Chapter Five: The Twelve-Free-Throw Trap

Su received a foul for a clean block, then a technical for what the referee called “a provocative stare.” The crowd roared, but Lu held everyone back. “They don't want free throws,” he said during the timeout. “They want me on the floor so an inquiry becomes a suspension.” Iron Harbor had taken twelve free throws. Northport had taken none. The score was 29–17. “We just let them do it?” Chen demanded. “No.” Lu drew a narrow box. “We put every contact in the center of the cameras.” Tang combined the fans' streams into a live multi-angle feed. Wei slowed every possession to its final eight seconds. Chen stopped diving into crowds and halted just before reaching hands.