The brief timeout ended, and the Paladins' five starters walked back onto the floor.
The Roarers made their own adjustment—Kamara and Sloan came off, Gibson and Malik came on, shoring up the rim.
Stepping onto the court, Ryan glanced at the scoreboard. Second quarter, 4:56 left.
Paladins' ball.
LaVonte took it at the center circle, his steps unhurried, his face so calm it was as if that one-point gap on the board wasn't worth a sliver of his attention. Stanley met him at once, shoulder wedged in tight against him. From this moment on, he had one job for these next few minutes: don't let this man catch, drive, or run the tempo in comfort.
LaVonte had barely dribbled past the arc when Locke came up to set the screen.
It was their most familiar opening play. The screen dropped into place, and Stanley was caught on it, half a step behind.
