The Grizzly King.

The camera kept cutting to Han Sen even during warmups. Without Randolph, he was clearly the biggest threat to the Miami Heat tonight.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups were announced:

Grizzlies: Conley, Han, Gay, James Johnson, Marc Gasol 

Heat: Chalmers, Wade, LeBron James, McRoberts, Bosh

James did his usual chalk toss at the scorer's table and struck a pose for the cameras, feeling confident.

Right before tip-off, Han Sen leaned in to share a few words with Marc Gasol. 

Gasol won the tip, and the game began. Conley set up the offense, and Han Sen and Gasol moved off the ball.

As soon as Han Sen caught it, the Heat double-teamed him. 

Without Randolph, the Heat didn't hold back on doubling Han. They were confident in their small lineup's speed and rotations. 

Han Sen crossed Bosh, then, right before getting trapped, whipped a no-look bounce pass to the weak side.

Gasol didn't stay put after the pick—he cut to the weak side, caught the pass, and threw down a powerful two-handed dunk.

The Heat's rotations were left in the dust.

On the next possession, the Heat went straight to James in the post against Gay. Last season, this was Wade's role, but he had passed it over to LeBron. 

With Bosh and McRoberts spacing the floor, James had plenty of room to operate. He backed Gay down, spun at the free-throw line, and scored as Gay struggled to keep up.

After last season's Finals loss, James had gone to Houston over the summer to learn from Olajuwon, just like Kobe did years before.

Although he wasn't as smooth as Kobe, his power and size made his post game formidable. Gay quickly understood why Han Sen had given him a heads-up earlier.

The Grizzlies ran the same play again. This time, the Heat switched up their defense, with James rotating to cover Han.

Han blew past him, and with Bosh forced to step up, he lobbed the ball inside. Gasol caught it and went up for a layup, but Wade rotated over for a block attempt. 

Just then, Gasol switched to a dunk, powering the ball into the hoop while drawing a foul from Wade.

The crowd erupted as Gasol celebrated with a pumped fist and a strong high-five with Han. 

The past playoffs had toughened Gasol. After battling with Nowitzki, he had emerged forged and sharpened, now embodying the spirit of the "White Bear" of Memphis. 

Gasol made the free throw, putting the Grizzlies up 5-2. The crowd hadn't expected Memphis to start strong without Randolph.

Coach Spoelstra rubbed his chin, reconsidering his small lineup.

He had banked on Randolph's absence leaving the Grizzlies without a real inside threat, but Gasol was proving him wrong.

Still, Spo didn't switch; he wasn't convinced that Gasol was on Randolph's level yet, and the Heat's strength wasn't in half-court play but in forcing a transition game.

The Heat continued targeting LeBron in the post, but this time, Coach Joerger signaled Gay to front him.

Chalmers had no good passing angle, so he swung it to Wade, who attacked the basket, threading a pass to James.

Using his size, LeBron quickly turned, sealed Gay, and scored at the rim again. This season, LeBron was shooting a career-high 55%, leading all small forwards.

These last couple of plays showed why: LeBron's game has shifted to a power forward style.

In other words, he's using a power forward's body and play style to dominate small forwards who match up with him.

But if you defend him with a power forward, he has an advantage on the drive.

So, whether in the post or at the top of the key, paired with the Heat's small-ball lineup, he's incredibly efficient.

Back on offense, Han orchestrated another play.

After a screen from Gasol, he drew Bosh out and dropped a pinpoint pass to Gasol, who attempted a close-range shot but was fiercely contested.

The Heat launched a lightning-fast defensive counterattack, racing to the frontcourt in the blink of an eye.

LeBron flew in for a layup on the fast break, and Conley tried to grab him, but couldn't hold him back—LeBron scored with an and-1.

The Heat took the lead.

After the bucket, LeBron flexed his biceps at the camera. With his added weight, he looked like a tank.

When he stepped up to the free-throw line, chants of "MVP" echoed around the arena.

LeBron tried to hold his focus, but his free throw was overcooked and bounced off the rim.

Still, he retreated on defense with a smile. He'd scored the Heat's first six points, and he looked like he was on top of the world.

Seeing this, Han Sen called for an isolation. The Heat's speed on the break was lethal, so Memphis had to control the pace.

Once Conley passed him the ball and everyone cleared out, Han Sen signaled Gay to come for a pick-and-roll.

Gay screened Wade, leaving Han Sen with a one-on-one against LeBron.

With his slower lateral speed from bulking up, LeBron was struggling defensively, as Han's earlier drives had shown. But James was up for the challenge. 

Han squared up, hand palming the ball in a triple-threat position. With the Heat wary of his passing, no one rotated to help.

This season, Han Sen had developed a reliable passing game, so he finally had a true triple-threat: drive, shoot, or pass, rather than the classic two options.

