Kyrie stayed silent.
Because right now?
Han looked scary as hell.
One wrong word, and Kyrie felt like Han might tell him to get off the court.
Would Draymond stop stirring trouble just because Han ignored him?
Of course not.
Kyrie had been Han's teammate long enough to know that much.
Draymond had waited for this moment. He saw the tension between Kyrie and the Cavs and pounced.
Like a fly looking for a crack.
But this attempt?
Weak.
Kyrie knew exactly what life was like before Han arrived in Cleveland.
Yeah, in the 'other timeline', Kyrie eventually forced his way out.
But Han wasn't LeBron.
LeBron had used Kyrie.
"You take the shots, I take the credit."
Han?
Han gave Kyrie everything.
When the media questioned Kyrie, Han backed him publicly.
When Kyrie needed to grow, Han gave him more playmaking reps.
Even off the court, Han pulled Kyrie into major endorsement deals.
So unless Kyrie was a complete idiot, there was no way he'd fall for Draymond's trap.
---
LeBron hit one of two free throws.
4-6. Cavs lead.
Kyrie brought the ball up and called for a pick-and-roll.
But this time?
He called Tristan Thompson's three-point screen.
TT sealed off Curry.
Now it was Kyrie vs. Draymond.
No hesitation.
Quick crossover. Straight-line drive.
Not the best choice—Draymond was one of the best mismatch defenders in the league.
But Kyrie didn't care.
He forced his way inside.
Draymond slid over, contesting hard—
Whistle.
Foul.
Just like that, Draymond picked up his second foul.
One more, and he'd be in serious trouble.
As he walked toward the bench, Kyrie raised his hand.
And waved goodbye.
Draymond's jaw clenched.
His whole face tensed.
But he couldn't do a damn thing about it.
Han grinned and ruffled Kyrie's hair.
Yeah, Kyrie could be unpredictable—but he wasn't dumb.
---
With Draymond out, the Warriors shifted their lineup.
Andre Iguodala checked in.
That meant LeBron had to slide up to power forward.
The Warriors wasted no time.
Curry-LeBron pick-and-roll.
Tristan Thompson had to step up.
Curry?
Dumped it off.
LeBron caught it on the roll and hammered down a two-hand dunk.
Jokić tried to contest.
Didn't matter.
LeBron landed and roared in Jokić's face.
Flexed.
He was still pissed about Jokić knocking him out of the air earlier.
But Jokić?
Didn't even react.
Just grabbed the ball and immediately inbounded it.
---
Malone stood up, giving out hand signals.
The Cavs set up their play—
A low-post action.
Jokić, sealed against LeBron, called for the ball.
Kyrie dumped it inside.
No double-team?
Jokić dug his shoulder in and powered through.
LeBron had no choice but to brace himself.
Jokić was already stronger.
And now? With LeBron dropping weight to keep up with the Warriors' speed?
The difference was even bigger.
The moment a double-team came, Jokić spun baseline for the easy layup.
Steve Kerr had tried to preserve Golden State's switching defense.
But he had underestimated Jokić.
Malone had been preparing Jokić for this moment all season.
---
Warriors' next trip down?
Curry-LeBron pick-and-roll.
This time, no hesitation.
Curry came off the screen and pulled up instantly.
Bang.
10-9.
Even without Draymond, the Warriors kept pace.
This team was dangerous.
The broadcast cut to a shot of Malone.
But the Cavs' coach wasn't making any subs.
His thought process?
Simple.
Even if they swapped TT out, they still wouldn't be able to stop Curry-LeBron pick-and-rolls.
Some plays were just unstoppable.
Just like Han-Jokić pick-and-rolls.
This wasn't about stopping.
It was about outlasting.
Let Jokić handle the offense.
Let LeBron and Curry burn their energy trying to keep pace.
A two-for-one trade.
And no matter how you looked at it—
That was a good deal.
---
LeBron tried to front Jokić.
Jokić signaled to Kyrie—lob it up.
Shaq, watching from the TNT booth, leaned forward.
"Damn, this kid's got my game!"
Kyrie's pass?
A little off.
And now?
Pachulia had snuck inside, squeezing TT out of the paint.
Looked like a turnover.
Until—
Jokić made magic.
He didn't even try to catch the pass.
Instead?
A volleyball tap-pass.
He redirected it mid-air—straight to TT under the basket.
Pachulia hadn't even turned around yet.
Crowd: STUNNED.
Shaq?
Stood up from his seat.
"OH MY GOD."
Dunk. TT.
Cavs up.
Even Draymond, sitting on the bench, had to respect it.
He let out a low whistle.
Because, damn.
That was some next-level playmaking.
Then?
He glanced at LeBron.
And the comparison stung.
Moments earlier, LeBron had tried a kick-out pass.
Damn near hit Draymond in the foot.
And here?
Jokić just made a highlight-reel assist.
On the same play.
No comparison.
---
Han nodded.
Jokić was still growing.
But one day?
He'd reach the point where even Draymond couldn't handle him in the post.
