Across the court, Motijheel High was giving off major "we got this" vibes. They were moving with this crazy smooth, practiced flow, their warm-ups were sharp, like they were all connected by brainwaves or something. Even from way over here, you could feel this intense aura of confidence radiating off them.

  They looked seriously ready to dominate.

  The referee, a pretty round guy with a whistle practically glued to his mouth, gave the signal for the jump ball. Robi, Banani's Center and resident giant, stepped into the center circle, facing off against Motijheel's center who looked like he could dunk on a ten-foot rim in his sleep.

  This was gonna be interesting.

  "Yo, Robi! Good luck up there, big guy! And try not to let that dude eat you for breakfast out there!" Chandan, a Shooting Guard hanging out on the bench, yelled out, earning a pyful death stare from Robi. Bench banter was already in full swing, even before the game properly started.

  The whistle shrilled again, shorter this time, the actual go-time for the jump.

  Up went the ball, arcing high above the two centers.

  Motijheel's center, seriously, this guy was a monster, cleanly tipped the ball right to his Point Guard. And boom, just like that, Motijheel High was in motion, a total blur of coordinated movement.

  It was instant offense.

  "Defense! Defense! Get up, get up!" Kiyoshi yelled, already hustling backwards, eyes locked on the Motijheel Point Guard who was suddenly bringing the ball straight at them. This was happening fast.

  Okay, Motijheel's offense? Legit a well-oiled machine.

  These guys were passing with insane precision, each pyer just knowing exactly where to be, when to cut, how to open up space. It was almost mesmerizing to watch, like some kind of super-fast basketball ballet.

  "They are fast, like, ridiculously fast," Arshad, another Shooting Guard chilling on Banani's bench, muttered, completely absorbed in watching Motijheel's fluid movements. He was low-key impressed, even if it was against them.

  Sajid, the Small Forward, nodded in agreement, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

  "And those passes? Laser-guided missiles. Zero wasted motion. This is next level stuff." They were gonna have to seriously step up their game.

  Motijheel's Point Guard was dribbling with this smooth confidence, weaving his way through Banani's first line of defense like they weren't even there. Then, bam, a super quick pass to their Small Forward who was cutting hard towards the basket.

  It was all happening in a blink.

  "Switch! Switch! Cover the cut!" Ahsan yelled, trying to get the defense organized, but it felt like they were already a step behind, reacting instead of anticipating. These guys were quick thinkers too.

  The Motijheel Small Forward snagged the pass in perfect stride, went up for a textbook smooth yup, and boom, scored.

  Effortless.

  Swish. Clean as anything.

  2-0. Motijheel. Barely any time had even ticked off the clock.

  This was a fast start, and not in a good way for Banani.

  "Alright, alright, first points to them. No biggie. Let's lock down the defense, people!" Kiyoshi cpped his hands together, trying to inject some serious energy back into his team who were looking a little stunned. "Communication, people! Talk to each other out there! Let’s get organized." They needed to regroup, like, now.