Date: June 9, 2021

Location: Boston, MA

Event: Day before Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 – Celtics lead 3–1

3:18 PM – Ari's ApartmentKyle sat on the floor, leg wrapped in ice, sweat clinging to his chest despite the AC humming above. In front of him: an old, leather-bound journal with pages yellowed by time and corners frayed from years of use. The cover had no title. Just initials burned into the leather:

D.W.

His father's name.

Derrick Wilson.

He had found it at the bottom of an old shoebox Ari had dug out of her closet—one that belonged to Kyle's mother. Somehow, his mom had kept it hidden all these years. A final artifact of the man no one talked about.

Kyle flipped through the pages.

No diary entries. No family notes.

Just diagrams.

Dozens—maybe hundreds—of basketball plays. Offensive sets. Defensive traps. Full-court presses. But they weren't like anything Kyle had ever seen. Some looked like traditional triangle actions twisted with streetball improvisations. Others felt… unreal.

On one page, a sequence was titled:

"Fade 2 Black – Mirror Motion Set"

It was complex. But elegant. It looked like chaos but produced open corner threes in the last three frames.

Kyle traced the arrows with his finger.

"These don't belong in the 2000s," he muttered. "This is today's game."

The next page was handwritten.

"Whoever understands this doesn't just win games… they own the game."

Ari leaned over his shoulder, her voice low.

"Your dad was a genius."

Kyle didn't look up. "Or insane."

She pointed to a final page—scrawled in bold ink:

"If you're reading this, then I never made it back."

"Whatever they told you—forget it. The court was only part of it. Follow the plays. Follow the money. And trust no one wearing a whistle."

Kyle froze.

He reread it three times.

"Ari… what the hell was he involved in?"

She didn't answer.

Because they both already knew.

Something deeper was beneath all this. The underground leagues. The whispers about "fixers." Games that were never broadcast but paid more than the NBA.

And somehow… his father was deep inside it.

9:44 AM – Celtics Practice FacilityThe Celtics had just finished light walkthroughs. Tatum hit midrange bank shots on repeat. Jaylen and Smart exchanged trash talk over free throws.

Kyle limped in with a black duffel bag on his shoulder. Inside, the journal.

He approached Udoka quietly. "Got a minute?"

Coach looked up. Nodded. They stepped aside near the film room.

"I wanna go over some coverage I saw," Kyle said.

Udoka raised an eyebrow. "We already scouted Milwaukee six ways through Sunday."

"This isn't Milwaukee," Kyle said, pulling out the journal and flipping to a series labeled "Zone Ghost - Shift Trap."

Udoka stared. His expression shifted—slightly.

"I've seen that before," he murmured. "Back when I coached overseas. Yugoslavia ran it once. Only once."

Kyle's eyes sharpened. "You ran into my father?"

Udoka hesitated. Just for a moment.

"I heard his name. Never saw his face. He was like… a rumor with a highlight reel. We all knew he was out there. Just didn't know where."

Kyle closed the journal.

Udoka looked him in the eye. "Be careful, rookie. Some ghosts don't like being disturbed."

June 10, 2021 – Game 5: Celtics vs. BucksTD Garden – Pregame Tunnel

The lights dimmed. The starting lineups echoed through the arena.

Jaylen cracked his knuckles. Tatum kept his hood on until the final second.

Kyle stood in the back hallway—his brace removed for the moment. Just for the feeling of freedom.

He wasn't cleared. Still.

But he watched the game like a surgeon watches open-heart surgery.

First Quarter: Boston Blows the Doors OffThe Celtics came out blazing.

Tatum dropped 10 in the first six minutes. Jaylen cut through the defense like a sword. Smart found Brogdon on a backdoor cut that left Milwaukee spinning.

Giannis was contained—for now.

Score:

Boston 32 – Milwaukee 19

Kyle clapped hard from the bench, shouting out matchups, calling out slip screens. He was a second coach now. But inside?

He was dying to be on the floor.

Second Quarter: Bucks Bite BackGiannis started to rumble.

Drop step. Spin. Dunk.

Holiday picked off a lazy pass and tossed it to Middleton—corner three.

The Bucks cut the lead to 3.

But then Jaylen took over again.

He went ISO twice and scored both times. Pulled up from 28 feet to end the half.

Halftime: Boston 58 – Milwaukee 52

In the tunnel, Kyle sat on a folding chair next to Ari.

He whispered, "If we win this one, we're going to the Finals."

She leaned over. "You'll still be on the sideline."

He nodded.

"I know."

But he didn't sound like he believed it.

Third Quarter – Giannis UnleashedBoston struggled.

Giannis turned the court into his personal runway. Three dunks in five possessions. Middleton added a transition three. Bobby Portis grabbed every rebound.

Boston's lead evaporated.

Kyle slammed his fist against his own knee—then winced in pain.

Udoka called timeout.

From the bench, Kyle shouted: "STOP SWITCHING LOW ON GIANNIS. ICE THE LEFT SIDE."

Smart heard it. So did Rob Williams.

And they adjusted.

The next play, Giannis spun—Rob met him high.

Blocked.

TD Garden roared.

Fourth Quarter – Kyle's Vision, Their ExecutionWith 6:11 left, the score was tied: 92–92

Kyle leaned forward, opened the journal again, and flipped to the "Mirror Motion" play.

He whispered something to one of the assistants.

Two minutes later—Tatum ran the exact motion.

It looked like chaos. Two fakes. A swing pass. Jaylen curled baseline.

Wide open.

Splash.

Next play, they faked the set—and Brogdon drove the lane untouched.

Boston 98 – Milwaukee 92.

Crowd chanting: "ONE MORE! ONE MORE!"

Final Score: Boston 108 – Milwaukee 97Celtics win the series 4–1. Advance to the NBA Finals.

Confetti fell.

Reporters flooded the floor.

And Kyle?

He just watched.

Hood over his head. Journal tucked under his arm.

Ari appeared beside him, eyes wide with pride.

"Finals, baby."

But Kyle didn't celebrate.

He turned to her and said:

"I'm going to Montego Bay after this."

She blinked. "Alone?"

Kyle nodded. "I need answers. And I think I know where they are."

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