The Man with No (Nick)Name

"You see, in this world there's two kind of people, my friend: Those with the trophy and those without."

In the midst of the Basketball Civil War, a kawhiet shooter rescues the fast trigger Rusco from injurious bounty hunters looking to snuff out the brash, thunderous player once and for all. The two decide to team up in pursuit of a golden reward, hoping the partnership results in the capture of an elusive ring. However, Rusco, jealous of his partner's preternatural skills, turns on his rescuer and forces the man to march across the desolation of the Western (Conference) desert.

Fortunately for our hero, the death march is halted by the appearance of a lumbering wagon. Out of the wagon ambles an old Western Conference soldier, Kobe Carson. The elder man wants to recapture glories of past decades and is desperate to reclaim his stash of rings. Yet his legs can no longer hold up to the rigors of the Basketball War, so he shares his secret with the two trophy hunters prior to collapsing on the ground.

Knowing that the other side represents the easier path to victory, the kawhiet one and Rusco don the uniforms of Eastern Conference soldiers. Unfortunately, they are quickly captured by the superior forces of the Western Conference and remanded to the basketball camp at Texasville, where our hero meets Captain Pop. The Western Conference officer befriends the young gun, lamenting the current offensive state of the Basketball War and drowning his chagrin over the lack of defensive strategies in copious amounts of wine.

The dastardly Los Angel Eyes, a 1st team sergeant, quickly discovers the true motives of the duo and instructs his henchmen, Corporal Griffin and Private Jordan, to torture the location of the secret stash of rings from the reluctant captives.

The twitchy Rusco quickly gives up his knowledge of the rings, but the kawhiet man maintains his stoicism. When staring into the face of no emotion, Corporal Griffin mistakes his own overexuberance for success and Private Jordan's subsequent misses at the firing line allow the pair to escape.

Aware of the history of Kobe Carson, Los Angel Eyes guesses that the duo is heading towards the now abandoned Lake of Angels. The crafty gun handler wants to steal the legendary stash of rings, knowing he is running out of time to win one of his own. Only Los Angel Eyes does not know that an even greater prize exists for the taking.

The kawhiet one knows that the prize can only be claimed by the deserving who have weathered the (Western Conference) gauntlet. The young gun unearths the true reward, a golden trophy, from the dry Lakebed. Barely acknowledging his enemies, he places this vision of excellence in the middle of the circle. The Larry O'Brien Trophy gleams in the sunlight, mocking the desperate combatants, waiting silently for the shootout to commence. Los Angel Eyes quickly flops toward the kawhiet man, realizing that Rusco is no threat to take the trophy.

Will Los Angel Eyes fulfill his yet unrealized destiny? Or will The Man with No (Nick)Name defend against the sideways attack and steal his way into basketball lore?