The NBA's Twilight Star System

Jay Sun stepped forward to high-five Kevin Love, showing respect to the veteran All-Star who had been a selfless teammate all season.

On the Hawks' bench, Coach Mike Budenholzer called a timeout. As he laid out new plays, he also prepared to sub in his starters.

On the Cavaliers' side, Tyronn Lue quickly reacted. Seeing the Hawks' intentions, he immediately sent Kyrie Irving back in, fully rested and ready to go.

The game resumed. Jeff Teague brought the ball up the court, but it was still Jay Sun on defense.

Lue had noticed that Jay was doing a solid job defending Teague, so he assigned Jay to stick with him while Kyrie covered Kyle Korver, who was primarily a shooter.

Lue crossed his arms and leaned back smugly. "Who said I don't have tactics? Switching defenses isn't a tactic? Hmph."

Teague faced a locked-in Closer version of Jay Sun in the fourth quarter and couldn't find a way to break through. Forced to pass out of his dribble again, the Hawks continued their team-oriented offensive strategy.

That was the Hawks' style: no one star to rely on, but a seamless system of ball movement and collective effort.

This time, their coordinated play resulted in Paul Millsap getting an open look at the basket. He finished inside for two points.

For the next few possessions, both teams traded buckets.

As the game clock ticked down, LeBron James slowly began to take over. The ball was back in his hands, and with the game entering its decisive moments, the Cavs' offense became all about execution and star power.

Despite the Hawks' relentless efforts to chip away at the lead, the Cavaliers always had an answer. Whether it was LeBron, Kyrie, Love, or Jay, there was always someone stepping up to respond.

In the end, the Cavaliers secured a 105-97 victory, completing a season sweep of the Hawks.

Jay was instrumental on defense, holding Teague in check throughout the fourth quarter. He didn't push too hard on offense, but he still posted 6 points and 3 assists in the final period.

For the game, Jay finished with 24 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.

LeBron had an off night by his standards, with 20 points, while Kyrie Irving led the team with 26 points.

On the Hawks' side, their scoring was spread evenly across the team, with Al Horford leading the way with 19 points. No Hawks player reached the 20-point mark.

With the win over the Hawks, the Cavaliers could finally breathe a little easier.

Both LeBron and Lue relaxed after the game, knowing that the Hawks were their biggest rival in the East. Assuming things went according to plan, the two teams were likely to meet again in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The 3-1 season series victory gave the Cavaliers a significant psychological edge over the Hawks, which would be invaluable in the playoffs.

After beating the Hawks, the Cavs cruised past both the Suns and the Mavericks, facing little resistance from either team.

During these games, Jay continued his upward trajectory, showing a better understanding of pick-and-roll tactics and fully utilizing his Closer abilities.

He scored 20+ points in all three games and averaged about five assists per contest.

Looking at his stats alone, Jay was already resembling an All-Star in the making.

The media began to take notice.

Reporters and analysts were buzzing with speculation:

"LeBron came back to Cleveland and got two All-Star-caliber teammates right away. Now Jay Sun is developing into another one. The Cavs are about to have four All-Stars in their lineup. How can anyone stop that?"

Jay chuckled at the speculation. "You think that's the endgame? Clearly, you haven't seen the Warriors. Even their bench is full of All-Stars."

As the media buzzed with debates about the Cavs' potential, Jay lay on his bed deep in thought.

His Stockton card was still fusing slowly, but he wasn't too concerned. The card's impact on his game was already significant.

What Jay was really wondering was this:

"If the Cavs keep the top seed in the East, we won't face the Celtics in the early rounds, right? That means Kevin Love won't get injured."

If Love avoided injury, the Cavs wouldn't have to rely on the infamous "seven-man rotation" in the Finals.

With Love and Jay both healthy, the Cavs could go into the Finals with nine reliable players.

"If Kyrie doesn't get hurt either… we might actually win the championship this year!"

Jay sat up, eyes wide with excitement.

"LeBron winning a title in his first year back in Cleveland? That would boost his legacy into the stratosphere!"

But then Jay paused, realization dawning on him.

"Wait… if we win the title, that means Draymond Green never gets to taunt Durant with that infamous 'we don't need you' line."

The so-called "Draymond Formula" might never come to pass.

Without that infamous locker-room confrontation, Kevin Durant might never join the Warriors.

Jay couldn't help but laugh at the thought.

"Man, I've only been in the NBA for one season, and I've already caused this many butterfly effects?"

With a mischievous grin, Jay whispered to himself:

"Let's see how Draymond tries to recruit KD without that little meltdown."

As the playoff picture became clearer in March, the frontrunners in both conferences stood out.

In the West, teams like the Warriors, Spurs, and Clippers had all but secured their postseason spots.

In the East, it was a similar story for the Cavaliers, Hawks, and Bulls.

Meanwhile, the remaining playoff spots were still hotly contested.

On March 13, the Cavaliers traveled to San Antonio to face the Spurs.

Before the team left for Texas, LeBron called a players-only meeting.

He stood in front of his teammates, his voice filled with determination.

"The Spurs are a tough, resilient team. They're going to be our biggest challenge in the Finals. Let's beat them now and take that momentum all the way to the Larry O'Brien Trophy!"

LeBron's fiery speech pumped everyone up.

Jay joined in the cheers, though he knew something LeBron didn't.

"It won't be the Spurs waiting for us in the Finals… it'll be the Warriors."

In reality, the Spurs wouldn't even make it out of the first round that year.

They'd be knocked out by the Clippers, despite being defending champions.

Still, Jay respected the Spurs' legendary core — especially Tim Duncan, who still had plenty of gas left in the tank.

The game tipped off in San Antonio's AT&T Center, a haunted arena for LeBron.

Here, his championship dreams had been crushed by the Spurs in the past.

This time, he was determined to rewrite history.

As the game began, Mozgov won the tip, and Kyrie brought the ball up the court.

LeBron motioned for the ball.

Facing Kawhi Leonard, LeBron drove hard to the basket.

Even under Kawhi's Clamps-level defense, LeBron powered through and finished the layup.

After scoring, LeBron turned back to glare at Kawhi, but Kawhi's expression remained emotionless.

LeBron knew better than to underestimate him. "This quiet kid is a nightmare."

On the next play, Tony Parker ran a pick-and-roll with Duncan and scored on a layup.

Back on offense, LeBron faked another drive before kicking it out to Kyrie at the top of the arc.

Kyrie drew the defense and dished it to Jay on the wing.

Jay caught the pass and launched a Catch and Shoot three-pointer.

SWISH.

The Cavs were starting to click. Their chemistry was improving with each game.

But LeBron knew there was still room for growth.

Next possession, Parker tried to run another pick-and-roll, but this time, the Cavs switched defenders.

Jay took on Parker, while Kyrie stuck to Danny Green.

This defensive strategy was part of Tyronn Lue's game plan, designed to conserve Kyrie's energy for offense.

Even as the Spurs kept fighting, Jay's defense remained relentless.

Thanks to his Pick Dodger badge, he navigated screens with ease.

Both teams were locked in a battle of willpower and tactics.

And Tyronn Lue, for all his limitations, showed his trademark refusal to back down.

No wonder they called him "The Comeback King."