19.3 seconds.
The Lakers lead by one point.
Lakers possession.
Artest inbounded from the baseline to Kobe. Almost the instant Kobe caught the ball, Blake Su rushed forward, with Curry and Carter closing in from the sides.
Yes.
Full-court press.
They couldn't let the Lakers simply bleed out the remaining 19.3 seconds.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
But the ever-confident Kobe showed no fear of Blake Su. Protecting the ball one-on-one, he powered past him and crossed half-court. When Kobe focused entirely on shielding the ball, stealing it from him was incredibly difficult.
"Step!"
Curry burst in from the wing and immediately formed a double-team with Blake Su.
"Whoosh!"
Kobe quickly passed to Gasol, who then swung it to Fisher. But Nash and Carter immediately closed in, with Curry racing back to pressure as well.
"Whoosh!"
Fisher, having just crossed half-court, saw another trap coming and instantly passed the ball back across to Kobe.
"Step!"
Blake Su stepped up again, pushing his Iverson's Talent and the steal ability of [Eagle Spear] to the limit. He hounded Kobe relentlessly, finally forcing him to shoot.
"Whoosh!"
Kobe stopped on a dime and rose for a fading jumper over Blake Su.
It was an extremely tough shot.
Blake Su couldn't reach it to block—but the difficulty was enormous.
This shot...
"Clang!"
Missed!
And Frye beat Bynum to the rebound, securing an absolutely crucial board.
"Beep—beep!"
Alvin Gentry waved his arms wildly, calling a timeout immediately.
7.6 seconds remain.
Not long at all.
But... it was enough for the Suns to run one final play—one chance to score and potentially flip the game!
"Huff..."
In the stands, Suns fans finally let out a small breath of relief.
It was still difficult, but at least there was a chance to fight for it.
Lakers fans, on the other hand, immediately looked grim.
Because many people knew that rookie center Blake Su had exceptional ability in clutch moments.
Even with only 7.6 seconds left, he might still make the shot.
And if he did—
Whether it was a two or a three, it would be a game-winner.
That possibility was what worried many Lakers fans the most. Of course, some remained optimistic, believing the Suns wouldn't be able to execute the play and that the Lakers would hold on.
Inside the ESPN studio.
"Oh my goodness, my heart!"
Mike Breen dramatically clutched his chest, breathing heavily as if he were having a heart attack. Wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead, he said with lingering shock:
"Th-this game is absolutely heart-stopping!
Blake Su's key rebound, Curry's clutch three-pointer, the team's full-court press, Blake Su's defensive stand, Frye's crucial rebound.
Through the Suns' collective effort...
At this moment...
They've earned a precious 7.6 seconds that could allow them to overturn the game!
Let's hope the Suns can execute this final possession and defeat the defending champions!"
"Exactly."
Jeff Van Gundy nodded.
He had been clenching his fists the entire time. When Kobe missed that mid-range shot, excitement surged in his heart. At that moment he realized that although he liked Kobe—
deep down, he still wanted the Suns to win.
The Suns with Blake Su.
He said:
"The Lakers have a lot of scoring options. They absolutely have the ability to make the next shot.
But... I still think they should prioritize Blake Su.
When it comes to clutch moments, Blake Su always has a 'big heart.'"
"Absolutely."
Mike Breen agreed.
On the court.
At the Lakers bench.
Kobe's face was cold. Missing that mid-range shot just now left him annoyed. At such a critical moment, he should have made it.
"It's fine, Kobe."
Pau Gasol handed him a towel and said reassuringly,
"7.6 seconds. With our defense, the Suns won't get a chance.
Tonight's win will belong to us."
"Of course."
Kobe nodded, his eyes firm.
Even though he was frustrated about the miss, the thought of losing never crossed his mind.
When he came to Phoenix tonight, he never planned to leave with a loss.
There was no reason for that.
Coach Phil Jackson had also instructed the players to lock Blake Su down at all costs and make sure he didn't get the ball.
After all—
Blake Su had already knocked down 13 threes and scored 63 points tonight. Combined with his incredible clutch ability, if he got the ball, he might truly end the game.
That was something Kobe didn't want to see.
And neither did the "Zen Master."
On the Suns' side.
Just as everyone expected, their first option was still Blake Su.
Even though everyone knew he would likely take the shot, they still chose to prioritize him.
After all—
Blake Su was playing out of his mind tonight.
Soon.
Amid the deafening yet tense atmosphere in the arena, the timeout ended.
Both starting lineups returned to the floor, and the final possession—with 7.6 seconds deciding everything—began.
One-point deficit.
The Suns trailed, but they had the ball.
The "Passing Maestro" Nash stood near the sideline by midcourt to inbound, looking to deliver a perfect pass that could give the Suns a direct scoring chance.
"Step! Step! Step!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Blake Su and Curry sprinted through a maze of cuts trying to get open. Carter and Frye set constant screens for them.
Meanwhile, the Lakers—
Artest, Kobe, Gasol, and Fisher locked onto the Suns players tightly.
They refused to allow any easy catches.
Especially Blake Su.
He was under suffocating defense. Artest and Kobe were practically glued to him, denying him even the slightest chance to touch the ball.
Five seconds to inbound.
Nash scanned the court intensely.
Seeing Blake Su completely locked down, he spotted Curry curling out after using a screen and fired the pass.
A beautiful pass.
"Snap!"
More than three meters beyond the three-point line, Curry caught the ball.
Carter, who had followed him, was still about a step away.
Curry immediately accelerated to the side, widening the distance from Carter while moving closer to the basket.
The clock kept ticking.
Left wing.
The top of the arc.
That was the spot where Curry was about to set his feet and launch the three.
But—
just as he was about to get the shot off—
dribbling at full speed, Curry lost control of the ball.
"Bang!"
The basketball hit his foot and rolled straight out of bounds.
"Bang!"
Curry's eyes widened as he dove desperately to save it.
But...
he was a step too late.
"Beep—beep!"
The whistle sounded.
Suns turnover.
Out of bounds.
Possession...
Lakers.
"Oh—no!"
Curry's completely unexpected mistake struck like a bolt from the blue.
Countless Suns fans, who had been full of hope just moments ago, grabbed their heads in despair.
Because—
only 3.8 seconds remained.
The Lakers led by one point.
And the ball belonged to the Lakers.
"Sigh..."
In the stands.
Dwyane Wade let out a sigh.
"It's over. What a pity.
But there's nothing you can do. Curry is only a second-year player.
In such an important game.
At such a critical moment.
Getting nervous and making a mistake is understandable."
"Yeah."
LeBron nodded in agreement.
"Still, it's really unfortunate.
We had already seen the hope.
The opportunity was right there.
Even if they missed the shot and lost the game...
it would still feel better than losing like this."