Setting up from the triple threat, Han Sen chose a right-hand drive.

LeBron followed closely, but Han Sen hadn't even gone full speed, letting LeBron keep up—only to quickly pull back left in the next moment, creating an almost comical amount of space between them.

Swish!

Han Sen's mid-range jumper was clean.

The Grizzlies took back the lead. Even without Randolph, they played with last season's grit.

LeBron posted up low again, and McRoberts delivered a smooth bounce pass inside.

Johnson collapsed on defense, so LeBron passed it back to McRoberts, who drained a three from the outside.

When LeBron played confidently, his passing also became more decisive.

In the "history" Han Sen remembered, the Heat ran this small-ball lineup to steamroll the league and secure back-to-back championships.

The only difference was that McRoberts had replaced Battier in the lineup.

This former high school star from Duke, like Battier, brought an excellent skill set and, after entering the NBA, developed a reliable three-point shot, making him a perfect fit for the Heat.

Han Sen brought the ball up again.

Erik Spoelstra stood up and gestured for a play.

When Han Sen ran another pick-and-roll with Gay, Wade fought through the screen to prevent the switch.

It was clear Spoelstra was trying to protect LeBron.

But LeBron waved Wade off and took on the defensive assignment against Han Sen directly.

Han Sen, of course, wasn't about to pass up this gift-wrapped chance.

Again, he set up from the triple threat and drove left.

This time, he exploded more fully, and LeBron struggled to keep up with his pace.

Then, in the next moment, Han Sen pulled the ball to the right.

LeBron's mind tried to keep up, but his body lagged; his feet were all over the place, and he ended up stumbling and falling.

The crowd erupted.

Han Sen hit another mid-range jumper.

After scoring, Han Sen smiled at the fallen LeBron and tapped his temple with his index finger.

Anyone who's tried a quick muscle bulk-up knows that if you gain too much in a short time, it's like even your brain bulks up.

It's that "I can take on the world" illusion.

On the next possession, LeBron posted up again, but this time with Battier as his defender instead of Gay.

Battier might be lighter, but his defensive skills were leagues ahead of Gay's.

Faced with this more robust defense, LeBron's post moves looked clumsy again.

Finally, he elbowed Battier down, who was called for a defensive foul.

Lying on the floor, Battier looked baffled, getting up to explain to the ref and even mimicking LeBron's elbow motion, but the ref didn't elaborate much.

LeBron shook his hands off and strode to the free-throw line, confident as ever.

This season, part of his swagger came from the whistles coming back his way.

After all, Stern's also in the business—punishing LeBron for one season was enough. They weren't about to sour their relationship with Nike.

"Guess I owe KD an apology," Han Sen called out from the side of the free-throw line, turning to LeBron.

LeBron, puzzled by this out-of-the-blue remark, furrowed his brows.

"I told him he needed the refs to succeed. He clapped back, saying, 'Don't compare me to LeBron.' Looks like he was right." 

LeBron clenched his teeth—Han's trash talk was relentless.

Clank!

His first free throw bounced off.

"Damn! KD's got you beat—at least he makes these."

Clank!

The second free throw missed too.

"Don't worry, man. You're still killing it from three this season."

It's funny—despite the weight gain boosting his three-point percentage to a career high, LeBron's free throws this season were the lowest they'd been in recent years.

With two missed free throws, it was practically a turnover.

Marc Gasol grabbed the rebound, giving the Grizzlies a chance to tie or take the lead.

Han Sen held the ball again and set up another pick-and-roll with Battier.

LeBron rushed out to contest.

For the third time, Han Sen got right past him.

LeBron's weight gain didn't just make him look slow—he was genuinely sluggish.

Seeing McRoberts as the help defender, Han Sen lobbed the ball into the air.

Gay was already cutting toward the basket, soaring up to meet the pass.

Boom!

It was a Han-Gay alley-oop!

Gay swung around on the rim, landing and bumping chests with Han Sen in celebration.

Gay's play style had subtly shifted this season, probably without him even noticing.

Han Sen's proposal—to make more off-ball cuts and focus on movement—was now a central part of his starting role.

After all, given the choice, who wouldn't prefer easy buckets over high-difficulty shots?

It's like trying an alternate route for the first time—you never go back after experiencing the benefits.

And all of this hinged on Han Sen's improved passing.

Unlike Conley or Marc Gasol, Han Sen posed a massive individual scoring threat.

So, if Han Sen could get the ball out under pressure, he'd almost always find an easy bucket.

Tied at 14.

The Grizzlies had evened the score again!

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

The arena's LED screen flashed Han Sen's stats for the night.

In 7 minutes, he'd gone 2-for-3, scoring 4 points with 4 assists.

The new king of the Grizzlies had arrived!