In the second quarter, on a night truly testing the mettle of superstars... Zack went 4-for-7 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, tallying 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal in a single quarter. Throughout the game, Zack, who had been holding back for six whole games, could feel his body's fatigue. But the exhilaration born from his resentment made him feel like he had boundless energy.
During halftime, Artest vividly renamed Zack's playing style that night: "The Maniac."
"He really is a 'Maniac,' a 'Maniac' who's making our whole team crazy with him," Malone said with emotion, looking at the 51-59 scoreboard at halftime.
Typically, when a playoff series reaches this stage, a team's psychological resilience and execution in crucial moments often become the key factors for victory. Malone, who had been observing the game from the sidelines, knew very well that to minimize turnovers, the Warriors had barely even run their usual, most effective plays tonight. On the court, it was basically Zack calling for the ball, then isolation, isolation, and more isolation.
However, the simpler the tactic, the more suitable it is for crucial games. It allows all players to clearly know what they should be doing on the court during the most tense and suffocating moments. "Give the ball to Zack"—that was the brainless tactic the Warriors had been executing all night. This tactic not only covered up potential weaknesses the Warriors might have exposed on the court, but it also gradually allowed the Warriors players to adapt to the atmosphere of this Game 7 in the first half.
But precisely because of this, Malone and Artest felt Zack was a maniac. After all, by doing this, Zack had practically concentrated all the pressure that should have been distributed among every Warriors player onto himself. Every possession, every offensive play, and every turnover would be magnified infinitely under this incredibly frantic tactic.
This was a world that Durant and Oden couldn't yet reach. However, after witnessing firsthand how Zack played NBA games, recalling the days last summer when Zack "beat them up" in training camp, Oden and Durant instantly felt what heaven was like.
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### In the Locker Room and On the Court
In the visiting team's locker room, Rick Carlisle no longer knew how to stop the "Maniac" on the other side. In this game, a fully unleashed Zack was in astonishing form. Carlisle knew very well that given Zack's performance in the first half, unless he could find someone to break Zack's leg, Zack would be unstoppable.
Just like those nights when legendary players in history single-handedly changed the course of a game. Once such a night appears, it spells disaster for the opposing team. However, even if Zack stood at the peak tonight, the Supersonics would climb with all their might, giving their all to kick him from the pinnacle back to earth.
After halftime, the game continued. Ray Allen opened the second half for the Supersonics with a catch-and-shoot fadeaway three-pointer. Since Jack started, Ray Allen's increasingly difficult shots once again proved how excellent this second-year point guard's off-ball defense was.
Then, it was the Warriors' offensive possession. If tonight's Zack was a maniac, then "Full-effort Garnett" was an iron-blooded warrior in every sense. And the crazier Zack got, the more resilient Garnett appeared. The unyielding Wolf King, after every defensive failure, would continue to fully commit to the next defensive possession. Who says that in basketball, when an opponent is unstoppable, full-effort defense isn't important?
On the left side of the court, Zack fiercely drove to the basket. Garnett's fearless defense successfully forced Zack, who gathered the ball too early, to jump and pass. Although Zack eventually found Jack, who hit a long two-pointer, Garnett's defense still showed its power at that moment.
Of course, Zack, who had entered a new realm of madness, would never admit that his jump pass was merely an improvised "hot potato." As he retreated on defense, patting Jack's back, Zack said without batting an eye, "I knew you'd be there, Jarrett."
Hearing this, Jack, feeling that his boss truly was the boss, chuckled, "I was ready to catch the ball from the start, because you said, boss, that as long as we need your pass, it'll automatically find us."
Seeing this, Zack nodded, "Remember to say that in the post-game interview too."
Back on the other end, Yao Ming hit a "baby hook" in the paint. Before the hook shot, to avoid being blocked by Zack, Yao Ming firmly raised his left elbow. So, Zack decisively deemed Yao Ming's hook shot an "untouchable hook."
