LeBron James running away? He's going all in on Curry.

The host and guest sides switch.

"beep--!!"

The referee whistled, the ball arced through the air, and the second half began.

Logically speaking, a 25-point difference should have almost sealed the outcome of the game.

However, no one expected that the situation on the field would suddenly change.

"clang!!"

With a wide-open shot at the top of the key, DeRozan received a pass from Harden after a drive, and even had enough time to glance at the front of the basket.

The shot flew in a straight arc, yet it slammed solidly into the front edge of the iron ring, sending it flying three meters away.

But nobody took it seriously.

With 25 points in hand, a missed shot is just a tiny ripple in a long 48-minute game.

But just forty seconds later, Harden used a screen to set a screen and stepped back, rising up on the floor he knew best in the left corner.

"clang!!"

The ball hit the back edge and bounced high into the air.

Immediately afterwards, the offense shifted, a quick three-on-one break, and Pope followed up with a shot—

"clang!!"

The sound echoed in the empty stadium, carrying an indescribable bittersweet feeling.

Once, twice, three times...

In just two and a half minutes, the Lakers unleashed six consecutive three-pointers, and the Nets' tassels couldn't even get a touch on them.

Each dull thud of the ball hitting the hoop felt like a knife being stabbed into the heart of Staples Center's purple-gold hue.

"Beep—!!"

With 4 minutes and 12 seconds left in the third quarter, Harden dribbled the ball to the center circle and watched as Reeves once again slammed an open shot from the corner out of bounds. The four-time regular season MVP finally couldn't hold back anymore.

He ripped off his mouthguard and rushed to the technical table, blocking the referee at the sideline with a dark expression.

"Stop! Stop the game!!"

Harden pointed his right hand at the away team's basket support:

"That basket is crooked! It's definitely crooked!!"

"They definitely rigged the game at halftime! Go get a ruler and measure! Otherwise, this game is unplayable!!"

The referee frowned, looking at the almost out-of-control look in the eyes of the league's superstar, and finally waved him on.

Several stadium maintenance workers carried an aluminum alloy ladder and a bubble level into the stadium.

The ladder was set up, and a spirit level was placed on both sides of the iron ring. The green fluorescent liquid swayed inside the cylindrical tube and came to a steady stop in the center of the two markings.

Exactly.

The cold instruments delivered the verdict: the basket wasn't crooked; the person was possessed.

……

"Oh, all measured?"

In front of the Clippers' bench, the young man who started in place of Kawhi Leonard pulled off his towel.

Terence Mann stretched his ankle, his pupils gleaming with a bloodthirsty ferocity.

"It's my turn."

The moment the game restarted, a storm seemed to break out on the Staples Center floor!

The Clippers launched a fast break, and Reggie Jackson did not slow down, instead flicking the ball towards the right corner while on the move.

Mann is in position, shoulders down, ball in hand, and pulls up.

His move was completely unhindered; the moment his feet left the ground, his body tensed up like a javelin!

"Whoosh!!"

The snow-white netting is swept upwards!

Before the Lakers could react, on the next possession, Mann intercepted DeRozan's cross pass near the mid-court line!

Steal, accelerate, and stride forward!

Facing Harden's defensive surge, Mann suddenly slowed down a step in front of the free-throw line, made a sudden stop and layup, hooked Harden's outstretched arm, glided half a meter in mid-air, and slammed the ball into the net with one hand!

"boom!!"

"Beep—!!"

Goal! Penalty!

Before the 20,000 Lakers fans could even boo, Mann had already calmly sank the free throw.

Immediately following was the third drift pull-up jumper over the defense!

The fourth long-range three-pointer in transition!

A fifth tomahawk dunk that tore through the paint!!

This third-year guard, who was unremarkable in the starting lineup, was like a beast released from an asylum in just seven minutes.

Catch the ball and throw it; it's as easy as raising your hand!

The sound of his sneakers rubbing against the floor echoed from every corner of Staples Center: the bottom corner, the wings, the top of the key.

