The Lakers’ rich history is filled with memorable game-winning shots. There’s the shot Robert Horry made against the Kings in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals:
There’s the shot Derek Fisher made against the Spurs in Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference Finals:
And of course, there are all of the incredible game-winners Kobe Bryant hit during his historic two-decade run in Los Angeles:
But the game-winner that Nick Young hit against the Thunder on Tuesday night may just go down as the best one of all:
Okay, maybe not. But still, what a shot! And it was pretty much the most Nick Young shot ever, as with less than 10 seconds left on the clock and the Lakers trailing the Thunder by 1, Young stole a pass that was intended for Lou Williams and fired up a 27-foot 3-pointer to give Los Angeles a two-point lead and eventually a win over Oklahoma City. He also stole D’Angelo Russell’s "ice in my veins" celebration after making the shot, much to the delight of Russell himself:
Young said, "I just felt like I wanted to take the shot," when he was asked about it immediately after the game ended:
And while speaking with reporters back in the Lakers’ locker room, Young was more than happy to admit that he was not supposed to take the game-winning shot in the game. He compared his game-winner to other game-winners in Lakers’ history and said that his is different because it wasn’t drawn up for him:
Young, who didn’t record an official steal during the game, also said that he thinks he should be credited with one in the game’s box score:
And Williams, who was apparently supposed to be the one taking the game-winning shot, summed up Young’s play—and frankly, Young's entire identity—perfectly by saying this after the game:
Truth be told, Young is very lucky that he made the shot he took. If he hadn’t, we would be having a much different conversation today. But that’s what makes it so great—and we can’t wait to hear what Kobe has to say about it.
