On December 27th, the Thunder team set off for New York. They were about to face two consecutive away games, a back-to-back against the Nets and then the Washington Wizards. Overall, the opponents were not strong, and the schedule was relatively easy.
However, no one on the plane was in the mood for Texas Hold'em today, as the third phase of the NBA All-Star voting results was about to be announced.
In the first phase of the voting data released, the Thunder trio soared. Kayce and Russell were far ahead in votes among Western Conference guards, and Kevin Durant's votes successfully surpassed Carmelo Anthony.
By the time the NBA released the data for the second phase, the Thunder trio found their votes completely overtaken. Because of this, Kevin Durant went on a crazy rant on Twitter, with all his alt accounts going full throttle, directly claiming there was foul play in the All-Star voting.
"There's definitely something wrong with this All-Star vote! We were leading by a lot in the first phase, but after the second phase results were released, Kobe and Anthony's votes increased ridiculously. The data must be faked!"
Kevin Durant said dejectedly. On January 10th, paper voting would close, and on the 18th, electronic voting would also end. If his votes couldn't surpass Anthony in the third phase, his All-Star starting position would definitely be gone.
"Kevin, this is just an unwritten rule of the NBA. They won't let rookie players easily get an All-Star starting spot; it's also a sign of respect for veterans. You still have hope. I never thought I could make the All-Star game, after all, I'm just a second-year rookie."
Russell was calm. Western Conference All-Star guards had to compete with Kobe and Steve Nash for a starting spot, and even a reserve spot was difficult, because there were also Chris Paul, Tracy McGrady, Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Deron Williams.
He wouldn't even be considered for a reserve spot. The competition at the Western Conference guard position was too fierce. The second-year Russell felt he had no chance. This All-Star Weekend, he would just play in the Rookie Challenge.
"You can't say that. I think Kayce has a chance to push Steve Nash out of the starting lineup. The single 'Shape of You' is too popular, and Taylor has been helping him campaign recently. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up as the Western Conference vote king."
Jeff Green secretly felt a pang of envy. A rookie being selected for the All-Star game would be quite an achievement.
"Come on, Green, at most he'd be a reserve. Oh no! Even a reserve spot isn't very likely, because that's chosen by the Head Coach. Rookies don't get special treatment. Even if he makes it into the All-Star Game, he'll probably just be cheering on the veterans from the bench, without much playing time."
Kayce, looking like a lazy bum, sprawled in his seat, casually responding to Jeff Green while reading a gossip magazine.
"The NBA always gives some stars special treatment. In recent years, the All-Star Games have always featured the same old faces. If it weren't for Howard, I'm sure LeBron James would be the Eastern Conference vote king again."
"LeBron's drives always get free throws, too. The referees give him special treatment. The NBA even changed the traveling rule this season!"
Kevin Durant began a furious rant. Kevin Durant was absolutely serious about refining his basketball skills, and he couldn't understand why the NBA would suddenly change the rules.
The specific new rule was: when a player in motion touches the ball or ends a dribble, if one foot happens to be on the ground, then the next foot he touches the ground with is established as the first step and becomes the pivot foot.
When Kayce heard this, his expression immediately became strange. Speaking of preferential treatment for players, the Thunder trio's treatment was actually quite good. The adjustment of the traveling rule for the new season was more about encouraging offense, and he had already adjusted his footwork for his step-back jump shot.
In fact, many players in the NBA had rough techniques and often committed traveling violations. After the rules were changed, fans would no longer complain about this, which could also be seen as a way to protect the league's image.
After the Thunder team got off the plane, they rested briefly, then headed directly to Barclays Center in the afternoon. Looking at the brand-new arena, everyone began to feel a pang of envy.
"Honestly, I really like this arena. Good location, complete training facilities, great floor. Fuck! Everything is perfect. This is really unfair. The Nets are currently ranked last!"
After Kevin Durant arrived at Barclays Center in the afternoon, he explored it inside and out two or three times. When everyone started their recovery training, he entered his 'sour grapes' mode again.
Kayce's mouth twitched when he heard Kevin Durant's words, and he silently thought to himself:
"Maybe you really will come here to play in the future!"
"I heard the Nets owner might sell the team. Shawn Williams told me this. He's from the same draft class as me and went to the Nets as a rookie, so the information has some credibility."
Jeff Green started showing off his insider information again.
