Mike Breen was calling the game with spit-flying passion, his face lit with excitement.
He never could have imagined it.
After five full minutes of ugly, stagnant basketball, the game had suddenly erupted in the final two minutes. No, in barely one minute, with this much drama and this big of a swing.
In the blink of an eye, the Suns, who had been up by 3, were suddenly down by 2. And now, they only had 1:04 left.
"Beep, beep!"
Alvin Gentry called a timeout.
Kobe's burst had forced the Suns to stop the game.
At the commentary table.
"Wow."
Jeff Van Gundy's mouth fell open in shock. "Over the last 20 seconds, Kobe has scored 5 straight. Over the last minute, he's scored 7 by himself.
Not only did he help the Lakers erase a 3-point deficit, he put them ahead by 2.
In crunch time, Kobe's clutch shot-making is just unbelievable.
Blake also showed his own clutch ability with that key layup, but compared to Kobe, he's still just a little bit behind."
"That's right."
Mike Breen nodded again and again, still sounding stunned. "Both teams were exhausted and went five full minutes without scoring. At a moment like this, if you want to break the deadlock, you need your superstar to deliver.
Or rather, in the final two minutes, the stage belongs to the stars.
It comes down to how they handle the ball in the clutch.
It comes down to who has the nerve to take and make those shots.
As the Lakers' leader and the 'best active player in the league,' Kobe's clutch decision-making and shot-making are at the very top of the league.
As for Blake, the Suns' leader, the 'Monster Rookie' hailed as 'the man born for game-winners,' his clutch ability is also historic.
Both of them have incredible composure in big moments. But tonight, under Mamba Mentality, with Kobe in 'Mamba Mode,' his clutch ability has been just a touch stronger.
On his home court, on this superstar stage, the 'Bloodthirsty Mamba' has had the edge over Blake tonight.
Right now, there's 1:02 left, and the Lakers lead by 2. The pressure has suddenly shifted to the Suns. After this timeout, they have to convert this possession.
Otherwise, they're in serious danger."
"Exactly."
The commentators continued.
On the court, the timeout ended quickly.
Knowing they had to finish this next possession, every Suns player looked serious. They were clearly ready to play the final 1:02 with absolute focus.
The game resumed.
George inbounded from the sideline near midcourt, passing to Blake as he came out to receive it. He was nearly two meters beyond the top of the three-point line, yet Artest and Kobe had already closed in.
They were pressing a center from that far out.
Before Blake, something like this had never been seen in NBA history.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Blake faced Kobe head-on, with Artest on his left. His eyes sharpened, and he drove right, preparing to force his way through both of them.
"Step!"
Odom slid over from the right wing.
A triple team.
"Whip!"
Seeing that, Blake used his height and wingspan to fire a long cross-court pass to Curry in the left corner. Once again, it was a great open opportunity.
Could Curry take advantage this time?
"Smack!"
Curry caught the ball and raised it for a three?
No.
The experienced Pau Gasol had read the play and rushed over almost at the same time. He did not jump very high, but his height and wingspan were enough.
And with the game this tight, Curry did not dare force it. He passed it back to Nash on the left side above the arc.
"Whip!"
Nash was open too, and he chose to shoot.
Would it go?
George looked on from the side, full of expectation. But... the spinning ball hit the rim and bounced out, and Bynum secured the rebound.
No good.
"That miss from Nash hurts badly. There are 45.3 seconds left, the ball belongs to the Lakers, and the Lakers are still up by 2.
This is getting tough for the Suns."
On the court.
Kobe held the ball and slowly brought it up. With a 2-point lead in hand, he was in no rush at all. He calmly burned the clock while looking for his chance.
"Step!"
Blake stepped up to guard him.
When the shot clock hit 10 seconds, Kobe lowered his center of gravity and dribbled between his legs. The instant the ball reached his right hand, he suddenly exploded forward.
"Whoosh!"
Like a flash of lightning, under the wide-eyed stares of countless fans, he beat Blake in one step.
But.
"Buzz!"
A dark glint flashed in Blake's eyes. And... the instant Kobe pulled even with him and slipped past his shoulder.
"Smack!"
Without even turning around, Blake struck fast, clean, and ruthless.
Kobe had beaten Blake, but Blake's [Eagle Spear] showed its power once again, swiping the ball out of Kobe's hands from behind.
Blake stole it.
"What?!"
Kobe, who had already surged forward, felt his hand go empty and immediately realized something was wrong.
Because Blake had made the steal without turning around, he had more than enough time to start the break.
Go.
"Whoosh!"
After knocking the ball loose and securing it, Blake charged alone into the frontcourt. It was a one-on-none fast break, a chance to challenge the rim by himself.
Lay it in to tie the game?
Or hit a three to take the lead?
Buzz.
Blake did not hesitate for even a second. Without thinking, he stopped on the left side above the arc, loaded up, and fired a cold-blooded transition three.
Pure confidence.
"Whoosh!"
The shot traced a beautiful arc through the air and dropped straight into the net.
"Swish!"
Nothing but net.
Blake's transition three was a dagger, putting the Suns ahead by 1. And now the Lakers had only 21.5 seconds left.
"It's over!"
"A steal and then a transition three. What kind of monster is Blake?!"
"Kobe clearly got past him. How did he still get stripped? Blake is a center. How is his steal ability this good?!"
"It's Blake again!"
"This is horrible!"
"The Lakers... can't lose!"
"..."
The moment the Lakers' home fans saw Blake's transition three rip through the net, they instinctively grabbed their heads.
Their faces turned pale, fear written all over them.
"Beep, beep!"
Phil Jackson hurriedly called a timeout.
Looking at the score and the clock, his pupils widened. He was already at his wit's end.
...
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