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Last game, Last shot
I open my eyes after a long and good night of sleep and the first thought that comes to my mind is “Today is the big day”. I go downstairs to get a bowl of oatmeal and the only thing in my head is “Today is my last college basketball game”. When I get to class I can’t even pay attention to what the teacher is saying, I’m just thinking “Damn, my last freaking game, would I ever play again? What if we loss and the no pro team would offer me a contract? What if I injure myself? What if we loss so badly that I could never step on a court or see a basketball again, without feel ashamed?“ All this thinking just made me sick and nervous each every hour that went by. I go through the rest of my classes virtually sleepwalking, with my body in the campus, but my mind lost in the game.
I look at the time on my cellphone, “5:45 pm”, just two hours and fifteen minutes before the game. I go to the locker room and I am the first one there, I take a hot shower and put on my jersey and sneakers, and I wait for the arrival of my team. It wasn’t just a simple last game though, it was the championship national game, so everything was setup to be a glorious farewell.
The referee throws the ball between the two centers, and my team obtains the possession, and that’s how my last game starts. The first three quarters were the hardest and toughest I’ve ever played, the game change lead about 7 times, and no team had a clear advantage against the other. We started the fourth quarter with a 3 point lead, but in the first 8 minutes, we lost the lead and were down by 3. With 2 minutes left, I run up the court and my teammate set up a screen on the left wing, after he dispose the defender out for me, I pull up and switch the three pointer. Without any rest, a teammate get a quick steal and gives me a pass to the right corner, I shoot the three pointer and it was in, all net. The other team runs up the court, and after a 20 second possession, they score an open layup, and they were up by two. With thirteen seconds on the clock, the coach call for a play in which I got the ball on the top of the key, I look up the scoreboard, I see that with are down by two, with 7 seconds left, I think “I have perform the best move of all time to get an open three”, so I did, I dribble the basketball between my legs, but then I quickly snatch back the basketball to my left hand, I picked up the ball and performed the best step-back of my entire career, as I rise up for the shot, I feel the basketball leaving my fingers in a very soft and delicate manner, as I watch the basketball flight through the air I said to myself “Yup, this one is going in”. It was one of those shots that from the moment that it leaves your hand, you just know that is going in, but it didn’t, the ball hit the back part of the rim and went out. As I see the ball touch the floor I hear the buzzer going off. I had the last shot and I missed it, I had the opportunity to win the game, and I failed.
As I return back to the lockers, with my head down and working very hard to hold my tears, I said to myself “Don’t worry dude, is just a game, you will have plenty more to bounce back. Oh, but wait, you won’t, you won’t have another game, this was your last game, your last shot”
Pablo Arrona
