they had Blake Su, "The Man Born for Game-Winners."
They trusted Blake Su, and they had confidence in him.
Besides, the worst possible outcome was losing a single game. They would still hold two more chances to close out the series, so their odds of advancing remained high.
George, however, had once again become the unfortunate victim in someone else's highlight. His confidence was shattered, and his spirits had sunk.
"Hey."
Blake Su walked over, gently bumped him with his shoulder, and smiled.
"Why are you so discouraged? Even I might not be able to stop Kobe when he enters 'Mamba Mode.'
"Besides, a player of Kobe's caliber isn't someone just anyone gets to guard. Plenty of players aren't even good enough to be assigned to him.
"You only get that responsibility because you're an excellent defender."
As he spoke, Blake Su glanced at Curry.
Curry: ???
George shook his head, still frustrated.
"But I couldn't stop Kobe even once in the clutch. I..."
"Hey."
Blake Su cut him off and said calmly, "George, you don't seriously expect a rookie like yourself to shut down Kobe, the 'best player in the league,' do you?"
George paused.
Blake Su smiled again.
"You've already done a great job."
"I understand."
Once George realized that he had done everything he could, the frustration finally faded.
"Guys."
Alvin Gentry stepped into the middle of the group with his clipboard.
"On this final possession, our first option is Blake Su, as always. Curry is second, and Nash is third.
"Take the safe two if it's there. Go for three if you have the chance.
"Our first priority is to score. Only then do we worry about whether it becomes a game-winner. Understood?"
"Yeah!"
Everyone nodded.
On the Lakers' bench, Kobe and his teammates did not relax in the slightest either.
Until the game was officially won, none of them could afford to let their guard down.
Otherwise, one mistake at the final hurdle could ruin everything.
In the stands, "Magic" Johnson turned to Olajuwon.
"Do you think the game is over?"
"What do you think, Isiah?"
Rather than answering immediately, Olajuwon turned to the "Baby-Faced Assassin."
"Hmm..."
Isiah Thomas thought for a moment.
"Honestly, I can't predict what Blake Su will do. That 'Monster Rookie' is too good at finishing games.
"He has 4.7 seconds.
"That's enough time for him to get a shot off and hit a game-winner.
"It sounds simple when you say it, but it's actually incredibly difficult. With Blake Su, though, things are different.
"It's hard to say what will happen."
"So you think Blake Su can hit the game-winner, even though the idea still seems almost too incredible to believe?"
"The Dream" Hakeem Olajuwon went straight to the point.
"Yes."
The "Baby-Faced Assassin" nodded.
Olajuwon chuckled.
"I won't hedge my answer. I think Blake Su is going to hit the game-winner. What do you say? Do either of you want to bet?
"If I'm right, you buy me dinner."
"No problem."
"Magic" Johnson nodded.
The "Baby-Faced Assassin" Thomas shrugged.
"Sure. Let's do it."
The timeout ended.
Only 4.7 seconds remained.
Nash prepared to inbound from the sideline.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Blake Su and Curry sprinted through their routes while George and Frye set screen after screen, doing everything they could to free one of them for the pass.
The Lakers replaced the bulky "Little Shark" Bynum with Artest.
Odom, Pau Gasol, Fisher, Kobe, and Artest raced around the court, swarming Blake Su and Curry. They were determined to prevent the Suns from even completing the inbound pass.
But then Curry suddenly reversed direction and stopped.
He had originally been trying to get open himself, but now he turned and screened for Blake Su.
Blake Su used one screen after another and curled out toward the perimeter.
Nash fired the pass without hesitation.
Blake Su and the pursuing Odom leaped at the same time.
With his superior height and athleticism, Blake Su still managed to secure the ball.
The instant he caught it, Fisher and Artest closed in as well. All three defenders converged on him, forming a suffocating trap.
Blake Su landed with no room to shoot.
Since he had no opening, he would have to create one.
Without time to think, he put the ball on the floor and accelerated hard to his right, trying to use his speed to escape the defense.
At 3.6 seconds, he reached the right side above the arc and left Odom behind.
At 2.4 seconds, he reached the right high post and shook off Fisher.
At 1.2 seconds, he reached the right corner and escaped Artest.
"Screech!"
After beating all three defenders, Blake Su stopped abruptly.
Was he about to rise for three?
No.
The instant Blake Su stopped, Kobe Bryant came flying over.
Kobe had anticipated the shot and leaped first, soaring high into the air.
If Blake Su shot immediately, Kobe would block it.
If he waited for Kobe to fly past, time would expire.
What could he do?
How could he escape?
Blake Su glanced at the clock. Less than a second remained.
His eyes sharpened.
He rose into a fadeaway, but it was no ordinary fadeaway.
He drifted sideways beyond the corner, moving away from the court as he rose. The motion carried him past Kobe's outstretched hand, allowing him to launch a three-pointer from behind the backboard at a negative angle.
The moment the ball left his fingertips, the red light came on.
Time had expired.
Kobe flew past Blake Su without touching the shot.
"A drifting fadeaway three from behind the backboard?!"
"What kind of shot is that?!"
"There's no way it goes in!"
Several Lakers fans stared wide-eyed and screamed at the top of their lungs.
The Suns fans were equally transfixed, staring at the spinning ball without daring to breathe.
"Is it going in?!"
"The Dream," "Magic," the "Baby-Faced Assassin," "The Answer," Jordan, Pippen, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Wall, Klay, Irving, and everyone else in the arena watched in stunned disbelief.
Blake Su had attempted an impossibly difficult three from behind the backboard at the buzzer.
No one knew whether it would fall.
At that same moment, Yoona and Jessica finally reached the entrance at the top of the stands.
They arrived just in time to see Blake Su release the drifting, behind-the-backboard fadeaway three.
"Please go in!"
Yoona clasped her hands together in prayer, her heart rising into her throat.
After rushing back at the last possible moment, there was only one thing she wanted to see.
Blake Su winning the game.
Blake Su hitting the game-winner.
Then, in the next instant...
"Swish!"
The crisp sound of the net rang through the arena.
Under the fervent prayers and wide-eyed stares of countless fans, the ball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
A buzzer-beating game-winner.
The players stood frozen in the sudden silence.
One second later...
"Boom!"
A deafening roar shook US Airways Center to its foundations!
...
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