In the quarter, he made 8 of 9 field goals, including a perfect 4 of 4 three-pointers!

That surge of counterattack, pushed to its peak, erased the original 25-point gap into a flat plain with the electronic buzzer at the end of the third quarter.

98:97.

The Clippers have taken the lead.

……

True despair doesn't arrive in an instant, but rather drags you step by step into the abyss.

In the final quarter, Harden's jersey was soaked with cold sweat.

This two-time champion, who won the MVP award three years in a row, practically burned himself to ashes in this quarter.

He no longer cared about his physical reserves, nor did he dwell on the soreness after each physical contact.

Faced with a double delay from George and Mann, Harden slumped his shoulders and repeatedly threw himself into the human jungle of the paint.

He smashed past the defense, twisted his waist in mid-air, and scored off the backboard!

Turning back, half a second before the double team was closing in, he bounced the ball to the outside.

Every pass he made was almost always delivered to his teammate's chest, the perfect spot to receive the ball.

however……

"clang!!"

Reeves missed an open three-pointer.

"clang!!"

Pope's open three-pointer hits the rim.

"clang!!"

DeRozan had a chance to equalize from the bottom corner, but it bounced off the post again!

No matter how dramatic Harden's breakthrough was, no matter how wide the space he created, those spot-up shooters who usually had incredibly smooth shots seemed to have had their souls ripped out tonight.

The clanging of metal was deafening.

Fifteenth attempt failed!

The twentieth attempt failed!

The 25th attempt failed...

Throughout the entire second half, the Los Angeles Lakers unleashed a miraculous display from beyond the three-point line that paralyzed all data models across the United States—

Twenty-seven consecutive three-point attempts missed!!

Twenty-seven chances, zero wins!

With 53 seconds left, Harden, surrounded by three defenders, passed the ball to DeRozan, who was wide open in the corner, and DeRozan's shot bounced off the rim and flew away...

The bearded man, supporting himself on his knees, was panting heavily, sweat dripping from his beard onto the floor.

He didn't even have the strength to get back on defense.

"boom!!"

The Clippers launched a counterattack, and with twelve seconds left in the game, Mann sealed the victory with a folding layup.

"drop----!!"

The red light pierced the smoke and dust of the stadium.

131 is 119.

The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off an epic comeback from a 25-point deficit at halftime, winning the series 4-2 and sending their crosstown rivals home!

……

As the final whistle blew, the clamor at Staples Center subsided in a very short time.

The technical statistics on the big screen were blindingly bright:

Terence Mann:

出战36分钟，21投15中，三分球10中7，罚球2中2！

He racked up 39 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals!!

The entire stadium stared blankly at the young man who was being pulled into Paul George's arms and having his head rubbed.

Thirty-nine points?!

Fifteen out of twenty-one shots?!

Is this Terence Mann?

It's like they sewed Michael Jordan's soul into this number 14 jersey!

Even Paul George has never shot with this kind of efficiency, and this is a third-year rotation player replacing Kawhi Leonard?!

And when the camera focused on the contrasting clips of the two teams' second half, the numbers sent chills down the spines of every Lakers fan.

They missed 27 consecutive three-pointers in the second half!

James Harden, who played 43 minutes and scored 39 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists, has burned himself out!

On the other side of the scoreboard, the Clippers' second-half stats were even more impressive:

30 of 42 shots made in the second half!

A shooting percentage of 71.4%!!

A 71% field goal percentage in the first half!

In the stands, the old fan who had worn the purple and gold jersey for twenty years looked at the sick leave slip that had been crumpled to pieces in his hand, and then at the outrageous 71.4%.

He grinned, gave a bitter laugh, and casually tossed the crumpled paper into the beer glass at his feet.

"Their shooting percentage was 71% in the second half... With that kind of accuracy, what can we do?!"

The old man dusted off his backside and turned to walk towards the exit of the stadium.

"I gave it to them."

"I admit defeat!!"