Both teams’ starters proceeded onto the court, with Garnett and Noah taking the center jump.
When Noah saw Garnett, his eyes reddened with anger; Malone’s psychological tactics had taken effect right from the start.
Amid the cheers of the fans, Noah tapped the ball back to his court, and the Bulls took the first offensive possession.
The Bulls opened their play with Noah orchestrating from a high post, setting hand-off assists to Ross, who scored after a teardrop shot following the breakthrough.
Noah wasn’t naturally skilled at orchestrating attack; during his first two years, his assists were more the result of defensive rebounds advanced with long passes.
But by that time, he had already exhibited his passing prowess.
So, in the years when Ross was absent due to injury, the focus of the Bulls’ playmaking shifted to Noah, who didn’t disappoint Coach Thibodeau.
Switching sides, Irving took charge of the offense, but his first attempt seemed somewhat farcical.
He managed to dribble past Ross but then dribbled the ball off his foot out of bounds while facing Covington’s help defense.
Compared to offense, defense remained the fundamental strength of Thibodeau’s Bulls team.
Following Bozer’s departure, their offensive level declined but the defensive strength, with Gibson and Covington, matched their peak years.
Of course, this excellent Bulls’ defense aside, Irving himself was to blame, too.
Considering his ball-handling skills, dribbling the ball off his own foot was exceptionally rare.
Back to the Bulls, Ross took control of the ball; Gibson and Noah set a double screen at the top of the arc. Ross drove past, using the screen.
After forcing the Cavaliers’ defense to shrink, he bounce-passed the ball to Gibson, who scored a two-point jump shot from the high post.
With both plays from open play hitting their mark, the Bulls were in great offensive form tonight.
Hansen then took the ball up court.
Training signs from yesterday and now confirmed in the game indicated the Cavaliers’ rookies clearly needed more time to adapt.
In such cases, the best approach was for him to help open up the game.
Hansen drove with the ball, but as he barely reached the free-throw line, the Bulls defense quickly surrounded him.
Thibodeau was clear, having marked Hansen in his playbook with the "Jordan Rules."
Hansen knocked the ball through a crowd to TT below the basket, who caught the ball and went for a two-handed dunk.
But as he reached the peak of his jump, Noah made his way under the basket.
Amidst gasps from the crowd, Noah managed a block on TT from behind!
Though external factors influenced last season’s DPoY voting, stealing DPoY from Hansen and being selected for the First Team showed Noah’s strength.
After the block, Noah grabbed the defensive rebound and started a fast break, playing the familiar role of a center driving down the court.
Irving’s defense lagged slightly, and Noah passed to Ross for a quick layup that easily found the basket.
The game started on an unexpected note.
Malone acted decisively, calling a timeout immediately seeing the poor start.
At this moment, Noah was fired up; he clenched his fist and roared in the direction of the Cavaliers’ bench.
Malone’s psychological warfare had indeed taken effect, just in a different direction.
"TT, shoot immediately after catching the ball, don’t adjust. They rotate very fast on defense, and the opportunity is fleeting," Garnett advised TT during the timeout.
After the break, Malone looked over his team with the tactical board.
Following the tough phase driven by the opponents, panic was visibly apparent on the Cavaliers’ players’ faces.
"Guys, take a deep breath, relax; you only need to do what you usually do. With Han here, everything will be OK," Lue said.
Lue’s words redirected everyone’s attention to Hansen.
Then Malone picked up the tactical board.
The timeout ended, and back on their side of the court, the Cavaliers, with Hansen still controlling the ball.
Different from before, Garnett stepped up to set a pick and roll for him.
The Bulls chose to trap Hansen.
The so-called "Jordan Rules" meant they were determined not to let Hansen shoot.
However, this time, the Bulls’ defensive strategy didn’t work because Hansen didn’t wait for Garnett’s screen to be set and broke through with a change of direction.
His sudden burst of speed forced the Bulls to switch defenders.
Plus, his second dribble came so quickly, it didn’t allow the Bulls on the flanks any time to assist defensively.
Hansen’s determination in this attack was unexpected, yet Thibodeau wasn’t worried, as Noah’s capabilities in the paint were top-notch. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
But soon, his expression changed as Hansen launched into the "Mysterious Steps."
Noah, being a big man, couldn’t keep up with this kind of breakthrough that pushed the limits of agility.
Then, giving him no time to react, Hansen lunged past him, spun mid-air, and slammed the ball through the hoop with one hand.
That was utterly unstoppable!
Noah struggled to turn and stretch his hand, but it was too late.
Amidst the awe of the spectators, Hansen dunked over the just-turned Noah, sending him out of bounds!
Hansen’s tight muscles showcased under the camera highlighted the immense power of that dunk.
Originally quiet due to the rough start, the Quicken Loans Arena ignited in that instant.
Damn, we have Hansen!
That was the sole thought in everyone’s mind.
While performances from others faltered, as long as they had Hansen, the Cavaliers faced no problems!