Cavaliers: Hansen, JR, Covington, TT, Jokić
Howard won the jump ball for the Bulls and secured the opening offensive opportunity.
After the start, Irving and Butler successively used pick-and-roll plays with Howard for the Bulls.
Hoiberg's strategy was clear: the Cavaliers' current offense revolves around Hansen's pick-and-rolls. Hansen is hard to target, but Jokić's weakness is defending smaller players, which can be exploited.
In their regular-season matchup, Butler used mismatches to get Jokić into foul trouble.
However, there was a slight discrepancy between theory and reality.
Howard's pick-and-roll quality was just like last season's Jokić, quickly rolling to the basket without properly screening.
This wasn't intentional. Whether with the Magic or the Nets, Howard has been the final target of pick-and-roll plays. The quicker he rolls, the more chances he gets to score easy points.
