Pregame shootaround at the Smoothie King Center felt like a chess match before a clock started ticking. Players drifted in and out of drills. Coaches paced. The mood wasn't loose—it was loaded.
Zoran didn't change his routine.
Three spots, three zones, twelve shots per location. Then floaters. Then catch-and-react drills, no dribble. Everything mapped out. Tight. Controlled.
That was how he settled his nerves—through repetition, not adrenaline.
The Pelicans were a different kind of challenge. Not explosive, but suffocating. They closed windows before most players saw them open. They weren't designed to stop you.
They were designed to slow you until you stopped yourself.
New Orleans started Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, Dyson Daniels, CJ McCollum, and Jonas Valančiūnas. A long, switch-heavy lineup with defensive instincts sharpened by repetition.
Zoran had studied their rotations for 48 hours.
He knew where they wanted him to go. So he was going somewhere else.
"Five minutes, second quarter," Jason Kidd told him during the morning walkthrough. "If you keep it clean, you get more."
Zoran nodded once. No promises. Just purpose.
[SYSTEM ONLINE – Opponent Mapping Synced]Key Flags:→ Dyson Daniels: Traps early, rotates late→ Herb Jones: Overhelps on slot entries→ Brandon Ingram: Late to reset positioning after switch
Suggested Plays: Short-cut drags. Ghost slips. Weak-side flares.
The system's voice was clean, refined. Not chatty. Not demanding.
Just calibrated.
Second quarter. Score: 36–36.
Zoran checked in.
No spotlight. No crowd reaction. Just sneakers on hardwood and eyes on him. Pelicans adjusted immediately. Daniels shaded higher. Jones floated into the gaps. They'd scouted him too.
Dinwiddie ran the first possession of the quarter, but the traps came fast. He waved Zoran over before the second play even started.
"Take it," he said. "Too much pressure."
Zoran nodded once.
Took the ball. Called the read.
First trip down, Zoran reversed early, no dribble. The defense shifted. He relocated baseline.
Dinwiddie swung it back after a second-side screen. Zoran caught. No hesitation.
Pump fake.
Jones bit.
Zoran slid left. Diagonal pocket pass through the lane—Kai Jones on the catch, soft two-hand finish.
Mavs 38–36.
It wasn't flashy.
But it was flawless.
Next play, Jones shaded the slot again.
Zoran triggered a ghost pin with Christie, slipped the action before contact.
Daniels hesitated—half a second too long.
The skip came. Zoran dropped it clean into Christie's shooting pocket.
Splash.
41–36.
[SYSTEM REWARD: Slip Read Optimization Triggered]→ Defender drift detected→ Offensive Efficiency: +1.9 per possession in rotation→ Possession Quality: 100% clean sequence rate (4 consecutive)
No high-fives. No chest bumps.
Just focus.
New Orleans clawed back. Ingram hit a floater. McCollum scored off a broken coverage.
Score tightened: 43–42.
Zoran got the inbound.
Two minutes left in the half.
This time, he called his own sequence.
"Veer Twist 3."
Fake motion. Delayed stagger. Designed to bend weak-side spacing.
Jones followed the decoy. Daniels lost sight of the second screener.
Zoran changed speed once, curled into the middle. Defense collapsed.
He never looked at the rim.
Instead, he threaded it—a low, bouncing dime through a tight window.
Dunk.
45–42.
Timeout, Pelicans.
Zoran walked off without a look back.
Kidd leaned in near the bench. "You're setting the rhythm. They're playing on your timing."
Zoran nodded once. That was the point.
Behind Kidd, a trainer checked Anthony Davis's knee brace and whispered something to a staffer. Another reminder—half the roster was still on minutes limits or injury hold.
Zoran didn't need to do more than he was doing.
He just had to hold it all together.
[SYSTEM LOG – Midgame Sync Completed]→ Court Pressure Stability: 97%→ Turnover Risk: Zero→ Read Accuracy: 93%→ Decision Fatigue: Low→ Game Flow Authority: 2 of 4 conditions completed
He sat quietly for the rest of the half.
Didn't check the stat sheet.
Didn't check his phone.
He was already seeing the third quarter in his head.
Zoran re-entered early in the third.
Different pressure.
The Pelicans sent Daniels higher. Jones trapped the second pass. Ingram sagged late—waiting to intercept swing reads.
The system caught it first.
[SYSTEM: Coverage Shift Detected – "Snare Shell"]→ New Defensive Goal: Delay weak-side reversals→ Suggested Response: Anti-loop entry / slot drift
Zoran kept the ball until the trap engaged.
Then split it. Not with speed. With precision.
Pass to Max Christie. Backcut timed perfectly.
Layup.
Mavs 49–44.
No crowd roar. Just a hum. A sense of structure cracking.
Next trip, Zoran waited.
Walked it up.
Called nothing.
Everyone waited for the playcall.
That was the play.
Delay action, full switch miscommunication, slipped the pocket to Martin.
Floater.
Mavs 51–44.
He subbed out two minutes later.
Final line: 12 minutes. 4 points. 3 assists. No turnovers.
Efficiency didn't need stat lines.
It needed consistency.
And he had it.
[SYSTEM REPORT – Performance Evaluation Logged]✓ No errors under pressure✓ Net Impact: +9✓ Floor Influence Rating: 1.07 (Team ORTG per 100 while on floor)✓ 2 of 4 Game Flow Authority metrics complete→ Next Bonus Tier: "Read Reversal Trigger" unlockable on 3rd benchmark
Zoran took a sip of water.
Didn't lean back.
Didn't check for praise.
He knew his impact by how quiet the mistakes had been.