After just over three minutes of play, the Nets' defense crumbled. The Thunder, through off-ball movement and simple screens, easily created shooting opportunities. Aside from Russell's missed three-pointer, everyone else scored.
Jeff Green even felt that the intensity of this game didn't seem as fierce as their internal scrimmages.
After all, in their internal scrimmages, Kayce and Russell went up against Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. Especially Kayce and Kevin Durant, whenever they matched up, they were truly merciless and always gave their all. Many times, Coach Ben had to remind them to reduce some physical contact.
On this Nets' possession, Lopez received the ball in the low post. Facing Kostić's defense, he bumped him twice but couldn't move him. With little time left on the shot clock, he had no choice but to turn around and shoot a hook shot.
"Bang!" It was a brick.
Kostić grabbed the rebound and passed it to Kevin Durant. The latter received the ball, used a wide behind-the-back dribble to shake off Yi Jianlian in front of him, and then passed the ball to a surging Kayce.
Courtney Lee, on defense, wanted to immediately steal the ball but was elegantly shaken off by Kayce with a somewhat flashy spin move, driving straight to the basket. In motion, he noticed Russell behind him, already accelerating at full speed.
Ignoring Trenton Hassell's defense in front of him, Kayce casually tossed the ball off the backboard, and Russell soared, slamming it down with both hands!
"Clang!" The fast-break dunk was successful.
"Ah!!!"
The Barclays Center even erupted in a considerable cheer. It was almost becoming the Thunder's home court.
After the dunk, Russell saw his idol Taylor applauding from the sidelines and immediately jumped around excitedly, letting out a series of strange cries.
"Roar-ha!"
Kayce watched silently. After taking Russell and Taylor out for lunch, Russell had been in an excited state. Especially after learning that Taylor had helped him get votes, a deeply moved Russell decided to rally everyone around him to buy out Taylor 's album when he got home.
In the words of his agent, Chapman, fans like Russell were like a sturdy leek, inexhaustible no matter how much you cut.
When there were 6 minutes and 26 seconds left in the first quarter, Head Coach Van Gundy called a timeout. It was 16 to 9, and the Nets' defense was truly terrible. He had to adjust the lineup.
For the rest of the first quarter, every Nets player was looking to score. After a few simple passes, they immediately started playing one-on-one, throwing up shots as soon as they got the ball. But unfortunately, such ineffective isolation plays had very low shooting percentages, which gave the Thunder several more opportunities for fast-break points.
Devin Harris's layup attempt was unsuccessful, and Jeff Green secured the defensive rebound, immediately passing it to Russell, who accelerated wildly after receiving the ball.
Terrence Williams tried to foul to disrupt the Thunder's fast break, but Russell was too fast, only pulling his jersey. Russell was completely unaffected, and seeing Kayce running ahead pointing to the basket with his hand.
Russell understood immediately and delivered a long pass. Although it was a bit high, Kayce leaped with all his might, caught the ball in mid-air, spun it around, and slammed it down with a one-handed windmill dunk!
"Clang!" The alley-oop dunk was successful.
In the latter half of the quarter, the Thunder, relying on continuous fast breaks, almost completely overwhelmed the Nets. Lopez in the paint was so frustrated he stopped putting his hands up. The game was decided in one quarter.
36 to 22. The visiting Thunder took a 14-point lead in the first quarter. During the break, Coach Brooks no longer drew up tactics. For a game like this, he let the players play on their own.
During the break, Kevin Durant and Kayce both felt a bit bored. This game truly lacked the intensity of their internal training. The Nets' defense, to them, was like paper, not to mention the opponents weren't even defending with full effort, mostly just going through the motions.
"Shit! I kind of understand how other teams felt playing us last year. The first two seasons, we weren't much different from the Nets. I swear, I never want to play a game like that again!"
Kevin Durant said with some emotion. In the first two seasons, he actually felt pretty good about himself. Now, looking back, he suddenly felt like his past self was an idiot.
"Today, I'm definitely going to dunk to my heart's content. Every time we score, the crowd here cheers, it's like being back home. I love this feeling!"
As long as they could get fast-break opportunities, Russell would get more and more excited. The Nets' continuous missed shots in the first quarter had completely activated Russell.
"We can make it look good, guys!"
