The NBA's Twilight Star System

After seeing his three-pointer swish through the net, Jay Sun walked over and high-fived Kyrie Irving. "Nice pass," he said with a nod.

The Spurs resumed their offense, with Tony Parker quickly passing the ball to Manu Ginobili.

In moments when the Spurs' offense stagnated, the ball typically went to Ginobili to spark something with his crafty moves.

But tonight, that wasn't going to happen.

Jay was locked in.

When a defensive mix of Payton and Stockton's style meets the Closer badge, what happens? Ginobili was about to find out.

The famed Argentine "Manu Magic" quickly turned into a broken kitchen knife, dull and ineffective.

Under Jay's suffocating defense, Ginobili looked lost. His dribble wasn't as sharp, and his movements felt restricted.

Popovich frowned from the sidelines. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"A rookie who can lock down Ginobili? Impossible. If such a talent existed, our scouts would have found him already. We don't miss hidden gems," Popovich thought.

But reality didn't care about Popovich's disbelief.

Trapped by Jay's defense, Ginobili was forced to pass to Duncan in the post.

The Spurs' legend got into his signature position and executed a perfect turnaround bank shot.

Clank.

The ball bounced off the rim.

Kevin Love grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to Kyrie, who was already sprinting toward the basket.

Despite Parker's desperate chase, Kyrie blew past him and gently laid the ball in.

The gap widened to 11 points, with only three minutes remaining.

Popovich called another timeout.

This time, he signaled for his starters to take a seat. The Spurs had accepted their fate — it was garbage time.

Popovich's decisiveness was admirable. He fought hard for victory but never hesitated to wave the white flag when it was clear the game was lost.

Tyronn Lue followed suit, sending in the Cavs' bench players.

LeBron James watched the scoreboard, lost in thought.

He remembered how, at the start of the season, the Cavs had fallen to the Spurs in a frustrating defeat.

Now, after just half a season, they were forcing San Antonio into garbage time.

LeBron smiled. His team was finally coming together. The championship dream seemed within reach.

Even though his stats tonight weren't great — shooting under 40% and scoring fewer than 20 points — LeBron was content.

Meanwhile, Kyrie was all smiles.

He had put on a show, finishing with 45 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc, including a jaw-dropping 22-point third quarter.

Jay also had a solid performance: 25 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. Another 20+ point game — his numbers were beginning to look like those of a seasoned All-Star.

The final score: Cavaliers 127, Spurs 120.

The fans got their money's worth, witnessing a thrilling offensive showdown.

As the Cavs boarded their flight back to Cleveland, Tyronn Lue gave the team a well-earned break.

With the next game three days away, the players could finally rest.

Jay returned home, deciding to skip his usual solo practice session the next day. The recent stretch of games had worn him out, and he didn't want to risk an injury.

But taking a day off felt strange. Jay spent half the day lying on his couch and the other half playing 2K.

"Being single sucks," he muttered to himself. "Especially in Cleveland. There's nothing to do here."

After a day of rest, Jay rejoined the team for practice.

The focus? Perfecting their five-small lineup.

The success of the small-ball unit against the Spurs had convinced Lue of its potential. If the Cavs could fully unleash the lineup's offensive firepower, it would be a game-changer in their championship quest.

Days passed in monotonous training.

The only highlight was LeBron treating the team to tacos on Tuesday night.

March 16 — Cavaliers vs. Magic

The Cavs traveled to Orlando to face the struggling Magic.

This version of the Magic wasn't much of a threat, and Jay had no idea when they would rise again.

The Cavs blew the game open in the fourth quarter, deploying their five-small lineup to devastating effect.

Final score: Cavaliers 103, Magic 89.

Another step toward the playoffs for Cleveland.

Another step toward the draft lottery for Orlando.

March 17 — Cavaliers vs. Heat

The Cavs boarded an early morning flight to Miami for a back-to-back game.

LeBron was returning to Miami again.

The moment they arrived at the Heat's home arena, LeBron greeted Dwyane Wade with a warm hug.

But this time, their mindsets were completely different.

LeBron, leading a Cavs team brimming with confidence, knew they could win.

Wade, ever proud and stubborn, wasn't about to let his old friend walk away with an easy victory.

When the whistle blew to start the game, Wade had already decided — he was going to be a disruptor tonight.

The opening tip went to the Heat. Hassan Whiteside easily out-jumped Mozgov.

Goran Dragic took control, dribbling up the court.

On the first possession, Dragic immediately passed to Wade.

After all, he knew where his bread was buttered.

Holding the ball, Wade faced his defender.

And who was guarding him?

Jay Sun.

Their last encounter hadn't gone well for Jay. Wade had dominated him, though Jay did manage to show some life in the fourth quarter.

Now, Jay stood before Wade again, upgraded and determined not to back down.

Watching Wade's every move, Jay gave him a little space to bait him into driving.

Wade wasn't interested in shooting from outside. He went straight into his signature hard drive, ignoring the option to call for a screen.

Last time, Wade didn't need a screen to beat Jay — why bother now?

But this time, things were different.

Jay had leveled up.

With Clamps activated, Jay stayed glued to Wade.

The two tangled all the way to the paint, where Jay forced Wade to stop his drive.

Seeing an opportunity, Jay reached out to swipe the ball.

Wade instinctively protected the ball with his body.

He was surprised by how much Jay's defense had improved.

Forced to give up his attack, Wade passed to Dragic.

Dragic, seeing his team's star struggle, decided to take matters into his own hands.

But Dragic wasn't about to challenge Kyrie one-on-one.

Instead, he called for a screen from Whiteside.

Using the pick, Dragic cut inside, with Whiteside rolling to the rim.

Mozgov couldn't keep up, and Dragic lobbed the ball toward the hoop.

Bam!

Whiteside soared and threw down a thunderous alley-oop.

Jay turned his head to glance at Whiteside.

"Man, this guy really did benefit from some good old socialist basketball training," Jay chuckled to himself.