“And the blond said, ‘that’s not mine!’”

Javier Montana laugh so loud he almost fell off the bench. Ben just smirk at him. His joke never gets old. But the idiot already heard the same joke at least 4 times and he still always enjoys it like the first time.

Benjamin shrugged. If the guy enjoys it, then who am I not to let him. It’s not as if we are doing anything here but warm the damn bench.

Ben sighed again while the crowd roared their approval as Scott Vernon, the team star player drive to the hoop and was fouled when 2 defenders rose up to meet him. Ben watched sleepily while Jason Sollini from the opponent’s side, swear his innocence to the referee who isn’t even listening and shooed him away.

They were not yet in the penalty (that is two fouls away) but it was a shooting foul and so the star goes to the line. Ben watched in amusement when the other sides coach first harassed the referee but when the guy just passed him disinterestedly, he turned his wrath to the guy who fouled Vernon.

Privately, Ben thinks it was a clean defense, but the free throw is good for their side.

Ben’s team, the Phoenix Suns, is leading the Pelicans by a single point. The two free throws will make the lead hopefully by three. The importance of this could not be emphasized enough since this is the last game of the regular season, and both the suns and the pelicans are vying for the final spot in the playoffs since they’re tied at 44-37 win-loss.

At the start of the campaign, everyone had high hopes for the Suns since they just acquired the hot new player Vernon, and surrounded him with abled body veterans. Sadly it did not happen. The suns had been plagued by injuries after injuries. Just this month alone, both the starting center, Tyson Chandler, and his backup big man, Alex Len, both got injured days from one another, ending their season a bit earlier than expected. Power forward Jon Leuer took up the slack with a passion, but everyone can see he is struggling. And then there is Vernon. The guy is talented enough, Ben can give him that, but the guy was a douche both in and out of the court.

He is better known for his antics in the clubs than his game on the court, and lately, he is expressing his disappointment with the management for misappropriating the use of his considerable talent on the court, making him unable to pull out his full potentials.

But all this drama, Benjamin Sulla could not force himself to care enough about it, mostly because he is only a reserve player. He and Javier do nothing but sit on the bench and warm it all day long.

All. Day. Long.

They go to the same practice, train with the same players but once the real game start, they sit on the bench and watch the game. That’s it.

Benjamin has been a professional Basketball player for seven years now. He signed up for the NBA draft of that year but he was ignored for other players. He was accepted into the NBA D-league though. Mostly he is a regular player in the D-league for Bakersfield Jam, supposedly to improve your skills, but it’s not easy to break through to the big league. Ben’s contract had been taken by the Suns a few times now, but they always decide not to renew.

Last year, he signed a ten-day contract with the Suns, and later that night, he made his NBA Debut, scoring four points and two rebounds in four minutes of play. He played two more matches and ten days later, Phoenix decided not to renew his contract. The following day, his back to Bakersfield.

This year, as he prepared to play semifinals in the D league, again representatives from the Phoenix Suns offered him a three-day contract (2 days of training and 1 game) with the NBA team. He almost told them to go screw themselves but Ben hesitated and in the end, swallowed his pride and took the contract.

Now, he is on that third day of his contract and nothing happened but an almost autograph when he was mistaken for Yao. For Yao freaking Ming! Ben thought smoldering. The guy is retired for more than five years and people still wants his autograph. I should have said I’m Yao and signed it ‘to the dumb ass who thinks I’m Yao…’

The home crowd groaned and Ben had to ask Javier what happened.

“D-bag missed the first free throw,” he answered, eyes glued to the game. D-bag was our personal nickname for Scott Vernon when the asshole purposely asks Javier once in practice to get him a soda like he's his PA.

When Javier mentioned that, Scott responded that at least this way, the team will get some use for us useless reserves. A fight almost broke out, and Ben had to pry Javier away from the star. Javier is lucky they kept the ten-day contract they got for him.

“All that for a free throw?”

“The guy air balled.”

Ben blink then watches the game. Vernon is definitely mad and red around the face.

“Wait for your youtube, Vernon!” someone shouted at the crowd and Javier smiled coldly.

Scott got the ball again and shoot his second free throw. This time, it reached the ring but it gave an ugly bounce and fell to the side. Players scrambled, Vernon, charged his own miss.

Hands rose up but the ball was swatted to the side. Jon Leuer hassled but 2 blue players were behind him. They all dive for the ball but Leuer got there first. The body collided and hit the ground hard. The referee blew his whistle and when everything died down, Leuer is still on the floor, clutching his left foot.

He was obviously in agony. The ref stops the game and doctor came out to see the unfortunate player. Our coach, Sol Ziegler was almost tearing what’s left of his hair as he watches one of his key players go down. It was as if he can literally feel the pain of his own player. But everyone knew that his apathy for the player's health is not a personal concern He is thinking about his chances in the playoff even if he wins today.

The thirty-second timeout was extended another thirty seconds. Then one of the doctors shook his head, and a stretcher came to haul the player away.

Bobby is still shaking his head as he watched the player go when the coach came near him and shouted, “Sulla! You’re up!”

Ben stared at his coach stupidly with an open mouth before Javier good-naturedly push him to his feet. The coach put an arm around him and he almost staggered.

Ben is Six feet, nine inches tall, a veritable giant in his old local village, but the coach used to be a power forward back in the 80’s and although a bit smaller than him, can easily reach his ear.

“No heroics, lad,” He said. “What I need now is a team player.”

He waited until Ben nodded before continuing. “Your teammates will do all the heavy work. Just don’t freeze. If you get the ball, then just give it to our point guard or to Vernon. You get that?”

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“Yes, sir!” Ben answered.

“Good!” The coach said, nodding. “Then make me proud! Go! Go!”

