Snoopy lifted his head and glanced at Darrell Arthur, "Man, people who talk too much are really annoying."
At that moment, Westbrook held the ball outside the three-point line, raising one finger, signaling that he wanted to go iso.
Luc Mbah a Moute, George Bruni, and Bryant Wright immediately spread out to clear the floor.
Snoopy remained near the free-throw line, ready to step up and set a screen at any moment.
Mario Chalmers stayed glued to Westbrook. Darrell Arthur was also edging closer, preparing to trap him when he accelerated, a double-team at the three-point line to kill the play before it started.
But just as Arthur took that first step toward Westbrook, Snoopy suddenly burst sideways, slamming into him like a wall and sealing him off completely.
At the same time, Snoopy called out a quick reminder: "Luc!"
At that instant, Mbah a Moute cut sharply in a wide arc, popping out to the left wing at a 45-degree angle. His defender, Arthur, was still tangled up with Snoopy, completely out of position.
Wide open. But Westbrook didn't hear, or didn't care.
He accelerated in a blur, shredding Chalmers' defense with that trademark explosiveness and drove straight into the lane. He leapt high, staring down LaMarcus Aldridge, determined to throw down a poster dunk to ignite UCLA's momentum.
However, when Aldridge rose up with him, wingspan unfurling like a storm, Westbrook finally understood why Snoopy always out-rebounded him.
In midair, he twisted for a reverse layup, trying to evade the block, a beautiful motion, elegant and powerful.
His athleticism was breathtaking. But, the ball hit the back of the rim and bounced off.
Aldridge turned, reaching to secure the rebound and then heard it, a rush of wind behind him.
He looked up instinctively, Snoopy was already descending from above like an avalanche.
WHAM!
Snoopy's body collided into him with terrifying force. It felt like being rammed in the ribs by an enraged bull, his entire chest seemed to boil. His feet staggered backward, unable to stabilize.
The lights above disappeared, Snoopy's soaring frame completely eclipsed him. For a moment, Aldridge was engulfed in total shadow.
Then.
BOOM!
The backboard quaked. The rim shuddered violently. The entire arena echoed with the sound of that devastating dunk.
"God… that was brutal," Aldridge muttered, clutching his chest.
Pauley Pavilion erupted.
"SNOOPY! SNOOPY! SNOOPY!"
Snoopy landed softly beside the shaken Aldridge, his face calm. Arthur jogged in to inbound the ball, Snoopy looked at him and said evenly: "Doesn't seem all that different from the Lopez twins."
Arthur's face went pale, as if he'd just been dunked on. Snoopy turned and walked away.
Kansas had 1.9 seconds left on the clock. Arthur inbounded under a wall of noise. Chalmers flung the ball downcourt, it missed everything and landed in the stands.
Possession over.
"Woohooo!!"
From the VIP section, Shaquille O'Neal jumped up, arms stretched wide, mimicking Snoopy's gliding motion.
"That dunk was freaking vicious! It reminded me of Shawn Kemp back in the day! I remember my rookie year Gary Payton missed a layup and Kemp came flying in like a B-2 bomber. Thank God I dodged, or I'd still be on his highlight reel!"
O'Neal roared with laughter. Dwyane Wade, sitting next to him, couldn't stop cracking up.
"Listen, Steve," Shaq turned to Steve Nash, "we gotta bring this kid to Phoenix. He's the perfect fit with me!"
Nash nodded eagerly. He loved playing with high-energy defenders who could set screens, grab boards, and throw down dunks.
At the same time, Kobe Bryant, sitting nearby, quietly agreed, the Lakers needed someone like that. A scrappy, relentless forward who could inject toughness into their rotation.
After all, L.A.'s "Three Towers", Bynum, Gasol, and Odom were all finesse players. None of them liked doing the dirty work.
Then, out of nowhere, LeBron James spoke up: "Nah, Snoopy belongs on my team. He fits my style perfectly, sets solid screens, grabs rebounds, makes smart passes. Everything Big Ben or Varejao does, he can do too. I need this guy!"
LeBron clapped his hands, excited. Immediately, Shaq and Kobe both felt a chill.
Because if LeBron really wanted someone, the Cavaliers' front office would make it happen, no matter what. He was the King of Cleveland, after all.
Meanwhile, Snoopy had no idea he'd just started a bidding war among NBA superstars. He sat quietly at the end of the UCLA bench.
That thunderous dunk had lit up Pauley Pavilion, but not his knees. They still throbbed with dull pain.
Trainer Leon Bobb knelt beside him, massaging both legs. Assistant coach Ben Holland was chewing out Westbrook for ignoring the open man. Even Westbrook sat there with his head down, silently acknowledging his mistake.
But everyone knew, next time, he'd probably do the same thing. It was just who he was.
You could call it fearless leadership. Or reckless heroism.
As the noise died down, the arena lights suddenly dimmed. A single spotlight cut through the dark, focusing on the players' tunnel.
Halftime show.
The crowd buzzed in anticipation, they hadn't paid just to watch basketball.
Snoopy, uninterested, muttered to Leon Bobb:
"A little harder on the knees."
Leon frowned.
"Snoopy, don't tell me you've got fluid buildup? You're not playing hurt, are you?"
Snoopy shot him a cold look.
Then, a familiar melody filled the stadium.
"Just the way you are…"