The Final Shot

Chapter 11: Sacrifice

The Braves were all experiencing fatigue when they first arrived at the Mares' stadium. Though the Mares weren't strong enough to make the playoffs, they were regular contenders for the eighth seed. They were at a 4-5 record when the Braves came. They weren't strong, but they regularly stumped strong teams because of their coach. None of their players were good, but their coach devised strategies that would stop the opposing team from scoring. The Mares held the record of holding the opposing team to the least amount of points at 31. It was astonishing to see who would win. In the stadium, the Braves could all hear the Mares' cheerleaders' chants.

"Mares! Mares! They will crush you like you're a pear!"

The Braves' university didn't have the budget, though, to have cheerleaders so it was unfortunately cancelled. Due to the fact that there was profit being made out of this league, depending on your regular season ranking, you can get more money. Also, if you win the Finals, you can get 1 million dollars in funding. It was also one of the reasons why Coach had been pushed so hard by the dean to interview scores of young kids who wanted to try out. If they didn't win this year, it was highly possible that the school would shut down. When the Braves went out to meet the Mares, the Mares' captain was Z Greyhen Jr. He called himself Z because his actual name was Zonompoulos, which was hard for most people to pronounce. He is the son of the basketball legend Zonompoulos Greyhen, who holds the record of most minutes without a single point. At 53 minutes. This was because his team had somehow gone into double overtime and Greyhen was still unable to score. Zonompoulos is a legend, though, because of his defense and rebounding skills. His son inherited this skill and the Mares had adapted to this style. When it was halftime, the Braves were down 52-31. This wasn't because the Mares were good at offense though, it was because of the opportunities that they got from defense. If the Braves were 1-5 on field goals, and the Mares were 2-13, the Mares aren't as efficient but have more points. This was the case and the Braves didn't know how to respond. Usually, teams would go small ball against the Mares so that they are faster, but Coach Auerbach knew better.

"Guys, we're gonna have to sacrifice this game. This is a part of the back-to-back and if we're too tired at the end of the game, it's gonna be a vicious cycle, y'all hear me? Carl, King, Michael, Jake, Carter, just rest for the second half, and be prepared for the next game. I don't give a @%$! about this game at this point, since it's not like we need this game. Alright, let's do this!"

The second unit got on the court. At the end of the game, it was a blowout. 123-32. The Braves just broke another record in the league: Least amount of points scored in one half with 1 point. Years later, when the Braves looked back on this moment, they just thought of it as a hilarious period of time. In the present, they just sulked. On the bus back, Coach started swearing.

"I don't give a @%$! if we lose today! Have you heard of the @%$! 1995 Rockets? They won the @%$! NBA title with a SIXTH seed! It doesn't matter if you're first seed! As long as we're in the playoffs, we can win!"

"Here's a short quote from the song Yorktown from the play Hamilton: When you knock me down, I get the f***! back up again! That's what you guys gotta do. If someone knocks you down, get the f***! back up again!"

As the captain, Michael felt a need to speak up.

"Coach...... I agree, but can you try not to swear? The dean is gonna get us in so much trouble if we swear."

Coach Auerbach responded

"I don't care! Now go to the motel and have a quick nap. We'll get up in the morning tomorrow and discuss the game."