Chapter 90: I Can't Live Like This Anymore

The NBA's got this home-court bias thing going on, where the home team's defense gets all up in your face, and refs sometimes let stuff slide during those heated moments. Home team players go all out to defend their turf in front of their hyped-up fans. Back in the '80s and '90s, away team players would often start fights, turning the court into a boxing ring.

Players getting hurt from dirty fouls? Yeah, that's a thing too. The Lakers gotta watch out; they've already got two guys on the injury list and can't afford more. Even if they were at full strength, picking fights on the home team's court is just dumb. No need to piss off the opponents just to celebrate a basket.

Alaric quickly owned up to his mistake, and Phil's scowl finally eased up. He threw an arm around Alaric's shoulder and said, "Celebrate all you want at home, but I don't wanna see you dancing on the court when we're away. Got it?"

"Yeah, I promise to keep it chill when we're away. I'll just do a fist pump," Alaric said, clenching his right fist with a blank look.

Phil wasn't sure if Alaric was messing with him or not, but he felt Alaric wasn't the low-key type since Michael loved to celebrate with a simple, powerful fist pump.

Phil noticed Alaric was super aggressive on offense. If he let him keep shooting, it would become a habit, and Alaric would probably clash with Kobe later. Phil had to balance the ball-sharing between the Lakers' star duo and didn't want to turn Alaric into a shot-happy point guard. Alaric was young now, but in a few years, if the three of them were still on the same team, there could be a lot of drama.

Phil switched up the lineup, giving the star duo, Ron, and Rick, who had played the whole quarter, a break. The five on the court were Alaric, Brian, Isaiah, Horace, and Greg Foster.

The four hadn't played much today and were full of energy, with the only tired one being the vet Horace. Phil didn't trust the two rookie big men, Mark Madsen and Stanislav, who, unlike Alaric, still needed more practice.

Phil was not only great at handling star relationships but also at using role players. His knack for integrating the team and managing the role players' stamina was a big reason he led both the Bulls and the Lakers to championships.

The Trail Blazers' five were Damon, Steve, Bonzi, Rasheed, and Shawn.

Mike had no choice but to send Shawn back in, as the vet Dale already had four fouls and was needed to battle Shaquille later. The Trail Blazers were short on big men, and Rasheed hadn't rested for a single minute so far.

Alaric looked at Shawn, then at Damon, took a deep breath, and thought, if not now, when?

The Trail Blazers attacked first. After a pick-and-roll between Steve and Rasheed, Steve passed the ball to Rasheed, who nailed a three-pointer over the newly subbed-in Brian. 75 to 70.

Rasheed roared, and the whole crowd went wild, boosting the home team's morale.

Alaric dribbled past half-court, signaling for a screen. Greg Foster stepped out beyond the three-point line to block Damon. Alaric dribbled to the right, and instead of passing the ball when Rasheed switched to guard him, he decided to take on the star player.

He crossed the ball from his left hand to his right, took a big step with his right foot, leaned his body, and followed with his left foot, speeding past Rasheed.

Rasheed, known for his offense and defense, had the usual big-man problem against smaller guards: high center of gravity and slow lateral movement. Plus, he hadn't rested for a single minute and was super tired. No way he could keep up with Alaric, who had rested an entire quarter and was known for his speed and agility.

After a crossover, Alaric pulled up and scored a layup before Shawn could help defend.

77 to 70, his 21st point.

Mark Woodson shouted, "Hell yeah! Another sick move by Alaric, dude's got no fear!"

Tom chimed in, "Man, I bet the fans watching on TV are just as shocked as I am. Alaric's the first player of Victorialia descent to hit the NBA. The Lakers snagged him at the end of this year's draft, so he picked number 58. No one thought he'd be a threat, but he's been killing it!"

Austin was at home with his folks, so pumped he wanted to call Alaric right then and there.

Megan and Darlene were also glued to the live broadcast at home. Megan's jaw dropped multiple times in disbelief. Alaric, that troublemaker, had racked up more points than Kobe.

Darlene, all excited, said, "Looks like we're gonna have a big star as a neighbor. You should totally get along with him. Maybe go out for dinner or shopping with him; you might get famous too."

"Who wants to go out for dinner or shopping with him?" Megan snapped, only to get a smack on the back of her head. "Mom, why'd you hit me?"

"That's something Alaric should be saying. Do you think Alaric would be interested in you? Do you know how much NBA stars make in a year? You're just a small-time movie actress, and you're being picky."

Megan pouted and stayed quiet. She knew Darlene was all about the money and had a soft spot for Alaric. She had no one to vent to about being bossed around by Alaric after he caught her in a compromising situation. Life was a drag.

Life was a drag, thought Damon, who was getting harassed by Alaric on the court.

Before the game, the media hyped Damon as the Trail Blazers' offensive weapon, with a speed edge over Ron and supposedly dominating Alaric. Scouts said Alaric was strong on offense but weak on defense. But Damon found himself getting locked down by Alaric.

If he couldn't shake him off in one step, Alaric would stick to him, messing up his shooting rhythm. The refs didn't call any fouls, seeing it as normal contact.

Damon could feel that Alaric was stronger than him. Looking at his build, it was like he was born with natural strength.

After finally breaking through once, Damon's layup got disrupted by Horace and missed the basket. Shawn, on the other side, showed his crazy jumping ability and speed but didn't jump up. Greg Foster tipped the ball out of the paint with one hand, and Brian scooped it up and passed it to the fast-breaking Alaric.

Alaric dribbled to the frontcourt, glanced at the trailing Isaiah but didn't pass, and suddenly pulled up for a three-pointer. Damon’s interference caused the shot to miss, and Bonzi grabbed the defensive rebound.

Since hitting the court, Alaric had felt Phil's strengths. Phil sat quietly on the sidelines, advertising for KFC, without yelling at him for messing up the offensive rhythm.

The Trail Blazers attacked, and Rasheed, guarded by Horace, made a passing error that Brian intercepted. Alaric sprinted out, signaling for the ball.

Who does this guy think he is? The team leader? Brian thought Alaric was being too aggressive, but he passed the ball anyway because Alaric was the fastest.

Alaric caught the ball at midcourt, went for a solo fast break, and charged towards the basket with Damon on him. The boxing and dance training in the time loop had made his lower body super stable. He forced a layup through contact, pushing Damon so he couldn't jump, and banked the shot in as the ref's whistle blew.

Damon, who had once been the team leader for the Raptors, was now getting bullied by a rookie, making him more and more frustrated. He gave Alaric a hard shove.

It was a dangerous move, but luckily, Alaric hadn't jumped high and only flew out due to inertia. When he landed, he instinctively pointed his toes and tumbled three feet forward, landing on his side and crashing into the photographer under the basket. Thanks to his cushioning move, he wasn't hurt.

Brian saw it all from behind and immediately appealed to the ref, who called a flagrant foul on Damon.