1 The Last Shot
Game 4 of the NBA Finals 4th quarter with 1 minute left, the score is 101-103
It was The Lakers vs The Celtics rivalry in the 2020s.
The Lakers are up 3-1 in the series and the Celtics have their backs behind the wall. Both teams were equal even with Lebron James on the court, the only real difference was the defense in the paint for LA. Anthony Davis guarded the whole paint in the Center position though he usually played the Powerfoward.
Right now in the 4th quarter, the Celtics came back from a 10 point lead from the Lakers. All of a sudden after the 10 point deficit one of the starters got injured the bench player for that starter was injured.
A timeout was called and the team had to send the guy who was injured to the doctors. The team right now was scrambled as they were behind 2 points at the moment. Right now they needed to score and, intense defense at the same time.
"Alright DJ your up."
The bench player who was warming the bench up was shocked at the moment, they had a deep bench but he was chosen.
"Coach are you sure this is the right decision? We just picked this kid up from the draft like this year."
"From what I've seen from the scouting reports and right now, I think this is the right move. We still have one more time out and I will save it at the last possession."
"What I want from the next couple plays is to go through our point guard, what I want you to focus on is a slow tempo with screens and make sure to get our shooters open."
"Aight coach"
The timeout rang out and the teams got back, right now it was the Celtics ball. The small forward inbounded the ball while the other team was scrambling around trying to get a steal.
The ball got to the shooting guard DJ as he was on the right-wing, he looked for the point guard to pass to.
DJ felt the pressure already just from standing on the court, but all that was on his mind right now was to win.
He found the point guard in between someone raising their hands for a steal.
DJ decides to go with a bounce pass so the defender won't steal it, the ball zips through the floor towards the key and the point guard catches the ball, the guy who was quickly trying to steal got into his stance and in front of the point guard.
The point guard decides to dribble out at least 6 seconds before calling the play.
His hands flash up a series of symbols and the play was called, It was a chin spartan.
It was set up as the 4 and the 5 (PF & C) set screens for the 2 (SG) while the 2 runs towards the corner, then right after the 4 and 5 set screens for the point guard as they start moving. The 4 pops to the 3 and the 5 rolls to the rim.
The point guard found an opening to the left lane and decided to head their first with the 5. The guy that was guarding him was still caught onto 4's screen so 4s defender had to guard him.
All of a sudden 2s defender was on him when he was driving, he decided to check the corner and saw DJ wide open. He went with a normal pass with one hand as if he was throwing a fastball to the catch.
DJ already had his hands ready to catch the ball the moment his defender left him to guard the point guard. The ball zipped through the air and landed in front of his hands. Right now he was looking at the rim but he thought he had plenty of time and saw a huge giant that was coming upon him.
If it was his first game in the league he would've been scared at the sheer size and ferocity of the man called Anthony Davis, with his long arms that could reach the basketball from afar. In their first matchup, Davis blocked the shot because he hesitated.
DJ was already in his shooting motion and now focused on the rim. The rows of people who sat with their masks on, it was an upgrade to the normal mask where the people can breathe the air but won't intake any viruses.
They stood to see if the three were gonna go in, their heart pumped with adrenaline the same type of adrenaline that DJ was feeling but 10 times more.
DJ jumped and put his leading hand against the ball and bent his right elbow with his hand's firm grip on the leather ball after reaching the peak of his jump and lining up his elbow with the rim he released the ball with a sort of roll towards it.
His jump shot was made when he was copying textbook level type of jump shots like Michael Jordans or Kobe Bryants(RIP24) jump shot.
The ball released and went into a sort of high arc, the 5 who was in the paint got ready for a rebound, it would be an easy putback as the only one who could guard him there would be a mismatch between him the 5 and the enemy's 2.
Everyone on the court watched the ball fly across the air and then a swish was heard. DJ pumped his fist up and ran back, the crowd went crazy and decided to keep standing to yell the chant
"DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE!"
The crowd's noise rocked the whole stadium as the Lakers right now were behind 1 point. The ball was given to Lebron James and he called a play and gave it to Caruso. Lebron screened and received the ball then he passed back to Caruso then Caruso does a touch pass to Anthony Davis who is in the post.
The sound of the rim echoed throughout the stadium.
The whole crowd went silent for a single moment but then they came back up.
"LETS GO CELTICS LETS GO!"
The crowd went back again and then the game was back in play. The time at the moment through the shot clock was back at 24 with 41 seconds in the game. The point guard with the ball decided to call a screen from the 3 and then the whole offense commenced.
Almost everyone on the team was cutting at least to the hoop or around the 3 point line. DJ in fact had a lot of stamina so he was running around like a speed demon at the moment. At least 6 seconds have passed and the Lakers were playing excellent defense, the paint was almost impenetrable.
