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~~~(POV: Ulysses Kennedy)~~~
~~~(Date: October 25th, 2026)~~~
~~~(Location: Fiserv Forum Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin)~~~
~~~(Time: 3:28 PM)~~~
We're in our jerseys and waiting for the refs to finish up what they're doing. The game starts in two minutes. The Arena is filled to the brim, and people stand up and boo me everywhere I look. Some even flip me off and curse at me.
My reputation precedes me in the world of basketball. They know they're in for a world of hurt, and they're doing all they can to help their team in affecting me. After a minute, we all make our way to the center of the court and wait for the jump ball.
Giannis is my match-up tonight since I'm running Small Forward. We're almost the same height. I'm a smidge taller than him, but the difference is negligible.
"This is my house."
His thick accent is hard to understand, but I put together what he said after a few seconds. All I do is grin as the ball is thrown up, and Jericho wins the jump ball. I make my way down on offense, and as I get in my spot. The ball is passed to me.
Giannis is making sure I know he's defending. Sadly for them, they think Giannis is enough to stop me on his own. They're not sending any double teams. I pivot and jab, creating small amounts of space.
Without even taking a dribble, I elevate from the wing and shoot it. Knocking down the 3-pointer. As a bonus, Giannis blocked my landing. The refs blow their whistles.
"You best hope you can catch up in the minutes I'm sitting out. Cause the times I'm in; I'll be dropping buckets on your ass."
These words leave my mouth with my back turned to him as I walk to the free-throw line. You know you're making a statement when you get a 4-point play on the first possession. The crowd behind the basket is going nuts.
Screaming, booing, and cursing at me. It's become a problem in the NBA. Fans think they can say and do whatever they want to players. But I'll be sure to hand them an L tonight.
I knock down the free throw and start jogging back on defense, following Giannis. Holiday brings the ball down the court and passes it to Middleton. Giannis and I are tied up on the wing from the defense I'm playing.
He gets free enough to get the pass and tries backing me down. But as his shoulder clashes with my chest, I refused to give him any ground. You can hear the thuds and slams from our clash in the post.
In the act of desperation, he spins around and tries shooting. But I'm here to put my hand in his face. Making it so he can't see where he's shooting.
It's a nice trick to use when you know you can't block a shot at the moment. If you can't reach the ball, block their eyesight.
The shot bounces off the front of the rim into Jericho's hands, and I'm already running down the court. I get a pass from Brunson, and it takes naught but a moment for me to jump and throw down a two-handed slam.
The score is now 6 to 0 in our favor, and I've scored all 6 points.
I make my way down on defense after the quick fastbreak bucket. I'm guarding Giannis again, but this time he plays the pick-and-roll game. I switch onto Middleton, and that means Barrett is defending Giannis. They take advantage of the mismatch.
Giannis is quick to overpower Barrett, and he gets an easy inside layup. Making the score 6 to 2. The Bucks aren't a team that'll give up. They'll fight to their last dying breath.
Which I can respect. We're a little over a minute into the game now, and I can already tell this will be a close one.
"It won't be easy for you this time."
Again, there is that thick accent. But I get the gist of what he's saying. We're on offense, and I make a screen from Barrett, and he passes it to an open Brunson. He knocks down the 3-pointer in the corner.
I'm not the only one on our team that can score. Barrett and Brunson are hoopers and will carry their weight like our match against the Bulls.
The score is now 9 to 2 in our favor.