Travel Team #3

Mike Lupica
Popular Fiction
156-212

The game the Warriors lost by 1 was the last game before the playoffs. Next weekend the Warriors would play the number one ranked team the Vikings, the team Danny was cut from. Ty Ross hasn't played with them all year because of injury and will be able to play this week making them even better. Danny's Dad came into Monday nights practice a little late and was acting a little awkward. He was yelling at the team after every little mistake and making them run suicides for every bad play, he even started to curse at the kids. After, practice Richie drove him home without saying a word. The next day him and will went into a town and Danny caught a glimpse of his dad sitting at the bar just staring into space, he sees him at the bar allot lately and starts to wonder if what Ted Morgan said about his Dad being a drunk was true. Later that night the hospital called the house telling them that Richie was in a car accident. When Danny goes into see him, Richie immediately tells him that he wasn't drunk and explains to him how the first car crash he was in that he was very drunk. People always felt sad for Richie because they thought he caught a bad break, but the truth was that he was drunk that night of the car crash and he ruined his whole NBA career and has never been able to move on. Now Danny knows the truth, but Richie promised that he has quite and that the night he came into practice all upset was the last time he has drank. Danny is giving coaching responsibility of the Warriors for the big playoff game and Ty switch to their team because of how aggressive his father was being. When the game starts and Ty subs in against Mr. Ross team, Mr. Ross couldn't take it and he called timeout and walked over to Richie walker in the stand and sat right next to him to cheer on their sons. The game was tied with 10 seconds left and Danny does it double crossover move just like last time, but this time when he takes the shot its nothing but net... swoosh. The Warriors beat the Vikings and it seems that old rivalries have come to an end.

I really enjoy this story because it teaches life lessons through basketball, and shows how the game of basketball is just like life. There are times in a game when things won't go your way no matter how hard you try just life life. The important things is that you never give up and that you keep trying to achieve your goal no matter what. I also like how Richie was able to forget about the past and stop feeling sorry for himself and live with his family again. The book also shows that its important to not dwell on the past with the example of Mr. Ross not being jealous of Richie always being number one in their ball days.