Beep!
Timeout — Kansas Jayhawks.
Coach Bill Self wore a grim expression. Two straight drives from Snoopy had completely disrupted his defensive schemes.
Originally, his plan was simple — on offense, you don't even have to guard Snoopy closely, just keep an eye on him.
But now... Snoopy had suddenly become UCLA's second offensive engine, and somehow, his playmaking was even sharper than their actual point guard's.
"Hey, Snoopy — when did you learn to attack off the dribble?"
As soon as he walked back to the bench, Ben Howland rushed up to him, excitement clear in his voice.
"This is unbelievable!"
It was hard for him to keep the calm demeanor of a head coach — because once Snoopy could penetrate and draw defenders, with his court vision, his value to the team might actually surpass Kevin Love's.
"Just learned it," Snoopy said with a grin. "Looks like it's working."
Ben Howland rubbed his hands together, grinning from ear to ear.
For the first time, he could actually see a path to victory.
Meanwhile, the NBA scouts, GMs, and executives in the stands all nodded knowingly.
Being able to drive versus not being able to drive — those are two completely different worlds.
If you can't create off the dribble, your ceiling is the 20th pick in the first round.
If you can — you might just sneak into the lottery.
"Tonight," analyst Earl Johnson said from the commentary booth, "Darrell Wright, Cole Aldrich, Sasha Kaun, Darnell Jackson… they're all going to have a tough night."
"Unless something unexpected happens," he added, "UCLA's perimeter shooters are about to feast."
"But there's one problem," Kenny Smith suddenly chimed in. "Will Russell Westbrook actually give up the ball to Snoopy? He's still the team's point guard."
Up until now, Snoopy and Westbrook had gotten along fine — because there was never any conflict over possessions. Snoopy focused on boxing out under the rim, clearing space for Westbrook to grab rebounds and push the fast break.
But now? That balance was about to be tested.
Would Westbrook be willing to share the ball?
Ben Howland wondered the same thing as he grabbed his clipboard.
But his worry didn't last long.
He looked up just in time to see Snoopy throw an arm around Westbrook's shoulders, whispering something into his ear.
Moments later, the slightly frowning Westbrook cracked a smile.
Then he turned to the coach and said,
"Coach, let Snoopy handle the high-post offense."
Ben Howland froze — he didn't quite understand what just happened.
But he quickly nodded and drew up a new play, putting Snoopy at the center of the offense.
Right before sending them back in, curiosity got the better of him.
He leaned in and whispered,
"How'd you convince Russell to give up the ball?"
Snoopy chuckled. "Triple-double."
"Never forget," he added with a grin,
"Russell almost got a math scholarship from Stanford. He loves numbers more than anything."
Ben Howland blinked, then looked up at the scoreboard —
Westbrook's stat line: 11 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds.
A triple-double?
Maybe…
Beep!
The game resumed.
Kansas didn't make any substitutions, but they clearly decided to attack the paint harder.
Brandon Rush caught the ball, ran a pick-and-roll with Darrell Arthur at the elbow, and slashed into the lane.
At the same time, Cole Aldrich threw his weight into Snoopy, trying to pin him under the basket.
But this wasn't the old Snoopy. His knees were light and flexible now — his footwork quick, almost sharp.
He spun around Aldrich in one swift motion.
Just as Brandon Rush rose for a dunk — Snoopy leapt, stretching out his massive hand and smacked the ball away.
Rush panicked, pulled the ball down, and threw a desperate pass toward the perimeter.
But before it even reached the baseline, Westbrook burst in, intercepted it, and pushed upcourt at a controlled pace.
"Outstanding defensive presence,"
Pat Riley, sitting courtside, murmured appreciatively.
"Snoopy's footwork looks quicker, smoother — reminds me of a young Bill Walton."
At the ESPN desk, Mike Breen suddenly turned serious.
"Bill, don't you see it? Snoopy's game — the vision, the footwork, even the defensive reads — it's starting to look a lot like yours. If you want your alma mater to hang a couple more banners, you might wanna take a trip back to campus."
Back in his prime, Bill Walton had been called a blend of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell — an exaggeration, maybe, but not by much.
His career was riddled with injuries — he never even finished a full season — but he still racked up accolades: Regular Season MVP, Finals MVP, Hall of Fame, Top 50 All-Time.
Even late in his career, dragging two broken legs, he still won Sixth Man of the Year.
Defensively brilliant, offensively selfless — not a scoring monster like Kareem, Olajuwon, or Shaq, but a genius passer, rebounder, and team anchor. Before that devastating injury in the late '70s, he was also a formidable shot-blocker.
Now, watching Snoopy play, Walton couldn't help but see his younger self.
He sighed.
"I really should go back to campus. The only problem is… that kid doesn't think he's a center. He says he's a point guard."
Mike Breen burst out laughing — thinking of Shaq's old "point guard" impersonations.
On the court, Snoopy broke past Darrell Arthur again.
As he reached the paint, he suddenly kicked the ball backward over his shoulder — a perfect no-look pass.
Westbrook caught it in stride, charging straight toward the rim.
Kansas's defense collapsed inward.
But just before takeoff, Westbrook whipped the ball to the corner — where Luc Mbah a Moute was waiting.
Catch and shoot — swish!
Three-pointer.
Tie game.
Westbrook grinned wide — another assist on the board.
Back on defense, Kansas still tried to pound it inside.
Aldrich backed Snoopy down, muscling toward the hoop.
But Snoopy held firm, absorbing every bump.
When Aldrich finally went up for the shot, Mbah a Moute swooped in for the contest — just like when they'd once double-teamed Brook Lopez.
Clang! — the shot rimmed out.
Westbrook grabbed the rebound.
Pushing upcourt again — Snoopy set up at the high post.
Aldrich sagged off two steps.
Snoopy rose and fired — swish!
Nothing but net.
Snoopy wasn't some helpless big man — and if Aldrich was going to give him that space, he'd make him pay for it.
On the Kansas bench, Bill Self's brows furrowed deeply.
Now that Snoopy had shown he could drive off the dribble, Kansas's defense was in real trouble.
He could post, rebound, and block shots — and now, he could break down defenders and distribute on top of that.
They simply had no one who could contain him.
And to make matters worse —
Westbrook had stopped trying to go one-on-one.
He was now like a hawk perched on Snoopy's shoulder — the moment Snoopy drove, he cut.
If the defense stayed home, Westbrook attacked the rim.
If they collapsed, Snoopy passed it out.
Bit by bit, momentum shifted toward the UCLA Bruins.
Who could've imagined —
after losing Kevin Love, their team chemistry was even stronger.