Ryan Anderson crept stealthily through the unlit halls of Madison Square Garden, making his way to the court. He had encountered surprisingly little resistance, aside from the security guard on the roof.
The Garden was very confusing in the total darkness. After several wrong turns and excursions into bathrooms and concessions areas, Anderson found the basketball court. He hurried over to the hoop that he figured the Pelicans would be using in the second half.
He set down his toolbox, and took out a flashlight, screwdriver and stepladder. Working carefully, but with the expertise of many similar operations, he loosened the tension on the rim. He could hear it becoming slack as he twisted.
Once he was satisfied, he stepped down from the ladder, took out his basketball, and walked out to the three point line. The darkness was no match for his pure shooting stroke. The repeated swish of the net echoed through the arena.
Suddenly, the lights turned on. A security guard looked incredulous at Anderson standing on the court, basketball in hand.
“What are you doing here?”
“Just putting up some shots before tonight’s game.”
“In the dark?”
“That’s how I practice. Makes it so much easier when the lights are on.”
“If you say so. Carry on.”
The security guard turned and left. Second later, the lights turned off, leaving the court once again in total darkness.
Ryan Anderson chuckled to himself. The Knicks would never know what hit them.