Life as NBA Rookie (SlamDunk System)-Chapter 188: Thanos James Arrives, the Ultimate Showdown!

Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Thanos James Arrives, the Ultimate Showdown!
Desperate to avoid a sweep by the Warriors, Mavericks coach Mike Woodson sent up a heartfelt prayer before Game 4.
But on game night, his prayers were answered by Zack, who dropped 47 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists for the Warriors.
Postgame, a relieved Shawn Marion spoke to the press: "You want to know what it’s like getting swept by the Warriors? What’s there to say? We got swept. What else can I add?"
"It’s not my fault I couldn’t stop that guy," Marion continued. "If you think it is, tell me—who in this league can stop him?"
Before wrapping up, Marion gave a shoutout to his former teammate: "I’m rooting for Steve to win his first ring this season. He deserves it."
Deserves it? If Marion wasn’t in front of cameras, he’d probably say Nash was just riding Zack’s coattails—otherwise, what shot would he have at a championship?
After two rounds of playoff sweeps, Nash, who’d nearly wasted a year last season, had zero regrets about joining the Warriors.
Why? Laughing on Stoudemire’s lap in Phoenix couldn’t compare to crying on Zack’s in Oakland.
Sure, staying in Phoenix might’ve let Nash keep racking up assist titles. But in Oakland, even if Zack "stole" his assists, Nash was chasing a ring!
"After sweeping the Mavericks 4–0, the Warriors’ Western Conference Finals opponent will be the winner of the Lakers-Sonics series." —ESPN News Flash
Back-to-back sweeps gave the Warriors a massive edge heading into the Western Conference Finals. While they cruised, the Lakers had just tied their series against the Sonics 2–2, thanks to a clutch Kobe shot.
It was a brutally intense Western Conference semifinal.
Marc Gasol’s growth meant the Lakers no longer feared the Yao Ming–Garnett duo. But as the playoffs woke the Sonics’ championship heart, the defending champs were locked in a dogfight.
Game 5.
The Lakers, surviving double overtime, tipped the scales in Seattle. Kobe played 55 minutes, going 12-for-28 for 39 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.
His efficiency wasn’t great—42% from the field—but in a game that could decide the series, Kobe’s lockdown defense held Ray Allen to 5-for-17 and 15 points, plus 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
"Kobe’s defense won us this game," Lamar Odom said postgame. "He shut down their biggest perimeter threat."
Up 3–2, the Lakers headed back to Staples Center with a series lead.
Meanwhile, an ESPN article caught Zack’s eye: "The NBA plans to revise gather and traveling rules next season, and LeBron James’ ’Crab Dribble’ could be the biggest winner!"
In later years, some LeBron fans assumed "crab dribble" was a term coined by haters to bash his fundamentals. But they didn’t know LeBron himself created and named the move—a "high-level" finishing technique.
As a young player, LeBron often used a stop-and-go, two-step move to score, drawing scrutiny. He dubbed it the "crab dribble," saying, "It’s an uncommon move in the league, but I’m sure it’s legal. Anyone who knows ball can see it’s an advanced scoring technique, not a travel."
Was it legal? Zack wasn’t sure.
But with the NBA set to revise gather and traveling rules, the crab dribble was about to be officially greenlit.
"The new rules will allow players to take a step after jumping off both feet before dribbling to the basket?" Brown said, stunned, on the practice court. "Doesn’t that mean everyone can use a four-step layup now?"
Zack nodded and tested the new rules with a layup. Then he gave up.
No matter how he tried, the clunky four-step move felt awkward. For someone who could explode to the rim in two steps, why bother with an obvious cheat code?
Next, Zack tried Harden’s future step-back jumper under the new gather rules. He gave up on that too.
Unlike Harden’s rule-pushing step-back, Zack’s textbook version didn’t need to test the limits.
It was a shame—the new rules’ benefits were lost on Zack.
"Is the league trying to punish guys like me with too good fundamentals?" Zack grumbled. "Since when is having great fundamentals a crime?"
