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When the referee's whistle blew, the game officially began.
During the jump ball session, Whiteside's incredible jumping ability was fully on display.
With Gasol Jr. nearly his height, Whiteside took the lead, spinning the ball his way, jumping half a head higher than Gasol Jr.
The Cavaliers attacked.
Irving dribbled quickly across half-court, facing Curry's defense. He instinctively wanted to hold the ball himself, but then remembered that the Cavaliers could no longer be considered his team. He couldn't help but glance at Wang Chong on the side.
What he saw was Wang Chong's gesture, greeting him and signaling that he could handle it alone.
Only then did Irving calm down, lowering his center of gravity and focusing on Curry in front of him.
Curry's offensive ability is, in fact, the best in the league right now. Not only does he shoot with extreme precision from beyond the three-point line, but he also skillfully handles the ball.
However, on the defensive side, Curry has always been one of the weaknesses of the Bulls, often called out for extra training.
But this couldn't be avoided. Back when Wang Chong was with the Bulls, they defended half of the five positions in the team at point guard, while the rest were all defensive giants who could be selected for the best defensive team—none of them easy to intimidate.
Against Curry's defense, Irving decided to throw off Curry's center of gravity with a smooth change of direction and then drove directly into the Bulls' paint.
Gasol Jr., inside the Bulls' line, proactively came out to help defend, but Irving was not afraid at all of this big and bulky man. Playing small and big was one of his unique skills.
Irving didn't advance, but instead retreated, moving toward Gasol Jr. He leaped and put up a layup in front of his opponent.
The basketball bounced off the rim and dropped into the basket as the referee's whistle sounded—Gasol Jr. had committed a defensive foul, adding an extra free throw.
Irving scored the 2+1, causing the fans to cheer.
Irving, who walked to the free-throw line, made the shot, and the Cavaliers led 3-0.
The Bulls attacked. After Curry took the ball past half-court, he scanned his teammates on the court and then opted to pass it to Gasol Jr. inside.
After Wang Chong left the team, Gasol Jr. became the second man for the Bulls, the core of their interior offense.
Before this game, the Bulls had analyzed the Cavaliers' roster.
Although the Cavaliers' starting lineup is quite impressive, with three players over 2.11 meters tall, including Wang Chong as the forward, their starting center Whiteside, despite performing well in the preseason, is still considered a complete bench player—he hasn't even made it to the NBA regularly.
At least the Bulls and Gasol Jr. didn't take Whiteside seriously. Although they were similar in height, there was a significant weight difference. Gasol Jr., as a traditional heavy center, weighs nearly 120 kilograms, while Whiteside weighs less than 110 kilograms.
Gasol Jr., receiving the ball inside, backed up into Whiteside, pressed toward the basket, and spun halfway to hook the ball up for a shot. However, Whiteside jumped as high as he could, and his jump far exceeded Gasol Jr.'s expectations. Even though it was a difficult hook shot to block, Whiteside's fingers grazed it, causing the ball to veer off-course, hitting the backboard and bouncing out.
Relying on his rebounding and wingspan, Whiteside, who once averaged 3.7 blocks per game at his peak, easily blocked the shot, even though Gasol Jr. had completely underestimated him at that moment.
After completing the block, Whiteside quickly turned and jumped again, grabbing a defensive rebound in front of Gasol Jr.
The Cavaliers attacked.
Wang Chong still didn't make his move, and this offensive round was handed over to Paul Gasol. Everyone knew the truth about targeting the key players: The Bulls could leave Gasol Jr. to battle Whiteside, the strongest defender on the Cavaliers, and the Cavaliers could do the same.
In the five-on-five matchup, the biggest gap was between the forwards Pau Gasol and Luol Deng.
Although Deng is 2.06 meters tall and fully qualified for the small forward position in terms of height, his lack of size and weight meant he was outmatched inside.
