NBA: Road to glory

-November 20, 2013 

This was the one. Miami Heat, the defending champions. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh—three future Hall of Famers at the peak of their powers.

As I arrived at American Airlines Arena, the atmosphere was electric. Miami fans packed the stands, a sea of red and black, ready to watch their squad dismantle another opponent. But we weren't here to roll over. This was my chance to make a statement.

Walking into the tunnel, I spotted LeBron going through his warm-up routine—fadeaways, threes, pull-ups off the dribble. Everything looked effortless.

LeBron finished his set and walked over. "I see you. You hoopin'."

"Yeah, you too it's not bad." I said with a grin.

"Let's see what you got tonight." He answers me calmly.

Coach's final words before tip-off were simple: "Play hard, play smart, and don't be intimidated."

From the jump, Miami's defense was suffocating. LeBron was all over the floor, switching onto our guards, helping in the paint, blocking passing lanes like a free safety. Wade was slashing to the rim with ease, finishing through contact like he was built for it—which, let's be real, he was.

Chris Bosh hit two mid-range jumpers early, stretching our defense.

We struggled to score, and before I knew it, we were down 14-4 five minutes in. Coach called timeout.

"You guys scared?" he barked. "Play your game!"

I took a deep breath. Time to respond.

-Second Quarter 

I started getting aggressive.

First play back, I set a hard screen for our point guard, rolled to the hoop, and caught a lob for a dunk. Next possession, I backed down Bosh in the post, hit a turnaround fadeaway. Then, in transition, I caught a pass on the wing, pump-faked LeBron, and finished at the rim.

LeBron clapped his hands, nodding. "Okay, rook, I see you"

Defensively, I held my own. Contesting shots, crashing the boards. At one point, LeBron drove on me—one-on-one. I timed it perfectly and got a clean block. The crowd gasped.

But the King responded right after. Next time down, he hit a step-back three in my face. Nothing but net.

At halftime, we were only down 51-46. I had 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.

-Third Quarter 

Miami turned up the heat—literally. LeBron shifted into MVP mode, hitting jumpers, driving past defenders, and finding open teammates with pinpoint passes. Wade started cooking too, hitting mid-range pull-ups and getting to the free-throw line.

They pushed the lead back to double digits, but I refused to back down.

I came right back with a transition dunk, then a putback slam off a missed three. The Miami crowd was loud, but I drowned it out.

Late in the quarter, I hit a tough and-one over Bosh, flexing as I walked to the free-throw line.

-Fourth Quarter

Five minutes left. Down by seven.

This was the moment.

LeBron had 26. I had 24.

I took a handoff at the top of the key, faked a drive, then hit a pull-up jumper. Next play, I crashed the offensive glass, got the board over Bosh, and kicked it out for an open three.

Three-point game.

But then LeBron happened.

He hit a dagger three with two minutes left, then found Wade for a fast-break dunk. Miami sealed it at the line.

Final score: Heat 104, Magic 98.

I finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. LeBron had 29, 9, and 7.

After the game, LeBron found me in the tunnel.

"Keep working" He said.

I just nodded. 'Tomorrow it will be for me.'

Now, I was hungrier than ever.

The NBA schedule doesn't wait for anybody. Back-to-back. This time, Miami was coming to our home court, and I was ready to respond.

-November 21, 2013

The Amway Center was electric. The fans wanted revenge, and so did I.

In the locker room, Coach put a hand on my shoulder. "Franklin, tonight is your game. I can feel it."

I nodded. "Don't worry, Coach. Tonight, we're taking the W."

-First Quarter

This time, we struck first.

Right off the tip-off, I caught a pass, exploded toward the rim, and threw down a tomahawk. The crowd erupted. I wanted to send a message: Tonight is different.

Defensively, we came out locked in. Every time Wade tried to attack the paint, we cut off his angles. LeBron was aggressive, but I contested every shot he took.

Offensively, I was everywhere:

Spin move on Bosh, finishing strong at the rim. Fake shot into an assist for an open three-pointer. Fast-break dunk off a steal.

End of the first quarter: 30-19, Magic.

-Second Quarter 

Of course, the defending champs weren't going down without a fight. LeBron turned up the intensity—attacking the rim, finding his shooters, bringing Miami within five points.

But this time, I wasn't letting them take over.

On a pick-and-roll, I caught a lob pass and posterized Bosh with a vicious 360. The Amway Center exploded.

"Welcome to Florida, fellas" I said, running back on defense.

Bosh gave me a look.

"I'm in my bag tonight" I tell him.

Halftime score: 58-46, Magic.

-Third Quarter 

Coach looked us in the eyes before sending us back out. "Make them understand they have no chance tonight."

I started the second half with a perfect sequence.

Huge block on Wade's layup attempt. Full-court sprint, two-handed dunk in transition. Step-back jumper over Bosh.

Miami was stunned. We kept getting stops on defense, and every bucket I scored felt like a dagger.

On one possession, LeBron attempted a mid-range fadeaway. I jumped just enough to contest, grabbed the rebound, and immediately pushed the fast break. I sized up Chalmers, spun past him, and finished at the rim.

By the end of the third quarter, we were up 89-72. Game over.

-Fourth Quarter 

The final quarter was an exhibition. Miami had checked out. I kept feeding my teammates, grabbing rebounds, and making plays.

With three minutes left, Coach pulled me out to a standing ovation.

Final stat line:

41 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks

Final Score: Magic 112 – Heat 87.

As I walked off the court, I saw a little one further away in the stands with my jersey. So I asked a member of security to bring him down with his parents to take a photo and passed him my signed jersey from this game.

It was a great game for me, sometimes you want to please others too.