Kayce casually offered a suggestion, while also giving everyone a knowing look, signaling that they should ease up on defense and get their stats up first.
"That's a great idea! I support Kayce's proposal."
Jeff Green was eager to try. It was a rare opportunity to easily rack up points. This game was practically a bonus round!
"No problem!"
"Get the stats, then rest early."
When the second quarter began, the Nets noticed that the Thunder's defensive intensity had decreased. Everyone immediately understood that it was time to rack up stats. For the rest of the game, both sides tacitly traded blows, and the action became increasingly lively.
Nets offense: Devin Harris used Yi Jianlian's high pick-and-roll to drive straight to the paint, twisting and turning in the air, and finished with a right-handed scoop layup.
The Thunder quickly inbounded the ball. Russell dribbled past half-court, used Kostić's high pick-and-roll, drove left, and in motion, suddenly used a Shamgod with his left hand to shake off Lopez's defense, finishing with a low-hand layup.
Lopez set a screen outside the three-point line and rolled down, receiving a pass from Devin Harris. He took a big jump step directly into the restricted area, faked twice, and put the ball into the basket.
Thunder's offense: Kevin Durant came off a screen with a quick step, driving through. Facing Trenton Hassell's defense, he used a right-handed crossover to pull back, paused slightly with his left hand, then quickly changed direction in front of his body, shaking off the defender, and easily drove into the paint for a one-handed power dunk!
Yi Jianlian received the ball at the elbow off a screen, used a convincing pump fake to shift Jeff Green's defensive Center of Gravity, then accelerated with the ball in his right hand, unafraid of Kostić coming over to help. He finished the shot after contact in the air.
The Thunder ran a simple horizontal cut play. After two screens, Kayce received the ball at the left 45-degree angle outside the three-point line. Facing Courtney Lee's defense, he dribbled between his legs twice in place, then faked a drive with the ball in his right hand.
He pushed off his feet, adjusted his steps, took a small step back, then quickly gathered the ball and shot a step-back three-pointer from beyond the arc.
"Swish!" After the two-step, the three-pointer swished through the net.
Perhaps the rules allowed it, or perhaps Kayce's movement was too fast, and the referee couldn't see if it was a violation. No whistle blew, and the basket counted.
Kayce, smiling after making the three-pointer, waved to Kevin Durant, signaling him not to forget the $500 bet after the game.
"Shit! I really felt that was a travel, but the referee didn't call it!"
Kevin Durant cursed with a laugh. The league's new rules really confused him a bit.
The live audience at Barclays Center was thoroughly enjoying the game; the fast-paced match was an offensive battle, especially from the Thunder, who showcased an endless array of fancy plays. It was money well spent!
By halftime, the score was 68-54, and the Thunder still had a comfortable lead, easily controlling the game's tempo.
After the third quarter began, the starting lineups for both teams only played for a little over six minutes before gradually being substituted out.
After Kayce got 20+10, he started chilling in the corner. There was no need to rack up too many points; he gave the opportunities to Jeff Green and Kostić, a bonus game for everyone to score.
For the rest of the time, all the substitute players from both teams entered the game. Neither team played defense, and it was an offensive back-and-forth. Finally, the game ended 105-90, with the Thunder easily defeating the Nets on the road.
After the game, Kayce found Yi Jianlian again to have a private chat:
"Don't rush to chase stats; adjust your physical condition, Yi Jianlian. In the future, shoot fewer long two-pointers. My trainer, Tony, will be in New York soon. You can contact him then, and he will help you develop a detailed training plan."
"Don't worry, it's all losses anyway, I'm used to it. Health is most important. Keep it up, and you also take care of yourself, dunk less. Getting injured isn't worth it."
Yi Jianlian suffered a fractured finger from an alley-oop dunk last season, which sidelined him for a long time. Because of this, he now has a bit of a psychological shadow when it comes to dunking.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful!"
The two continued their private conversation for a while before finally exchanging hugs and departing the arena.
In the Thunder's locker room after the game, everyone was chatting casually. Everyone had enjoyed racking up stats in this game; Durant got another 30+, and Russell also had 20+5+5. Everyone was very satisfied to have such an easy game on a back-to-back.
"It's time to cash in on the promise, haha, Kevin, don't forget your $500!"
Kayce returned to the locker room with a strange laugh and immediately started collecting his debt.
