Read Online Home Court by Amar'e Stoudemire - Free Book Online Page B

dirty work or dropping it back to Ledge for a jumper. But this was game point, and he was definitely the kind of guy who’d want to keep the glory for himself.
    â€œShould we front him?” asked Mike. “Keep him from getting the ball?”
    â€œOr maybe we should double-team him as soon as he gets it?” said Deuce.
    â€œI’ve got a better idea,” I said.
    They leaned in a little closer to hear it.
    â€œLet him have it,” I said.
    â€œYou sure?” said Junior.
    â€œYeah,” I said, looking right at him. He nodded. Coach or not, he knew me well enough to know when I had something up my sleeve.
    Mike hadn’t known me quite as long. He looked confused for a second. “Wait,” he said. “You mean really let him have it.” He punched his left palm with his right fist to show what he meant.
    â€œNah, nah,” I said, letting out a little laugh. “Man, you are one brave dude, though. I mean let him have the ball.”
    â€œBut he’s their best player,” said Deuce.
    â€œAnd you know he’ll take the shot,” said Mike. “Your D is tight, man. But he’s got those crazy-long arms, and if he makes it, it’s over.”
    â€œYeah, but he likes to go left, right?” I said. I probably could’ve put that better, but they knew what I meant.
    Ten feet away, the other huddle had broken up.
    â€œTalking time is over, losers,” I heard Carlos call out.
    â€œSo I’m gonna let him go left,” I said, hurrying to finish.
    â€œUnless y’all are making out in there!” called Ledge.
    Some of the kids in the crowd laughed. That’s how it was: Some of them would like whoever won. They were just warming up their butt-kissing muscles.
    â€œHe’s gonna go left,” I said in a fast whisper. “Just be ready when he gets near the sideline.”
    Junior shot a quick look over at the left sideline and smiled.
    â€œAll right,” said Deuce. His last words before we broke out of the huddle: “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
    â€œMe too,” I said. It didn’t matter if the other team heard that part.
    â€œCheck the ball, suckers,” said Ledge. He was doing that froggy lip-licking thing again.
    Deuce checked it back to him. Two seconds later, it was on its way to Carlos. He reached up with his long, thin fingers and plucked it out of the air like it was a softball. Now it was just me and him, one-on-one. I swallowed hard.
    â€œCome on, ’mar’e!” I heard Junior shout.
    That made me feel a little better. Even if we lost, even if Carlos blew right by me and jammed it home, I still had my family. I still had friends. It was a nice thought, but I didn’t plan on losing.
    I got low in a good defensive stance, but I sort of came up on him a little sideways. My left side was a little closer to him, and my left arm was stretched out so that it was almost touching his right hand. That didn’t matter because he was dribbling with his left, as usual. I was giving him a little more space over there, and my arm was down on that side.
    He sort of cocked his head and looked at me, like a pet dog does when it hears a funny noise. He knew something wasn’t quite right about this, but he didn’t spend too much time thinking about it. Fact: If you give a guy an open path on his strong side, he is going to take it. Especially if it’s game point.
    His first step was fast, almost faster than I could handle. I shuffled my feet and managed to stay between him and the basket. He was going full speed now. I was letting him go up the court but forcing him farther out to his left. At first, he was keeping one eye on the ground, like you have to on these cracked outdoor courts. But as he got closer to the sideline, he started shooting those quick looks up instead of down. He was looking at the hoop.
    We were getting close to the corner now. You know the spot. NBA