On the Warriors' offense, Zack, who rarely got the chance to switch onto Yao Ming due to Garnett's screen-navigation error, clearly didn't hold back just because Yao Ming was "his Yao Ming." After all, had Yao Ming held back when he ruthlessly dominated him in World of Warcraft?
Dunk, dunk!
Two quick crossover dribbles, followed by a powerful push-off, and Zack left Yao Ming behind in the blink of an eye. On the court, Garnett and Posey simultaneously double-teamed him. Since Zack had already gathered the ball and jumped, he chose not to pass, knowing it would be impolite to "hot potato" with two consecutive jump passes. Utilizing his hang time to maneuver in the air, Zack switched hands and scored with a reverse layup!
"Kevin, did you make a similar shot this season?" Oden asked curiously from the sidelines.
Hearing this, Durant, who never liked to lie, repeatedly shook his head in denial. Come on, with that kind of hang time... Durant wasn't foolish enough to compare his talent with Zack's. In that moment, Durant made up his mind: he would always be 6 feet 9 inches (205 cm), no matter how others questioned his height in the future.
Every one of Zack's offensive plays tonight profoundly impacted Durant's young mind. In Durant's eyes, Zack was a deity that no human could contend with, and even the ancient gods in the NBA Pantheon would have to defer to him.
However, at certain moments... Zack believed he could also do what Zack did. For example, two possessions later, he air-balled a pull-up jumper over Garnett. This incredibly bricked shot finally made Durant confidently puff out his chest and openly admit to Oden sitting beside him, "I can do that move."
Oden chuckled wryly, "To be honest, I can do that move too."
In the third quarter, Zack's stamina inevitably overcame his willpower in some possessions. On the Warriors' bench, Malone, who remained clear-headed, proactively subbed out Zack with two minutes left in the quarter. "Two minutes to rest. In the fourth quarter, if you feel your stamina dropping, tell me immediately, and I'll call a timeout for you right away."
At Oracle Arena, the "Great Demon King" finally being subbed out gave the visiting Supersonics a chance to catch up. Ray Allen hit three consecutive difficult two-point jump shots on the court. Because of Jack's suffocating defense, Ray Allen was no longer as fixated on three-pointers as before. However, in a crucial moment, Artest continuously drove into the Supersonics' paint, earning trips to the free-throw line and maintaining the Warriors' lead.
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### The Final Stretch and Historical Feats
The lack of offensive penetration from perimeter players was undoubtedly a weakness for the Supersonics. Against other teams, Carlisle could still adjust strategies and design intricate outside plays for Ray Allen. But facing these Warriors... Carlisle knew that the Supersonics would have to use their mid-level exception to strengthen their perimeter lineup this summer.
At the end of three quarters, the score was 80-87. In the fourth quarter, both teams went all-out, fielding their starting lineups for a decisive battle. In the very first possession, Zack, who had been sitting for two minutes, actively brought the ball up from the backcourt. This was to find his rhythm through dribbling. If Zack remembered correctly, Kobe often did this too. Yes, this time it was "Kobe did it too."
On the court, dribbling the ball up the court, directing his teammates' movements, and watching the always-vigilant Garnett, Zack wasn't in a hurry to attack. Not until he noticed a gap in the Supersonics' zone defense near the wing due to the Warriors' player movement. In an instant, the ball was transferred by Zack with a diagonal pass to Davis, who was cutting along the wing.
Upon receiving the ball, Davis made a bank shot, and Zack recorded his 10th assist of the game. In turn, it was the Supersonics' offensive possession. The Supersonics, positioned in a 1-2-2 alignment, used their sharp "horns" set to create a two-point jump shot opportunity for Garnett near the free-throw line. Unfortunately, Garnett, who had been guarding Zack intensely all game, was also only human.
Clang!
Under the basket, Zack "plucked the melon" from above Artest's bold head, successfully securing that backcourt rebound that belonged only to him. Seeing this, Artest, startled by Zack, almost swung his elbow in reflex. Only when he turned around and realized it was Zack contesting his rebound did Artest finally breathe a sigh of relief.
