"Boom!"
Feeling the power of Kobe under the "Mamba Mentality," or perhaps the "Mamba Will," and seeing the 10 points the Lakers had clawed back.
The home Lakers fans, now seeing hope, cheered with everything they had.
They gave the Lakers their hottest cheers and loudest shouts, pushing the home-court advantage to the limit and filling the entire arena with the Lakers' powerful aura.
And riding that momentum.
The final quarter between the Lakers and the Suns began!
As usual.
It started with the bench units.
But... after only 2 minutes and 3 seconds, Kobe checked back in early. If he wanted to win tonight, he could not rest the way he usually did.
"Step!"
On the Suns' side.
Coach Alvin Gentry also sent Blake Su onto the floor. Kobe was already difficult enough for Blake Su to deal with, and Kobe under the "Mamba Will" was even tougher.
If they wanted to handle him.
Right now, Blake Su was the only player on the Suns with that ability.
On the court.
When Kobe once again matched up with Blake Su, the fighting spirit on his face grew even stronger. Or rather, he had never been afraid of Blake Su to begin with.
"Bang!"
Physical contact.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
A series of body bumps, combined with footwork, carried Kobe into the left low post. With his back against Blake Su, he absorbed another collision.
"Whoosh!"
Then he turned and released a fadeaway jumper.
"It's useless!"
Blake Su snorted and rose to contest.
He had disrupted this kind of shot from Kobe too many times tonight. He had even... blocked it before.
"It's useless!"
Kobe shouted the same words back with confidence. Leaning far back, he used an exaggerated fadeaway angle to avoid Blake Su's block.
Then he released the ball.
"Swish!"
With a beautiful sound, the ball pierced the net cleanly.
"Wow, that fadeaway from Kobe was incredibly difficult. To make that kind of shot is really something."
"It feels like only Kobe could hit a shot like that."
The commentator cried out in surprise.
"Oh?"
Blake Su was also startled. Then he narrowed his eyes and thought to himself, As expected of Kobe under the "Mamba Will." He really is hard to deal with.
Change of possession.
Blake Su brought the ball up, once again facing Kobe at the left high post. He posted up the same way, applied pressure through contact, then gave a shot fake.
"Whoosh!"
He turned and released a jumper.
"Step!"
Kobe's eyes widened as he jumped with everything he had, using all his strength, bounce, and explosiveness. This block looked like it might just get to Blake Su.
But.
It was still short by a hair.
The ball flew over Kobe's fingertips and traced a beautiful arc through the air.
"Swish!"
It dropped cleanly through the net as well.
"Tsk, tsk... Kobe's defense is fierce. Even with a 17-centimeter height difference from Blake Su, he still got right up into his face.
"If that were an ordinary player, he probably would have blocked it clean, right?"
"Kobe's defense is impressive, but Blake Su is seriously strong too. Facing that much interference and still staying steady enough to hit it clean.
"That's also tough!"
As they were talking.
On the next possession.
Blake Su used his All-Defensive First Team-level defense to stop Kobe's layup, while Kobe also relied on his own All-Defensive First Team-level ability to stop Blake Su's attack.
Right after that.
Blake Su, facing Kobe's defense, hit a three from one step beyond the line. Kobe, unwilling to lose under the "Mamba Mentality," immediately answered with one of his own.
For more than three full minutes.
The court once again became a head-to-head duel between Blake Su and Kobe, a clash between two elite cores. Every serious possession on both ends, even the misses, made people's blood race.
"Whoa... Blake Su and Kobe, two core stars going head-to-head, giving everything on both offense and defense. This game is incredible!
"And Kobe under the 'Mamba Will.'
"Right now, he still has a slight edge. The 'Black Mamba,' who has to win and must win, is faintly suppressing the 'Monster Rookie.'"
Hubie Brown spoke with excitement.
"Beep, beep!"
On the court, Phil Jackson called a timeout and brought his starters back. The Suns also used the timeout to bring Curry, George, and the other starters back onto the floor.
The final battle of Game 3.
It was about to begin.
Kobe had recovered his form under the "Mamba Mentality," and under the influence of that same "Mamba Mentality," players like Pau Gasol, carrying a must-win belief.
Also raised their level.
The Lakers, who had already cut deeply into the lead, finally found their momentum again on their home court and began their comeback push.
But the Suns were not easy to deal with either.
Both teams wanted to win. A brutal battle with everything on the line was about to erupt.
Time flew by.
