Few days later...
-January 14, 2016
I had finally wrapped my head around the fact that in about two months, I was going to be a father. It was still surreal, but I had accepted it. Right now, though, my focus was on basketball.
We were in Toronto, getting ready to face the Raptors. The city was freezing, but the energy in the air was something else. Toronto fans always showed up, in my old life it was my favorite team so it's always special to play there.
I would like to do something that will remain engraved here.
In the locker room everyone was getting ready, some guys had their headphones in, others were getting taped up. I laced up my sneakers, rolling my shoulders a little to stay loose.
Coach gathered us up for the final game plan.
We stepped out of the locker room and made our way through the tunnel. The bass from the arena speakers vibrated through my chest as we jogged onto the court for warm-ups. I started my usual routine, form shots, a few dribbles into pull-ups, some deep threes to get my range set. My shot felt smooth tonight.
Vucevic stepped up for the jump against Jonas Valančiūnas. The ref tossed the ball up, Vooch won it, tapping it straight back to Derrick Rose, who immediately pushed the tempo.
Toronto set up in their usual man-to-man defense. Lowry picked up Rose, DeRozan was on our shooting guard, and I had DeMarre Carroll checking me. I jogged to the left wing, watching the play develop.
Rose called for a quick screen and got into the lane, drawing the defense. He kicked it out to me on the wing, wide open.
I let it fly. "Oh, here we go…"
Next possession, we got a stop. Rose sprinted up the court, saw me trailing, and flipped it back to me. I stepped into another deep one.
"Yo DeMarre, you might wanna start guarding me now." I said, jogging back on defense.
Few plays later, I came off a screen in the corner, caught the pass, and let it go.
Bottom of the net.
I turned to the Raptors' bench, shaking my head.
"Y'all might wanna call a timeout before this gets ugly." I said with a smirk.
-Second quarter
Toronto switched up their coverage. Now they were pressing up on me, trying to deny the ball. Didn't matter.
Vooch set a screen at the top—I ran off it, caught the pass in rhythm, and let it fly before my defender could recover.
Another one. 'It looks like we're going to set a record tonight.'
A minute later, off an offensive rebound, I relocated to the top of the key. Ball swung my way. Quick release.
By halftime, I had 8 threes.
Walking into the locker room, my teammates were hyped.
"Bro, you tryna break the record tonight?" One of my teammates asked, dapping me up.
"Shit, why not?" I said, grinning as I wiped sweat off my face.
-Third quarter
Toronto went all-in on stopping me. They threw doubles, they face-guarded, they switched defenders.
Still didn't matter.
"Yo DeMarre, wake up" I said after hitting another contested three over him.
Carroll looks at me like he wants to kill me. "Shut up."
I hit a deep three off the dribble.
Then another one off a broken play.
Then, coming off a screen, I pulled up from way beyond the arc.
The ball hung in the air before snapping through the net.
The crowd murmured. They knew what was happening.
I was on the verge of history.
By the fourth quarter, I was sitting at 13 threes, the new NBA record.
With five minutes left, I got an isolation at the top. A quick crossover, step-back from the wing—
Swish.
The bench was on their feet. The crowd was buzzing, even the Raptors fans.
"Man, you broke the damn record already." Lowry said, shaking his head.
Then, with under two minutes left, I came off a double screen. Rose found me. I caught it, rose up, and let it fly.
The ball soared through the air, then—
"Net."
15 threes.
A new NBA record.
Final Buzzer
We closed out the game comfortably. Final score: 122-106, a dominant win for us.
I finished the game with 55 points.
Walking off the court, I made sure to dap up Lowry and DeRozan.
"Y'all boys played good D… kinda." I said, grinning.
"Man, fuck outta here." Lowry said.
-Post-Game Interview – Pres
Reporter: Franklin, congratulations on the win and the record. 15 three-pointers in a single game—how does it feel to break history tonight?
Franklin Lincoln: Man, it feels crazy. I saw the first few go in, and after that, it felt like I couldn't miss.
Reporter: At what point did you realize you were on pace to break the record?
Franklin Lincoln: I mean, when I hit my 10th three, I kinda knew I had a shot at it. The guys on the bench were hyping me up, telling me to go for it. By the time I hit 13, I was like, 'Alright, might as well get two more.'
Reporter: Toronto threw a lot of defensive looks at you in the second half, but it didn't seem to slow you down. How were you able to stay so skillful?
Franklin Lincoln: I've seen every type of coverage at this point. Double teams, switches—it doesn't matter. When I'm in rhythm, there's not much anybody can do.
Reporter: You've already had some incredible performances this season, but where does this one rank for you personally?
Franklin Lincoln: It's up there. I mean, it's history. Anytime you do something nobody's ever done before, it's special. But I still got bigger goals, this was just another step.
Reporter: Last question—any message for the fans after tonight's performance?
Franklin Lincoln: Appreciate all the love. Y'all better enjoy this 'cause I'm not done yet.
-TNT
Ernie Johnson: Alright, Franklin Lincoln just made history—15 three-pointers in a single game. Thoughts?
Shaquille O'Neal: Listen, man, this dude is different.
Charles Barkley: First of all, Toronto had no answer. None. Zero. They tried everything, but Franklin was just on another level tonight. This was the best shooting performances I've ever seen.
Kenny Smith: You know what impressed me the most? He wasn't just jacking up shots—he was patient, moving without the ball, reading the defense.
Ernie Johnson: Do you think this solidifies him as the best shooter in the league right now?
Shaquille O'Neal: He's in the conversation, no doubt. Steph, Klay, Franklin—they're the three best shooters in the game right now.
-First Take
Stephen A. Smith: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. I am here today to tell you something you already know… FRANKLIN LINCOLN IS THE FACE OF THIS LEAGUE.
This man walked into Toronto, stepped onto their home court, and EMBARRASSED them. 15 threes?! FIFTEEN?! Are you kidding me? I mean, you got defenders all up in his face, and he's STILL pulling from deep.
And that, my friends, is what separates the stars from the SUPERSTARS.
Now, I don't wanna hear ANY excuses from the Raptors. "Oh, we tried everything." No, you didn't. You didn't try prayer! You didn't try a miracle! 'Cause that's the only thing that could've stopped Franklin Lincoln tonight!