Where the Wolves didn’t want to be, as things turned out, was down ten points to the Bulls by the end of the first quarter.

They were doing what Gramps had told them to do, fast-breaking when they could. They were running their basic sets in the half-court. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was that they weren’t making any shots, and the Bulls were making theirs. Simple as that.

It was like the announcers always said on TV: Basketball was a miss-make sport. And the Wolves were missing all over the place.

“We’re fine,” Gramps said when they were back at the bench after the quarter. “Our shots will start to fall. But until they do, let’s press those guys all over the court.”

He subbed in Neil for Sharif, and Liam O’Rourke for Richard. The Wolves got a little smaller in the process, but also got a lot more tenacious on defense. Gramps told Neil and Liam to double-team the ball every chance they got. And he told them to cover for Lucas when he took some chances and went for steals, even in the backcourt.

The press worked right away. The Wolves were the ones playing faster now, and more aggressively. Lucas did make a couple quick steals. The Wolves began the second quarter with an 8–0 run, and just like that, they were within a basket. When Lucas made another steal and fed Ryan for an easy basket, the game was tied.

Lucas gave a quick look over to the bench. Gramps just sat there with his arms crossed in front of him, looking the same way he had when they were falling behind. But the press had changed everything. The Wolves’ not-so-secret weapon had already made his presence felt, in the first half of the first game of the season.

The game was still tied at halftime. It was still tied at the end of the third quarter. Gramps had done plenty of substituting by then, experimenting with different combinations, as if letting the Wolves decide which five would be on the court at the end today.

But with two minutes left and the Wolves up by a basket, he called a time-out and put his five starters back into the game.

He looked down at the scoreboard, then back at the players sitting in front of him.

“Since the game does count,” he said, “and since the other team is Homestead, I can’t think of a single reason why we shouldn’t haul off and win this thing.”

As Lucas started to walk back on the court with his teammates, Gramps gave a quick tug on his arm.

“That big kid guarding Ryan is gassed,” Gramps said.

He meant Zim.

“Make him defend the pick-and-roll every single time you can,” Gramps said.

“Got it,” Lucas said.

Lucas started to pull away. Gramps still had his arm. But he was grinning.

“If he can defend that thing,” he said.