Chapter 99: Strong with Ideas

Mark Woodson shouted, "Man, Alaric was ice-cold when it mattered most; he played like a vet, not some newbie."

Tom chimed in, "He's got a big test on D now; John and Karl are running that pick-and-roll again."

Alaric hustled to keep up with John, leaving Karl to his teammate. John dished it out, Karl went one-on-one with Rick, spun around, and nailed a mid-range jumper, making it 93-91.

John and Karl were killing it for the Jazz, looking like prime Lakers stars, keeping the game tight.

Phil called a timeout, laid out the game plan but didn't sub anyone in. Honestly, throwing in Mark Madsen, who hadn't seen a minute of action, to guard Karl might've worked, but Phil didn't trust the rookie bigs, worried they'd screw up. Madsen and Stanislav's main gig was guarding the water cooler and hyping up the team.

Phil's offensive plan was simple: give the rock to Kobe for an iso play. Handing it to Shaq for an iso at crunch time was risky; if he got fouled and bricked both free throws, it would be a killer.

The Jazz made a smart move, subbing in Quincy for Danny.

They planned to hack Shaq as soon as he got the ball, sending him to the line, and on offense, they'd go small, avoiding Shaq and shooting from deep.

The Lakers attacked, Kobe faced Greg just inside the three-point line on the right, took a step, and pulled up for a jumper but missed.

Quincy snagged the rebound and tossed it to John. Alaric pressed upcourt, blocking John's path and stopping the fast break. John passed to Greg on the left.

Greg, a combo guard with solid handles, dribbled up under Kobe's pressure and passed to Quincy, who was trailing on the right. With no center on the court for the Jazz, the Lakers were a bit scattered. Quincy was wide open, with only Shaq under the basket somewhat close.

It was a mismatch. Seeing Shaq a bit off to the side, Quincy took it to the rim for a monster dunk. He thought if he made this, he'd be a star.

In Alaric's past life, even an aging Shaq wouldn't let an opponent dunk on him. Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey learned that the hard way. Shaq, out of position, lunged from the side and swatted Quincy and the ball to the ground.

The ref's whistle blew. Shaq had gone for the ball but hit the hand first, fouling out with six fouls.

Tom said, "The Lakers are in deep trouble. They've been terrible at controlling fouls today. Shaq shouldn't have been so reckless. Now the Lakers' inside game is toast."

Mark laughed, "If Shaq had to do it again, I bet he'd still do it. No way he'd let a rookie show him up."

Quincy was fine after the fall, sank both free throws, tying the game at 93. Phil called another timeout.

Both TV viewers and the crowd were sweating for the Lakers. With their two starting bigs fouled out, it was gonna be tough to defend against the Jazz. They'd have to rely on their offense now.

Phil didn't bother with the tactics board and laid it out straight. "Next, spread out, Alaric will iso against John. If he gets doubled, pass it out. On D, focus on guarding the perimeter. If Karl gets it near the paint, foul him hard and send him to the line."

Kobe's face was tight, knowing Phil wasn't happy with his play and had given the ball to Alaric in crunch time.

Kobe was off in the second half, missing more than he made. He was 4 for 10 in the last quarter and 1 for 5 in this one. Phil knew he couldn't let Kobe keep chucking. Kobe had 31 points, with 12 out of 13 free throws made.

Phil knew John was gassed and that Alaric would definitely take the clutch shot.

Alaric was grinning like a Cheshire cat, eyebrows raised, but he kept it cool, not laughing out loud, catching some side-eye from his teammates.

He was pumped, thinking isolating against John was a cakewalk compared to Kobe going one-on-one with a defensive beast. His excitement caught his teammates off guard.

Horace and Ron, who'd been in the NBA since the '80s, had never seen a rookie with Alaric's swagger.

Kobe sighed to himself: Man, Alaric's got guts. At this point in the game, isn't he worried about missing the shot and getting blamed for the loss? Doesn't he know what it means to be nervous?

Kobe had been with the Lakers for four years, hitting nine clutch shots, five of which were near game-winners or forced OT with free throws. He'd missed more clutch shots than he'd made, including two airballs. Every time it came down to crunch time, Kobe would get nervous too. But Alaric? He seemed only excited, like he'd already made the shot in his head.

Alaric saw things clearly and wasn't scared of getting flak for missing. He saw it as a golden chance to make a name for himself. He was just a last-pick rookie in his first season. Missing a clutch shot was no big deal; what was there to be afraid of?

Being the last-pick rookie took the pressure off him. If he didn't play well, it was expected; if he did, he was a dark horse. Pressure? Nonexistent. Even if the Lakers lost today, it was just a regular-season game and wouldn't change much. The one who laughs last laughs best.

Having a clear mindset made him strong.

Entering the league, Alaric knew his place. He was here to make a name for himself with the Lakers. If he could put up good numbers, awesome; if not, that was cool too. He never thought of being the leader right off the bat because that was impossible. Even a rebuilding team wouldn't let a 6-foot rookie be the core in his first season unless the owner and coach were nuts.

As long as the Lakers defended their title, he'd be a contributor, a championship piece. No one would say he dragged the team down. He knew the Lakers had championship potential, which took the pressure off even more.

Alaric was the only one in the league with this mindset; he was the boldest.

On the Jazz side, Jerry couldn't believe Phil would give the rookie the ball at the last moment. He set up to tightly guard Kobe. "With Shaq fouled out, the Lakers will definitely give the ball to Kobe. Keep a close eye on him, force him to shoot from deep, and have the wings ready to help, giving him enough pressure and interference!"

The players took the court. The Lakers' five were: Alaric, Brian, Kobe, Isaiah, and Rick.

The Jazz's five were: John, Greg, Bryon, Quincy, and Karl.

With 28 seconds left in the final quarter, Alaric held the ball outside the three-point line, waiting for his teammates to spread out. All five could shoot, with no big men inside.

John felt a sense of dread. Alaric, playing on and off, was still full of energy, while he was gassed.

With 20 seconds left, Alaric dribbled between his legs, changed direction to the right, and stepped inside the three-point line, using his speed to create some space, then stopped and raised the ball.

John jumped from the side, not aiming to block but to interfere, thinking Alaric would shoot since he'd been decisive in his shots. But Alaric faked at the last second, showing more patience than before, then jumped forward, collided with John, and pushed the ball out.

The shot missed, but the ref's whistle blew. It wasn't a home-court call but a clear case of drawing a foul successfully!

Alaric knew how to play smart. He'd specifically practiced drawing fouls to get more free throws in games.

He calmly sank both free throws, making it 95-93, his 15th point.

The Lakers regained the lead, and the crowd went nuts.