Perhaps in three to five years, when small-ball tactics dominate and interior players' height and weight decrease, Deng might be able to play power forward, but at this stage, he wasn't enough.
Pau Gasol did the same as his younger brother Gasol Jr., backing into the paint, turning, and connecting.
Deng jumped high to try and block it, but he obviously couldn't match Whiteside's height or reach, and even if he tried to rebound like Whiteside, how could he stop Gasol's hook?
"Ah!"
The basketball hit the rim.
5-0.
The Cavaliers dominated the Bulls early on with excellent offensive play, while Wang Chong had yet to make a move.
Many reporters who had come to see the Cavaliers struggle were no longer laughing.
Why did it seem like the Cavaliers were on point?
The game continued, and the Bulls played much more cautiously after their two early offensive losses. Curry and Lowe worked together, using screens to help Deng score successfully, preventing the score from stretching further.
Both teams had plenty of offensive firepower, and the scoring was intense. In the first quarter alone, the two teams scored 34 and 31 points, respectively.
The Bulls relied on Curry's three-point shooting to close the initial 5-point gap to just 3, but the team was clearly nervous.
The reason was simple: In the entire first quarter, Wang Chong hardly moved. The offensive wing took only three tentative shots, making two, including one three-pointer, to score 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.
This was similar to how Wang Chong used to score effortlessly in the past.
But the Bulls knew Wang Chong too well. They knew he wasn't out of form or struggling. They feared he was letting the other Cavaliers players take the initiative first, especially since the team had just formed in the summer, and they lacked the same chemistry.
Wang Chong often did this when he was with the Bulls, playing the first half primarily by observing the game and waiting until the second half to exert his strength and take over.
This same scenario had played out countless times during his time with the Bulls, and now that Wang Chong was on the Cavaliers, how could the Bulls players not feel threatened?
Just as they thought, Wang Chong had been observing the Cavaliers in the first half of the game.
Although the Cavaliers' offense revolves entirely around the simple ball movement of Irving and Pau Gasol, what need is there for tactics when the star's individual skills can score on their own?
A heavy sword without sharpness and a great genius without effectiveness.
Wang Chong had always believed this: When the individual skills of a team's stars surpass the effect of team tactics, then the team tactics are unnecessary.
In the first half of the game, Irving and Pau Gasol were responsible for the offense, and in the second half, it was Wang Chong's turn to show his strength.
Butler, who was responsible for guarding Wang Chong, immediately felt the oppressive strength returning at the start of the second half.
He couldn't help but be startled inside and understood that Wang Chong was coming!
In the last seasons with the Bulls, to exercise Butler's defensive ability, Wang Chong often played 1v1 post-ups with him. Although Wang Chong usually won, it gave Butler a lot of experience defending him.
Even though Butler knew he couldn't stop Wang Chong, he would try his best to limit him.
Wang Chong stood outside the top of the three-point arc, and Butler positioned himself right in front of him, not giving an inch of space to shoot.
This was one of the lessons Butler had learned from defending Wang Chong: although Wang Chong was fast with the ball, he had to be defended as closely as possible because leaving him room for a shot from outside was more dangerous. Better to let him drive inside, even though his mid-range shot was his deadliest weapon.
But Butler knew Wang Chong well, and Wang Chong knew Butler even better.
Aware of Butler's thoughts, Wang Chong didn't change his approach. Instead, he accelerated straight toward the basket.
No mistakes, no hesitation. He surged forward, and Butler tensed, knowing that any sudden stop and shot would lead to a block attempt.
But each move Butler made was already in Wang Chong's eyes.
As Wang Chong reached the free-throw line, he suddenly stopped, his hands coming together as if preparing to pass. Butler immediately lunged for the ball.
But this was just a feint. Wang Chong's hand, poised to complete the shot, suddenly whipped the ball into the ground with force, using a rhythmic change of direction to pass Butler and shoot with one hand, scoring easily.
