After Jay Sun's experience with the previous card draw, he quickly got into the habit of reviewing John Stockton's game footage to see if there was something useful he could pick up.
However, no matter how many times he watched Stockton's offensive highlights, he didn't get that same moment of realization he had before.
Puzzled, Jay scrolled through more videos and suddenly came across a compilation made by a Stockton critic titled "Stockton's Dirty Tricks."
The moment he clicked on it, that lightbulb moment returned.
"So… this card is supposed to teach me defensive tricks?" Jay felt a bit conflicted. Tricks like that weren't exactly noble.
"I'm such an upright and honorable guy. There's no way I'd do that."
But as he said it, he got up and started mimicking Stockton's defensive moves.
This isn't about dirty tactics — this is about diligence and learning, Jay convinced himself as he practiced a sneaky move, sliding his hand into an opponent's blind spot.
Being resourceful is part of Chinese culture. Learning this is just making the most out of what I have, he justified.
While comforting himself, Jay grew more and more engrossed in perfecting those sneaky moves.
February 21: Cavaliers vs. Wizards
In his first game after drawing the new card, Jay didn't notice any significant improvement in his passing or assists, but his defense definitely felt different.
Maybe it was the boost from his upgraded defensive badges. Jay felt more in control defensively, and steals became noticeably easier.
In fact, he managed to steal the ball from John Wall three times in that game — including one clean, straight-up swipe right in front of him.
The thrill of snatching the ball directly from an opponent? Jay couldn't get enough of it.
Meanwhile, Matthew Dellavedova, watching from the sidelines, was dumbfounded.
What the hell? You taught me that risky sneaky-steal trick, and here you are getting clean steals like it's nothing?
Dellavedova looked at Jay with an expression of betrayal, like a scorned lover.
When the game ended, the Cavaliers walked away with a comfortable 110-95 victory, snapping a brief losing streak.
Jay finished with 19 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block.
While Jay himself didn't feel a huge difference in his passing, his teammates noticed it right away.
Thanks to the Dime Dropper badge, Jay's passes seemed smoother and easier to catch, making his teammates' shooting more precise.
Kevin Love, in particular, benefited a lot. After running pick-and-roll plays with Jay, Love noticed Jay's timing and accuracy in passing had improved drastically.
Love hit a lot of his catch-and-shoot opportunities, finishing with 28 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block — an All-Star performance.
During the next couple of team practices, Jay's passing continued to feel even smoother to his teammates. But no one made a big deal out of it.
After all, Jay was young. Improvement was expected. His teammates just thought the Cavaliers had struck gold with him.
The Cavaliers went on to win their next two games easily. Everything seemed to be on track.
February 27: Cavaliers vs. Warriors
Finally, it was time for a highly anticipated rematch: the Cavaliers hosting the Golden State Warriors.
In their last encounter, the Cavaliers had narrowly lost, but at the time, LeBron James was out with an injury.
Now, with LeBron back in the lineup, the stakes were high. The game's outcome was anyone's guess.
At Quicken Loans Arena, both teams rolled out their usual starting lineups.
The Warriors hadn't changed anything since their last meeting.
The Cavaliers, however, had LeBron back on the floor.
Kyrie Irving looked especially focused.
Last time, it was Kyrie's missed game-winning shot that cost the Cavaliers the game. This time, he wasn't about to let that happen again.
The whistle blew. The game began.
Timofey Mozgov won the tip, and Kyrie quickly took possession, bringing the ball upcourt.
At the top of the key, Kyrie faced off against Steph Curry.
He signaled for isolation. He wanted to go one-on-one.
Though Curry might look skinny, his core strength was solid. The two guards tangled as they made their way into the paint.
Once Kyrie got close to the basket, he pulled out his signature flair:
He gathered the ball, jumped, and floated a high-arcing shot off the glass. The ball kissed the backboard and dropped through the net.
Curry's short arms? Useless in that situation. He could only watch the ball go in.
Now it was the Warriors' turn on offense.
As usual, Draymond Green took the ball at the top of the arc while the other Warriors darted around the court, looking for openings.
Kyrie, still full of energy, chased Curry relentlessly.
No matter where Steph ran, Kyrie was right there with him.
Jay, on the other side, was glued to Klay Thompson. He knew just how deadly Klay's three-point shooting could be if he got hot.
Seeing that no one was getting open, Green made a bold decision.
He drove straight into the paint.
Kevin Love hadn't expected it. With Curry and Klay on the court, Green usually didn't take the initiative to attack.
But this time, Green wasn't waiting.
He barreled into the lane, shielding the ball with his left hand while lofting a right-handed floater over Mozgov's outstretched arm.
Swish — the ball dropped in.
Jay shook his head, amazed by how different Green's game was back then.
"Man, 2022 Draymond would never make that shot," Jay muttered to himself.
Back on offense, Kyrie handed the ball off to LeBron on the wing.
Even though Kyrie had scored the first basket, he knew whose team this really was.
Pre-championship Kyrie was confident, sure — but he hadn't yet become the rebellious, defiant version that would show up later.
LeBron took the ball and stared down Harrison Barnes.
Without hesitation, LeBron drove to the hoop.
With his brute strength, he bulldozed through the Warriors' defense, finishing with a layup.
The Warriors didn't even have time to rotate.
The first quarter continued at a frantic pace, with both teams trading baskets.
At the end of the quarter, the Cavaliers trailed by just one point, 32-33.
Jay had a quiet start: 4 three-point attempts, hitting 2 of them, along with 2 assists.
The second quarter kicked off with Jay leading the second unit alongside Kevin Love. The Warriors brought in David Lee, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston.
Jay squared up against Livingston.
Without hesitation, Jay called for another pick-and-roll with Love.
After drawing John Stockton's card, Jay had become a master at running the pick-and-roll.
This time, after drawing the defense inside, Jay whipped a no-look pass to J.R. Smith on the wing.
Smith caught it in stride and let it fly.
Splash — three points.
Smith turned to Jay and gave him a nod. That pass was too smooth not to shoot.
On the other end, Livingston brought the ball up and surveyed the floor.
Jay locked in on him, sticking close.
Livingston quickly realized Jay's defense had improved since their last meeting.
After a failed attempt to shake Jay, Livingston handed the ball off to Iguodala, who ran a pick-and-roll with David Lee.
Lee caught the pass and drained a mid-range jumper.
Jay glanced at Love, sighing slightly.
"Kevin's rotations used to be sharper… must still be feeling those injuries."