The Portland Trail Blazers could make it to the Playoffs, naturally, because of their strength: stability. Although there might be some shooting fluctuations, they also had excellent drivers.
After Kayce came off the court, Sefolosha was responsible for guarding Roy. In this matchup, Roy showcased his powerful driving ability, frequently drawing fouls, as Sefolosha was relatively easy to fake out.
With Roy getting into his rhythm, the Portland Trail Blazers immediately stabilized. Coupled with the Thunder's offense slowing down, both teams settled into a stalemate.
Durant also noticed the change in the opponent's defense against him. With Kayce on the court, he could play off-ball, but once Kayce was out, he had to handle the ball more, and Russell's passing ability was relatively weaker.
Not to mention, Sefolosha's ability to draw attention on the perimeter was different from Kayce's, so Durant was double-teamed more often, as if he had suddenly returned to last season.
But the Thunder still managed to keep the score close, relying on the offense of Durant and Russell. Talent truly allowed them to do whatever they wanted.
After all, they were playing with momentum, and both players were shooting well, not yet entering their 'Brick Brothers' state.
By the end of the first half, both teams were tied at 58-58, once again starting from the same line.
"An excellent performance! We should applaud the young men of the Thunder; they presented a wonderful game for the fans here!"
The home commentator, Twin, was very excited. This team only won 23 games last year after coming to Oklahoma City, and most fans came to watch because the ticket prices were cheap.
Winning was key; only victory could earn the support of more local fans.
"Very good! We must stick to our game rhythm. The opponent is indeed a Playoff team, but we are not the same as last year either!"
Coach Brooks took advantage of the halftime break to constantly give the players pep talks. People in America loved this kind of thing; stories of victory always inspired people.
"In the second half, we need to pick up the pace. Ibaka, you start first. Remember, protect the rebounds, and everyone must participate in the rebound scramble!"
This lineup, almost entirely composed of forwards, was one of the Thunder's current experiments. coaching staff developed many tactics for this lineup, with Kayce, Durant, and Russell as the core.
These three could all initiate a lot of ball-handling offense, and the transition speed would also be very fast!
Kayce could even take on the organizational duties for half-court offense, thus avoiding the one-on-one situations that occurred last season.
Effective one-on-one play was fine, but it required exploiting the opponent's weaknesses. Mindless one-on-one play would only hurt the team.
"I think we can win. It's different from last season. I feel very relaxed playing right now, really, and my shot feels great today."
Russell was a physical marvel; his athletic talent was enviable. In the first half, he was 6-for-9 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, so his touch was indeed very good.
"I think we have a chance to make the Playoffs this new season. The Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers aren't that strong!"
Durant was a bit tired at halftime, especially in the last few minutes of the second quarter, with continuous ball-handling offense that consumed a lot of energy. In the first half, he was 6-for-8 from the field, but he grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 4 assists.
"The Playoffs are a bit far off, but the regular season is about to begin. I'm still waiting to get Rookie of the Year!"
Kayce would not jinx the team. Although he was optimistic about the Thunder's development, everyone was still a 'momentum warrior' at the moment. Once they fell behind, they easily became frustrated, which was a lingering effect of losing too much.
"Haha! I really like you, Kayce; you're too strong to be a rookie!"
Jeff Green laughed, but there was a hint of bitterness in his heart. This was too strong. Looking at the teammates on the bench who were completely suppressed, they could only helplessly accept their fate. Talent crushed all; there was no comparison.
His teammates also chimed in, saying that the Rookie of the Year award would definitely be Kayce's, and that Barkley from TNT had misjudged him.
At the start of the third quarter, the Portland Trail Blazers looked at the Thunder's lineup on the court and were a bit dumbfounded: where was their center?
Coach Brooks indicated that defense would be left to fate. If they could blow up his defense, he would accept it, but on offense, he wanted to try to blow them up and see who would crack first.
Russell dribbled past half-court, and Kayce signaled his teammates to move up to the high line. Then came a series of handoffs. Durant, using Ibaka's screen, accelerated with a right-hand dribble.
Webster tried to interfere on the move, but Durant immediately stopped short, quickly pulled back, leaned back slightly, and shot a jump shot.
"Swish!" It went in easily.
The court spacing was excellent, fully utilizing Durant's ball-handling and one-on-one ability.