Irving, not far away, watched with his eyes lighting up.
What a smooth stop! Wang Chong's rhythm change was at a master's level, and it was no wonder Butler got faked out.
Irving himself was a rhythm master and could use moves like Wang Chong's, but he thought that even at his best, he couldn't achieve the same level of smoothness.
Wang Chong, a tall player over 2.11 meters, executed such fluid moves with ease, which left Irving utterly amazed.
Wang Chong had never before shown his full strength in front of his teammates, whether in preseason or training games. In fact, now all he needed was a simple move to score, without any unnecessary flourishes.
The reason he showcased his skills against Butler today was, on the one hand, because he was playing against his former team and was a bit excited, and on the other hand, he wanted to teach the Bulls, including Butler, a lesson: there are always people better than them. Even though he had left, he could still teach them a lesson.
This play seemed to activate a switch in Wang Chong's body, and in the following possessions, he continued attacking, scoring 8 straight points with sudden shots, causing the Bulls to call a timeout.
On several possessions, Butler did his best to defend, but the forward, who had been selected to the All-Defensive Second Team last season, was as vulnerable as a child against Wang Chong.
After the timeout, the Bulls made a passing error, which was stolen by Wiggins. The Cavaliers quickly broke out, Wang Chong received an outside pass, and hit a three-pointer, scoring the 11th point of the third quarter, increasing the lead to double digits.
Every time Wang Chong scored, the Cavaliers' fans erupted in cheers. As the points piled up, the cheers became louder, and the Cavaliers' fans watched in excitement as Wang Chong completely dismantled the defense of his former team, the defending champions, the Bulls.
At this moment, if someone told them the Cavaliers couldn't win the championship this season, they would definitely spit on that person.
However, the timeout helped stabilize the nervous Bulls. After all, they were a team led by Wang Chong, who had won six championships. Even facing Wang Chong, resisting the pressure wasn't impossible.
Soon after Wang Chong made a three-pointer, Curry also hit one from outside to help the Bulls stabilize.
Today, Curry had truly become a star who could handle the game on his own, and he was relentless when it came time to shoot.
For the remainder of the third quarter, the game became a battle between Wang Chong and Curry.
Wang Chong hit a mid-range shot, and Curry responded with a layup, forcing Whiteside to commit two fouls and get two free throws.
Wang Chong broke through for a one-arm tomahawk dunk, while Curry nailed a super-long three-pointer over Irving's defense. For a while, both players went back and forth.
Even Wang Chong had to admit that Curry was truly relentless.
At the end of the third quarter, the difference between the teams was just 9 points, with Curry's efforts preventing the lead from growing past ten points.
However, it was clear that the situation had tilted heavily in favor of the Cavaliers.
After a full fourth quarter, Wang Chong remained calm and collected, and with his current physical strength, he could play the entire game without a problem.
But Curry, on the other hand, had given everything he had in the third quarter to keep up with Wang Chong's scoring. By the end of the third quarter, he was soaked in sweat, panting heavily, even though he had some rest during the break—he was clearly exhausted.
Sure enough, in the final quarter, Curry missed two outside shots, and on the Cavaliers' side, Wang Chong and Irving each scored a basket to push the lead to double digits.
Under the fierce offensive onslaught from the Cavaliers, the Bulls finally couldn't keep up and could only watch as the game slipped away.
126:112.
In the end, the Cavaliers had a strong start to the season with a 14-point win at home, defeating the defending champions.
This game also gave the entire league a first-hand look at how strong the Cavaliers really were.
The Bulls weren't weak at all, even if Wang Chong had been replaced by Luol Deng. But when the basic game plan of the team was still in place, they were undoubtedly one of the strongest teams in the East. However, they still lost quite easily to the Cavaliers, especially when Wang Chong didn't take it seriously in the first half.
With this, the possibility of the Cavaliers winning the championship this season is no small matter.
End of this chapter
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