After a brief struggle, "Little General" found courage from somewhere and decided to make a move himself!
He called for a high pick-and-roll from Elliott, creating a mismatch with Glenn Rice.
This play was supposed to be straightforward. After the mismatch, "Little General" should have used the Lakers' shifting defense to pass the ball to one of the twin towers in the paint.
However, Johnson, dreaming of being a Spurs hero and betting his coach Popovich's trust, didn't pass. Instead, he took advantage of Glenn Rice's slightly deeper defensive position and pulled up for a three-pointer!
This shot surprised not only the Spurs but also the Lakers.
Everyone thought Johnson wouldn't dare to take this decisive shot, but Johnson proved he "dared"!
"Rebound!" He Xi Meng was the first to react and shouted, reminding his teammates to fight for the rebound.
At the same moment the Lakers players moved, all the Spurs players on the court also sprung into action.
"Little General's" dream shattered as the three-pointer intended to seal the victory missed.
Fate decreed that Johnson did not have the luck to save the Spurs.
What was even more critical was that due to the farther bounce of a missed three-pointer, despite the Spurs' twin towers occupying advantageous positions under the basket, the rebound was snatched by He Xi Meng!
On the sidelines, Harris immediately called for a timeout.
The game was not over yet, and the Lakers still had 0.7 seconds left!
"What can you do in 0.7 seconds?" The Spurs fans in the arena breathed a sigh of relief and began to lament "Little General" Johnson's missed three-pointer.
Honestly, that three-pointer had a good look and an opportunity, a pretty good one. But ultimately, Johnson wasted it, missing the chance to secure the victory for San Antonio.
Popovich, with a grim expression, outlined the final offensive strategy for his players. In his opinion, the Spurs had a chance to end the game on their final possession of regulation. Unfortunately, Johnson had not followed his plan.
"My fault! Guys, I should have made that damn three-pointer." Johnson, as the leader of the Spurs' locker room, didn't shy away from responsibility and apologized directly to his teammates.
David Robinson was magnanimous and showed no intention of blaming Johnson: "No problem! We'll win it in overtime!"
Duncan lowered his head, silent, making it impossible to gauge his feelings. At least, he wasn't as optimistic as David Robinson.
After the timeout, for the Lakers, Coach Harris had Horry shooting free throws on the sideline. The players on the court were He Xi Meng, Kobe, Glenn Rice, and Fox!
Harris's strategy for the players was the "Star Burst" play!
Yes, at this critical moment, He Xi Meng put aside all other considerations. He voluntarily offered Coach Harris the game-winning play most favored by the future "Zen Master."
The "Star Burst" play, as the name suggests, involves one player inbounding the ball, while the other four stand side-by-side at the free-throw line. The moment the ball is inbounded, the four players spread out in different directions to receive the pass. It resembles a star exploding, hence the name "Star Burst." The advantage of this play is that it makes it difficult for the opponent to predict who will receive the ball for the final shot.
In fact, this was not an original idea of the Zen Master, but rather something he learned from the former famous New York coach, Holzman.
He Xi Meng was offering it to Harris as a borrowed flower to present to the Buddha. Harris, being an experienced and renowned coach, recognized that this play was perfect for the current Lakers and immediately approved it.
Version 1.0 of the "Star Burst" play had no decoy player; it was purely based on which of the four players could get open.
Version 2.0 of the "Star Burst" play would set up a shooter to attract the opponent's attention as a diversion, thus creating a better opportunity for the main offense.
What He Xi Meng presented to Harris was directly version 3.0 of the "Star Burst" play!
The so-called diversion was actually the first option, and the main attack was the second option!
And for this possession, Kobe was responsible for the diversion!
After the star burst, Kobe drove directly to the basket! Although the objective was slightly more focused, the intimidation factor was immense!
If the Spurs' defensive attention wavered even slightly, Horry would lob the ball high to the far side of the rim, and Kobe could complete an alley-oop dunk!
Fortunately, Popovich's defensive setup prioritized the paint as a key defensive area, so Duncan quickly retreated, preparing to intercept or disrupt the Lakers' pass!
Seeing Duncan's movement, Horry decisively abandoned the first option, Kobe, and passed the ball to He Xi Meng, who had cut to the sideline!
He Xi Meng received the ball near the three-point line, turned, and without any time to adjust, with Johnson flying at him, he caught the ball and immediately shot, releasing it with a somewhat awkward flick-shot!
The countdown buzzer sounded the moment He Xi Meng shot the ball, and the game ended. However, the referee raised two fingers, signaling that He Xi Meng's shot was on the line, not a three-pointer, but it wasn't a turnover. If it went in, the two points would count...
All the Spurs fans stood up and prayed: "Please, please, please, let this shot not go in..."
The prayer failed. As if to spite them, the basketball arced beautifully and precisely hit the rim!
The referee's whistle blew, signaling the two points were good, and the entire game was over!
All the Spurs fans stood stunned, covering their faces in disbelief.
Just as confused as the Spurs fans were the Spurs players on the court. They all looked up at the big screen, unable to believe how He Xi Meng had completed a game-winning shot in just 0.7 seconds...
After the successful shot, He Xi Meng was mobbed by the excited Lakers players.
Even O'Neal, with his hip strain, endured the pain, stood up from the bench, waved his white towel, and cheered wildly for He Xi Meng's game-winning shot!
The Lakers won! With O'Neal injured, the Lakers, relying on the stellar performance of their three perimeter players—He Xi Meng, Kobe, and Glenn Rice—managed to hold off the Spurs' final three-minute surge, paving the way for He Xi Meng's game-winning shot!
As the game concluded and both teams embraced in a show of respect, Duncan held He Xi Meng tightly and refused to let go.
"I knew it, I knew it! It was definitely you who ruined my good deed in the end..."
He Xi Meng patted Duncan's back and said, "What are you saying... who are we to each other? Aren't my championships your championships? If you want them, I'll give you my championship ring later..."
Even the usually playful Duncan was rendered speechless by He Xi Meng's words.
"What use would a Lakers championship ring be to me, a Spurs player?"