11 Strength in numbers

"Well done to all of you for giving us such an amazing and thrilling game that surely made the audience want to watch our games n the future." Coach Alford gave us a comment on what he thinks with spirited eyes.

He thought, 'This group of players is surely gonna make it big in the future. One of them in particular is Quincy Cruz. He made 39 points while playing 37 minutes and made a game-winner. Not to mention his 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals. This kid's an absolute monster overall. And that is him playing with guys who he only played for the first time today while going against a team who've had a lot of experience playing together.'

This is definitely a huge win for the Lincoln Highschool's basketball team this year.

"Now, I will announce the starting five for our team based on this game."

"Point guard position is still Isaac Hamilton." Sadly, Aaron can only make the starting lineup next year.

"Shooting guard will remain as Tyrus Edney." He was the same shooting guard who played with Isaac. He also contributed 12 points in that game and 2 3-pointers. Overall, he's a solid player who can stick by the books and can also play at his own pace if needed.

Although I sympathize with Noah as he had done a really good job in this game, he made 2 turnovers and was a little late to react at times so it's only understandable.

"Center position will also still be Jerrold Smith." This was a no-brainer. No comment here.

"Power forward will change to Ikenna Okwarabizie." Quite a lot of people are surprised but a lot also expected this. Based on his performance in this game, he made a really good job of defending Jerrold despite being in a disadvantageous situation.

He also made 14 points in the game and 13 rebounds. But I think he still has not played his all in this game because the whole time, he was always near the paint with Jerrold guarding him so he can't make his jumpers easily with that matchup.

"And lastly, Small forward will be played by Quincy Cruz." I think everyone already anticipated this result. I was clearly the MVP of this game with a lot of highlight plays that are just hard to forget. Of course, I was happy but I did not make it too obvious. So I only smiled as if I had already expected it.

"Although the others are just substitutes, for now, don't get too complacent as I will let them replace your roles if they show the promising value that overshadows your own. So keep your minds focused on training and building chemistry amongst each other to perform at a higher level."

"I expect great things from this batch and I assure you that there is strength in numbers. That's all."

I was dumbfounded when the coach mentioned a phrase at the end of his speech.

'Strength in Numbers'.

This means that no matter how one is individually better than anybody, it can only do so much and not help you achieve the peak of your craft. There are a lot of geniuses in all aspects of life who can create great things on their own. However, a collective effort can always overpower a singular entity. With the right individuals formed together no matter how weak or uninteresting, united they are unstoppable.

This reminded me of an NBA team from my previous life that ignited my passion for basketball. It was the Golden State Warriors during the Stephen Curry era. I believed that the dynasty they have established is the greatest, yet were struck with unfortunate injuries and ejections that shook their foundations.

The Warriors dynasty started in the NBA season 2014-2015. Stephen Curry received his first-ever league MVP during this season and shocked the whole basketball world as they made a spectacular run in the playoffs and made it to the NBA finals.

That time, they went against the King, LeBron James, and the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Kyrie Erving and Kevin Love. That was a star-studded series full of excitement, joy, and drama.

Sadly, Kyrie Erving had an injury that forfeited him from playing the whole series which opened up a window for the Warriors to win.

But it was not easy. LeBron James, who is considered to be in the conversations of the GOAT along with Michael Jordan, made an exceptional performance that forced the series to a game 6 in Cleveland.

LeBron James was basically unstoppable until Coach Steve Kerr decided to let Andre Iguodala play in the starting five and was assigned to defend the King.

Andre answered the call and performed what he was asked to do. In the end, the Cavs lost in game 6 and that was the official start of the Warriors dynasty. Andre was awarded the Final MVP for his exceptional performance in that final game.

During the next NBA season, the Warriors once again shocked the whole world as they finished the regular season breaking the record of most wins in a single season which is 73-9. The previous record was the '95-'96 Chicago Bulls which was led by the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan.

And another record-breaking news was that Stephen Curry got awarded the very first-ever unanimous NBA regular season MVP.

The Warriors were expected to win the title that season, and almost everybody does. During the finals, they went against the Cavs once again and they led the series 3-1.

However, for some unknown reasons, Stephen Curry underperformed. Draymond Green got suspended at a crucial game and they just crumbled till the end. The Cavs stole their title and the Warriors were desperate.

Desperate enough to recruit an MVP caliber player, Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunders.

This was when the dynasty rebuilt again into a much stronger powerhouse than it already was. They continued to win back-to-back championships and Kevin Durant was crowned finals MVP in both series.

In their 3rd season with Kevin Durant, a lot of injuries took place. First, it was Kevin Durant, but they still managed to get through the Western Conference and once again compete in the NBA Finals for the 5th time in a row.

They were up against the underdogs, the Toronto Raptors, which was being led by a Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard. The Toronto Raptors were deserving to get to the finals that season because of the great display they have made in their Eastern Conference run.

Even without Kevin Durant, they still managed to make wins and could possibly pull it off and take the whole series. However, Klay Thompson, the other half of the Splash Brothers, got a devastating injury that made him unable to play for two whole years. It was terrible news for the Dub Nation. It was agonizing and painful to watch him experience that and not be able to play during those 2 years.

"It's decided," I whispered to myself.

"I will join the Golden State Warriors and fortify their team to build the greatest dynasty in basketball history!"