This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's May 7 Mayhem issue. Subscribe!
Cotton-thick snow flutters from an endless white ceiling, choking downtown Cleveland on this mid-January night. On steeper terrain, snow can turn sinister, transforming into a screaming wall of white that buries anything in its path. The NBA's most destructive force acts in similar fashion. Inside Quicken Loans Arena, it has lain dormant for three quarters, and now in the fourth, with the score tied at 93, it arrives slowly, subtly, like a snowflake falling from the sky.
It begins like this: Cavs guard Dwyane Wade misses a jumper, Warriors forward Draymond Green devours the rebound and rifles a length-of-the-court pass to teammate David West, who is fouled and sinks two free throws.