"Don't mind those rumors, we can't afford it anyway. Teams in big cities are really nice! I wish Oklahoma City could build an arena like this. Many fans are complaining that the viewing experience has declined a lot after adding seats."
Russell once dreamed of playing in a big city. After seeing the Nets' new arena, he also became envious.
"Alright, Bro, if you're bored, come practice the double step-back jumper with me. This is my latest secret move!"
Kayce quickly interrupted the envious conversations.
"Double step-back jumper? Are you sure that shot won't be a travel? Let me try it, and we can play a few 1-on-1 games too."
Kevin Durant immediately threw the ball to Kayce, signaling to start playing. This was also part of their daily training. For both of them, who wanted to lead the team and take the top spot, the competition in basketball skills had begun a long time ago.
"Kevin, focus! I swear, you absolutely can't defend this move!"
Kayce dribbled continuously between his legs outside the three-point line, pulled back with a cross-step with his right hand, changed direction between his legs, and then suddenly sped up his dribble.
Holding the ball in his left hand, he faked a drive, pushed off with his feet, took a small step back, and while gathering the ball, took another big step back, then shot a jump shot from beyond the three-point line.
"Swish!"
"That's definitely a travel!"
Kevin Durant looked bewildered when he saw Kayce take two big steps back to the outside, and immediately said.
"No, no, no, pay attention to my pivot foot and my timing when gathering the ball. That's definitely a good shot. You need to utilize the rules properly!"
Kayce almost burst out laughing when he saw Kevin Durant's expression, and began to explain his shooting motion.
"Shit! What a shitty rule. I bet 500 Bucks that the referee will call a traveling violation on that move tomorrow night!"
"I also bet 500 Bucks that the referee will rule it a legitimate move, haha. Kevin, you can try it too, I can teach you!"
Jeff Green and Russell watched helplessly from the side. Now, the two of them basically competed over everything, both wanting to get the upper hand. Every practice game was a heated battle, and the Thunder team had already reached an extreme level of competition.
On the evening of the 27th, after finishing their recovery training, Kayce arrived at Yi Jianlian's apartment as planned. Previously, the two had only exchanged simple messages. For his first visit, Kayce also prepared some local American specialties for Yi Jianlian.
"I just finished training too. Chef Ye specially came over tonight. Authentic Cantonese cuisine, do you like it?"
Yi Jianlian, dressed in casual home clothes, welcomed Kayce in and asked with a smile.
"As long as it's delicious, I love to eat it. Thank you, Chef Ye."
Kayce quickly thanked Chef Ye, who operated several Chinese restaurants in New York and had specially come to help after learning that Yi Jianlian would be hosting Kayce tonight.
Chef Ye, 50 this year, looked friendly and amiable, though his Mandarin wasn't great. Fortunately, Kayce could also understand Cantonese, so communication wasn't a problem.
"I never thought I'd see an Asian guard playing in the NBA. Players here in America are all exceptionally talented. It's incredible that you've had such a great performance in your rookie season."
Yi Jianlian poured Kayce a glass of juice and sighed softly.
"Statistics can sometimes be deceiving. My game experience is far from enough. How is your body recovering recently? I really suggest you change your trainer."
Yi Jianlian suffered another minor injury in mid-December, sidelining him for a week. His good game form was interrupted again, which Kayce found very regrettable.
"It's fine now. After I started gaining muscle last year, minor injuries have been constant. I'm used to it. Every time after an injury, I have to find my game rhythm again. Sigh, Yao Ming also gave me advice. Do you have any good trainers?"
Speaking of injuries, Yi Jianlian was naturally very depressed. Since his rookie season, he has been plagued by injuries. This season, there were no major injuries, but minor ones were constant, severely affecting his competitive state.
"If you really want to change trainers, I suggest having Tony and Meg give you a detailed physical examination first. Then, based on your physical condition, they can re-optimize your technical movements."
"They recently expanded their studio. Kevin and Russell from the Thunder, Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Holiday from the 76ers were all introduced by me. The feedback so far has been very good, it's just a bit expensive."
Kayce briefly introduced his training team, hoping he could help Yi Jianlian.
"Money is not an issue. My rookie contract is about to expire, and I hope I can continue to stay in the NBA. Although I can earn a lot of money if I go back to China, I still want to give it a try."
Yi Jianlian was already somewhat desperate at this point. One must know that there were many people slandering him online. If he returned to China, who knows how many people would be waiting to watch him fail? There are always those problematic fans who even criticize their own people.
