John Adebayo-Kambon might be the league's reigning MVP, but even kings have flaws. For him, it's the free throw line. His career mark sits at a miserable 59 percent, a blemish that stubbornly refuses to improve. Every trip to the stripe turns into a ritual: the deep breaths, the long pauses, the exaggerated dribbles. He milks every second of the ten-second window, searching for rhythm, searching for a feel that too often betrays him.
Kambon's free throw clanged off the back iron with a harsh metallic echo. Sloan boxed out perfectly, snatching the rebound with two hands, and wasted no time. He zipped an outlet pass straight to Ryan.
That's when the Roarers flipped the switch.
Ryan already had Coach Crawford's voice in his ear: "Fight fire with fire—if they run the break, we'll run it right back at them."