The Portland Trail Blazers' offense went directly to Aldridge. He passed inside to Oden. As soon as Oden caught the ball, Jeff Green immediately came over for a double-team, swiping the ball away with a flurry of hands.
"Whistle!" The referee called a foul.
"Come on! I didn't even hit his hand!" Jeff Green still wanted to complain.
"No problem, Bro, we can accept Oden's free throws!" Kayce immediately went over and indicated that Jeff Green's defense was excellent.
Oden went to the free-throw line and made 1 of 2. Ibaka grabbed the rebound and passed to Kayce, who immediately initiated a fast break.
Russell received the pass and didn't stop the ball, accelerating straight past Blake cleanly. Seeing Aldridge in the paint ahead, he directly threw the ball to Jeff Green on the perimeter.
The latter caught the ball and immediately shot a jump shot.
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in steadily, and the home crowd continuously cheered for the home team.
"This offense is too fast, it's like Thunder!" Commentator Twin shouted excitedly.
Coach McMillan already had a creeping feeling that something was wrong. The Thunder's offensive pace was too fast; this was abnormal.
The Portland Trail Blazers continued to move the ball methodically, and eventually, the ball went to Oden, their strong point. Ibaka was behind him, pushing, and Jeff Green immediately came to harass him. In the end, Oden couldn't score.
His technique was rough; once the ball was in Oden's hands, it was difficult to get it out, and he couldn't effectively punish the Thunder's interior, which was also why Coach Brooks adjusted the lineup.
Transition offense was Russell's favorite. He would take the ball and charge. The other four Thunder players were also fast. After crossing half-court, they started driving and dishing, with the Portland Trail Blazers' defense not even set up properly.
After a series of passes, Kayce received the ball and faced Aldridge's defense. He immediately executed a crossover dribble, quickly pulled back, and then performed a pump fake that sent Aldridge flying.
The sudden stop and start completely shook off the defense. He accelerated towards the basket, and Oden's help defense was a step slow, which gave Kayce an opportunity. He immediately jumped into the air, body tensed, and arms pulled back.
A powerful one-handed tomahawk dunk!
"Bang!" The ball was slammed into the basket by Kayce. The 'Posterizer' badge still had some effect.
"Ah!!! Ah!!! Wow!!!"
The Ford Center erupted. This dunk completely ignited the home atmosphere, and fans began to cheer wildly.
"An incredible dunk! My God, Kayce just dunked over Oden! That was amazing!"
Commentator Twin kept repeating words of praise; he had probably fully entered the ranks of Kayce's admirers.
Kayce, landing, wasn't overly excited. He just borrowed Russell's celebration, flexing his biceps.
His teammates, however, were even more excited than him. Durant and Russell slapped Kayce while making meaningless shouts.
"Great job, Bro!" "Wow!!!" "Ah!!!"
The atmosphere creators on the bench were also exceptionally lively, jumping and waving their towels.
The Portland Trail Blazers immediately called a timeout. McMillan didn't want the Thunder to fully gain momentum!
But unfortunately, every Thunder player was a 'momentum warrior.' Ibaka and Jeff Green defended even harder, and Durant and Russell went wild, attacking their defenders one-on-one.
Plus, Kayce started dishing out assists constantly, and Ibaka and Jeff Green also got their share, making cuts, mid-range shots, and corner threes go in with a bang.
Seven minutes into the third quarter, the Thunder went on an astonishing 18-6 run!
76-64. They led the Portland Trail Blazers by 12 points. The Thunder, with their excellent perimeter defense and quick interior rotations, withstood Aldridge and Oden's low-post offense, forcing multiple turnovers.
However, this was only picking on Oden and Aldridge. Against shorter bigs like Duncan, Nowitzki, and Gasol, it would basically be a free pass!
McMillan called another timeout, pulled a few starters, and put in the bench lineup. The Thunder also made substitutions, with Kayce coming off to rest.
But the momentum had already shifted. Amidst the cheers of the home fans, the bench lineup also played with increasing vigor, with everyone scoring.
Kayce estimated he wouldn't need to play in the fourth quarter. In the preseason, when the lead was large, teams would put in their benchwarmers. He should have gotten good badge experience from this game.
Indeed, in the fourth quarter, both teams tacitly put in their benchwarmers, calling it a day. Health was most important in the preseason.
