Laggan Lard Butts Read Online Free PDF Page A

exclaimed. “I’m glad you can help me.”
    Sarah smiled at Katie and then looked at me. “I’m happy to try to change the name to something good.”
    I smiled back. Let the games begin.

chapter six
    I put up a shot. It hit the rim and bounced away. I’d hardly made a shot during the whole warm-up. I hoped that old saying was true: bad warm-up, great game.
    â€œSo any ideas?” Tanner asked.
    â€œLet’s start zone and then go man if they start hitting from the outside.”
    â€œI’m not talking about the game. I meant do you have ideas about the campaign?”
    â€œWhat?” I asked in disbelief.
    â€œThe campaign, the name change. Do you have any ideas? I’ve been thinking we really have an uphill battle to get people to choose Lard Butts as a team name.”
    â€œHow about if we talk about the
team
instead of the team
name
,” I suggested.
    â€œWe really have to talk about this.”
    â€œNow?” I asked, gesturing around me.
    â€œI guess it can wait until after the game,” he said.
    â€œIf we don’t win this game we’ll have lots of time because that will be the end of our season,” Taylor added.
    I hated the thought of losing, but winning didn’t have much appeal either. If we won we’d get into the play-offs. Getting into the play-offs meant playing the first place team—the team that had killed us in the two games we’d played, the team that would kill us again in the play-offs. Maybe it would be better to have a close loss to end the season now instead of a blowout embarrassment later.
    â€œThink we can take ‘em?” Taylor asked.They’re not that much better than us. We could have taken them that first game.”
    â€œCould have, should have, would have, didn’t,” I said.
    â€œJust think,” Tanner said. “If we beat them our reward is getting killed in the play-offs. It might be easier to end it all here.”
    â€œDon’t say that!” I snapped angrily.
    â€œI don’t mean we should try to lose!” he said, defending himself.
    â€œI know, I know.” I hadn’t been angry with him as much as I was mad at myself for thinking what he’d had the guts to say.
    â€œWhat happens afterward doesn’t matter. What happens now does. We’re gonna take these guys.”
    â€œTime-out!” Taylor yelled as he fell on the loose ball and wrapped his arms around it.
    The ref whistled down the player. Tanner offered his brother a hand and pulled him to his feet.
    â€œWay to go buddy, way to go!” Cody exclaimed.
    I looked up at the clock. We were up byone point with seven seconds left on the clock and we had the ball! It would be pretty hard to lose now. We’d won our third win of the year and—wait a second—they had three wins too. Who would finish sixth?
    â€œCoach, what happens when two teams are tied at the end of the season?”
    â€œWhat?” Mr. Davidson asked.
    â€œTiebreakers. What happens if two teams are tied at the end of the season? Who gets sixth place?”
    â€œI’m not really sure. Probably head to head games.”
    â€œBut we both will have won once,” Taylor said.
    â€œThen possibly total score in those games.”
    Instantly I knew. They’d beaten us by two points in the first game. If we only beat them by one point, then they’d take sixth, and we’d be out of the play-offs. For a fraction of a second I had to fight a sense of relief.
    â€œWe have to score. We have to beat them by more than two points or they’re in and we’re out,” I said.
    â€œAre you sure?” Tanner asked.
    â€œI’m not sure about anything. Do you have a copy of the tiebreaker rules in your shorts? I just know we have to try to score. Winning isn’t enough.” I looked at Mr. Davidson. “Coach?”
    â€œGo for it.”
    â€œOkay. Tanner you throw the ball in.