The game against the Thunder began with Kendrick Perkins losing the jump ball, his athleticism having clearly declined.
Kyrie Irving secured the ball and pushed it up the court.
LeBron James signaled for the ball. Since his return from injury, he'd been starting games by testing his rhythm with early touches.
LeBron squared up against Kevin Durant on the wing—two unstoppable forces facing off once again.
Durant was nearly unguardable, with his length and shooting precision making him a nightmare matchup.
LeBron, on the other hand, was a physical juggernaut, capable of bulldozing his way to the rim.
LeBron attacked. He drove hard, knowing Durant's slimmer frame couldn't handle his power.
Durant, however, backed off just enough to maintain his position, forcing LeBron into a contested layup.
The ball bounced off the rim.
Russell Westbrook grabbed the rebound and sprinted down the court like a blur. Kyrie couldn't keep up.
Bam!
Westbrook soared for a dunk, putting the Thunder on the board first.
Jay Sun watched Kyrie struggling to keep up with Westbrook.
"Switch?" Jay asked Kyrie.
Kyrie nodded. Jay would take on Westbrook, while Kyrie would defend Dion Waiters.
Westbrook had no idea what was coming.
On the next possession, Kyrie responded by using his signature dribble moves to shake off Westbrook before dishing it to Kevin Love at the high post.
Love took his time, lined up his shot, and nailed a mid-range jumper.
Westbrook wasn't amused. He saw the defensive switch and smirked arrogantly.
"Think you can stop me?" his expression seemed to say.
He drove at Jay, using his brute strength and explosive speed to push through.
But Jay wasn't backing down.
He stuck close to Westbrook, his Clamps badge activating as he locked him down.
Westbrook made it into the paint, but his movements became more erratic. Jay's relentless defense was throwing him off rhythm.
Seeing no good look at the basket, Westbrook passed it to the corner, where Serge Ibaka waited.
Ibaka caught the ball, but Love closed in fast, not giving him space to shoot.
Ibaka panicked and tossed the ball to Durant, who had to take a hurried long two.
Swish.
LeBron shook his head. "I played that perfectly, and he still hit it."
After a few missed shots from both sides, Jay hit a Corner Specialist three-pointer off a LeBron drive-and-kick.
The first quarter ended with the Thunder leading 26-20.
LeBron's back was still bothering him, affecting his offensive explosiveness. Meanwhile, Durant—fully healthy and in peak condition—was difficult to contain.
The good news? Jay had locked down Westbrook.
Aside from the opening dunk, Westbrook hadn't scored again.
With Kyrie resting, Jay took over as the primary ball handler. J.R. Smith subbed in to play shooting guard.
Westbrook was still on the court, and Jay made it his mission to shut him down.
Westbrook tried to attack again but found Jay's defense stifling.
Frustrated, he settled for a mid-range jumper—a "zombie fade" shot that bricked off the rim.
On the other end, Jay called for a pick-and-roll with Love.
Westbrook struggled to fight through the screen, giving Jay just enough space to drive to the rim.
At the basket, Jay absorbed contact from Perkins, twisting mid-air for a beautiful Acrobat layup.
The ball spun off the glass and in.
Westbrook refused to give up.
He kept pushing, trying to break through Jay's defense, but he kept getting stonewalled.
Meanwhile, Jay kept orchestrating the offense.
He and Love executed the pick-and-pop perfectly—Love hitting open jumpers as Jay kept finding him in rhythm.
By the end of the second quarter, the Cavs had outscored the Thunder 37-23.
Jay finished the half with 8 points and 5 assists, four of those assists going to Love.
At halftime, the score was 57-49, with the Cavs up by 8.
During the break, Coach Lue gathered the team.
"Brooks is gonna try something different in the second half," Lue warned. "Be ready for anything."
Jay chuckled to himself. "What are you, a mind reader?"
The second half began, and Jay couldn't help but glance at the Thunder's lineup.
"Damn... Coach was right."
The Thunder came out with a small-ball lineup, with Ibaka playing center and Durant at power forward.
Lue didn't hesitate.
"Let's go small too!"
The Cavs rolled out their own small-ball lineup: Love at center and LeBron at power forward.
However, Jay stayed on the bench for now. He'd played the entire second quarter and needed a rest.
At first, the Thunder dominated with their small-ball unit.
Their spacing and ball movement were sharp, catching the Cavs off guard.
The Thunder outscored the Cavs 20-13 in the first half of the third quarter, cutting the lead to just one point.
Lue quickly adjusted.
"LeBron, Kyrie—take over."
The Cavs relied on isolation plays, letting LeBron and Kyrie carry the scoring load.
By the end of the third, the Cavs had steadied the ship, but the Thunder won the quarter 29-26, narrowing the gap to 83-78.
At the start of the fourth, the Thunder's small-ball lineup began to show its downside.
The high tempo and quick rotations were draining their energy.
Jay, having rested, was ready to pounce.
The Thunder's stars—Durant and Ibaka—were on the bench, leaving Westbrook and Waiters to carry the load.
Jay smirked. "Time to eat."
Jay took the ball on the first possession and exploded past Westbrook with his first step.
By the time Perkins lumbered into the paint, it was too late.
BOOM!
Jay threw down a vicious dunk, hanging on the rim for a moment before dropping down.
As he jogged back on defense, Jay shook his shoulder, celebrating subtly.
Westbrook wasn't done.
He called for a screen from Perkins, determined to shake Jay off.
But Jay slipped around the pick with ease, reading the play perfectly.
Before Westbrook could react, Jay darted in and stripped the ball.
Pickpocket activated.
With the ball in hand, Jay sprinted coast-to-coast, finishing with another powerful dunk.
BAM!
The crowd erupted.
Jay glanced at the Thunder bench, seeing Coach Brooks calling timeout.
87-78.
The Cavs were now up by nine points.
As Jay walked back to the bench, Kyrie grinned.
"Not bad, Jay."
Jay winked. "Stick around. The show's just getting started."