Date: October 29, 2024
Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn
The third quarter started with Brooklyn playing like they were sick of being embarrassed. Mikal Bridges tightened up on defense. Cam Thomas kept calling his number. Even Ben Simmons looked sharper—pushing tempo, reading seams, dropping dimes.
Zoran sat for the first six minutes, watching it all unfold. The lead flipped.
BKN 63 – DAL 60
Coach Kidd didn't panic. He didn't even stand.
Just looked down the bench. "Vranes."
Zoran stood up and cracked his neck once.
Time to clean up.
First play in, he dove for a loose ball and tapped it ahead to Dinwiddie, who turned it into a three-point play.
Second play, he dug down on a post-up and stripped Nic Claxton clean. The ball found its way to Klay, who hit a pull-up in transition.
Momentum turned again—quietly. Not with a dunk or a deep three, but with small, surgical plays. Like someone had slipped a scalpel into a brawl.
Zoran got a backdoor cut a minute later. Dinwiddie found him with a bounce pass. One-step gather. Layup off glass.
That made 15.
Brooklyn kept pushing.
The fourth quarter opened with the game tied.
DAL 78 – BKN 78
Jason Kidd kept Zoran in.
This time, the defense came to him. Every time he touched the ball, a second defender shaded over. He didn't force it. Kicked out. Moved. Relocated.
That's when the game slowed down.
Not because the pace changed—but because Zoran was thinking ahead of it.
He made a quick dump-off to Gafford on a pocket pass that split the defense like a knife. Then came a swing to the corner after faking the shot, leading to a wide-open Marshall three.
He wasn't dominating the ball.
But he was controlling the rhythm.
Final two minutes. Tie game. Mavs ball.
Dinwiddie ran pick-and-roll with Davis. Nothing there. Klay was smothered. Ball swung to Zoran.
One dribble, shot fake, pivot.
Fadeaway from the short corner.
Swish.
Last bucket of his night. 17 total.
Kidd subbed him out with 34 seconds left to get Davis back in for a defensive set.
He didn't complain.
Didn't cheer.
Just locked in on the scoreboard.
FINAL SCORE: Mavericks 96 – Nets 94
Zoran Vranes: 17 points (8-10 FG), 3 assists, 2 steals, +7
Media didn't swarm him.
Not yet.
But some heads turned. A few analysts posted clips. One ESPN writer tweeted: "Who is Vranes? And how did we miss him?"
In the locker room, Dinwiddie gave him a nod. "You keep playing like that, they can't ignore you."
Zoran just nodded back.
Inside, he knew—this was how it starts.
Not with fireworks.
But with precision.