After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both sides were announced.
Celtics: Little Thomas, Bradley, Durant, Towns, Horford
Cavaliers: Irving, Hansen, Tucker, TT, Jokic Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝙣𝙚𝙩
The starting players of both teams took the court, with Hansen directly matching up against Durant on defense.
"Do you want one? I can give you one." Hansen chatted with Durant like an old friend, as this wasn’t Durant’s first time at his championship ring ceremony.
"I’ll get one myself!" Durant glared at Hansen fiercely.
"I believe in you." Hansen’s reply caught Durant off guard.
Durant didn’t choose to go to the Warriors in the summer, which made Hansen look up to him.
Who wouldn’t admire someone who fights to the end?
Towns jumped for possession for the Celtics, Little Thomas carried the ball past half-court, and both Towns and Horford set up a high-screen wall.
Little Thomas chose to use Horford’s screen as Towns cut directly to the basket, while Durant moved to the weak side from the 45-degree angle to the corner.
The Celtics showcased their three-dimensional offense right from the start, thanks to their head coach Stevens.
Stevens, a coach from the NCAA line, was only 40 years old this year, but had great tactical prowess. He led the obscure Butler University, with a student body of only 4,000, to the NCAA Final Four twice.
Horford’s pick completely blocked Irving, and Little Thomas used the screen to shoot a three-pointer from the outside!
That three-pointer was so decisive that even Jokic didn’t have time to react.
Fortunately, the game had just started, and his hands hadn’t warmed up yet, so the basketball bounced off the front rim.
However, Towns grabbed the offensive rebound, leaned into TT, and then turned around with a hook shot to score!
He played that ball quite tough, not at all like the "softie" Hansen knew him to be.
The Celtics indeed had a knack for developing players.
The Celtics scored first, and back on defense, the Cavaliers spread out to let Irving go one-on-one against Little Thomas.
The best way to break this Celtics team was through Little Thomas.
Irving chose to post up.
Because of Nike’s attention, Irving had been busy traveling all summer, but he didn’t give up improving his basketball skills and developed his post-up game over the summer, now wanting to test it against Little Thomas.
At this moment, Horford tried to help on defense.
But at this moment, Little Thomas’s choice was unexpected.
He directly turned and shouted Horford away: "I got him!"
This statement was full of confidence, and of course, it also offended Irving.
Irving turned and jumped to shoot after backing into Little Thomas.
Little Thomas was much sturdier than he looked, not losing his defensive position even during Irving’s contact, but his height was too much of a disadvantage.
If Irving chose to drive straight, he would have a chance to use contact and pressure to stop him, but facing a post-up, he could only symbolically jump.
But Irving didn’t make the shot after shaking off the defense.
Both sides’ shooting touch was cold at the beginning of the game.
Horford boxed out Jokic, and Towns secured the defensive rebound.
Towns passed the ball to Little Thomas, and the Celtics pushed for a fast break.
Little Thomas was too fast, nearly leaving Irving behind in an instant.
Yet, Irving was determined and chased relentlessly from behind.
Both charged towards the backcourt, one leading and the other following.
Little Thomas went for a layup, Irving jumped to block, but Little Thomas adjusted mid-air to avoid the block, and Irving’s block hit Little Thomas’s hand, yet Little Thomas still made the shot despite losing balance in the air.
After taking the shot, Little Thomas fell to the ground, and when he saw the ball go in, he sat on the floor and roared excitedly.
The arena was in uproar.
Usually, it was Irving playing others , but against the shorter and more agile Little Thomas, the roles were reversed.
However, Little Thomas managing to score while off-balance also showcased his outstanding competitive condition.
Little Thomas hit the free throw, and the Celtics got a perfect start.
Irving attacked Little Thomas again, but this time, he abandoned the post-up and opted for a direct drive.
But Little Thomas showed extremely high competitive spirit, his tenacious defense preventing Irving from breaking through.
As Irving forced his way, Little Thomas timed a steal perfectly, directly stripping Irving!
Irving, trying to snatch the ball back, was called for a foul by the referee.
Just two minutes into the game, Irving picked up his second personal foul.
Malone had no choice but to sub him out for Deron.
Irving looked slightly frustrated as he exited, and when Jones handed him a towel, he didn’t wipe his sweat but placed it on his knees, shaking his head as he watched the court.
The Celtics had possession again, with Little Thomas controlling the ball.
From the opening plays, it was clear to see the role Durant played on the Celtics was the same as his "history" with the Warriors.
Stevens didn’t create a new tactical system for his addition; instead, he used him as a supplement to the existing system.
It’s not that Stevens disrespected Durant, but a player like Little Thomas, if you start him but don’t give him the ball, his role on the court would be less than that of a 3D player.
At this moment, the player defending Little Thomas was Hansen.
Deron, while on the Lakers, was defensively abused by Irving, and asking him to guard the faster Little Thomas was a waste.