Chapter 754: Chapter 754

The Rockets are in fifth place.

After buying out Bosh, the Rockets used the freed-up cap space to sign Eric Gordon and Tucker, significantly enhancing the team’s competitiveness.

This wave feels greatly like "when a giant falls, everything else flourishes."

And this summer, they also signed a new head coach, Mike D’Antoni.

They showcased a very fierce offensive firepower in the preseason.

The Raptors, 76ers, and Thunders ranked 6th to 8th respectively.

It’s worth mentioning that this is the first time in recent years that the number of Eastern teams in the top 8 of the power rankings equals that of the Western teams.

The pattern of the strong West and weak East has shifted to a more balanced state this season.

The Cavaliers’ opponent for the opening game is the Warriors.

Continuing from last season’s Finals, although the Warriors’ lineup has undergone significant changes, the matchup between the two teams is still full of talking points.

Especially when the Warriors arrived in Cleveland the day before the game, Green mocked with a taunting statement in front of reporters.

"They said I would be traded, but I’m still standing here."

Having been the most disheartened last season’s Finals, Green was fully charged upon returning to Cleveland.

On the day of the opening game, Quicken Loans Arena was packed with fans.

Before the game officially began, there was a ring ceremony and a flag-raising ceremony for the Cavaliers’ championship.

Next to the 2015-2016 season, the 2016-2017 championship banner was unveiled.

Hansen picked up the microphone after the flag-raising ceremony and said the simplest and most direct sentence:

After the opening ceremony, the starting line-ups for both sides were announced.

Warriors: Curry, Thompson, Miles, Green, Cousins

Cavaliers: Hansen, Wade, Covington, TT, Jokic

JR’s current status, especially his shooting performance, is just too terrible. Without the ability to space the floor, his role as a starter becomes negligible.

Cousins won the jump ball for the Warriors and immediately showcased his dominance in the low post.

He received the ball in the low post, backed Jokic with his massive backside that would make Harden drool, then spun to perform a rim-shattering dunk.

Jokic, despite putting on muscle weight, still fell short in low-post battles against the likes of a physical powerhouse like Cousins.

In fact, at this point, Cousins was all sinewy muscles—standing 2.08 meters tall with a 2.28-meter wingspan, from the back, he looked like a larger version of Zach Randolph.

Although his title "best center" might carry a hint of "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king," you need some ability to claim that spot.

Furthermore, when retreating to the defensive end, Cole immediately applied targeted defense to go all out defending Hansen and Jokic. As for the others, defend them if possible, otherwise disregard them.

The Cavaliers didn’t disappoint in response, as Covington and Wade repeatedly missed shots from the outside, and TT showed off his butter fingers under the basket.

Five minutes into the game, the score was 6 to 12, with the Cavaliers playing quite passively at the start.

Malone made personnel adjustments after calling a timeout, subbing in Korver for TT to initiate a small lineup early.

Moreover, on the first possession back, the Cavaliers initiated a Hansen-Jokic pick-and-roll.

The Warriors’ strategy remained unchanged, initially double-teaming Hansen, utilizing Green’s help-defending ability to cover Jokic, then having Cousins fall back to double-team Jokic.

As a result, Jokic had to either pass to an outside shooter or distribute the ball to the four position. If it was the latter, Green could use his rim-protecting prowess to contest the shot.

Previously, TT had been forced into showing his butterfingers this way.

However, Hansen’s decision differed this time.

Facing the double-team, he didn’t pass the ball immediately but attacked towards Cousins’ side.

Although Cousins moved faster than imagined, he was still at an extreme disadvantage against Hansen.

This forced Green, who was initially going to help Jokic, to help defend Hansen instead, with Cousins needing to chase Jokic.

But Cousins, at this moment, revealed his basketball IQ, being completely unaware he should chase Jokic.

With a raise of Hansen’s hand, Jokic received the ball and leisurely put up two points at the basket.

Green turned to converse with Cousins, who instinctively furrowed his eyebrows instead.

On the return, Cousins’ low-post strategy failed to continue its effectiveness.

Jokic couldn’t defend Cousins; Malone’s strategy was to have the four assist in defense. Previously, TT couldn’t assist in time, but Covington is much quicker than TT.

Though Covington isn’t as strong as TT, such help defense initially aimed to disrupt ball handling. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥

This led to Cousins committing a handling error, gifting the Cavaliers possession.

In fact, he had an opportunity to pass to Green.

It’s not that he couldn’t see it—Cousins is an all-round center and his passing ability is not lacking—but he simply didn’t want to.

Obviously, just one misstep in a defense round, Green gave him trouble, making him feel unhappy.

The NBA houses many "no-brains" and "unhappy" players. For instance, during Hansen’s time with the Grizzlies, there were "no-brain" Guy and "unhappy" Randolph.

However, to have an individual embody both traits simultaneously, Cousins indeed stands out as an exception.

Returning to the gameplay, Hansen and Jokic renewed their tactics; this time Green didn’t come to back up Hansen but instead had Thompson from the weak side take over help defense duties.

The Warriors were determined not to care who it was—they were focused solely on deathly defending Hansen and Jokic.

Hansen didn’t hesitate, looking in Wade’s direction before making a no-look pass, lobbing it to Jokic already in the paint.

Jokic received the ball, bumping Green off balance with contact, following up with another easy two points.

This possession impacted the Warriors far more than the previous one.

Especially Green, whose face showed disbelief.

Just now, when Jokic bumped into him, Green felt he couldn’t keep his footing at all.

But this isn’t surprising; after all, how could a 104-kilogram Green withstand a 120-kilogram Jokic?

Grover’s plan for Jokic was inherently aimed at Green—facing the right opponent, if it had no effect, Grover might as well give up his title as a trainer’s master predecessor.

With Cousins’ low-post offense not working, the Warriors quickly adjusted their strategy offensively.

Green took the ball at the top of the arc, orchestrating traffic.

And just as the Splash Brothers ran off screens, Green lobbed the ball to Cousins who was rolling down after setting a screen, pressing Covington to get the ball into the basket.

After Cousins scored, Green proactively high-fived him, even patting him on the back.

Cousins’ tight frown instantly loosened.

Green can’t handle a James-type but dealing with a Cousins type is a breeze.

Moreover, on the ensuing possession, when Jokic stepped up for another screen, Green directly instructed Cousins to fall back to the basket, while he himself stepped out to cover.

When the screen developed, he fronted Jokic, denying him the ball, forcing Hansen into a one-on-two situation.

This tactic was repeatedly effective against Jokic in last season’s Finals.

Only, unexpectedly this time, Hansen didn’t force the attack but instead controlled the ball, gathered some distance, and lobbed it behind Jokic.

Realizing he couldn’t jump to intercept with such an angle, Green used a sneaky hand, but he quickly sensed the difference between this Jokic and the last season’s.

He couldn’t move him...

Jokic now stood in front of him like a small mound.

With his long arms, Jokic snatched Hansen’s pass and lunged towards the basket.

Seeing Cousins ignore Covington at the baseline and directly charge him, he originally intended to lay it in but instead took a deep breath and leaped up...

Over Cousins, he slammed the ball down with both hands intensely.

After completing the dunk, Jokic hung on the rim for a moment, pulling it down a few inches with his weight.

Perhaps it was the confidence from increased physicality or perhaps the cathartic release from a summer of overtime work; upon landing, he flexed his arms and roared fiercely towards the sideline.

At that moment, O’Neal in the commentator’s booth, upon seeing this, exaggeratedly widened his eyes with a comic expression.

This chubby kid is already starting to show the style I had back in the day!