7:48 p.m., Vellcrest Center, visitors' locker room.
Crawford ran through his final words with tonight's starters—Ryan, Kamara, Malik, Lin, Sloan.
As for Darius and Gibson, they were resting tonight. Down the stretch of the season, anyone who could sit, sat—health came first.
Everything worth saying had already been said, in practice and in the film room. Crawford didn't add much, just one last reminder: "Remember—lock down their shooters."
Then he glanced at his watch. "Let's go. Get out there and take this one."
Eight o'clock sharp.
The crowd's roar hit a new peak.
The two teams filed out of the tunnel, their footsteps swallowed up in the noise of a packed arena.
Ryan stepped onto the floor, rolling his wrists loose, and started to warm up.
Over by the warm-up area, a familiar face came walking his way.
Ryan placed him at once—Julien Store.
