On ga night, Oracle Arena was packed to the rafters.
Warriors fans were all smiles.
Cleveland was their past victim, and this Warriors squad was miles ahead of their last championship team. This ring? It was theirs to take.
Even Steve Kerr radiated confidence.
Golden State had once again finished as the league's top seed, but unlike last season, they hadn't overextended themselves in the regular season. Their core was entering the Finals with fresh legs, which was the key to their postseason dominance.
Kerr had also preemptively addressed Draymond Green's temperant—there would be no repeat of last season's ltdowns.
The embarrassnt of winning 73 gas only to fall short in the West? This year, he was set on redemption.
Opening Lineups
After prega ceremonies, the starting lineups were announced:
Cavaliers: Han Sen, J.R. Smith, Robert Covington, P.J. Tucker, Nikola Jokić.
Warriors: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, LeBron Jas, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia.
Seeing Cleveland's lineup, Kerr raised an eyebrow but quickly masked his reaction. A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Malone showing his hand right away? Bold. But also desperate.
If Golden State could withstand the opening punch, once they unleashed their small-ball lineup, it'd be their turn to dictate the ga.
---
The ball was tossed up—Jokić vs. Pachulia at center court.
And there was a tiny detail.
As Jokić walked into position, he instinctively rubbed his hands together.
A minor gesture for most.
But for Jokić? It was unusual.
This wasn't his first Finals ga.
Yet, there was an eagerness in his movents—a spark that wasn't always there.
The whistle blew.
Jokić, with his limited vertical, still had the length advantage.
He tipped it back, and Cleveland secured first possession.
Han Sen walked it up.
Klay t him at half-court, shadowing his every move.
LeBron and Draymond were already shifting their positioning, anticipating a trap.
Kerr had done his howork.
Boston's Ga 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals had set the blueprint—force the ball out of Han's hands, deny him re-entry, and make soone else beat them.
But Han wasn't in a rush.
As soon as Jokić crossed half-court, he planted himself in the post, throwing his weight onto Pachulia and signaling for the ball.
Golden State's defense stayed locked on Han—expecting a kick-out to an open teammate.
Instead, Han lobbed it straight inside.
For a brief second, chaos.
Golden State scrambled—do they help on Jokić or stay ho?
Then, the matchups reset.
Jokić had Pachulia one-on-one.
Pachulia was no pushover. He lacked athleticism but was a strong, disciplined post defender.
But Jokić was patient.
A series of spins, a feint—then a smooth right-handed hook.
Buckets.
No panic. No hesitation.
Pure confidence.
---
Golden State ca back down.
LeBron initiated the offense, calling for a screen from Pachulia.
Curry and Green ran a weak-side action, while Klay cut baseline.
Golden State's chemistry had reached its peak this season.
Cleveland responded accordingly—Han trailed Curry through the screens, Covington sagged off LeBron to cut off passing lanes.
LeBron drove and kicked it to the corner.
Not to Klay—he wasn't the end target.
Green had slipped down and set a secondary pick.
Klay ca curling off, shaking free.
Two defenders got caught on Green's screen.
Wide open.
Klay squared up.
Let it fly.
The shot clanked off the rim.
This was a shot he normally drilled.
But long layoffs had their downsides—rhythm took ti.
Golden State, however, didn't dwell on the miss.
They sprinted back in transition, cutting off Cleveland's fast break.
Kerr had emphasized transition defense in their final prega huddle.
Outside of Pachulia, no one was crashing for offensive boards.
He had built his legacy on small-ball.
He knew exactly how to counter it.
---
Jokić grabbed the rebound and tossed it to Han.
Han slowed it down.
He waited.
Jokić worked his way into the post again, sealing Pachulia off.
Another entry pass.
It was at this mont that Kerr realized—
Cleveland wasn't playing all their cards.
They weren't showing their full ga plan.
This lineup?
It wasn't desperation.
It was spacing.
If Tristan Thompson had started, Draymond could've freely helped off him.
But with Tucker and Covington in the corners?
Draymond couldn't rotate over.
Kerr straightened up and glanced toward Cleveland's bench.
Malone was trusting Jokić—a second-year big—to carry them inside.
But could he handle the pressure?
Last season, Jokić had been a role player in the Finals, a complentary piece behind Han and Kyrie.
Now?
All eyes were on him.
Millions watching.
Ga 1. NBA Finals.
That prega hand-rub?
Made perfect sense now.
A young player handed the biggest project of his career.
And yet—
Jokić played like he'd done this a thousand tis.
Pachulia's defense was physical.
