Only the final play didn’t go as Jamal Crawford envisioned.
The former Rainier Beach High star had the ball with 8.7 seconds left and his team down one point. The KeyArena crowd rose to its feet, eager to see what Crawford, now a Los Angeles Clippers guard, would do to get the win.
He stutter-stepped before taking a jumper. It missed, his BrandBlack team losing the Seattle Pro-Am game, 120-119, on Friday.
“I settled and that’s my fault,” said Crawford, who had 26 points and 12 assists in the game.
Officially, BrandBlack won, 119-102. Crawford stopped the game with about five minutes left to tie the score at 100 and play competitive basketball to close an evening drenched in the city’s love for professional hoops.