ESPN

As one would expect, El Segundo's man of the hour was Ron Artest, he of the offensive rebound and layup heard 'round the world. One hell of a redemptive effort for Ron-Ron, who'd put his team in a pickle-pickle with two horrible late-game shots within seconds of each other. Still, things turned out fantastic, and it would be understandable if Artest spent the night basking in the afterglow. Maybe an impromptu night out with friends. A celebratory glass of bubbly at home. Hell, just sitting in bed watching SportsCenter highlights on a loop.

Turns out Artest commemorated the achievement with a late night workout. There wasn't even a TV on at the gym so he could admire his handiwork while getting a sweat.

"The lights was out," smiled Artest. "They was trying to kick me out."

Artest has talked all season about staying in the moment. Letting games go, win or lose, and being satisfied if he simply played hard. This is no exception. He downplayed the shot as luck and ugly. ("I freakin' got the ball over my head. No form, and just threw it up off the backboard.") He gave all the credit to Kobe Bryant for drawing attention so he'd have a path to the ball. And while Artest enjoyed celebrating with his teammates, the initial urge was to make a beeline off the court and away from the hoopla.

"If it was up to me, I would have just gone into the locker room."

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