"Brother Yi, statistics are something you have to pad. Anyway, the Nets' record isn't good, so it's perfect for padding stats. I've discussed this issue with Love before: three-pointers, defensive rebounds, and more pick-and-rolls."
"As long as your shooting touch is good, doing these three things isn't difficult. Don't listen to the media's nonsense about a 'soft' playing style. You only get paid if you put up a double-double!"
"I guess there's no leader in your locker room either. Have a few meals together, and ask the guards to give you more passes after pick-and-rolls. The Nets still rely on you to sell tickets, so they'll definitely give you that much face. Shooting three-pointers is definitely more cost-effective than long twos. Love's stats this season grew exactly this way; now he's a double-double machine!"
Kayce began to offer advice to Yi Jianlian. Gaining muscle and going head-to-head with muscular big men in the paint was definitely not a good offensive option. Throwing three-pointers, cutting for easy layups, and drawing fouls for free throws were the correct ways to score.
Yi Jianlian was a bit confused after hearing this. Is it really okay to pad stats so obviously?
"Will these padded stats get me a contract? Many media outlets will surely condemn me, saying I'm stat-padding."
"Don't pay attention to those media. Most teams in the NBA are in it to sell tickets and make money. Being able to pad stats is also our skill. As long as you have occasional exciting dunks and make it onto the Top 10 Plays, many small teams will offer you a contract."
"On the court, you also need to increase your charisma, be more passionate, shout a bit, pound your chest. Fans love to see that. Of course, don't worry about starting or coming off the bench for now. Train hard after you sign a contract and make money."
Yi Jianlian was somewhat tempted after hearing Kayce's stat-padding strategy. He used to care deeply about media evaluations and fans' opinions, constantly trying to gain muscle to play well in the low post, but he suffered continuous injuries in the past two years.
He was confident he could shoot three-pointers well, as long-range shooting was what he had always been best at since childhood. But as he grew taller, he started initiating offense more from the low post. Yi Jianlian even felt that the playing styles Kayce mentioned were the most suitable for him.
"Master Ye, let's eat first. Make fewer dishes. Kayce, tell me in detail how to pad these stats appropriately..."
"No problem. I also brought a lot of gold chains today. Brother Yi and Master Ye, pick a few first, and save the rest for favors. They're all the latest styles; Black people love this stuff."
"..."
Although the Nets had become the worst of the worst this season, winning only two games in total, Chinese fans still loved watching Nets games. As long as Yi Jianlian could get a double-double, everyone would be happy for a long time.
CCTV had been promoting the game on the 29th for several days. The game hadn't even started, but the number of viewers was constantly increasing, almost catching up to the legendary Yao-Yi showdown.
In the CCTV studio, today's commentary team was still Yu Jia and Zhang Weiping. For this game, it was unrealistic to talk about the strengths of the two teams before the match, as one was the Western Conference leader and the other was the Eastern Conference last place. The outcome of the game had little suspense.
"Yi Jianlian was injured and rested for 5 days in November this season, and then sidelined for another week in mid-December. Zhang, what do you think caused Yi Jianlian's injuries?"
Host Yu Jia began to steer the conversation towards Yi Jianlian.
"First, the NBA schedule is very dense, and there are many back-to-back games. Rookie players' physical fitness can easily become an issue. When the body is fatigued, the probability of injury naturally increases significantly."
"Secondly, Yi Jianlian's current playing style is very physically demanding. In China, he could easily finish in the paint, but the NBA paint is very intense. Yao Ming also achieved dominance only after gaining muscle. Strong low-post offense is not suitable for Yi Jianlian."
"After gaining muscle last year, Yi Jianlian didn't play well. His touch was off, and neither his outside shooting nor his low-post offense materialized. I hope Yi Jianlian doesn't pay too much attention to outside opinions and focuses on playing to his strengths."
Zhang had always been very optimistic about Yi Jianlian, but he didn't expect Yi Jianlian to suffer frequent injuries after coming to the NBA.
"Indeed, as Zhang said, we also hope Yi Jianlian can play to his strengths. Let's briefly talk about Kayce again. There are still three games left in December. If nothing too unexpected happens, he will continue to be the Rookie of the Month."
"But in the last game against the Bobcats, Kayce's shooting percentage was not high. Zhang, do you think this is him hitting the rookie wall?"
