The NBA's Twilight Star System

Tony Parker, tightly guarded by Jay Sun, struggled to create effective plays. He passed the ball to Kawhi Leonard, who faced an equally tough challenge against LeBron James.

With no better options, Leonard dished it to Tim Duncan in the post. The veteran big man calmly backed down Mozgov, turned, and banked it in.

Duncan's signature bank shot was as steady as ever.

The first quarter ended with the Cavs trailing by just one point, 30-31.

While LeBron had a subpar start due to the Spurs' stifling defense, Kyrie Irving came alive, scoring 11 points with 1 assist in the first quarter.

Jay Sun added 6 points, but everyone knew that his time to shine was still to come.

As the second quarter began, Jay and Kevin Love led the second unit. Though Jay hadn't activated his Closer mode, his skills were already causing problems for the Spurs.

Duncan took a breather, leaving Parker and Manu Ginobili to anchor the Spurs.

Jay immediately shut down Parker's first attempt and then orchestrated an easy pick-and-roll with Love. With Duncan off the court, Jay's drives tore holes in the Spurs' interior defense.

It didn't take long for Gregg Popovich to call a timeout and put Duncan back in.

Jay sighed. "Seriously? This old man doesn't know how to take a break. Bullying a 19-year-old rookie, huh?"

Though Jay respected Duncan's defense, he wasn't about to back down. He adapted his approach, relying on mid-range jumpers and quick assists to Love.

Despite his best efforts, Jay's mid-range game remained inconsistent, hitting only 40%.

The second quarter ended with the Cavs outscoring the Spurs 33-30. The halftime score was 64-60 in favor of San Antonio.

During halftime, Tyronn Lue praised the Cavs' fast-paced offense. "Keep pushing the pace. Make that old man Duncan run!"

As the third quarter began, Jay sat on the bench, knowing his moment would come in the fourth quarter.

What Jay didn't expect was for Kyrie to steal the spotlight.

Irving went on a tear, sinking four straight three-pointers and scoring 22 points in the quarter.

Jay sat in awe. "So this is Prime Kyrie. Man, he's something else."

Thanks to Irving's heroics, the Cavs won the third quarter 33-20, taking a 93-84 lead.

Even so, the Cavs knew better than to celebrate early. The Spurs' famous "pound the rock" mentality meant they wouldn't go down without a fight.

LeBron, Lue, and even Kyrie remained focused, knowing the game wasn't over.

As the fourth quarter began, the Spurs came out even more aggressive. Their movement off the ball intensified, and Duncan remained a steady presence on the floor.

Popovich wasn't treating Duncan like a 38-year-old veteran — more like the 21-year-old rookie he once was.

The Cavs sent out their five-small lineup: Jay, Kyrie, JR Smith, LeBron, and Love.

Jay took the reins early in the fourth, running the offense with confidence.

Before the game, LeBron had told him, "Jay, they'll focus all their defense on me. Don't hesitate. Run the plays and take your shots. If you can't, pass it to me — but don't give me a last-second bailout!"

With LeBron's trust, Jay played freely.

On his first possession, Jay ran a pick-and-roll with Love. Seeing Duncan stepping up to defend the drive, Jay fearlessly attacked.

Unlike the first three quarters, he wasn't intimidated by Duncan anymore.

Euro step. Contact. Adjust. Layup.

The ball banked in as Duncan stood there, surprised by Jay's sudden aggression.

This isn't the same hesitant rookie I saw earlier, Duncan thought. This kid might really be something.

Jay sprinted back on defense, forcing Parker to pass out of trouble. After some quick Spurs ball movement, Ginobili got the ball on the wing, matched up against JR.

Old or not, the Manu Magic was still alive.

Ginobili broke past JR easily. Love rotated to help but was blocked off by Duncan. Ginobili's crafty layup found the net.

On the next Cavs possession, Jay pushed the pace again.

Though LeBron was open, he gestured for Jay to keep running the offense.

Jay attacked Parker, bulldozing his way into the paint. Duncan, out of position, couldn't recover in time.

Jay shielded the ball with his body and laid it in.

Parker couldn't stop him. Jay was too fast, too strong.

As the fourth quarter wore on, the game turned into a back-and-forth battle. Jay answered every Spurs bucket with one of his own.

With five minutes remaining, Popovich called a timeout. It was time for the Spurs to make their final push.

The Cavs still led by eight, but it wasn't over yet.

Lue subbed in the full starting lineup, going all-in with the five-small unit.

By now, Duncan had played 36 minutes. If he stayed on the court for the rest of the game, he'd hit over 40 minutes — a dangerous workload for an aging legend.

Lue's plan was clear: run Duncan into the ground.

As the game resumed, Popovich adjusted, signaling for Parker to slow the tempo.

Parker ran a pick-and-roll with Kawhi. James got caught on Duncan's screen, allowing Leonard to slip through for an easy layup.

On the next Cavs possession, Love inbounded to Kyrie.

Kyrie dashed up the court, hoping to catch the Spurs off-guard.

Seeing no fast-break opportunity, he called for a screen from Love.

With Duncan stepping up to contest the pick-and-roll, Kyrie exploded into the lane.

Ginobili rotated to help, leaving Jay momentarily open on the wing.

Kyrie hit Jay with a perfect bounce pass.

Jay caught it in rhythm, rose up, and launched a three-pointer.

Swish.

Danny Green's late contest didn't matter.

Jay turned to celebrate, his confidence soaring.