But Jokić was calculating.
As soon as he felt Pachulia leaning on him, he spun, using the montum to slip behind him—
Soft touch off the glass.
Two possessions.
Two buckets.
Effortless.
This wasn't what Kerr expected.
But he didn't adjust.
Not yet.
Jokić was still young.
There was no way—no way—he could carry Cleveland's offense like this for an entire series.
Could he?
---
Golden State ran a familiar set—Cyclone. [1]
Curry faked a backscreen, then sprinted to the wing.
Green flipped the pick last-second.
LeBron delivered a perfect pass.
Curry pulled up—
Splash.
Oracle roared.
Three beats two.
Warriors basketball.
A single three-pointer had the crowd in a frenzy.
But Malone didn't flinch.
He stuck to the plan.
Feed Jokić.
Let him work.
---
At this mont, the Warriors' defense was forced into an adjustnt.
Whenever Jokić received the ball, Golden State's defenders instinctively collapsed toward the paint.
Players aren't machines—when they see an obvious mismatch, their natural instinct is to help.
But this exposed a key flaw in Steve Kerr's coaching. While he had a strong tactical foundation, his in-ga adjustnts were often lacking.
Whether to stick with single coverage or commit to a double-team, he should have made it clear to his players before the ga even started.
Han quickly picked up on this shift.
One mont, he stood at the periter, hands on his hips after passing the ball inside.
The next? He exploded past Klay Thompson before Thompson could react.
Thompson's lateral quickness wasn't elite—by the ti he noticed, it was already too late.
And during all of this, Jokić never stopped working in the post.
Han cut into the paint, reaching the free-throw line just as Draymond Green—who had been pulled to the corner—realized what was happening.
Too late.
Jokić, still muscling against Pachulia a second earlier, suddenly lobbed the ball high toward the rim.
Han soared in, catching it one-handed and throwing down a vicious tomahawk jam.
The visual impact was insane.
Oracle Arena erupted in shock.
This was the kind of gravity Kyrie Irving once commanded—Jokić was forcing Golden State to pick their poison.
If they focused on Han, Jokić would feast inside.
If they focused on Jokić, Han would carve them up.
Finally, Kerr realized the danger. He stood up and called for JaVale McGee off the bench.
It was clear—he didn't want to fall into Cleveland's small-ball trap too early.
His strategy? Keep the ga tight, then break it open later.
After all, he knew Cleveland's depth was scary this year.
LeBron attacked imdiately, using Curry and Thompson's movent to create an open lane, drawing a foul on Jokić.
Every lineup had strengths and weaknesses—without Tristan Thompson starting, Cleveland's rim protection was weaker.
As McGee checked in for Pachulia, Malone called Covington over.
The key to defending LeBron wasn't just shot-blocking—it was denying him a clean path in the first place.
If LeBron got downhill, even Tristan wouldn't be able to stop him.
This was where Malone's in-ga coaching was simply better than Kerr's.
LeBron made just one of two free throws.
Score: 6-4.
---
McGee's physical gifts were elite, but he didn't have Pachulia's strength in post defense.
Jokić imdiately pushed deeper into position than before.
Han fed him inside—but this ti, Jokić's shot got swallowed up by McGee.
Not just blocked—caught mid-air.
It wasn't that Jokić didn't use fakes.
McGee was just a different level of athlete.
For reference?
- Dwight Howard stood 6'10" (2.08m) with a 7'4" (2.24m) wingspan.
- McGee stood 7'0" (2.13m) with a 7'6" (2.29m) wingspan—and had dunk contest-level bounce.
If God had given him basketball IQ, he wouldn't be a —he'd be Hakeem Olajuwon 2.0.
Kerr jumped up in excitent.
If McGee could hold his own against Jokić, his plan was working.
And truthfully? He wasn't afraid of Han scoring early.
The Warriors weren't the Bulls.
They were stronger than Boston, too.
If Han burned too much energy early, the Warriors could bury Cleveland in the second half with a classic third-quarter explosion.
Even if the ga stayed close until the fourth? Golden State would still have the edge.
---
The Warriors pushed the pace—fast break.
Curry kicked it ahead to Thompson—pull-up three.
This ti? Money.
Score: 6-7.
Golden State had taken the lead.
Oracle erupted.
The fans roared "DE-FENSE!" as Kerr waved toward the court, signaling tighter pressure on Han.
If Jokić was neutralized, Cleveland's only options were:
1. Han playing one-on-five
2. Han-Jokić pick-and-rolls
Kerr bet on the forr.
But in the end? His ga plan failed.
