"They win," he sighed, reaching for his credit card. "The 404 finally got me." AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more
The clock on the microwave read 8:58 PM. In two minutes, the Western Conference Finals would tip off, and Marcus was ready. He had his lucky jersey on, a bowl of lukewarm wings to his left, and his laptop balanced precariously on his knees.
The screen didn't show the bright lights of the Chase Center. It didn't show a tip-off. Instead, the browser flickered white, then settled into a cold, clinical grey. In the top left corner, the words sat like a tombstone: "No, no, no," Marcus whispered. He refreshed. Error 404.
8:59 PM. The "Live" button appeared. He held his breath and clicked.
Marcus sat back in the dark, the blue light of the error message reflecting in his eyes. He looked at his wings. He looked at his jersey. Then, he picked up his phone and did the unthinkable.
He jumped to his backup link. The video was removed due to a copyright claim. He tried the "Russian Mirror." Loading... Loading... 404.
Suddenly, the ghost-version of Steph Curry pulled up for a shot. Marcus leaned in, his nose inches from the screen. Just as the ball left Curry's hand, the screen flickered.
Marcus clicked the Albanian link. A grainy, pixelated image appeared. It was upside down, the commentary was in a language that sounded like a blender full of marbles, and the lag was so bad the players looked like 8-bit ghosts. But it was basketball.