The Lakers' ball movement was fluid, leaving no room for the Jazz to set up their defense.
Turning around, the Jazz duo attempted to run their pick-and-roll again, but Heximon rotated to cut off Stockton's driving lane.
Stockton tried to force his way through, adding a subtle foul in the process. Heximon anticipated it, went down…
The referee’s whistle blew: offensive foul on Stockton!
Pulled up by Eddie Jones and Horry, Heximon got to his feet. Stockton, with a sarcastic smile, said to Heximon, "Realistic acting!"
"Likewise!" Heximon mimicked Stockton's subtle move, indicating it was merely a case of "an eye for an eye."
With his tumble, Heximon successfully forced a turnover and simultaneously warned Stockton: don't play too dirty!
On the Lakers' next possession, Heximon still wanted to find O'Neal!
For a point guard, a center like O'Neal was a treasure!
If the pass was good, he could score directly. The job of an organizer was that simple… especially peak O'Neal; anyone who didn't use him was a fool!
Conversely, for the Jazz, O'Neal was a bug, someone they had to contain first. Otherwise, their interior defense would be ravaged by O'Neal…
This time, Foster didn't double-team but instead applied solid back-pressure on O'Neal. As O'Neal turned to survey the court, Stockton suddenly dropped back, trying to steal the ball from O'Neal.
Heximon, of course, had anticipated this. He called for the ball to O'Neal while simultaneously pursuing Stockton into the three-point line.
Heximon's plan was that if O'Neal couldn't react in time and got the ball stolen, Heximon would immediately counter-press Stockton, ensuring the Jazz couldn't launch a fast break.
Fortunately, O'Neal reacted quickly, holding the ball high to avoid being stolen by Stockton.
Heximon then smoothly cut past Stockton, driving towards the basket through the middle!
O'Neal had a big heart; it was Game 7, and he was still willing to gamble!
Seeing Heximon cutting behind him, O'Neal, without turning or looking, tossed the ball behind his back…
O'Neal claimed he used to play point guard, but he clearly lacked that instinct now. The height of his toss didn't consider Heximon's height, seemingly based on his own understanding of the optimal passing arc…
Heximon cursed inwardly, summoning all his strength to leap high and manage to save O'Neal's "brilliant assist" from becoming a turnover!
Catching the ball with one hand, Heximon used his incredible core strength to adjust in mid-air, avoiding Foster's closing-out defense, and slammed the ball home!
Heximon's powerful dunk sent the Lakers fans into a frenzy.
At the same time, O'Neal, who had provided the assist, was also ecstatic!
"So? Was my pass brilliant?" O'Neal asked Heximon with a broad grin.
Heximon had initially wanted to suggest that O'Neal lower the trajectory of his passes next time, as not everyone had his leaping ability. But seeing O'Neal's excitement, Heximon swallowed the small suggestion.
"Never mind! Never mind! O'Neal only makes a few creative passes like this all season. Let's not ruin his good mood over this minor imperfection…" Heximon thought to himself, giving O'Neal a thumbs-up and praising, "Absolutely masterful! If you played point guard, Van and I would be out of a job…"
"You know talent when you see it!" O'Neal beamed even more upon hearing Heximon's high praise.
The Lakers' mood on the court had been very tense. O'Neal's bizarre pass had significantly eased the pressure.
On the next possession, Heximon set a screen with Horry, got past Malone in a mismatch, feigned a pass to O'Neal, faked, took a step to the side, and tried his luck from around the 60-degree angle on the right wing!
Not bad. The first shot went in smoothly, hinting that Heximon's touch for the game wouldn't be too bad.
With successful drives to the basket and a seemingly on-point outside shot, the Lakers started the game more fluidly than the Jazz, cheered on by the crowd.
The Jazz's rhythm was similar to the Lakers', first letting Malone establish his offense with post-ups or short jumpers, then letting Hornacek and Stockton take shots, attempting to link inside and outside play.
But Stockton missed his three-pointer. Heximon seized the opportunity for a fast break, assisting Eddie Jones on a flying dunk!
The Lakers then established a 5-point lead.
Halfway through the quarter, Kobe came in for Fox. The Jazz's lineup remained unchanged.
Kobe's biggest impact on the Lakers was adding a mid-range scoring option between O'Neal in the paint and Heximon and Eddie Jones on the perimeter.
Eddie Jones' mid-range game was also quite good, but under Heximon's guidance and Kobe's presence, Jones was now more often a spot-up shooter on the wing or cutting directly to the basket. His opportunities and space for mid-range shots were decreasing. Although Jones harbored some unspoken dissatisfaction about the lack of mid-range action, seeing his scoring average slightly increase compared to the previous season and the team's winning streak, Jones suppressed his inner feelings and didn't voice them publicly.
By the end of the first quarter, the Lakers led the Jazz 29-24, still by 5 points.
At the start of the second quarter, Hornacek suddenly caught fire from beyond the arc, hitting two consecutive three-pointers to erase the small deficit the Jazz had built in the first quarter.
Van Exel immediately challenged him, trying to outscore Hornacek.
Hornacek, not one to get carried away, saw that the Lakers' defense was focused on him. He prudently shifted his focus, starting to assist on passes to Shandon Anderson and Ostertag.
The Lakers' rotation play was poor, not only allowing the Jazz to take the lead but also ceding control of the game.
It wasn't until Heximon substituted for Van Exel and re-established the offense centered around O'Neal that the Lakers regained their composure and stabilized the unfavorable situation.
At the end of the half, the Lakers narrowly led the Jazz 50-49 by a single point.