Cavaliers: Irving, Hansen, Tucker, TT, Garnett
Warriors: Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Green, Bo Gote
Except for Irving, the starting lineups of both teams haven’t changed much since last season’s finals.
The biggest reinforcement for the Warriors this summer was signing Varejao, who had been kicked out for losing his utility, once a loyal minion of James.
Moreover, in order to renew Green’s contract, the Warriors even sent David Lee to Boston, which was an important reason why outsiders were pessimistic about their defending the championship this season.
TT won the jump ball against Bo Gote, giving the Cavaliers the first offensive opportunity and officially kicking off the game.
The game had barely started when the whistle blew, calling TT for an offensive foul.
It wasn’t a biased call, but rather that TT and Green were too aggressive in their off-ball confrontation.
On one hand, his body was too excited; on the other hand, he had always been annoyed by Green.
In fact, when he was negotiating his contract renewal, he had demanded a huge amount from the Cavaliers’ management mainly because Green had gotten a 5-year, $85 million renewal contract from the Warriors, and he wanted something similar to show he was no less.
At that moment, Malone stood up to remind TT to control his emotions.
After a brief interlude, the game continued.
The Warriors initiated their tactic, Curry and Green setting up a screen outside the three-point line. Green broke from the screen and Curry, half a meter from the three-point line, just threw the ball!
This choice surprised everyone.
Not to mention Curry’s shooting accuracy from that distance, the Warriors’ tactic had barely even started.
Hansen certainly knew Curry could shoot from that range, but the key was that the game had just started!
It felt like just having put the key in the ignition and flooring the gas pedal instantly.
Normally, that would likely blow the engine.
But Curry just threw the ball in.
Curry could be called a revolutionary player, not because he could shoot sensible threes precisely, but because he could make those seemingly irrational threes!
This basket also ignited the passion of the Warriors fans right from the start.
However, the Cavaliers played by their playbook.
Hansen handled the ball and set up a pick and roll with Garnett, then pulled up for a mid-range shot after breaking past Bo Gote, and scored.
Every team has its own suitable rhythm; if they started contending in threes from the beginning, they would fall into the Warriors’ rhythm.
In the transition from defense to offense, Irving also intensified his close guarding of Curry.
At this point, his hard training over the summer manifested, and Curry couldn’t shake him off immediately.
But soon, Curry passed the ball to Green, and with a hand-to-hand cover, his fake movement made Irving jump.
This was what made prime Curry most difficult to guard, similar to how if you didn’t jump at Kobe’s fakes, he’d shoot.
Seizing the moment Irving jumped, Curry swiftly broke into the paint, passed TT, and launched a teardrop shot before Garnett could block him, and made it.
If previously Curry’s three-point shooting was unreasonable, now he was like a sprite on the court, seeming to glide swiftly across, too fast for anyone to help defend.
At this point, Hansen was also taken aback.
Back in the training camp, Curry hadn’t given him this undefendable feeling.
It was evident that Curry had spent the entire off-season throwing himself into training.
From this perspective, not winning the Finals MVP last season was probably a blessing in disguise for Curry, as without it, he might have just enjoyed life after winning the championship.
Failure shapes people differently, as does adversity.
Realizing this, Hansen was also fired up.
He and Garnett made a pick and roll, then he swiftly moved past Bo Gote towards the basket, his feet like they had rocket boosters installed, and he soared.
At that moment, Green moved to defend under the basket. He reached out his long arms vigorously against Hansen.
Green’s defense was solid last season; he truly dared to defend.
Of course, he also truly suffered on the court.
Hansen’s speed and jumping were much faster than Green’s, and his jumping height was such that Green couldn’t even reach him.
But mostly, it was Hansen’s physical condition.
After the mid-air collision, Green was knocked back.
Hansen forcefully smashed the ball through the hoop over Green!
The Oracle Arena, which had been ignited by Curry’s consecutive performances, instantly became restless.
That shot was utterly unreasonable.
Green, who was slammed to the ground, looked utterly dumbfounded.
To live up to the big contract he had just signed, he had also put in countless hours of sweat this past summer, boosting his confidence, which was why he dared to boast on media day.
But that dunk by Hansen just now made him feel like his confidence was collapsing.
Especially when Hansen stared him down after landing, Green was so intimidated that he didn’t dare move.
He felt that if he made any move, Hansen would definitely step right over him.
This mood also affected his performance on the offensive end, as his butt-out three-pointer after setting a screen for Curry clanged off the rim.
Garnett secured the defensive rebound, and the Cavaliers pushed for a fast break, but the Warriors quickly retreated, and both teams transitioned to a set offense.
Hansen received the ball in the frontcourt and backed up against Thompson, before breaking through with a back-to-the-basket fake move that forced Thompson off balance, then turned around for a fadeaway shot.
It was a beautiful pose.
With Hansen personally scoring 6 points right at the start, the Cavaliers quickly took the lead.
Joki excitedly waved his towel from the sidelines; he had indeed done what he said he would on media day.
Curry ran off-ball and, after getting the ball, attracted a double team and made a beautiful no-look behind-the-back pass.
The ball accurately reached Thompson, and his three-point shot was quick and decisive.
After playing together for four consecutive seasons, their understanding had reached a telepathic level.
Hansen passed the ball after facing a double team, but unfortunately, Irving couldn’t return the favor with an answerball.
Green grabbed the defensive board and pushed forward, and the Warriors initiated a counterattack.
Curry caught the ball about a meter away from the three-point line in the frontcourt, while the opponents were still retreating.
It was in the moment Irving turned his head to check the position of the other players that Curry took his shot.
By the time Irving turned back, the ball had already flown over his head, and he didn’t even have time to react.
When he heard the sound of the ball going through the net behind him, his eyes were filled with disbelief.
Isn’t... that how you play basketball?!
Generally speaking, even for the top shooters in the NBA, it takes over 0.5 seconds to shoot from receiving the ball.
But Curry’s one-motion shot could be even faster, averaging around 0.4 seconds, with claims that it could reach the limit of 0.3 seconds, which is about the time it takes to blink an eye.
In the blink of an eye, not only had the Warriors taken the lead, but they had also gone ahead of the Cavaliers by 5 points.
The arena was once again filled with the excited cheers of Warriors fans.
Did you think last season’s championship was their limit?
No, that was just the beginning; this season’s Warriors are truly at their peak!
However, the fans’ cheers were once again short-lived.
As Hansen turned and broke past Thompson to penetrate the lane, stopping abruptly for a close-range bank shot that not only scored but also drew a defensive foul from Bogote.
Once Hansen hit the free throw, the difference in score was back to one point.
By the 9-minute mark of the first quarter, the score was 31-27 with the Warriors leading.
The teams were evenly matched, and more importantly, together they had already scored a total of 58 points.
Of that, Curry had 14 points and Hansen had 16 points.
Green had talked big before the game, but this season’s Curry, on the offensive end, is truly on the same level as Hansen. Latest content publıshed on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵
Though the offensive tactics displayed by the two in the game were vastly different.
Curry’s biggest change this season was simplifying his offensive moves; now he mostly uses three-pointers, floaters, and drives, and he has evolved these moves to perfection, interlinking them, essentially chasing ultimate offensive efficiency in modern basketball.
Hansen’s offensive skills were versatile, but at the start of the game, he still favored an early-century style, getting as close to the basket as possible and then supplementing with a lot of mid-range finishing.
The fans watched in a daze as it felt like two eras were colliding on the court.