Knicks vs Boston: Second Half I
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~~~(POV: Ulysses Kennedy)~~~
~~~(Date: October 20th, 2026)~~~
~~~(Location: Madison Square Garden, New York)~~~
~~~(Time: 9:00 PM)~~~
I'm back on the court, and Barret inbounds the ball to me. I bring it down the court and pass it back to Barret. I make my way over and set a screen for him. He gets free and cuts to the basket, getting another bucket for us.
The defense is so focused on containing me, it's taking the heat off my teammates for this second half. The start of the third quarter is in our favor already.
I shift onto defense with my team, and Brown is the one bringing the ball down the court for Boston. Surprisingly, Tatum is on the bench for the start of the third quarter. But I've had him locked down all game. That means Brown is the one I need to lock down.
Brunson shifts with me as Brown has a screen set for him. I'm guarding him now, and he tries his dribble moves. I give him some pressure, but not enough to call a foul. I've still got three fouls, and I don't want that number to get any higher until the fourth quarter.
"The game ain't over yet, young blood."
Brown tries to drive past me, but I stay in front of him and force him to pick up the ball and pass it. Unfortunately, they get two points in the paint from his wild pass. That was dumb luck, but I'm not going to bitch about it.
I'm the one that inbounds the ball this time. Barret brings it down the court with me right behind him. I immediately start setting a screen for Brunson to get free. It works, and Bruson gets the pass from Barret.
He gets pretty close to the paint, but Brown stops him from getting any further. He's forced to pass it, and it comes to me. As soon as it hits my hands, I elevate and sink a shot on the baseline. It's a beautiful swish.
"Get in his fucking face!!"
Brown is yelling at the two guys on Boston who were closest to me. It's a way to motivate them. I know that I take fire as fuel. It can really help to have that guy push you.
We're back on defense, and I'm taking on Brown from the very start of the possession. This time, he smartens up and keeps the dribbling contained. He calls for a couple of screens, and I'm forced to shift to defense.
Brown has Brunson on him, which is the matchup he wants. He gets just enough space and takes a jump shot from the 3-point line. The worst part is he hits the shot and gets a shooting foul. Making it a four-point play.
"That's some fucking bullshit!"
Brunson is going at it with the ref, and that's a language you don't use with the officials. He's immediately given a technical.
This is getting interesting. Brown knocks down his free throw, and we're back on offense. I wait down the court as Barret and Jericho make their way down.
I move to get some space from my defender, and Barret sees me about to get open. He passes it, and as I get the ball. I turn and drive toward the basket. Losing Smart with a spin move and sending him in the other direction. I throw down a hard dunk, and the Knicks fans go nuts.
Instead of being a good sport about it, I flip off Smart on my way back to defense. Surprisingly, no refs saw the motion. Smart doesn't have time to complain to one of them.
The crowd is really into the rough house basketball we're playing against Boston.
But our opponent's response was another 3-pointer from the corner by Smart. Passed to him from Brown.
They're staying close. The score is now 65 to 63, and we're only a minute into the third quarter. This time, I'm the one that brings the ball down the court and looking to separate the score a bit. I pull up in Brown and Smart's faces.
Knocking down a dirty fucking 3-pointer. Making the score 68 to 63. Boston calls a time-out since it's their possession. I watch as Tatum gets up from the bench. We're back at our bench, and Tom is fired up.
"You guys are playing great out there! Keep those hard screens and shifts coming! If we stay consistent, we'll win our first game of the season against a top-three team in the league!"
This is making my blood pump. It feels so fucking good to play some competitive fucking basketball that isn't a blowout.