He Ximeng, upon landing, immediately saw Kobe's sprinting figure and, with a half-court long pass, delivered the ball into Kobe's hands.
Kobe took a step after receiving the ball, adjusted his rhythm, and executed a 360-degree slam dunk!
This was Kobe deliberately playing a trick, intentionally denying He Ximeng an assist...
While retreating on defense, He Ximeng tapped Kobe with his index finger, questioning, "Why take an extra step?"
Kobe responded with a playful wink and tapped He Ximeng back with his index finger, as if explaining, "Accident, all accidents..."
Regardless, Kobe's fast-break dunk helped the Lakers further narrow the deficit to six points.
On the next possession, the Raptors' backup point guard, Hubert Davis, didn't pass to Camby but instead lobbed it to the backup center, Carlos Rogers. Rogers posted up Campbell and was met with a strong block. Rogers' turnaround fadeaway missed the mark.
Scott grabbed the rebound, didn't pass to He Ximeng or Kobe, but instead turned and drove himself, posting up Walter Williams...
Scott was a bit selfish on this play, but his successful mid-range jump shot helped the Lakers cut the deficit to four points.
At the end of the first quarter, He Ximeng had one assist and one steal, with no points. Kobe had 2 points, Corey Blount had 2 points, and Scott had 2 points.
At the start of the second quarter, Coach Harris still fielded the same lineup. Camby executed a turnaround post-up against Corey Blount for a score.
He Ximeng was not to be outdone. Under pressure from Hubert Davis, he advanced past half-court and, one step beyond the three-point line, pulled up for a jumper and hit his first three-pointer of the game!
Camby scored another two points. Kobe turned, received a pass from He Ximeng, and also hit a wing three-pointer!
With both of the Lakers' stars finding their three-point touch, they gradually narrowed the deficit, tied the game, and then took the lead...
By the time the rotation was nearing its end, the Lakers' bench had not only successfully filled the hole dug by the starting lineup in the first half but also taken a three-point lead over the Raptors.
Raptors head coach Darnell Walker, unable to bear the atmosphere on the court, initiated personnel adjustments first.
He brought in starters Damon Stoudamire and Christie, but retained the promising rookie Camby, who had been playing well.
The Lakers followed suit, pulling both He Ximeng and Kobe, and fielding their entire starting lineup.
Van Exel and Ceballos still couldn't find their rhythm, but Eddie Jones gradually found his shooting touch from the perimeter, helping O'Neal contend against the Raptors' starting lineup.
By halftime, the Raptors had once again taken a four-point lead over the Lakers.
At the start of the second half, O'Neal exerted his dominance in the paint, and after a flurry of action, successfully tied the game. However, Van Exel missed three consecutive three-point attempts, handing the lead back to the Raptors!
Van Exel was 0 for 8 from the field in the first half, 0 for 2 from three-point range, and had scored zero points. With that shooting touch, he shouldn't have kept shooting... but Crazy Van insisted!
After returning in the second half, they had finally managed to pass O'Neal the ball effectively for half a quarter, giving the Lakers' offense some life. However, this aggressive play resulted in the Lakers falling behind by seven points again, pushing Coach Harris to his limit and prompting him to substitute Van Exel out.
He Ximeng replaced Van Exel on the court. Learning from Van's struggles, he keenly felt that the Raptors' perimeter combination of Christie and Damon Stoudamire was defensively strong, and it would be best not to go head-to-head with them.
He Ximeng's strategy was to first feed the ball to O'Neal in the paint. However, O'Neal had been playing for most of the quarter, and his mobility had significantly decreased, making his scoring efficiency lower than in the first half. He Ximeng then turned to find Kobe on the wing, handing the ball to Kobe to isolate against Christie while he ran to the corner to provide support!
Kobe, fearless, naturally wouldn't miss such a good isolation opportunity!
His first isolation drive was unsuccessful. Kobe passed to He Ximeng on the wing for a brief moment, then signaled for the ball again.
On the second attempt, Kobe chose to drive, spin, and take a fadeaway jumper!
This was a signature move of Jordan, a weapon Kobe had been imitating and had yet to surpass.
This shot wasn't yet as picturesque as the master's, but the ball bounced on the rim before finally dropping in.
On the second play, Kobe repeated the same sequence, essentially from the same spot, calling for the ball again, spinning, and shooting. This time, however, the ball rattled out of the rim.
O'Neal leaped into the crowd, intending to grab the offensive rebound directly. However, O'Neal overestimated his stamina, and the jump wasn't high enough. Fortunately, he was quick-witted. Seeing he couldn't secure it, he immediately chose to disrupt! With a flick of his fingers, he tipped the rebound towards the other side of the basket...
This position was exactly where He Ximeng was in the right corner!
He Ximeng leaped up immediately, grabbed the rebound tipped by O'Neal, took a step, and forced his way past Damon Stoudamire, driving into the paint. Facing the rotating defender Benjamin, he pulled back and hand-delivered the ball to O'Neal under the basket...
O'Neal hadn't expected the ball to return to him. But he didn't hesitate, rising up and, before Benjamin could recover, slammed the ball home with both hands!
With He Ximeng orchestrating, Kobe and O'Neal were beginning to show a glimpse of the future "OK combination"!
With the bench once again filling the gap, the Lakers finally gained the upper hand in the final quarter and, with 30 seconds left in the game, successfully led the Raptors by four points.
Just as the Toronto fans in the arena believed the game was over, Damon Stoudamire suddenly hit a three-pointer from beyond the arc, bringing the score to 92-93!
Coach Harris quickly called a timeout and devised a play for O'Neal to drive to the basket.
However, Raptors head coach Darnell Walker was resolute and immediately called for a foul, sending O'Neal to the free-throw line.
O'Neal nervously stepped up to the line.
Seeing O'Neal's palm-sized hands cradling the "petite" basketball, He Ximeng felt an urge to laugh.
But He Ximeng knew that at this crucial moment, he absolutely could not laugh... because laughing would be disrespectful to the team's leader...
Even though O'Neal had already missed the first free throw...
The ball was thrown towards the basket like a discus, with no arc and no spin...
Kobe, standing next to He Ximeng, couldn't help but cover his eyes.
On one hand, he was suppressing his own laughter to avoid offending his elder brother.
On the other hand, his elder brother's shooting form was too painful to watch, and seeing it too much could negatively impact his own shooting mechanics...
O'Neal, failing to live up to expectations, missed both free throws, giving the Raptors a final chance to win.
The momentum of the game had shifted to the Raptors.