But just because Zack couldn’t vibe with the new rules didn’t mean everyone struggled.
Take Brown, who was having a blast with four-step layups on the practice court.
"These rules were made for me!" Brown crowed after scoring on Zack multiple times. "If even you can’t stop me, who in the league can keep me from scoring next season?"
Zack hadn’t gone full throttle defending Brown, but he had to admit: under the new rules, you didn’t need elite fundamentals. Master the four-step layup and new gather rules, and raw athleticism could carry you to easy buckets.
In short, the changes would shrink the skill gap between players, giving a massive boost to athletic freaks like LeBron who thrived on overpowering defenders.
No question, the rule changes shook Zack to his core.
If this kept up, why would new-gen players bother honing their fundamentals? With a freakish body, you could bulldoze through the NBA.
Zack wouldn’t say the NBA changed the rules to prop up LeBron, who was already a force just below him. But whatever the league’s intent, LeBron was the clear winner.
The new rules would let young LeBron skip years of growth and leap straight to his prime.
Why polish skills? As long as LeBron stayed in peak shape, he’d be Thanos James forever.
---
Zack was still reeling from ESPN’s rule-change bombshell when the Lakers, back at Staples with a series lead, closed out the Sonics 4–2 to meet the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers, still reaping the benefits of Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol’s rookie contracts, leaned on their bench depth to outlast the Sonics.
On a night when Kobe’s hands went cold from guarding Ray Allen, Monta Ellis—Curry’s top rival for Sixth Man of the Year—dropped 28 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, proving why he’s Kobe’s biggest stan. Odom, subbing for Shane Battier, also shone, posting 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists off the bench.
"Our bench stepping up shows we’re a great team," Kobe said postgame. "We’re ready to defend our title. We don’t see the 75-win Warriors as unbeatable—just an obstacle we need to clear."
It wasn’t the best analogy, but winning titles is addictive.
Fresh off leading the Lakers to a revival and his fourth ring last year, Kobe was hungrier than ever to repeat—especially against Zack’s Warriors.
From a championship window perspective, with Lowry likely leaving this summer and decisions looming on Gasol or Odom next year, Kobe knew this Western Conference Finals might be his only shot at a title for the next couple of years.
Having been part of the Dallas Incident, Kobe understood better than anyone how the new CBA and super luxury tax would shake up the league. Even a powerhouse like the Lakers feared the tax’s bite.
If Kobe couldn’t lead this stacked Lakers squad to a repeat, he might miss his fifth ring—and who knew when the Lakers could assemble another roster to match the Warriors?
This was a Western Conference Finals Kobe couldn’t afford to lose.
On the Warriors’ side, Zack, aware of the wild free-agent market coming this summer, couldn’t bank on next year either.
It wasn’t about doubting his own skills. With the new gather and traveling rules boosting perimeter stars, if superteams formed this summer, the Warriors’ current edge could vanish.
Basketball, after all, is about outscoring your opponent.
Zack knew that if rule-empowered stars teamed up, the future would become wildly unpredictable.
And after leading the Warriors to 75 regular-season wins, the only way to avoid nailing himself to the pillar of shame was to win the title.
---
May 18, 2010.
The Western Conference Finals tipped off.
It was a series the world couldn’t take its eyes off.
Kobe, ready to settle old and new scores with Zack, had brought his Lakers to face him.
Oracle Arena.
As the golden tide of fans roared, the two teams, each burning with a must-win mindset, locked eyes, signaling their hunger to stain their championship banners with the other’s blood.
"You’re Stephen Curry, huh?" Monta Ellis, the diehard Kobe fan, taunted during warm-ups. "You’re the one who stole my Sixth Man award?"
Curry didn’t respond, but Zack noticed his baby-faced killer expression was more serious than usual.
At center court, after warm-ups, both teams’ starters took their positions.
