"I think we kept it nice and simple," Malan said, stressing the Stags eventually executed the blueprint with wickets in hand to score 405-6 in 50 overs.
"Tom Bruce hit 71 from 20-odd balls [23] on a great platform from the others so it was pleasing to see that," he said.
That launching pad came from opener George Worker's eighth List A century, finishing with 159 runs (151 balls) and just shy of retired Stag Jamie How's best total at the park in the format.
"George is a quality player ... he's kept his best for the biggest occasion, the grand final," Malan said.
The left-hand opener, who was named the MVP, reached 3000 List A runs at the 120-run mark when he went out nicking to the wicketkeeper chasing an expansive delivery from Andy Ellis.
"I didn't think of records at the time but I was just happy to get across the line for the boys," said the Manawatu allrounder, who played a few games for the Black Caps last year.
Hitting 12 boundaries and seven sixes, Worker forged crucial partnerships - 80 with fellow opener Ben Smith (40 runs), 109 with Jesse Ryder (62) and 92 with Young (71) for Bruce to post a record of his own.
Bruce smashed the fastest List A half-century, eclipsing the record of 19 balls from Bay-born Peter McGlashan (ND) and Shanan Stewart (Canterbury).
A rattled Kings skipper, Ellis, said of playing on a postage stamp-sized ground compared with Hagley Park: "It was a totally different kind of cricket and we had to adjust it."
But the top qualifiers, who felt the pressure of chasing 10 runs an over but lost two early wickets cheaply, had no one else to blame after losing to CD in the first v second playoffs to forfeit their hosting rights the previous weekend.
It didn't help that Ken McClure injured his hip while fielding and couldn't bat for Canterbury, who were "all out" for 249-9 in 37.4 overs.
Worker said to score 210 runs in the last 11 overs was the defining moment of their innings, after Young won the toss and elected to bat.
Malan said while CD were predominantly young, Ryder - playing his 150th one-day domestic match - was pivotal throughout the trophy campaign in helping not just as an aggressive batsman but also as an accumulator of runs and as a bowler.
While the focus was on batsmen, opening bowler Seth Rance became the top wicket-taker, eclipsing Canterbury's Ed Nuttal with 19 scalps.
The Wairarapa seamer's figures on Saturday were superb (2-16 from six overs) on a wicket that is unsympathetic towards bowlers.
"We were a little sloppy on the field sometimes but we had magic at the right times," Malan said, lauding Young for his slick runout of opening batsman Roneel Hira for a run and Rance rifling the ball to wicketkeeper Dane Cleaver to run out Todd Astle for 65.
It was the Stags' third one-day crown in five years.
Among all the milestones is the bigger achievement of how a group of younger players have incrementally grown with the input from the likes of Mahela Jayawardene in the T20 campaign, as well as Rance and Ryder in the 50-over competition.
The Stags were returning to Napier today to prepare for the resumption of the Budget Rental Plunket Shield campaign against Northern Districts Knights from Wednesday at McLean Park.