Ultimately, the Thunder defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 118-106, concluding their preseason with a perfect ending. The Ford Center was buzzing with excitement, and the fans were overjoyed.
21 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 0 turnovers – this was Kayce's small gift to the home fans.
After the game, Kayce smiled as he fist-bumped the Portland Trail Blazers players. After all, they all made a living from basketball; they were all family, and maintaining superficial camaraderie was necessary.
"Great job, boys! Two days off, then we'll start our final training camp. Go home, get some good rest, and stay in shape!"
Coach Brooks gave his final instructions to the players and then left the locker room. It was clear that the Head Coach was in a great mood.
"Kayce, Nina said she wants to throw a formal welcome Party, and I'll invite everyone to come over!"
Russell, shirtless, said to Kayce beside him.
"Wow, that's really great, I can't wait!"
Kayce was also touched by the support from his good friend. After all, they were brothers who had fun together in college, and even in the NBA, he was still thinking of him.
"The day after tomorrow, let's have another men's Party! I promise, plenty of hot girls!" Durant also got excited. Besides training, this guy loved Twitter and parties.
"Hot girls! Hot girls! Hot girls!" Jeff Green led his teammates in howling.
By the time Kayce drove home, it was very late. Returning to his empty mansion, he felt a bit lonely, but then he saw the digital camera on the table and couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Chapman's efficiency was truly high. Kayce fiddled with the camera and found the operation quite simple.
While taking a bath, he recorded a thank-you video for himself, a simple and casual shoot, which he then uploaded to YouTube and left it at that.
Kayce lay on his large bed, feeling a bit tired, and slowly drifted into sleep.
After midnight, Kayce arrived in the Dream Training Space, eager to check the badge experience in the Achievement Room. After looking around, his heart filled with joy.
"Most of them increased by four or five points of experience, and even the 'Posterizer' increased by 2 points. This game was definitely a huge gain!"
Kayce then looked at the newly generated bronze achievement badge and lightly touched it.
Achievement Badge [First Step Master]: 4/50
Grants explosive acceleration from triple threat stance and fancy dribble moves.
The effect of this badge was very obvious. With this, the combination of [Triple Threat Veteran] + [First Step Master] could make his drives even more incisive and also more flashy!
"The more I show off, the stronger I get! It seems I'm destined to be a stylish player!"
Kayce, in a fit of chuunibyou, began talking to himself.
The Thunder's excellent performance in the preseason won the hearts of Oklahoma City fans. Currently, season tickets were all sold out, and tickets for the first home game of the new season were also completely gone.
On the Reddit NBA Thunder subreddit, some Oklahoma City fans were already complaining about scalpers.
"Come on! Our tickets sold out so fast, can anyone tell me what happened?!"
"Kayce is too handsome, I'm already his fan, I love him, I'm already in love with him!"
"Bro, look at our preseason performance. We're no longer a bad team that only won 23 games. Thanks to the team for drafting Kayce!"
"My girlfriend is crazy; she keeps telling me about Kayce, and she never cared about basketball before."
"Kayce's physique is too good, God, look at those sexy muscles, I can't handle it."
"Wow, look what I found, everyone check out the video on YouTube!"
Although it often went off-topic, Oklahoma City fans had truly fallen in love with Kayce. He also gained a large number of followers on Twitter, and they were eager to learn everything about Kayce.
The next day, Kayce received a call from his agent, Chapman, during breakfast.
"Kayce, I told you you'd be a hit! Look at those girls, they love you to death!" Chapman was very excited.
"Uh, what happened? Speak slowly first…" Kayce was completely confused.
"You need to pay attention to your own development! Look at your video on YouTube, and then look at your Twitter, your followers are growing rapidly!"
Chapman felt a bit annoyed when he heard Kayce's tone. It was like picking up money! He needed to take it seriously!
"What's the big deal? Taylor has more followers, and I haven't seen you like this!" Kayce complained while eating his salad.
"You don't understand. Our operations staff told me that a very high percentage of your followers are female, and most of them are young women!"
"Do you know what that means? It's purchasing power! Young girls will spend money for you; dollars are beckoning you!"
Chapman was already high on the other end of the phone.
Kayce listened to the other party's rambling while opening his computer to check the YouTube video he posted last night. After seeing the comments, he couldn't help but internally complain:
"So many enthusiastic fans."