With the lead in hand, Zack wasn't in a rush to initiate a fast break. In the high post, after a handoff with Davis, Zack quickly popped out, catching Garnett's "old waist" by surprise again. Since Zack hadn't attempted a three-pointer in quite a while, Garnett couldn't have expected him to suddenly move to the perimeter. On the right side of the court, receiving a kick-out pass from Davis, Zack shot and drained a three-pointer, Swish!
At the scorer's table, Carlisle quickly called a timeout, facing the Warriors' offense, which seemed to be building into a tsunami.
After the timeout, Garnett and Yao Ming executed a high-low post play, and after receiving Yao Ming's pass from inside out, Garnett hit a jump shot. In turn, it was the Warriors' offensive possession. Zack, feeling his shot warming up, didn't insist on bringing the ball across half-court and let Davis do it instead. The Warriors' offensive spacing on this possession was very wide, forcing Yao Ming to come up higher to defend. This was a perfect opportunity for Davis to drive to the basket, and Zack quickly followed. Although he didn't get an easy dunk, he got an even greater reward.
In the Supersonics' paint, Davis missed a layup, but Zack followed up with a put-back dunk, earning himself two points and a rebound. If there were live stream comments in the NBA of this era, the screen would undoubtedly be filled with "Poor Garnett." In that defensive possession, Garnett, who had to both quickly delay and then immediately recover, didn't even have time to box out before having to contend with Zack, who had ample space to jump.
Playing alongside Yao Ming, Garnett certainly extended his so-called prime without needing to gain weight, or even being able to lose some. But compared to his younger self, his foot speed had inevitably slowed down. This is a problem many professional players face: the peak of most basketball players' experience and skill doesn't overlap with their physical peak.
In Garnett's opinion, he wouldn't even dream of being five years younger; if God could just make him two years younger, he wouldn't let Zack be so audacious in front of him. For a moment, Garnett even felt that Zack was divine retribution sent by God specifically to punish those players who had wasted their prime by squandering time.
On the court, Supersonics fans finally saw Ray Allen ignite from outside again... but then, on the very next Warriors' offensive possession, after continuously cutting to the basket off screens, Zack completed an AND-ONE over Yao Ming. However, it must be stated on Yao Ming's behalf that his defensive action just then was completely fine. On this play, the referee called a foul on Cassell, who was reaching for the ball from underneath.
On CCTV, Zhang Weiping said exasperatedly, "What is Cassell doing coming in to make trouble for Yao Ming at this moment?"
Cassell certainly wasn't trying to cause trouble. He just underestimated Zack's large hands' control over the basketball. At the free-throw line, Zack sank the free throw.
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### Reactions and Looking Ahead
Watching the game on television, LeBron James, also following this match, felt a slight unease about Zack's performance that night. Fortunately, Rich Paul, who never questioned James's abilities, cheered him on, "Bron, the Messiah isn't as terrifying as you think. Think about that game you played at The Palace of Auburn Hills, when you scored 26 consecutive points for the Cavaliers. I don't think there was much difference between you that night and the Messiah tonight."
Rich Paul was right. On that night when all of Cleveland could intimately feel James's dominance, James indeed seemed possessed, single-handedly scoring the Cavaliers' last 26 points. But James himself probably didn't know if he could replicate such a night in the Finals.
Moreover, once the Warriors overcame the Supersonics, it meant that Shaquille O'Neal, who still averaged "15+8" for the Cavaliers in the previous three rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs, would be completely relegated to the bench. So, as Zack's "surface brother," James naturally hoped the Supersonics could make a comeback and advance.
However, the scene James hoped for didn't happen.
Fourth quarter clock:
8 minutes 14 seconds: Zack drove strong to the paint, earned two free throws, and made both.
7 minutes 33 seconds: Zack used a drag step to gather the ball and pulled up for a two-point shot, Swish!
