In black and white stripes

Under the bright lights

Not a zebra but he can move

Out on this stage there’s a lot to lose

Ten thousand cheer, 10,000 boo

In a fit of action, that orange ball comes close to the hoop

It comes down to two intermingled players – one in red, one in white

Sweat and blood, elbows fly

Sprints side by side

What a fight!

The whistle blows

Three seconds to go

The ball crosses the line

In a game that’s tied

Who touched the ball last

The official in his stripes goes to the monitor

He watches a replay to be sure

Slow motion on the screen

So many fingers there interlocking

He decides – the ball goes to the team in red

Ten thousand cry, 10,000 applaud

The team in white gets one last shot

With two seconds left

The final play deft

That spinning orange ball out of a player’s hands

20,000 spectators stand

Past the rim, through the net

The buzzer then sounds

The official blows his whistle out

Game over

Half the stands flood the court

The other head home, having come up short

The first one out the stadium was the man in black and white

Into the dark night

He approached a lonely fan in the parking lot, dressed in white

Handed him a large wad of cash

“Take it back,” he said

The official couldn’t be bought

That fan was enraged

He started swinging at the official

But the official fought

Some of the players from both teams saw and came to assist

Saved the official from a drunken swinging fist

He realized even in a game the value of integrity

In a game on the line, in a parking garage fight

In the day, in the night

The champions and truth prevailed

Thanks to the referee