And when that day came?
The Warriors' Death Lineup would be finished.
Kerr knew it too.
He turned to his bench.
"West, get in there."
David West checked in, pushing LeBron back to small forward.
West wasn't tall, but he had strength.
And experience.
And against a young Jokić?
That was enough.
Suddenly, Jokić's post-ups didn't look as dominant.
His power moves weren't landing.
Which made sense.
Jokić was just in his second year.
Shaq's words from the broadcast hit differently now.
"Jokić is becoming the next Han Sen."
Not 'already'.
Becoming.
And 'becoming' and 'already'?
Were two very different things.
---
Malone reacted immediately.
With Jokić struggling in the post, he adjusted on the fly—calling for Han-Jokić pick-and-rolls.
And just like that, the game shifted.
First play?
Jokić set the screen.
Han blew past Pachulia and threw down a two-handed dunk.
Next possession?
Pachulia sagged off, expecting another drive—
Han pulled up from three.
Money.
This was exactly why Malone had focused on building chemistry between Han and Jokić.
Two months into the season, that work was paying off.
---
With four minutes left in the first quarter, the Cavs held a 28-23 lead.
Neither team had an answer for each other's pick-and-roll.
Curry-LeBron was too lethal.
Han-Jokić was too efficient.
And with Kyrie and Klay spacing the weak side?
Defenses couldn't collapse.
But Draymond being out was hurting the Warriors.
David West was holding his own inside.
But he wasn't young anymore.
And Han?
Han was hunting Pachulia every chance he got.
Another screen. Another blow-by.
This time, Pachulia fouled Han at the rim.
---
As Han stepped to the free-throw line—
Draymond made his move.
Like a fly launching off a surface, he darted over to Kyrie.
"Kyrie, I owe you an apology for earlier."
Kyrie was about to walk away—
But Draymond's next words froze him in place.
"I mean, being Han's second option isn't bad. Pippen did it for MJ, and it worked out."
Kyrie turned, eyeing Draymond.
Where's he going with this?
And then?
Draymond dropped the hammer.
"But let's be real. You're not even the second option anymore."
"That Serbian kid is."
Draymond backed off immediately, retreating to the Warriors' bench.
But Kyrie?
Stayed frozen.
---
On the floor, LeBron slowed the pace.
Pick-and-roll after pick-and-roll was draining energy.
So this time, he orchestrated from the top of the key.
Curry curled around a Pachulia screen—
Caught, squared up, fired from deep.
But Han read it perfectly, rotating over to contest.
Clank.
Han pushed the tempo.
Drove inside—drew another foul on Pachulia.
The Georgian center was done.
Steve Kerr had to make a move.
He subbed in JaVale McGee and Andre Iguodala.
The Warriors went small again—but this time with McGee at center.
---
The Cavs were locked in on attacking LeBron inside.
So Malone called for another Jokić post-up.
But Kyrie?
Ignored it.
He waved Jokić up for a screen.
Mismatch.
Kyrie turned the corner on McGee, drove full speed into the paint.
Left him in the dust.
LeBron rotated over—but Kyrie was too fast.
Quick layup—
PAAAAK!
Pinned.
Not by LeBron.
By JaVale McGee.
McGee didn't just block the shot.
He grabbed the rebound in one motion.
LeBron took over.
He ran the break with Curry—
Lob. Two-hand slam.
Timeout, Cavaliers.
Malone was pissed.
Nothing angered a coach more than players going off-script.
As soon as the team huddled, Malone erased everything on his clipboard—
And started drawing up another Jokić post-up.
This time?
No freelancing.
---
On the bench, Kyrie sat motionless.
His head wasn't in the game.
Han noticed.
Before heading back in, he walked over, placing a hand on Kyrie's shoulder.
"Relax."
That was it.
But Kyrie understood.
Han knew.
Han always knew.
---
Out of the timeout—
Deron Williams entered, feeding Jokić inside.
LeBron tried to front—but the entry pass was clean.
Deron had spent years playing with Carlos Boozer in Utah.
This was second nature.
Jokić backed down.
McGee rotated over—and swatted the first shot.
But Jokić recovered.
McGee turned—TT was right there.
McGee rotated again.
Blocked TT too.
Prime JaVale had entered the chat.
TT was stuck.
Didn't know what to do.
Until—
A cut.
Han.
TT made the simple dish.
Han caught it mid-stride—
Teardrop floater.
Swish.
The one advantage of his new floater?
Even elite shot-blockers couldn't reach it.
---
From there?
Han and Jokić took over.
Jokić drew defensive attention inside.
Han kept cutting off the ball, catching passes, scoring at will.
When Han was locked in,
40+ points was routine.
Jokić didn't need to be the top option.
He just made sure Han's shots came easier.
That was Malone's vision.
Even as the tactics evolved—the philosophy never changed.
Because no matter what—
Han was the foundation.
Han was the reason Malone came to Cleveland.
Han was this era's Jordan.
Han was everything.