5 minutes 45 seconds: From the right 45-degree angle, Zack hit a pull-up three-pointer that utterly exhausted Garnett, virtually killing the suspense of the game.
Throughout the entire fourth quarter, Zack, who only missed two shots, became the insurmountable chasm the Supersonics could never cross. Oracle Arena completely transformed into a joyful ocean in the final five minutes of the game. Zack, who never leaves his destiny to others, firmly grasped his and his team's fate tonight, and was about to embark on that date with LeBron James across the sky.
But before that, the arena's big screen had already displayed the playoff record set by former Warriors legend Wilt Chamberlain, the "Basketball Emperor," years ago. On TNT, a gasping Charles Barkley, with his signature deep voice, announced to all of America: "Ladies and gentlemen, if you are watching this game, then I must congratulate you! Because after becoming the first player in NBA history to achieve a '20+20+20' in a playoff game, God has granted us another great record tonight! The Messiah, with unstoppable momentum, has become the first player in NBA history to achieve a '50+20+10' in a playoff game!"
51 points, 20 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal.
As his own "50+10+6" record, set by the Basketball Emperor Chamberlain, was surpassed... Zack, who had actually been holding back for ten games since the Western Conference Semifinals, just wanted to say: "—Ah, finally, finally I feel relieved."
During his recovery from injury, even that "20+20+20" game couldn't eliminate the resentment in Zack's chest. Because Zack knew very well that "20+20+20" was not an insurmountable record for the outstanding juniors he remembered.
Of course, in this Western Conference Finals Game 7, Zack's original intention was never to chase stats. He just wanted to test his playoff limits through a game where he could unleash himself fully. The stats, in fact, were just a concrete manifestation of Zack's full effort on the night of the game, bolstered by his excellent on-court form.
Final score, 102-118. The home team Warriors ultimately eliminated the Supersonics with a 4-3 series win. They will advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year! Only this time, as defending champions, they await the challenge from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"What more can you say when a player can put on such a performance? I can only congratulate the Golden State Warriors and hope they ultimately win the championship, because if we only lost to the eventual champions, it might make us feel a little better." —Rick Carlisle calmly faced defeat in the post-game.
"It's incredible! Absolutely unbelievable! I don't expect to ever be like the Messiah; if I can just be one-tenth of him, I'll be satisfied." —Kevin Durant, with a 30% chance of being this year's No. 1 overall pick, shared his thoughts on the Western Conference Finals Game 7 after the game.
"I know many of my peers in the league hate me, even despise me, but so what? I don't mind reminding all my peers that the player who scored 51 points, 20 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal in a playoff game tonight is currently playing under my command!" —Mike Malone, leading his team to the Finals, gloated with all the swagger he could muster.
"In a person's life, the most glorious day is not the day they achieve success, but the day they rise to the challenge of life from sorrow and despair, bravely stepping towards their beliefs. I know I'll be a year older next season, but until I fall, I will fight for my dreams until the very last moment." —Garnett, covered in "heroic sweat" after Game 7, said in a post-game interview.
"I'm sorry I disappointed the fans and the team. I missed a crucial free throw in this series, and I'm willing to accept any criticism." —Yao Ming, with red eyes and his chest almost suffocating from the pain, said in the locker room interview.
"Losing wasn't just my fault; the Warriors' overall strength is far superior to ours." —At the press conference, Ray Allen denied the fact that he was bogged down in this playoff series due to Jack's defense.
"The NBA welcomes its annual grand spectacle! The Cleveland Cavaliers, led by the Chosen One, will challenge the Golden State Warriors, led by the Messiah! In the 2-3-2 Finals format, who will emerge victorious in this highly anticipated great competition? Let's eagerly await the 2006-07 NBA Finals, which will be played on June 8th!" —ESPN News Flash
"Regarding being able to play healthy, the Messiah stated that he finally got through that difficult period that almost broke him. And about the upcoming Finals, the Messiah said, 'You know, every matchup with LBJ brings me a different surprise. I believe this will be an exciting battle.'" —San Francisco Chronicle