"Shit! I'm going to complain, the referees are blind! What a shitty rule, it's all James's fault!"
...
This back-to-back game held no pressure for the Thunder. The Nets were a given, and the Washington Wizards were also slowly declining this season.
Their current record is 10 wins and 19 losses, placing them tenth in the Western Conference. Arenas is not living up to his former glory, consistently inefficiently chasing points, and recently they've suffered a four-game losing streak. Washington Wizards fans are completely disappointed; if they continue like this, the Playoffs are out of reach.
After the Thunder arrived in Washington in the morning, they had a simple lunch, and in the afternoon, they only did some recovery training. Coach Brooks believed there wasn't much pressure for this game, and the players had enough energy, so their regular playstyle would be sufficient to handle the game.
"Hey, Bro, I heard a big secret. God, you guys promise you won't spread this around."
During a break, Jeff Green said mysteriously in a low voice.
"What could it be? Did Arenas request a trade? Or did the Washington Wizards' locker room have another internal conflict?"
Durant replenished his water and asked casually.
"This is definitely explosive news. My friend told me Arenas slept with Nick Young's girlfriend!"
Jeff Green said with a gossipy expression.
"What?? Slept with a teammate's woman? Impossible, that's too low-class."
Russell was instantly dumbfounded by this news. Isn't it awkward for something like that to happen between teammates?
"The funniest part is, after Arenas slept with her, he even specifically told Nick Young. Seriously, I was a bit stunned when I heard this news too."
Jeff Green's expression was strange at this moment; he was very sure about this matter.
"Cough, cough… What kind of bizarre behavior is this?!"
Kayce almost choked on water when he heard this gossip and immediately complained. Arenas was practically dunking a green hat on Nick Young's head with one arm, he'd gone crazy.
"Maybe we'll win this game easily. The Washington Wizards' locker room really opened my eyes!"
Durant also said with a strange expression.
The attendance at the MCI Center tonight was not high. The Washington Wizards' recent losing streak had severely damaged morale, and with Arenas in poor form, often inefficiently chasing points, many fans chose not to come to the arena to support the team.
However, quite a few Chinese fans came, all wearing Thunder's #10 jerseys, cheering for Kayce.
During the pre-game warm-up, Kayce noticed that the Washington Wizards' side was still amicable. Rookies Nick Young and JaVale McGee were still standing like minions, silently handing water to the veterans.
"Maybe the news you heard is all fake. The team leader sleeping with his subordinate's girlfriend, that's too outrageous!"
Kayce whispered a complaint to Jeff Green beside him.
"You don't understand, Kayce. If Nick Young truly doesn't care, it's no big deal. After all, there are girls everywhere. Give a few to Arenas, butter up the boss, and maybe he'll get more playing time."
"..."
The referee signaled both players to come to the center court. Kostić and Haywood stood in the center circle, ready for the jump ball.
Coach Flip Saunders was very well prepared for this game, with one big and four small players, and all four perimeter players capable of handling the ball. He decided to engage the Thunder in an offensive battle this game. Jamison was in good form recently, and he wanted to end the team's four-game losing streak.
Jeff Green immediately raised his hand, signaling it was his fault. He hadn't expected the Washington Wizards' offense to start so quickly.
The Thunder quickly inbounded the ball. After Russell dribbled past half-court, he first did a hand-off with Durant. Feeling Caron Butler's tight defense, Durant didn't force an attack and passed the ball back to Kayce, who had come off a screen.
Arenas was very active in his trailing defense this time. Seeing Kayce receive the ball, he immediately lowered his center of gravity, his eyes fixed on Kayce.
Seeing Arenas's fierce gaze, Kayce felt a bit speechless. Eye defense was useless. After a triple threat, he dropped the ball with his left hand, combining fast and slow, continuously dribbling between his legs twice and then a cross-over. Arenas was faked out and involuntarily shuffled back a step.
Seeing his opponent move, Kayce accelerated directly with the ball in his right hand, easily securing half a step. While in motion, he suddenly turned and gathered the ball, then made a left-handed layup in the paint.
After scoring, Kayce smiled at Arenas, then immediately returned to defense, while secretly complaining in his mind:
"Has Fisher's eye-defense technique already spread? Too bad Arenas didn't learn the essence; he should have added the action of rolling up his shorts."