Long Shot - Mike Lupica [29]
One stop, two easy points, just like that.
First stop of the day, Pedro told himself, but not my last.
Because nobody was stopping him today.
He was so locked in on Kyle Sullivan he nearly followed him to the Warriors locker room at halftime. By then the Knights were ahead by a basket.
When they came back out on the floor, Coach Cory told Pedro he was starting the second half with the first unit.
“You know I always ride with the hot man on offense,” Coach said. “Well, today I’m doing the same thing on defense.”
Kyle would get loose sometimes in the third quarter, but it would take a screen to do it, sometimes more than one screen on the same play. And even then, Pedro was able to get around the screens and stay with his man, reading what he was doing like he was a book he’d read already.
Pedro knew when to give him room and when to get up on him. It was why what was usually the Warriors’ one-two punch had become one guy: Nate Clark.
Nate was single-handedly keeping the game close, working mostly against Jeff, sometimes against Bobby, and sometimes against Clarence. When Nate made his last three shots of the third quarter and his first two in the fourth, Coach Cory finally decided, almost in desperation, to put Ned Hancock on him, to see if he could cool him off or at least slow him down.
Even Ned couldn’t.
Nate stayed hot and with four minutes left, the game was tied at 40-all. Usually Ned could shut anybody down, at any position. Use his length the way he had used it that day in practice against Pedro. But today, his length, even all his great basketball instincts were no match for Nate Clark’s quickness.
Pedro’s dad always said that the only way to beat speed in sports was with more speed. Ned didn’t have that and Nate was beating him as effortlessly as he had the other guys.
With two minutes to go and the game still tied, Coach Cory called time-out. He was switching Pedro over to guard Nate.
“No,” Ned said.
His face was red and he was breathing hard.
Pedro couldn’t believe it: The kid who never looked tired, who never even seemed to sweat, was gassed now.
He just won’t admit it, Pedro thought.
“Ned,” Coach said. “Listen to me.” It was amazing. Even now it was as if he had to negotiate with Ned Hancock. “The kid’s just having one of those unconscious days. It’s nobody’s fault. I’m not sure even I could guard him today. And we’re gonna need your energy on offense the rest of the way. You all know how much I preach defense, from day one. But this thing has turned into a shoot-out, which means we gotta keep scoring the basketball.”
“Coach, I got him!” Ned said. “I can do it all.”
He never seemed to raise his voice, on the basketball court or anywhere else. Too cool. But Pedro was pretty sure everybody in the gym had heard him now.
Pedro wondered what it must be like, to actually believe that about yourself. Not just believe it, but come out and say it.
Coach Cory let him stay on Nate. But right away Nate got loose for a dribble-drive, pulling up just inside the free throw line the way he had the entire game, making one of those one-handed teardrop shots.
Now the Warriors were ahead, 48-46.
Ned let Pedro bring the ball up, even though he usually did that at the end of games, no matter who was playing point guard for the Knights.
Then Pedro was the one getting inside his man, getting into the lane the way Nate just had at the other end, going up as if he were shooting before twisting his body just enough in midair to fire a pass to Ned on the baseline.
Ned was ten feet away from the basket and if he had one shot he liked the best, this was it.
Only he seemed to short-arm this one a little. Pedro watched the ball in the air and from his angle, it looked short. And it was. But Ned had enough spin on the ball and enough touch and it caught just enough of the front of the rim to give it a chance.
Pedro held his