A perfectly timed assist highlighted the five years of chemistry the two had built up, allowing them to pull off a flawless play.
This was the kind of offense most teams had no way to stop.
Then came the next possession.
LaMelo got the offense going from the left wing, finding Olynyk for a screen. After driving, he kicked the ball back to Olynyk as he popped out.
Olynyk caught the ball and faced Chen Xi. After a brief hesitation, he passed it along to Mitchell on the perimeter.
Mitchell accelerated with the ball, beating Westbrook with a lightning-quick first step.
Once he reached the mid-range, Donovan Mitchell swung the ball one-handed and took a hop step to evade Green's help defense, bringing him to a spot just inside the free-throw line. He immediately rose again and leaned back for a fadeaway jumper.
He forced up a tough shot over Little Jordan's rim protection.
The ball traced a high arc and dropped through the net.
5–6.
The Thunder launched another counterattack.
Westbrook brought the ball up and initiated a pick-and-roll.
The familiar opening move of the signature Spanish Pick and Roll.
After driving, Westbrook threaded a pass inside to the rolling AD.
AD caught the ball and went straight at Stewart with a little floater. The ball dropped cleanly through the hoop.
A classic play became a classic because it was practical and versatile.
The two teams had managed to keep things relatively even in the opening minutes.
But it was clear that the Pistons' baskets were much harder to come by.
LaMelo and Mitchell had to shoulder more of the scoring load, face tougher defensive matchups, and produce above-average offensive efficiency just to barely keep pace with the Thunder...
In the short term, they could manage it.
But over