Charge!

Amid the roaring cheers of the crowd, Pau Gasol tipped the ball back to the Heat's half, and the Eastern Conference Finals officially began.

The Heat showed no signs of panic in the face of the Cavaliers' Death Lineup. They immediately went to Pau Gasol in the post for their first offensive possession.

With great spacing on the floor, the Cavaliers' help defense couldn't fully collapse. Gasol backed down Tristan Thompson, spinning into a hook shot to give the Heat the opening bucket.

The Cavaliers had already used this Death Lineup against the Heat during the regular season, and their biggest issue had been TT's inability to defend Gasol in the post.

But Coach Michael Malone didn't react. He stood there calmly, as if he'd expected this all along.

On the other end, Kyrie Irving took control. In isolation, he danced with the ball, shifting directions multiple times to blow past Goran Dragić.

Dragić wasn't a bad defender—he was above average by league standards. But against Kyrie, it just wasn't enough.

Seeing Kyrie beat his man, Luol Deng and Gasol moved in for a trap defense.

PJ Tucker was wide open in the corner, but Kyrie didn't even glance that way. Instead, he drove straight into Gasol, absorbing the contact and drawing the foul.

No acrobatics. No signature reverse layup. Just direct, aggressive basketball.

It was a small detail, but it revealed something important: Kyrie's mindset had changed.

On the sidelines, Erik Spoelstra protested to the referees. Gasol picking up an early foul was a serious blow to the Heat.

But the referee patiently explained the call. It was a clear foul, and Gasol had never been great at guarding quicker players, especially now that age was catching up to him.

Besides, Kyrie was still part of the Nike family. He was bound to get some favorable whistles.

As Kyrie stepped to the free-throw line, the Miami crowd erupted into boos.

Some fans heckled him relentlessly, even shouting:

"They should trade you!"

But Kyrie's mental toughness showed through. He calmly sank both free throws.

The Heat's next possession went through Kevin Durant, who tested his rhythm with a mid-range jumper after a quick off-ball cut. Dragić found him perfectly, and KD's shot was silky smooth.

Dragić wasn't called 'Little Nash' for nothing. His scoring and playmaking abilities were elite.

Durant jogged back on defense, but not before searching the crowd for the woman he'd spotted earlier. This time, he blew her a kiss.

The woman's face turned bright red, and the arena erupted with cheers and laughter.

The Heat's offense was off to a smooth start, which wasn't surprising. The Cavaliers' defense ranked only ninth in the league, and slowing down this Heat team was always going to be difficult.

But Kyrie wasn't done yet.

Coming off a screen from Tristan Thompson, Kyrie drove hard to the basket and finished with a floating layup. Four straight points.

"Kyrie looks fantastic tonight!" Shaquille O'Neal exclaimed from the broadcast booth.

"For the Cavaliers, there's no better news than that," Charles Barkley added.

It was impossible for Han Sen to single-handedly beat this Heat team. Kyrie's return was starting to feel like a lifeline.

On the next defensive possession, TT held his ground, forcing Gasol to miss a post-up attempt.

From the bench, Kevin Garnett leapt to his feet, wildly waving his towel in celebration.

TT had swallowed his pride months ago to learn from Garnett, and now the results were showing. His defense had improved dramatically.

After securing the defensive rebound, TT quickly passed out to Han Sen, who pushed the ball up the floor.

Han approached the frontcourt at full speed, faking a behind-the-back pass to JR Smith. Both Wade and JR bit on the fake, and Han quickly pulled the ball back for a smooth, uncontested layup.

To everyone's surprise, the Cavaliers were trading punches with the Heat to start the game.

But the Heat's offensive firepower wasn't going to be easily contained.

After his early struggles in the post, Gasol adjusted. He moved to the high post, facilitating the offense. From there, he found Luol Deng cutting to the basket, and Deng finished over PJ Tucker.

Spoelstra jumped to his feet, encouraging his players as they hustled back on defense.

Han Sen caught the ball in the high post, facing up against Wade.

With Kyrie playing so well, the Heat weren't eager to double-team Han too early.

