Shaq was Out, and we were going through a rough patch. We had?lost two games in a row going into this one, so we had to get out of?that funk. For us to do that, I knew?I’d have to carry the load from?both a scoring and emotional perspective.

This dunk, which happened in the third quarter, was a statement.?Each of my 52 points was important—the game went into double?overtime—but this is the bucket that set the tone. It was me?throwing down the gauntlet and telling my teammates we were?going to win, we were going to right the ship. And we won. In fact,?we won nine of the next 10 games.

That’s not to say it was easy. This was my sixth straight night of?scoring 40 points, and my body was feeling it. After this game, my?knee swelled up to the size of a melon. I was having a lot of trouble?moving, and we had a game in utah the next night. Still, i suited up,?put on a brace, and played 40 minutes on it. I scored 40, and more?important, we won. You have to give everything to the game, to?your team. That’s what it takes to win. That’s what it takes to be?great.