The ball starts going to places to look for a score, the ball lands to DJ who made the 3-pointer last possession by the Celtics.
Right now he was on the right corner and he was in the same situation as last time. Anthony Davis on him at the moment. He decided to wait for Anthony Davis to come into the contest range and pump fake. He had his knees bent and angled his shot. Anthony thought it was gonna be a shot once more so he jumped.
DJ never thought that AD would jump like that so he drove towards the basket blowing by Anthony Davis.
The Power Foward who was guarding the 4 had to help on defense but it was inevitable. DJ passed to the 4 who was wide at the 3 points like he popped into. The ball zipping through the air and the crisp catch that came after. What happened after was unsuspected though.
The crowd went with an ooo sort of sound after the 3 was released.
Then they heard the hard rim shake with terror.
It missed.
The big men were scrambling around the paint and getting ready to rebound the ball. All desperate for the ball all of them jumped all for the ball to be sent farther in the air. It was on its way to the stands.
Then they heard the squeaking of shoes and saw a flash of a player in green running towards the stands. DJ dived towards the stands where the people were at as well. He got his hands on the ball in the middle of the air and threw the ball behind him.
Luckily the point guard of the Celtics was right near him and got the ball, he already knew that DJ would try a play like this since they played together already.
DJ was right now recovering and was getting out of the seats where he collided with some of the fans. There was one woman in particular that helped him up. She was wearing a strange striped dress of green and white symbolizing some sort of goddess to him.
Right as he was gonna get back to the court he felt a pick to his neck. He was weirded out and hurried to get out of there, he had a job to do after all.
While all of this happened the shot clock reset and the time right now was 34. The point guard currently had the ball and was being harassed by the defenders at the moment.
DJ got back on the court and went back to work and his bread and butter. Cutting. He ran and ran screen after screen tiring the person who was guarding him even more. Then he got the ball wide open at 24 seconds on the clock. 10 seconds into the shot clock went down as the defense got more and more intense.
Right now the 2 was guarding him but he looked very tired at the moment. DJ went with a jab step to the right and decided to explode to the left and then the ball was out of his hands. Someone had poked it. It was Caruso.
Noticing this DJ ran back and dived for the ball once more and got it. Time out was called for the last time for the Celtics.
"Alright alright boys we have about 19 seconds left but only 4 seconds left boys, I need use to clock in our brains and get our shit together."
The coach was right now very focused and the volume of his voice had only risen.
"DJ you need to get your shit together and shoot this shot."
"Coach me? How come, why not our point guard?"
"Look just believe in me, this will be our winning play."
"I want you, DJ to inbound the ball and make sure you give it to the most open teammate near you. Right after the person who gets the ball passes back to DJ"
"Alright that's all team, let's GET THIS WIN!"
"LETS GO!!!"
The whole team huddled up and got out of the timeout. Right now DJ was inbounding the ball and the Lakers defense right now was focused on defending the three-ball.
The ref gave DJ the ball on the right side of the court. Everyone right now was scrambling to get open. Everyone right now was being guarded and 3 seconds had already passed, he had to do something, then something in his eye popped.
His opponents back were turned against him. He threw the ball against the guys back and made sure the ball hit the floor and then he started running while dribbling the ball.
The crowd was yelling, the coach was yelling, and now even his teammates were yelling at him.
"WHAT THE HELL"
Then right after with 2 seconds in the shot clock DJ ran to the 2 point-like and went for a pull-up jump shot right in front of Lebron James.
Jumping with all this momentum right now was really hard for him and lowered his percentage of making this shot, he really wanted to pass at this moment but something within him wanted to shoot this shot, his insides told him this was the shot for his future.
The elbow angled and the height of the jump reached its maximum height. As he had a good look at where the rim was a hand was slowly rising from below. A huge hand that filled players with terror as they were on fastbreaks against this man.
DJ calmed down and used his depth perception to know where the rim was. He still saw the side of it a little bit and still could at least hit the rim.
The elbow with the ball and leading hand with it flicked the ball up and it went through a big arc. Everyone had to stare with their white eyeballs filled with different colored irises. All of them dilated from the focus on the ball's reflection coming into them.
It was as if all of them didn't know what was about to happen or they were about to witness history being made. Though it was the wrong type.
The shot clock right now was about to end. but the shot already was near the net. The shot clock buzzer rang but all the crowd could hear was the hit of the rim with a slow roll around it. All the players had their eyes on it.
Then the ball went in.
The crowd went crazy, but the players weren't done yet. The Celtics ran back to play defense once more. There was only one weird thing that happened though.
DJ was on the floor.
