The starting lineups took the court, and Kevin Love was positioned at the center position for the Miami Heat, which made Yu Fei couldn't help but chuckle.
Purely speaking, Pat Riley had always been the aggressive game changer, and even if he wasn't on the frontline, he was able to remotely control Spoelstra to play the game according to his vision.
The logic behind putting Love at the center position was simple: Riley clearly saw that the answer to the small-ball era was speed and three-pointers.
Therefore, the center position didn't necessarily have to be filled by a traditional seven-footer—if one was available, of course that was best, but if not, then a power forward could take the center spot.
As a center, Love's skill set was only up to par in terms of rebounding protection.
During the jump ball, Kwame Brown won easily.
Roy quickly advanced the ball to the frontcourt and passed it to Brown on a lob.
The pass was good, but Brown was not the right man.