Whistle!
Billy King had no choice but to call a timeout.
Ever since Snoopy came back from the last break, he'd turned into a different player. He'd found the cracks in the Lopez twins' armor, and he was showing sides of his game no one had ever seen before.
"Boss, maybe we really should try tossing him a cheap offer."
For the first time, Fred Whitfield was the one to bring up signing Snoopy. And for the first time, he felt Jordan's eye for talent wasn't half bad.
But Jordan's mind was already racing ahead. "Of course we'll sign him. But why stop there? Why not bring him to Charlotte? He could be that rare piece who plays one through five. A true Swiss-army knife."
Whitfield waved both hands. "No way! In college, he can bully mismatches. But in the NBA, every position's got monsters. His edge disappears, his flaws get exposed. You've seen how those so-called 'combo guards' vanish once they hit the league. Let someone else wrestle with that. All we need is the singer-player who can make it in the NBA. Our endgame is sneakers."
It was a brutally pragmatic point.
Jordan considered it, but his eyes still gleamed. "Those hands of his, God, those hands! Look at those fingers, so long, so dexterous. A divine gift. Perfect."
Whitfield stared sideways at the legend, baffled. You're not a woman. What are you even getting excited about his fingers for?
A few seats down, Steve Kerr ducked his head and fired off a text to Steve Nash: Next season, I think we can keep running and gunning.
As Phoenix's GM, he hadn't agreed with ownership's decision to scrap the run-and-gun Suns. But after three straight years of playoff failure, the team had pulled the trigger: out went Shawn Marion, in came Shaquille O'Neal.
The Marion trade had been inevitable. Marion wanted a $20 million per year deal, Stoudemire was fed up with sharing touches, and tensions were going to explode. When Pat Riley dangled Shaq, Kerr took the bait.
The upside? Cap flexibility.
The downside? Shaq wrecked the system.
But now, watching Snoopy orchestrate like a magician at the free throw line, after seeing him body the Lopez brothers and even pin Brook at the rim, Kerr's mind sparked.
He could already see it: a frontcourt of Stoudemire, Snoopy, and Boris Diaw, with Raja Bell on the wing and Nash at the helm.
Offense, defense, glue, Snoopy could make it all click.
Maybe he'd struggle adjusting to the NBA at first. But a second-rounder, or even a late first, wasn't much to spend. After all, if they could swallow Shaq's $40 million, why sweat this?
Back on the bench, Snoopy leaned toward Westbrook and Love. "My job's mostly done. They'll key in on me now. Russell, your drives will get easier. Kevin, you'll have more open looks."
"Snoopy, you're incredible! Since when can you dribble like that? And that pass, how'd you know Wright would be under the rim?" Westbrook's curiosity was burning.
"I've always been able to dribble. The team just never needed me to. And Wright? It's just in the playbook. You pulled Robin Lopez, so naturally, Wright slipped baseline. Easy read."
He said it like it was obvious.
But Ben Holland, the coach, was floored.
That wasn't a reactive pass. That was an active read, using the ball to bend the defense and empower a teammate.
That was the vision only elite point guards had.
He'd been hammering Westbrook to develop that very sense, to lead an offense, not just attack. Westbrook still wasn't there.
But Snoopy? He just had it.
Whistle!
Play resumed.
Billy King threw extra defenders at Snoopy. But instead of forcing things, Snoopy slipped into the shadows. He pulled Robin Lopez out of the paint. He set screens at the arc for Westbrook. He freed Kevin Love with off-ball picks.
His box score stopped moving. But UCLA's offense flowed freer than ever.
Fans wanted more blocks and dunks on the Lopez twins, but Steve Kerr's eyes only shone brighter. He knew it: Snoopy was the glue Phoenix needed. Nash would adore him, because he could turn Nash's passes into second-creation plays. Stoudemire would love him too, because Snoopy would happily do the dirty work.
Halftime arrived.
45–37. Bruins by eight.
On the bench, defensive coach Nolan clapped and barked: "Fantastic! Keep this up another ten minutes and Stanford will break!"
But Snoopy frowned. A shadow passed his face.
Love nudged him. "What's wrong?"
"I promised I'd dunk on the Lopez brothers." Snoopy's voice was heavy with worry. "What if they wave the white flag and sit before I get the chance?"
He was genuinely anxious.
Love broke into laughter. "Snoopy, that was just trash talk. You don't have to make good on it."
"No." Snoopy shook his head firmly. "My father taught me when I was little: if you want people to trust your word, you must follow through. In economics, a lack of integrity raises transaction costs and undermines the deal itself."
Love blinked, lost. "So, you have to dunk on them?"
"Yes." Snoopy's eyes burned with certainty. "I said I'd posterize the twins. So I will posterize the twins."