The NBA's Twilight Star System

Midway through the third quarter, the Cavaliers extended their lead to 15 points, prompting the Nets to call a timeout.

Jay Sun, eager to capitalize on his momentum, quickly ran over to Tyronn Lue. Without saying a word, his eager expression spoke volumes.

Lue couldn't help but laugh at Jay's enthusiasm. Seeing that the lead was relatively secure, he decided to rest LeBron and put Jay and Kyrie Irving in charge.

With Kyrie and Jay leading the charge, the Cavaliers rolled out their own version of a dual-guard offense.

Returning from the timeout, the Nets gave the ball to Joe Johnson. After a brief rest earlier in the game, his shooting rhythm had improved slightly.

Facing Jay again, Johnson was determined not to be outplayed by a rookie. He caught the ball in the low post, preparing to back Jay down. Joe wasn't about to give the media a chance to ridicule him for being locked down by a rookie.

After some shoulder fakes to test Jay's defensive stance, Joe spun into a fadeaway jumper. Jay extended his arms to contest, disrupting Johnson's shot.

Clank.

The ball bounced off the rim, and Tristan Thompson secured the rebound, immediately passing it to Kyrie.

Kyrie sprinted toward the frontcourt, aiming for a fast break, but Deron Williams delayed him just enough to force the Cavaliers into a half-court offense.

Kyrie began orchestrating a set play, and Jay, seeing that he wouldn't be the immediate recipient of the ball, started running off screens. His constant movement finally freed him up for an opening.

Kyrie, ever the unselfish playmaker when necessary, delivered a quick pass to Jay. Taking advantage of Joe Johnson being momentarily caught on a screen, Jay drove to the basket.

Brook Lopez rotated to help on defense, ready to contest at the rim. Jay considered challenging Lopez for a split second but thought better of it.

Not yet.

Instead, Jay stopped abruptly, causing Joe to overrun his recovery. Jay calmly rose for a mid-range jumper.

Swish.

The ball fell cleanly through the net, bringing Jay's total to 19 points. He glanced at his hands in mild surprise, then quickly recomposed himself.

The fans in the arena, however, erupted with cheers. Many were already waving signs with Jay's name and calling out for him.

Jay smiled shyly at the crowd, inwardly grateful for their support.

The Nets continued feeding Joe Johnson, hoping to chip away at the lead before the quarter ended. Johnson, now more desperate, attempted to shake Jay with a series of dribbles.

Jay stuck to him with Clamps, forcing Johnson to call for a screen. Off the screen, Johnson launched a three-pointer with Jay contesting.

Clank—Bank—In.

The shot banked in, a lucky bounce that brought relief to Johnson.

On the next possession, Kyrie took matters into his own hands, but his shot missed. Over the next few plays, Jay had fewer scoring opportunities, though he did sink a corner three-pointer toward the end of the quarter.

By the end of the third, Jay had reached 22 points.

In the commentary booth, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley grew animated.

"Kenny, this rookie's got 22 points. Do you think he'll hit 30 in the fourth?" Smith asked with a mischievous grin.

Barkley sighed, glancing at Jay's stats.

"Well, Kenny, I've done my research. This kid averages 12 points in the fourth quarter during games he plays the entire period. So yeah, he might actually do it."

Kenny burst into laughter. "Oh, Chuck, you know what that means? Time to start thinking about your punishment!"

"How about this—Charles, you commentate an entire game wearing women's lingerie?"

Barkley gasped in mock horror. "Kenny, we're friends! You can't do this to me. And think of the fans—do you really want to scar them for life?"

Jay was oblivious to the commentary booth's wager. He had one goal in mind: breaking the rookie playoff debut scoring record.

Sitting at 22 points, he knew he needed 15 more to surpass George Mikan's 37-point record. He also knew that to get there, he needed touches—lots of them.

If that's the case... it's time to blow this game open.

When the fourth quarter began, Jay's energy surged as Closer activated. Tyronn Lue, recognizing the game's manageable lead, kept LeBron and Kyrie on the bench and sent Jay and Kevin Love back out.

Jay wasted no time. On the first possession, he called for a pick-and-roll with Love. The screen gave him just enough room to rise for a three-pointer.

Swish.

Jay's total climbed to 25 points.

Lue nodded approvingly on the sideline, fully trusting Jay's ability to take over.

On the next play, Deron Williams attempted to bully Jay with his size, backing him down in the post.

Jay, however, anticipated the move. As Deron spun to make his move, Jay swiped the ball clean with Pickpocket, then took off down the court.

Deron gave chase but couldn't match Jay's speed.

Jay dribbled to the free-throw line, collected himself, and took a powerful step toward the rim.

Boom.

A two-handed dunk. Nothing fancy, but effective enough to electrify the crowd.

Now at 27 points, Jay's sights were locked on history.

And the fourth quarter was just getting started.