On the training court, the sharp squeak of sneakers against the floorboards filled the air.
The Magic's head Trainer, Daniel Ingles, blew his whistle. With a collective groan, nearly every player on the court collapsed to the floor.
"Get up."
Daniel clapped his hands as he walked over, signaling a few other trainers to help pull all the players back to their feet.
"Darrell." Ings approached Armstrong, his tone filled with disbelief. "You're faster. Faster than you've been in the last two years. It's incredible, truly. I was worried you wouldn't be able to keep up."
In truth, Ings didn't want to train them this hard. In his experience, a sudden spike in training intensity mid-season was most likely to result in injuries.
But Pleasance insisted, and there was nothing he could do.
That's why he paid special attention to veterans like Armstrong and Monty, who both had old injuries. He was afraid this high-intensity training would cause them to flare up.
