Literally at the buzzer, as if it were a magic trick, Kobe Bean Bryant swished a little pull-up jumper to snatch the victory away from the Phoenix Suns, in what turned out to be one of the most exciting Lakers games I’ve ever witnessed. They unbelievably recovered from a deficit in the final seconds of regulation by Smush Parker’s sweet three-pointer, followed by a deft steal by Parker, which left Steve Nash whining to the refs. In overtime the back-and-forth scoring kept the difference to a minimum, but at the most crucial moment, with only seconds left to play, the Lakers managed to get a jump ball, which led to Kobe’s clutch shot.

I screamed so loud the windows cracked. I jumped out of my chair like it had caught on fire and I’m still riding the high of watching Phil Jackson’s team pull a win out of pure heart, precision, luck, and determination. To watch the postgame interviews you can click here.