Han backed down Wade, taking his time. When he spun toward the free-throw line, Dragić finally collapsed to help.

But Han quickly reversed direction, turning back toward the baseline for a fadeaway jumper.

Wade contested the shot, but Han's release point was too high.

From the corner of his eye, Han saw Deng rushing over to block the shot.

Han adjusted mid-air, pulling the ball down for a floating shot.

Swish!

As he landed, Han clenched his fist in celebration.

What he'd told Shaq was simple: one game at a time.

And now, he was breaking it down even further: one possession at a time.

The Heat's roster was powerful, but there was only one ball on the court. The number of possessions was limited.

If the Cavaliers could keep their offense efficient and prevent Miami from pulling away early, their chances in the fourth quarter would skyrocket.

At the nine-minute mark, the score was 26-24. The Heat held a slight lead.

But the Miami crowd began to murmur.

Something felt off.

Han Sen wasn't dominating the scoring, and yet, the game was still close. The Heat were supposed to control this game easily. So why hadn't they pulled away?

Even Pat Riley, who had looked calm and relaxed at the start of the game, now sat a little more upright.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

Meanwhile, Spoelstra remained calm on the sidelines.

The Cavaliers' offense was performing better than expected, but Spoelstra wasn't too concerned.

He knew Malone's rotations. And with JR Smith starting, the Cavaliers' bench was even weaker than usual.

The Heat, on the other hand, had great depth. When the rotations began, the gap would show.

Both teams started making substitutions.

Han Sen was subbed out to rest, while Kyrie stayed on the floor.

On the Heat's side, Kevin Durant stayed in to lead the second unit.

Durant went to work immediately, pulling up for a mid-range jumper over PJ Tucker.

Even late in the quarter, Durant's energy remained high. He was still fresh, thanks to the Heat's multiple scoring options.

But Kyrie answered right back, driving hard to the basket and drawing a foul on Nikola Vučević.

Tonight, Kyrie wasn't holding back.

Just as he'd told Han before the series started —

If he didn't prove himself now, he'd be out of Cleveland.

By the end of the first quarter, the score was 34-31 in favor of the Heat.

But the Cavaliers were still right there.

...

"The Cavaliers are showing real hunger to win tonight!" Shaquille O'Neal exclaimed from the commentary booth, visibly excited.

The Heat hadn't been playing poorly—the problem was that the Cavaliers' offense was simply too good tonight.

And it wasn't just Han Sen doing all the work.

"They've got a long way to go," Kenny Smith quickly doused Shaq's enthusiasm.

"Exactly. This stretch is going to be the toughest part for them," Charles Barkley added, his eyes glued to the court.

...

As the second quarter began, Kyrie Irving took a seat to rest.

The Heat's depth wasn't just about having three excellent bench players—it was about their rotational versatility.

Their starting five all had the ability to be offensive focal points, and Erik Spoelstra could shuffle those players into various combinations during the game.

On the floor now:

Cavaliers: Mo Williams, JR Smith, James Johnson, Jared Cunningham, Kevin Garnett.

Heat: Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, Thabo Sefolosha, Pau Gasol, Nikola Vučević.

The talent gap between the two squads was clear.

JR's first shot of the quarter was off target, heavily contested by Wade.

Having started the game, JR had only rested for about two minutes, so he hadn't yet recovered his stamina.

At the other end, Wade exploited a screen from Vučević to drive past Garnett for a smooth layup.

It didn't feel like the two teams were even on the same level.

From the bench, Spoelstra glanced over at Michael Malone.

Would Malone bring Han Sen back in early to stop the bleeding?

If he did, Han's fatigue would inevitably become an issue. Even if they managed to keep things close through three quarters, how would Han hold up in the fourth?

The Cavaliers had already lost to the Bulls earlier in the playoffs due to Han's energy being drained too early.

But if Malone didn't make a move, the Heat were poised to blow the game wide open.

Swish!

Just as Spoelstra turned back to the court, Mo Williams drained a three-pointer off a pick-and-roll with Garnett.

The shot tightened his chest for a moment.