Han still fed the ball inside.
Jokić had just been blocked?
Didn't matter.
"Keep taking the ball. Keep working."
Jokić adjusted—this ti, he posted up further from the rim.
It was an unusual move.
But it worked.
With extra space, he had room to counter McGee's athleticism with footwork and touch.
His mistake earlier?
He had been playing McGee like Dwight Howard.
But McGee was different.
He wasn't a power defender.
He was a shot eraser.
Jokić backed down, feeling McGee's weight.
The mont McGee dropped his stance?
Jokić spun off him, using his elbow to create separation, then laid it in softly off the glass.
McGee couldn't jump in ti.
Too close.
Kerr stroked his chin.
This kid's ntality was terrifying.
Most second-year players, after getting stuffed like that, would lose confidence.
Jokić?
He just kept attacking.
---
LeBron tried another drive, but Covington held his ground.
Curry had to bail him out—desperation three with two seconds left.
Clank.
Tucker snagged the rebound—Cleveland ran the break.
Jokić sprinted ahead, catching Han's pass at the free-throw line.
McGee closed in—but Jokić didn't force it.
A subtle sidestep.
McGee jumped, thinking he had another block.
Jokić never shot.
He spun the other way, leaving McGee lost, and gently flicked in another layup.
Tiout, Golden State.
---
Five minutes into Ga 1, and Jokić already had 8 points.
What did that an?
It ant he was tearing Golden State's interior apart.
Malone grinned on the sideline.
He had been building up Jokić's role even before Kyrie left.
Every battle against Howard, Towns, and other top bigs had built his confidence.
And tonight?
Jokić was proving Cleveland's investnt was worth it.
Of course, this wasn't just hard work.
It was talent.
Because if he didn't have real ability, no amount of developnt would've mattered.
Last year?
He was just a solid starter.
This year?
He was a different beast.
Jokić, unleashed.
-End of Chapter-
Translator's Note:
Understanding the Cyclone Set, Floppy Action, and Spain Pick-and-Roll
For those who may not be familiar with the terminology, this Chapter featured so high-level basketball tactics that NBA teams use. Let's break them down in a way that's easy to follow.
1. Cyclone Set [1] – Warriors' Off-Ball Masterpiece
The Cyclone Set (sotis called a 'whirlwind action') is a Golden State Warriors specialty designed to free up shooters like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
- It involves multiple off-ball screens happening at the sa ti, forcing defenders to navigate through a maze of picks.
- The goal? Confuse the defense and create an open three-point shot for one of the Warriors' sharpshooters.
- This is how Curry, Thompson, and even Durant used to get open without the ball.
When you see Curry running around screens non-stop before catching and shooting? That's the Cyclone Set in action.
2. Floppy Action – How Teams Get Shooters Open
Floppy Action is another classic off-ball play used by shooters like Ray Allen, JJ Redick, and Klay Thompson.
- A shooter starts near the baseline and then chooses one of two screens (set by big n or wings) to run off of.
- They pop out to the three-point line or mid-range for a quick catch-and-shoot opportunity.
- This works best for players who don't need the ball in their hands to score.
If you've ever seen Klay Thompson, Kevin Huerter, or Kyle Korver curling off screens and firing a shot within a second of catching the ball? That's Floppy Action at work.
3. Spain Pick-and-Roll – The Play That Confuses Defenses
The Spain P&R is a twist on the traditional pick-and-roll that creates chaos for defenses.
- First, the big man sets a screen for the ball-handler, then rolls to the rim.
- But here's the twist: A third player (usually a shooter) sets a back-screen on the defender guarding the rolling big.
- This forces defenders to make a tough decision: guard the roll, stay with the back-screener, or stop the ball-handler.
The result? Sobody is left open—either the big at the rim, the shooter popping out, or the ball-handler attacking.
Teams like Denver (Jokić & Murray), Golden State (Curry & Green), and Phoenix (Chris Paul & Booker) run this action all the ti because it creates easy points.
How It All Cos Together in This Chapter
- Warriors ran the Cyclone Set to free up their shooters.
- Floppy Action was used to get Klay open for a quick look.
- Cavs used Spain Pick-and-Roll to confuse the Warriors' defense, giving Jokić an easy shot.
If you're new to basketball tactics, don't worry too much—just know that the best teams don't just rely on talent. They rely on smart plays to create open shots.
This Finals isn't just a battle of superstars—it's a chess match between two elite basketball minds in Steve Kerr and Michael Malone.
And for Cleveland?
Han Sen is betting big on Nikola Jokić evolving into a true ga-changer.
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