In the final quarter, only 1 minute and 23 seconds remained.
At that moment.
The Suns still held a 2-point lead.
But the ball belonged to the Lakers. A 2-point gap was only one possession, and under the "Black Mamba's" relentless attack.
Now.
They had hope of reversing the game.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Kobe held the ball, facing Blake Su's defense. Now that he had transformed into the "Black Mamba," even Blake Su was having some trouble stopping him.
So.
"Step!"
George stepped forward, preparing to double-team Kobe together with Blake Su.
"Whoosh!"
But Kobe did not seem to have any intention of passing. Facing two defenders' iron-blooded pressure, he accelerated down the right wing, forcing his way through.
"Screech!"
After reaching the right side of the arc, Kobe suddenly stopped, then... leaned back and rose up, launching a three over both defenders!
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su and George both lunged at him. Four big hands contesting the shot created enormous interference.
"Clang!"
Kobe's forced three to take the lead missed.
But.
Under the basket, Bynum squeezed Frye aside, dominated the glass, and secured the rebound. He gave it to Pau Gasol, who passed it back out and returned it to Kobe.
"Snap!"
Kobe caught the ball at the top of the arc. Facing George, he took one quick step toward the left wing, stopped suddenly, and decisively rose into another fadeaway three.
George's heart jumped as he hurried to contest.
But the ball still flew out. Under the eyes of every fan in the arena, it struck the rim, bounced up, then dropped, then... fell into the net.
"Swish!"
Good.
"Boom!"
The arena erupted with thunderous cheers.
At the critical moment, Kobe's go-ahead three put the Lakers in front in the final stretch.
At that moment.
Only 57.3 seconds remained.
Suns ball.
Blake Su brought it up, calmly bringing it up. There was still plenty of time for him. What he had to do was steadily score on this possession.
He held the ball at the top of the arc and scanned the floor. George came up to screen, and Blake Su went around Kobe, driving to the right as Artest came over from the side.
But.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su was one step faster than him. From one meter beyond the three-point line, he suddenly fired a deep three, leaving Artest only able to watch.
However.
"Clang!"
For Blake Su, that three was a routine shot, but it did not fall.
That hurt the Suns badly. But... fortunately for them, on the Lakers' side, Kobe's next relatively steady drive.
Was stopped by George and Curry together.
The ball returned to Blake Su's hands, but only 27.4 seconds remained.
"Beep, beep!"
Alvin Gentry called a timeout, giving his players time to settle down and adjust.
"The gap is still only 1 point, and there's more than enough time. We just need to score, so... run the play slowly. Do not rush."
"Got it."
Everyone agreed with the coach.
Back from the timeout.
The final 27.3 seconds were so tense that countless fans held their breath, staring at the court without blinking, afraid they might miss a thrilling moment.
Sideline inbound.
"Snap!"
Blake Su caught the ball outside the three-point line, and Kobe immediately pressed up on him. He did not even want to give Blake Su a chance to shoot from deep, and he could not let him take that shot.
"Step!"
Artest was watching from the wing like a predator, gradually closing in. The two of them wanted to put maximum pressure on Blake Su and bring his offensive accuracy down as much as possible.
"Step!"
George came up to set a screen as well.
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su used the chance to accelerate, shaking off Artest and attacking Kobe one-on-one. He stopped suddenly, then accelerated again, trying to get past Kobe.
"Step!"
Pau Gasol slid over and came out to meet him. At the same time... Kobe also kept up from the side.
A double-team.
"Whoosh!"
Seeing the chance was not good, Blake Su caught sight of Curry in the left corner from the corner of his eye and decisively passed it over. Curry caught the ball, raised his hand, and fired a three.
Money?
"Clang!"
It missed.
Only 6.2 seconds remained.
The rebound?!
Who would grab it under the basket, Frye or Bynum?
No!
Blake Su flashed into the paint like lightning, snatched the rebound, and jumped straight back up for a putback, only to meet Bynum's two-handed block head-on.
Was it going to get blocked?!
"Whoosh!"
Blake Su half-turned in midair with his back to the basket. His back collided with Bynum, and as he lost his balance, his body pitched forward.
"Beep, beep!"
The whistle blew.
"Whoosh!"
With his back to the basket and his center of gravity gone, Blake Su followed the motion and tossed the ball behind him.
"Bang!"
"Swish!"
The first sound was the ball hitting the backboard. The second was the ball falling through the net.
Blake Su made the putback, and... he got the free throw too!
...
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