Doug McDermott opened his eyes. He could see nothing but an indistinct gray-white haze. He reached up to rub his eyes, but found once he removed his hands that the haze remained the same. He could feel himself lying on some kind of surface, but once he picked himself up off of it, he found himself wholly surrounded by the shimmering mist. Knowing that he was dreaming, he set off walking, hoping that something exciting would happen, or that he would wake up.
He walked. And walked. He wondered if he was even moving, since his paces seemed to be effecting no change on his environment.
“Hello, Doug.”
Doug jumped at the calm voice from behind him. He turned, and was faced with the smiling countenance and white-swathed figure of Carlos Delfino. Before Doug could speak, Carlos offered him a robe.
“You might want to put this on before anyone else sees. No one here wants to see your stuff all flopping around.”
Doug looked down to find himself entirely unclothed. Snatching the robe out of Carlos’ hand, he quickly threw it over his head, covering his nakedness.
“What are you doing in my dream? Who are you?” Doug asked.
A look of mild annoyance flashed across Carlos’ face. “Me? I’m, Carlos Delfino, former NBA player. Don’t you remember the time I dunked on Durant? Or those times I scored 30 points? And this is no dream. This is your new reality.”
“My new reality? My new reality of endless gray clouds and a washed-up scrub in a white robe?”
“No. Your new reality as a proud patron of the Hall of the Thirty Point Scorers!”, Carlos exclaimed as he waved his hands above him. The haze started to lift, and in its place were towering columns of ivory extending indefinitely into the distance, an ornate marble floor, and a vast golden ceiling casting its light like a sun. Doug stared as the transformation completed itself.
“Wow…”, Doug breathed.
“It’s something, isn’t it? I remember the first time I came here, after a dismal late-season win against the Knicks. All of my teammates who had scored 30, and none of them ever told me.”
Doug continued to gaze in wonderment at the splendor around him. “It’s amazing, but…”
“But?”
“But where’s the entertainment? A place like this should have at least a few lovely ladies on hand, yeah? And where’s the booze? Can’t celebrate scoring 30 points without a few Rum and Cokes, am I right?”
Carlos looked confused. “The Hall of the Thirty Point Scorers is its own reward. You want alcohol and sex, you have to score 40, or so I’ve been told.”
“Then what do the players here do all the time?”
Carlos smiled. “Walk around and think about the time they scored 30. It’s great fun. Can you believe that I scored 30 points in two consecutive games with the Bucks? I think about it all the time. Let me tell you about…”
Doug began to understand why he hadn’t seen anyone else during his time in the hall.