Knicks vs. Sixers I (Page 198)

~~~(POV: Ulysses Kennedy)~~~

~~~(Date: October 27th, 2026)~~~

~~~(Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)~~~

~~~(Time: 2:59 PM)~~~

The refs inspect the game ball to ensure nothing is wrong with it. Other players take turns dribbling it and checking the air pressure. As I stand at my spot in SF, Jericho makes his way to the center of the court, and so does Embiid.

That's when an idea pops into my head. Not wanting to waste such a golden opportunity, I lightly jog to the center court and place my hand on Jericho's shoulder. He turns his head and looks at me in confusion.

I indicate for him to take my spot at SF as I'll be playing the Center role as long as Embiid is on the court. There is silence from some parts of the crowd, but you can hear oh's and ah's from sections around Wells Fargo Center.

Embiid and I are around the same height, him maybe being a tad taller. It won't make a difference. The music gets louder after a couple of seconds, and so does the crowd.

The ref walks to the center of the and prepares to throw the ball up. Embiid looks ready, and I get in position too.

"You're not walking out of here without an L."

The thick accent of Embiid would distract anyone else, but I don't acknowledge him in the slightest. In the span of a moment, the ref throws up the ball, and I'm already in the air. My left-hand grabs it and pulls it down.

Instead of passing it out to one of the guards, I immediately spin out of the two closest defenders. I'm suddenly almost past the three-point line, and that's when Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris are running after me.

I pull up from behind the line out of nowhere, forcing the two of them to almost fall, trying to readjust to my speed. I let the shot go with 19 seconds on the first shot clock of the game.

It sinks through the net with a beautiful sound, and that's when the crowd goes utterly silent. The sequence of events that led to that shot is what makes it so good.

As my team is shifting back on defense, the score is now 3-0. I cover Embiid full court, and he's already trying to shove me away with his cuts to the basket. I stick to him like swamp ass from a sweaty week in the middle of July.

He gets the ball, but I poke it free instantly and dive for it. Grabbing it before it goes out of bounds. Chucking it up court into Barrett's hands as I'm still on the ground. The crowd is nearly deafening in their noise at how poorly the Sixers are opening.

As I get back to my feet and make my way to offense, I slow down and watch Barrett slam it home hard. Screaming as he does.

WHISSSTLLEE!!!

Refs blow a loud whistle, but not for any fouls. The Sixers have used their first timeout, and we're not even a minute into the game. I get high fives and chest thuds as I walk back to the bench by my teammates.

~~~(POV: Stephen A. Smith)~~~

~~~(Date: October 27th, 2026)~~~

~~~(Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)~~~

~~~(Time: 3:03 PM)~~~

I'm speechless.

Absolutely speechless. That was one of the most aggressive opens I've seen from a road team. You can tell by the way UK is opening up this game he's here for the hearts of Sixers players, and all their fans watching.

The timeout ends; players start moving back onto the court. Ulysses has decided to play it personally. Taking the position of Center. Playing against Embiid the entire length of the court. The Sixers Superstar is already showing signs of frustration with UK.

My hand rests on the side of my head, as I intensely watch UK's defense on Embiid. The two seven-foot giants battle it out in the paint, but Ulysses isn't giving Embiid any ground at all. Showing he's a brick wall too.

Seeing that it's not working, Embiid tries to pass the ball out. But it's picked off by Brunson. The PG takes off down the court, leaving everyone in the dust. Getting an easy slam. Two slam dunks and a three-pointer to the heart to start the game.

Knicks are here to play, and do it with evil intentions. My eyes drift to the scoreboard, and it's 7-0 in favor of the Knicks. At one point in time, the Sixers were considered a championship-caliber team. Now, they're a middle-of-the-pack dweller.

Now that they're back on offense, You can see that the Sixers are seeing this won't be easy even though it's a home game. Many were saying that UK's antics were a sign he was afraid of the Sixers.

That's just dumb. Ain't no way in hell UK is scared of these terrified Sixers. Embiid looks like he's fighting some monster, and the rest of the team looks lost.

The Knicks' defense is suffocating them. Even now that they have possession, the Sixers can't get any good looks or shots off.

They're running screen, pick, pops, and fades. Trying anything to get any ground for a single basket, but they're forced to turnover as the shot clock hits zero.

That's three turnovers in a row, and they've already burned a timeout. I can see Nick Nurse on the sideline fuming at his team. Screaming for different plays. As The Knicks bring the ball down the court, UK stays in the Center position.

He gets the ball in the post and starts backing down Embiid. Only to suddenly fade away with a spin. Making the giant man fall on his back from the instant shift in momentum and direction. The crowd roars, boos, and cries as UK's shot sinks.

I don't know what's gotten into UK... I genuinely don't... He didn't play like this against the Bucks. He was phenomenal, but this is a slaughter. He's beating the best player on the Sixers at his position, which Ulysses doesn't even play.

All I can do is put my hands on the top of my head and let my mouth hang open as I watch what plays out next.

Ulysses lightly jogs back on defense and halfway down the court. He points to the ground with both hands on either side of him. Shouting what every home team dreads to hear from the opponent.

"THIS IS MY FUCKING HOUSE!!! THIS COURT BELONGS TO ME!!"

Fans are instantly screaming and booing at him from all around me. All around the court, but all he does is indicate for them to get louder. What I see is how this is affecting the Sixers.

It's like their souls are being taken from them.

~~~(POV: Hannah Fiona)~~~

~~~(Date: October 27th, 2026)~~~

~~~(Location: Penthouse, Apartment, New York)~~~

~~~(Time: 3:07 PM)~~~

Ellie laughs more than I've heard her laugh since Ulysses became a player in the NBA. She finds it hilarious, and she would as the woman who raised him. But as his girlfriend, this turns me on.

He's commanding an entire arena of people. Showing the world just how valuable he is. How good he is. Proving that it's futile. If your man does that, it doesn't flip your switch. There is something wrong with you.

"He's really going in on them! Hahahaha! I remember when he'd talk trash at high school games, but I never imagined him doing it to millions of people! Ahahahaha!"

She ends up holding her stomach as the scene continues. After a few seconds, the players get back to the zone. The score is 9-0, and we're only a little over 3 minutes into the game.

I can't help laughing a little. There showing cameras of red-faced and vein-filled necks of Sixers fans. Some are just absolutely livid. The players of the Sixers already look defeated. I don't know how they'll win this game if this continues.

Of course, I'm not rooting for them. But I know that Ulysses wants a challenge. He wants people to respond in an aggressive way. He wants competition. Sometimes, I see how bored he is on the court.

Ulysses once told me that he wants to beat the best when they're at full power. When they're healthy and have no excuses. The Sixers have no excuse for the way they're playing.

"Oh, my sweet little boy... You've gone and made an entire city mad at you..."

There is still humor and joy in her voice, but it comes to a solemn and nostalgic tone.

"It's still only the start of the season too... It makes me wonder how the teams of the NBA are going to adjust to him. He's out there tearing them apart, and competitors of the caliber don't like to lose like that."

My words cause Ellie to smile and pick up her phone. I get a peek at what she's doing, and I can't help choking on my own saliva from the shock.

[Looks like the Sixers are cleaning toilets after tonight. Go get'em, sweetie!!]

Ellie sends out the Tweet, and I can't stop the laughter from coming out of my mouth. She just did that! She actually just did that!!

The Sixers fans will see that Ulysses's Mom is rubbing salt in the wound too! That's the funniest thing I've seen this year!!