Host Yu Jia again brought up a topic that everyone had been discussing online recently.
"There's no rookie wall. Perhaps his touch hasn't adjusted back after the Christmas break. To be honest, we can no longer view Kayce as a rookie. Whether it's his physical condition, technique, or control over the team, Kayce plays like a core player."
"Even if his touch is off, Bang Bang, drive a couple of times, get a few free throws, and his rhythm will slowly come back. Definitely no problem!"
As a loyal fan of Kayce, Zhang started praising him without hesitation.
"Thank you, Zhang, for your comments. We also hope both players have an excellent performance in this game. We have already received the starting lineups for both teams from the front, and both teams are still using their regular rotations."
"The Nets' backcourt combination is Devin Harris and Courtney Lee, the forwards are Trenton Hassell and Yi Jianlian, and the center is Brook Lopez."
"The Thunder's starting backcourt combination is still Russell Westbrook and Kayce, the forwards are Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, and the center is Nenad Krstić."
"The game is about to begin. Let's switch the screen to the live game venue!"
Before the game, the Thunder's locker room was filled with laughter. After all, there was no pressure for this game. Coach Brooks simply instructed them to focus on defense and rebounds, leaving the offense entirely up to the players.
"Kayce, score more points in this game. We can give all the opportunities to you. Many of your fans are here."
Durant put on a big-shot demeanor, indicating that Kayce should go all out to pad stats in this game.
"Just play normally. You all know, the opponent definitely can't guard me. Scoring is as easy as drinking water for me. Don't worry, my touch will definitely be fine in this game."
Kayce immediately uttered his Versailles-like statement, drawing continuous boos from everyone.
"Ugh! This guy is getting more and more boastful!"
Barclays Center was packed tonight. This was the highest attendance game recently. Although Nets tickets were cheap, not many people usually came to watch games. Often, opposing team fans even made up half the crowd.
After all, the Nets kept losing, constantly getting beaten. Home fans were already numb to it and genuinely found it hard to keep supporting them.
The game was about to start, and Kayce and Yi Jianlian also briefly embraced in greeting. The outcome of this game actually held little suspense; it was just a matter of how many quarters the Nets could hold on.
"It's truly wonderful to see our players compete on the NBA court again. Come on, boys!"
Host Yu Jia immediately exclaimed with emotion upon seeing this scene.
"The game begins! Lopez tipped the ball to the Nets, and Devin Harris dribbled across half-court."
On the Nets' first possession, Devin Harris made an offensive gesture, and Lopez came out to the three-point line for a high pick-and-roll. But Russell squeezed through the screen incredibly fast, leaving no good opportunity. The perimeter players began continuous passing.
The Thunder's defense never lost position. Devin Harris noticed the shot clock was running down, immediately received the ball again, and this time Yi Jianlian came up for a pick-and-roll.
After the screen, he made a bounce pass to Yi Jianlian in the right elbow area of the free-throw line. The latter caught the ball without hesitation and shot a long two-pointer.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot went in steadily.
"Ah!!!"
Barclays Center immediately erupted in a huge cheer. Many Chinese fans were present today, and they were naturally happy to see Yi Jianlian score.
Kayce, however, silently sighed in his heart:
"What a great opportunity! Pound your chest! Pump your fist in acknowledgment, show a little more emotion. Yi Jianlian is still too honest and reserved."
"Yi Jianlian should be recovering well. His first shot in this game went in easily. Let's not worry about winning or losing, just play with flair!"
Zhang immediately praised Yi Jianlian with a happy chuckle after seeing him make the mid-range shot.
On the Thunder's offense, the first ball naturally went to Kayce. Using Kostić's back screen, Kayce received the ball at the top of the arc beyond the three-point line. Courtney Lee immediately stepped up to guard him closely.
But this was not a good defensive choice. Kayce quickly dropped the ball with his right hand, dribbled back with a crossover, changed direction between his legs, feigning a drive to the right. This made the defending Courtney Lee involuntarily take a big step back.
Kayce then deftly dribbled behind his back, smoothly stepped back, and shot a jump shot. Before the ball even went in, Kayce had already quickly retreated on defense.
"Swish!" The three-pointer swished through the net.
"Oh!!!"
The live audience erupted in a huge gasp of surprise. That shot was too stylish.
The Thunder players saw Kayce, who was already back on defense, make a drinking gesture to them, and immediately started complaining in their hearts:
"This guy successfully showed off again..."