But the Heat responded immediately. Gasol posted up Cunningham, drew Garnett's help, and dished to Vučević, who finished with an easy layup.

The arena erupted in cheers.

The Cavaliers, whether starters or reserves, struggled to stop the Heat's offense.

It felt like the only team capable of slowing the Heat down was the league's top defensive squad—the Warriors.

On the next possession, Williams went right back to the pick-and-roll with Garnett.

Spoelstra was already on his feet, reminding his players to stay alert on defense.

The Heat had a clear talent advantage, but the substitution periods weren't long. If the Cavaliers managed a scoring run, it would erase any advantage the Heat had built.

Williams, still fleet-footed at 32, quickly exploited the Heat's defensive collapse. He drove into the paint before kicking the ball to Cunningham in the corner.

The nickname 'No-Pass Mo' no longer applied—after 11 years in the league, his passing skills had developed.

More importantly, he wanted to win.

Cunningham caught the pass with no defender in sight.

The Heat's twin-tower lineup was a nightmare to handle in the paint, but it also made them slow and clunky on the perimeter.

This three-pointer was critical.

If Cunningham missed, the Heat would collapse even more on defense.

Miss once, and it becomes contagious.

Cunningham had ample time to adjust. Since joining the Cavaliers six years ago, he'd started training his three-point shot on Han Sen's recommendation.

Now, his shooting was far better than in the version of history Han knew.

The ball left Cunningham's hands with perfect backspin, arcing beautifully.

Even before the ball began to descend, the crowd buzzed with anticipation.

Spoelstra, sensing danger, grimaced.

Swish!

Cunningham nailed the three-pointer!

The Cavaliers had started the second quarter with two consecutive threes, giving them a 6-4 scoring advantage in the quarter.

Incredibly, the Cavaliers were hanging on against a much more talented Heat team.

Shaq's voice boomed from the commentary booth.

"See that? Talent doesn't always decide the game! Sometimes, it's just about making your shots!"

From the bench, Han Sen stood up, waving a towel enthusiastically for Williams and Cunningham.

No one had expected these two old Cavaliers to make such an impact.

But Han knew. They had been waiting for their chance to prove themselves.

"Never underestimate your opponent!" Shaq shouted, pounding the desk.

At that moment, Coach Malone called David West to check in.

Gasol's post-up attempt against Cunningham resulted in an intentional foul, stopping the play.

A short whistle blew from the sidelines, signaling the substitution.

West replaced JR Smith.

Now, with Han still resting, the old Cavaliers squad was fully assembled.

The Heat inbounded the ball, sending it straight to the post.

West collapsed into the paint to help Cunningham.

This season, West hadn't seen much playing time, stuck behind Mo Williams and JR Smith in the rotation.

But with Malone relying more on small-ball lineups, both West and Matthew Dellavedova had been called into action more frequently.

West's experience and awareness gave him an edge over younger players. He correctly chose to leave Wade open, knowing Wade's three-point shot was unreliable.

Gasol kicked the ball out to Wade, who, true to form, didn't take the three. Instead, he drove inside.

West recovered quickly, cutting off Wade's lane, which gave Cunningham enough time to help contest the shot.

Under pressure, Wade's attempt clanked off the rim. The Cavaliers finally got a stop.

Cunningham grabbed the rebound, and the Cavaliers immediately pushed the pace for a fast break.

The Heat's twin-tower lineup had another drawback—slow transition defense.

The Heat had only three players able to get back in time.

Meanwhile, all five Cavaliers were on the run.

Leading the charge were Williams and West, with Cunningham trailing close behind.

West drew Wade's attention by sprinting to the wing.

Williams, meanwhile, bullied Chalmers off the dribble before dropping the ball off to Cunningham.

Cunningham caught the pass in stride and soared toward the basket.

Two-handed dunk!

The play brought Han Sen to his feet again, pumping his fist as he waved his towel.

At the commentary booth, Shaq stood up straight, visibly pumped.

"Han's back in Cleveland, and the old Cavaliers are leading the charge!"

-End of Chapter-