With Odom as the Lakers’ best matchup for Zack, their starting five were Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Odom, Kobe, and Lowry. The Warriors countered with Brown, Zack, Wallace, Bell, and Nash.
Early on, Brown, itching to unleash four-step layups next season, won the tip for the Warriors.
"You know, me and Khloé are getting married," Odom said out of nowhere while guarding Zack.
Zack blinked. "You want me to say congrats?"
"No! I’m just telling you Khloé loves me!" Odom barked. "Even if she’s got your name tattooed on her chest, she loves me!"
"..."
Zack felt like he’d been caught in the crossfire. He barely knew Khloé Kardashian—how was he supposed to know she’d go that far to keep up her "Zack fan" persona?
But what could he say now?
On the right wing, with Nash clearing out the side, Zack caught the ball and unleashed a ferocity unlike his usual self.
Under the "Zack Rule," Odom thought he could slow Zack’s drives with handsy defense. But as Zack exploded forward, Odom was left in his wake, watching helplessly as he stormed the Lakers’ paint.
Marc Gasol’s help defense was timely, but Zack’s sky-high tomahawk dunk came down with no mercy or reason.
BOOM!
Oracle erupted as Zack’s statement slam ignited the arena.
At courtside, just behind the Lakers’ bench, Khloé Kardashian caught the broadcast camera’s eye. Deliberately tugging her shirt to reveal a "Messiah" tattoo, she proved that for a Kardashian, exposure was worth any deal with the devil.
On TNT, Barkley quipped, "Lamar Odom’s fiancée doesn’t seem to care about the stares."
Kenny Smith chuckled, "Charles, what if she wants people to see that tattoo? That’s why she’s giving us the show."
Barkley shrugged. "If I saw right, that tattoo said ’Messiah’?"
Smith nodded. "Khloé’s always been a huge Messiah fan."
After a pause, he added, "Her sister Kendall Jenner too. Kendall said in an interview she’ll get ’Messiah’ tattooed on her when she turns 18."
Barkley marveled, "That family’s all-in for Messiah."
On the court, Khloé’s stunt had clearly rattled Odom. But on the bright side, his hatred for Zack jacked up his focus beyond his norm.
Lakers’ possession.
Odom fed Marc Gasol for a layup chance. Brown, pushed out of the paint by Gasol’s bouncy bulk, could only watch as the ball went in.
After getting worked over by the league’s top center in the semifinals, Marc Gasol couldn’t believe how easy Brown—ESPN’s No. 2 Western Conference center and second-team All-Defense—was to handle.
Noticing Gasol’s smug look, Brown snapped, "Next possession, give me the ball. I’m gonna school this guy!"
"You sure you can move Marc?" Zack asked. "Maybe chill?"
"No way!" Brown shot back. "I’m getting my get-back!"
Seeing Brown’s rare offensive fire, Zack and the Warriors set him up for a low-post chance against Marc Gasol.
Then... if Dwight Howard’s post moves were clumsy enough to make Patrick Ewing wince, Brown’s were straight-up comical, impossible not to laugh at.
Luckily, Zack was ready to clean up.
When Brown couldn’t budge Gasol, Zack called for the ball and nailed a stop-and-pop jumper.
But despite Zack scoring, the most hyped guy on the court was Brown.
"See that, you fat cake-eater who just camps in the post!" Brown, unbothered by his failure and proud of passing to Zack, yelled at Gasol. "That’s why I’m better than you—I can create for my teammates with my post game!"
Zack realized that by feeding Brown’s ego, he’d created a monster who’d completely lost touch with reality.
Lakers’ ball.
Odom ran the point again, this time feeding Pau Gasol in the post. Facing Zack’s quick rotation, Pau wisely kicked it out to Marc cutting from the baseline.
Brown whiffed on the block, and Marc Gasol powered through for the score.
4–4.
"You still want your get-back?" Zack asked Brown, who’d just been cooked twice.
"Nah," Brown said, unfazed. "I already showed my dominance down low. Plus, I’m our secret weapon—not meant to go all-out like that."