The Heart of A Champion (An NBA OC X Hailee Steinfeld Romance)

Those Post-Game Blues

After a stomach-churning loss despite giving it he and his teammates giving their 110% on the floor, Dante and the Pistons headed to the visiting team locker room, despondent from 101-96 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. The ex-Oklahoma State Cowboy sat down in a chair, towel over his head. He was disappointed, not in his overall performance. A 33 point and 11 assist double-double? He was upset in the fact that despite this, he still couldn't get over the Laker hump that had plagued the 'Inferno' over the first two years of his career. He was in his own head before assistant coach Sidney Lowe walked up to the rising star.

Sidney: You okay, Dante?

Dante: After an L like this one? Nah, you've been there before. This game was right there for the taking, and we fucking fumbled the bag.

Sidney: Sometimes you gotta move forward kid. Yes a win like this over one of the hot teams in the league would've done our confidence wonders but as it is take the good with the bad. We're going back home and we get Cleveland. It's a win-win situation.

Dante: I guess.

Not long after a media specialist named Bailey walked into the locker room wading, through all the athletic bodies and already through the growing media wave, finally stopping short of the young star.

Bailey: Dante, we're ready for you in the press room.

Dante: Huh? Oh yeah, thanks, let me finish getting my shirt and shoes on, then I'll be ready Bailey.

She nodded politely as she once again made her way through the locker room. After about 15 minutes Dante emerged, clothed and everything as he made way towards to the media room. After setting his backpack next to him as he prepared for a endless barrage of questions from the ever hungry media and with these guys, you had to be real careful with them. It was really a combination of dealing with piranhas and a pit of active lava. One wrong quote and you could villified by the very fans that adore, admire and love you. And with these being Detroit fans, a city who hadn't seen any real success since the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup, they had reason to be excited for the future but they weren't waiting any longer.

Security: Alright you all know the drill. Introduce yourselves, your affiliation and questions. The floor is yours, everyone.

Dante: Hey what's good, I'll take questions now.... let's see, Adrian.

Adrian, a rather young yet stocky Hispanic man stood up in the middle row, microphone trained on him as he began speaking.

Adrian: Adrian Wasserman, WXYT-FM 97.1 The Ticket. Dante, another double-double for you but as it seems whenever you have recorded a double or triple double, this team collapses down the stretch. What do you think the team has to change for your squad to get back to its winning ways, or is this a mental thing ?

Dante pondered the question as he fiddled with the microphone.

Dante: A-Train, you know I'm not really interested in individual stats unless we catch a W at the very end... Honestly every man did their part but we not only got gassed that also led to critical turnovers. I think we had what fifteen turnovers to their eight in the second half alone? Yeah that's always a recipe for disaster and it showed down the stretch.

Adrian sat down as the next reporter stepped up to ask her question.

Cassie: Cassie Meadows, Fox Sports Detroit. Would you say Dante this is a new low for the team as they continue to struggle or a team that's starting to put it all together but at the wrong times?

Dante: I really think... it's a combination of both. I wouldn't say this is a new low per se, but it's definitely a trying season I will say that. If there was one glaring thing I can say was proud was that we definitely bullied them in the paint both defensively and offensively. Had to throw it back for our old school Bad Boys Piston fans, even if it ended in an L.