The Final Four

McBride spots Bacic reaching out a hand to help MJ to his feet. He runs across and picks a fight with Bacic, telling him to “go worry about your own players” (48). McBride helps MJ to his feet but criticizes him for failing to make the shot. In the huddle, the coach advises the Spartans to target Rice and have him expelled for too many fouls.

A year and seven months before the game, McBride sneaks out of his house with a photo of his dead sister and has her face tattooed on his arm at a house party. The tattoo artist creates a lifelike image of Trisha on his arm and then tells him to keep it covered to prevent infection. Later that night, McBride returns home. His parents are worried about where he has been, but the sight of Trisha on his arm calms them down.

On the day of the game, a national newspaper runs a piece on college athletes and their struggles to get paid for their work. The colleges make hundreds of millions of dollars from athletics, but the students are not allowed to receive any money other than a scholarship. The colleges “assert that it is necessary to ensure the integrity of the amateur competition” (51).

Bacic huddles with his teammates as the coach preaches the importance of unity. The teams line up again and hurl insults at each other. In Bacic’s journal, he explains that many of his high school teammates in America do not want to play basketball with him. He believes his nationality turns them against him, but he writes that he wants to “earn my way into their hearts with my basketball skills” (53). He works harder than everyone else and earns his place on the team, quickly eradicating his teammates’ animosity. Bacic also goes on dates with American girls. He receives a scholarship offer from Troy and gladly accepts. The offer makes his parents in Croatia proud. He misses them and is sure to keep Uncle Drazen in his thoughts. He retains his interest in journalism and hopes to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and become a reporter.

On the night of the game, the television coverage airs a joint interview with Bacic and McBride. The interviewer talks about how both young men have experienced tragedy and loss. McBride says that he plays basketball to elevate Trisha’s memory, while Bacic insists that he plays to celebrate the joy in the world. Bacic loves and respects his opponents, whereas McBride feels nothing but contempt for the people he faces on the court. McBride is very bullish about his desire to become a professional, but Bacic is focusing only on the final four and the tournament immediately ahead of them. McBride is focused only on basketball, while Bacic insists on keeping up with his schoolwork and his journalism studies.

The second period of overtime begins. Rice cannot win the ball, and he knows that the Spartans will target him, forcing him into a foul that will result in him being expelled from the game.

Three weeks before the game, Rice is working his shift as a driver. He knocks on the door where he hears Hope’s voice. A man answers, but Rice catches a glimpse of Hope’s blonde hair behind him. She tries to defuse the situation. The man, John, is supposedly married to her second cousin, but Rice struggles to believe Hope’s insistence that nothing romantic occurred. Rice leaves and drives away from the building, struggling to come to terms with what he has just witnessed. He thinks back on when he first asked her on a date while driving back to the restaurant, ready to make the next delivery.

Play resumes, and MJ tries to focus on defense. McBride steals the ball and launches an attack. MJ tries desperately to score, but the ball refuses to go into the net. Eventually, he manages to sink a basket and put his team two points in the lead. The crowd’s jeers turn to applause.

Four months before the game, MJ fights against McBride. He lands a few solid hits, but McBride refuses to quit. Eventually, their teammates burst in and break up the fight. The team is divided. Many resent McBride’s self-centered attitude, but others appreciate his immense skill and his ability to help the team. Campus security arrives, but both men refuse to talk to the authorities. Coach Barker is informed, and the players are marched to the gymnasium. The coach tells them to score 25 baskets in a row or be forced to run up and down the bleachers as punishment. McBride sinks every shot, but MJ misses over half of his. Both men have to run to compensate for MJ’s failures. The coach insists that they should find the common ground in their lives. They run up and down the bleachers together but continue to bicker with each other.

McBride hears the coaches shouting from the side of the court. He continues to trash-talk Bacic while they play. The Spartans lead by two points with four minutes to play. McBride frees himself from Bacic’s close attention and scores three points.

On the morning of the game, a national newspaper runs an article commenting on the extraordinary money made in college basketball by everyone but the athletes. Everyone seems to be making vast sums of money except for the players. College basketball coaches are paid more than university presidents, and the colleges, television networks, and advertisers benefit enormously from the tournament.

Bacic was knocked over by the physical Spartan defense during the previous play. He struggles to regain his senses as he realizes that his team is five points behind. His head pounds, but he insists that he is fine. As the coach explains the plan, Bacic struggles to concentrate while trying not to vomit. Just as they are about to re-enter the court, he falls to one knee.

Bacic’s journal details the emotional difficulty of the first anniversary of Drazen’s death. Bacic wants to be alone. He spends the day thinking about Drazen and watching old Michael Jordan highlights on the Internet. He wishes Drazen were still around to see him succeed. Bacic wakes up early in the morning and goes to the basketball court alone. A young boy watches him, and eventually they shoot the ball together. Bacic offers advice to the young boy and sees an immediate improvement. He notes that this inspires a “spark in my heart” (69), as he feels as though he is replicating his uncle’s coaching methods. The experience makes him feel better.