The beautiful sound of the swishing net echoed through the entire Staples Center.
The red light on the backboard lit up!
A buzzer-beating three-pointer—game over!
This was the shot that saved all of Los Angeles, a shot whose value was beyond measure.
Two eternal rivals clashed in a life-and-death battle.
The Celtics' blade was about to pierce the Lakers' throat.
At the very brink, Zhou Yuan turned the tide.
What he saved wasn't just the Lakers.
He saved the pride and glory of every fan in Los Angeles!
The arena fell silent in an instant.
One second later—
A deafening roar erupted, the arena shook as if it might collapse.
The U.S. Earthquake Monitoring Bureau could mark it down:
at that very moment, with Staples Center as the epicenter, a tiny earthquake was unleashed.
"Oh my God, I underestimated this Chinese player. He's got a super clutch heart."
Kenny Smith jumped down from the broadcast desk and dropped to his knees.
"I was wrong. I love this guy! He sat on the bench for half a season, and his one and only shot in the Finals Game 7 was the game-winner! And he made it! Unbelievable."
Charles Barkley fell to his knees as well, bowing in mock worship.
On the court, Paul Pierce crouched down, staring blankly at the Lakers logo beneath his feet, eyes unfocused.
Kevin Garnett lay flat on the floor, covering his eyes with both hands as tears poured out uncontrollably.
They had been just 0.001 centimeters away from the embrace of the Larry O'Brien Trophy goddess.
But at the critical moment, someone had broken their grip.
If it had been Kobe, fine—it's Kobe, the league's number one.
But instead, it was Zhou Yuan, an unknown nobody, who shattered their dreams.
With one kick, he had knocked the Celtics off the road to heaven and sent them straight into hell.
Despair!
Kobe once said: finishing second means you're the biggest loser.
Better to be crushed than to taste the agony of falling short.
The fans went wild. Cannons fired, fireworks filled the sky.
Security, police, and staff scrambled to hold the line, afraid the crowd would storm the court in madness.
NBA Commissioner David Stern was ready to present the O'Brien Trophy to the Lakers.
Kobe hugged Zhou Yuan tightly, whispering into his ear:
"Well done, kid. If you want to stay in the Lakers, I'll make sure you get a fully guaranteed contract."
"You're tougher than Sun Yue!"
Back in 2008, after the Olympics, Kobe had been impressed by Sun Yue's flashes of brilliance.
He brought him to the Lakers, where he spent a year warming the bench.
Sun Yue got a championship ring, but was cut right after.
Now, another Chinese player had amazed Kobe.
But Zhou Yuan wasn't like Sun Yue.
He was the one who helped Kobe beat his greatest rival and achieve revenge.
He was the one who helped Kobe claim his fifth championship ring—
just one short of his idol, Michael Jordan.
To Kobe, this was as heavy as Mount Tai.
Even if Zhou Yuan was just a benchwarmer, a nobody who fetched water—
at this moment, he was Los Angeles's hero!
"Oh my God, that Chinese guy is too handsome, I want to sleep with him!"
"Lakers champions! Dynasty incoming!"
"Zhou Yuan, forever a god!"
"Someone tell me Zhou Yuan's address. My girlfriends and I will go give him free 'tutoring'!"
"This guy barely makes $100,000 on his rookie deal. Can he even afford a car? I'm gonna buy him an Aston Martin!"
…
In the CCTV-5 broadcast booth, hosts Yu Jia and Coach Zhang were just as ecstatic.
A Chinese player, stepping onto the stage of the NBA Finals Game 7, hitting the game-winner—
this was a feat destined to be carved into the history of Chinese sports.
"Zhou Yuan, go get 'em!"
"Champions! We're champions! Hahahaha!" Coach Zhang shouted with excitement.
"Before tonight, no one could've imagined the script would be written this way."
"Zhou Yuan's NBA journey has been full of hardship, but also endless glory!"
"Let's hope Zhou Yuan can stand firm in this league and, together with Yao Ming, continue the legend of Chinese basketball."
Yu Jia pushed up his glasses, speaking solemnly.
At center court, David Stern personally handed the championship trophy to Lakers owner Jerry Buss.
The Lakers players all donned their championship caps and posed with the trophy.
Soon after, Kobe received his Finals MVP trophy from "The Lord of the Rings," Bill Russell.
And the championship trophy—for now—was held in Zhou Yuan's arms.
Even if his entire NBA career only amounted to 3 points,
those 3 points carried weight beyond measure.
Hugging the O'Brien Trophy, Zhou Yuan posed for photos with Jerry and Jeanie Buss.
Thanks to that one shot, he could hold the trophy with a clear conscience.
Otherwise, with his personality, he would never shamelessly "cling" to a trophy he hadn't earned.
As for whether he would stay with the Lakers next season—
Zhou Yuan had no idea.
The NBA is a business. No one cares about sentiment, only profit.
Zhou Yuan's market value had risen dramatically.
Whether the Lakers would offer him a bigger contract in the offseason was uncertain.
From Zhou Yuan's perspective, he wasn't eager to remain in Los Angeles either.
This city belonged to Kobe.
It was impossible for Zhou Yuan to surpass Kobe and become the new King of L.A.
As long as a big market team offered him a solid deal, Zhou Yuan would almost certainly accept.