Bobby marched into the court and then suddenly he is not a spectator anymore but an actual player. An actual stage actor and not just the playwright, an actual gladiator and not just one of the screaming peasants. He was at the stage and everyone can see him.

Suddenly, Ben is terrified. Somehow he’s in the limelight and he is exposed. He played in court a million times before but he knew this is different, like a start of something new… or the end of a fucking dream.

Either way, it’s monumental, and now he is scared shitless.

The crowd is chanting “defense! Defense!” while the bored announcer introduces Ben to the crowd. The second announcer had an amused voice when he describes him like he's eaten something bad and he needs to go to the bathroom.

No shit.

Ben closed his eyes. If seven years of basketball experience is not enough to calm him down, then maybe he can force calmness by getting his wa from some other experience.

Like 16 years as a KI practitioner in his old village. Like the child prodigy that he was. “Calm yourself,” He whispered silently. “This is just another battle in the arena. And you are the ‘Batoh.’ There is nothing out there that can touch you. You are strong and you are free.”

He opened his eyes and no one saw the sudden glowing of his eyes. He took a deep breath and absorb the Ki inside the basketball court, purifying it to his level.

Luckily, the mop boys are still cleaning the place where Leuer fell and Ben realize that time went familiarly slow. Then he smiled coldly, for although they didn’t know it yet, the people on the court and in the bleachers, are now in his world.

“Inbound! Pelican ball,” announced the referee.

Every player began to mark their man, and to Ben’s surprise, he was guarding Anthony Davis. Ben is expecting to guard the Pelican center but there are two power forwards in their team. The moment the ref blew his whistle, all hell broke loose. 

But Ben’s Ki-enhanced eyes tracked every player on the court, and when he started focusing, the crowd went silent like he was inside a bubble. Anthony Davis started shaking him, but he stayed in the middle which Ben found surprising. Meanwhile Jrue Holiday, the point guard started running under the court where 2 picks were waiting for him. Then Eric Gordon, the shooting guard, broke free of Vernon and went high.

Phoenix defenders separated and Ben was about to assist in guarding Holiday after he broke free with his defenders using the pick. But Davis remained in the middle … looking down on the floor.

Then he realized the ploy. Both guards were baits and the real target is Davis. He continues to follow holiday but he is also fully aware of the passing lane between the inbounder and Davis.

Finally, the inbounder fired the ball to Davis’ direction. It was lightning fast, and everyone is still looking at one of the guards when he did pass the ball… Except for Ben who lunged forward and grabbed the moving ball, right in the air.

The crowd roared their approval as Ben made his first steal. He charged in the other direction but then a problem arose.

His body at that time was Ki enhanced and his new speed, unfortunately, was way too fast for his current dribbling skills and he staggered at the half line.

Suddenly two Pelicans were in front of him, blocking his way. The rest of the players went pass them and the possible fast break died with it.

A hand slashed on ben’s hand and he almost lost the ball. He grabbed it with both hands and he cursed. Now he can’t move forward or he will be called for “traveling.” He moved the ball around him, trying to avoid the snaking hands all around him, forcing him to throw the ball away.

Two of his teammates were demanding the ball, including Vernon, but both players are covered tightly by their guard. The opponents coach is shouting “Don’t foul him! Let him choke!”

His own coach is shaking his head and the crowd went louder. Suddenly he is angry.

All he wanted was to play basketball, ever since that mysterious foreigner arrived at his hidden village and explained the game to him and the other kids. He even had an old sports magazine that featured the Bird-Magic rivalry. It was Ben’s most treasured gift.

He abandoned his village and his destiny as the next “Ubbah” or Head Ki practitioner, to play the game for real. He accepted the endless line of “Assistant coaches” who teach him “team basketball” and how to properly pass, dribble, shoot. He obeyed like a good little kid because it is the way it is supposedly done.

Not his own brand of basketball taught to him by the kind old foreigner.

“Fuck it,” He said under his breath. “It’s the last game of the season anyway.”

Invisible Ki poured out of him and his eyes begun to glow.

“Let’s play my kind of basketball for a change,” He said to himself, as he smiled coldly.

He turned his back to his defenders, fake left, then turn right … to execute his beautiful Hook Shot … in half court.

Ben started running backwards to defend his own court because even before the swoosh sound indicating his shot was nothing but net, he already knew that it will go in.

There was a second of stunned silence before the crowd went wild. His teammates kept slapping his back and butt. “You fucking noob!” Vernon said to his face. “You’re lucky that shit went in, or I would be fucking you up right now!”

The pelicans gave their final timeout. All the coach said is to mark your man and not to foul anyone. Easier said than done.

“They’re going for quick three if they can, so watch out rook,” Eric Bledsoe, our point guard reminded me.

Again, Ben marked Anthony Davis and the moment the ref blew his whistle and gave the ball to the inbounder, Ben lost him.

Ben release his Ki around the court and found Davis Ki signature. He burst into speed and went after him.

He was too late to interrupt the pass but he was there right on Anthony’s face when he grabbed the ball. He tried to shake him with an ankle breaker but Ben was with him all the way. Davis led him to a pick, but Ben smoothly passed the defender like oil and stayed with his man.

Davis threat level grew the longer Ben was with him and he had no choice but to pass the ball. But the no-look pass didn’t distract Ben and his hand whip out to tap the ball into Vernon’s hands

.

The crowd roared as Vernon broke away and jammed the ball on the other side. The opponents tried to foul him but he was far gone before they can grab him.

With a six-point lead, our victory was assured. The fans counted out the remaining seconds like it’s the damn new year and then shouts of victory and curses and drunkenness erupted in the air.

Ben smiled as his last game ended before his eyes.