Boot Camp by Eric Walters Page B

before we got to the finals.”
    â€œThe finals?” Kia questioned, suddenly sounding very serious. “Do you really think we have a chance of getting to the finals?”
    â€œWhy not?” Jamal asked.
    â€œThere are some good teams…teams that beat us yesterday.”
    â€œNobody beat us yesterday. We beat ourselves. After the three games today is there anybody here who doesn’t think we can get to the finals?” Jamal asked.
    Nobody answered. Maybe they agreed with him and maybe they just didn’t want to say anything.
    â€œI don’t want to get to the finals,” Kia said.
    â€œWhat?” I questioned.
    She shook her head. “I don’t want to get to the finals. I want to
win
the finals.”
    Jamal reached out and gave her a high five. “Okay, is there anybody here who doesn’t think we can win the finals? Nick?”
    I startled at the mention of my name.
    â€œYou haven’t said anything,” Jamal said. “Do you think we can take it all?”
    I didn’t answer right away. “I think that if we play the way we did this morning we have as good a chance as anybody else…maybe better.”
    Just then Jerome came walking up and stood behind us as we sat on the floor.
    â€œSome good games this morning,” he said.
    â€œWe played pretty good,” I answered.
    â€œLooks like maybe I was right all along,” Jerome said
    â€œRight about what?”
    â€œRight about this being a pretty good team.”
    â€œNope,” Jamal said, “you were wrong. We aren’t a pretty good team, we’re the
best
team here.”
    Jerome burst into a big smile. “I’d be more than willing to be wrong.”
    â€œSo how are the play-offs going to work?” I asked.
    â€œOne loss eliminations. You lose and you’re out. The team that finished first plays the tenth place team. Second place team plays the ninth place team.”
    â€œWe finished seventh,” I said. “So that means we play the…the…”
    â€œThe fourth place team,” Jerome said. “I think that’s the Thunder team.”
    â€œOh…we played them yesterday. They beat us by twenty,” I said.
    â€œWrong,” Jamal said. “We beat ourselves by twenty. That team is in for a real surprise this time around.”
    â€œSo if we beat them—no
when
we beat them— then they’re eliminated and we go on to play again, right?” I asked.
    â€œAfter the first round five teams are left. The top team remaining from league play gets anautomatic berth in the finals while the four other teams play off for the other berth.”
    â€œAnd what happens to the teams that are eliminated?” I asked.
    â€œYeah, we need to know that because we’re not going to be seeing it ourselves since we’re not going to lose any games,” Kia explained.
    â€œYou said it, girl,” Jamal agreed, and the rest of the team nodded and cheered along.
    â€œLooks like your whole team is in agreement. The teams that are eliminated play games against each other until the finals when everybody, as well as parents and anybody else who wants to, can watch the final game.”
    My stomach suddenly felt a little swell of uneasiness. I wanted to be there playing, but it would be a lot easier just to be sitting and watching rather than being watched.
    â€œSo all we have to do is win four games and we’re the champions,” Kia said.
    â€œJust four games,” Jerome agreed.
    â€œThat doesn’t seem too hard. We won three games in a row this morning. We just have to repeat that plus one. Piece of cake.”
    â€œI don’t know about any cake, but I knowyou better get yourselves ready. Your first game starts in five minutes.”
    We won the tip, and the ball went right to Jamal. He started dribbling, and instantly the other team sent three men right at him. They were going to triple team him like