The moment CJ stepped onto the court—familiar yet strangely distant—the fans erupted in a deafening roar, welcoming back Sacramento's darling from last season.
Overwhelmed by the love pouring from the stands, CJ felt his emotions swell, his eyes even misting over.
"I'm finally back."
He whispered softly to himself, barely audible.
"What are you waiting for? Catch the ball!"
Posted in the corner, Gay saw the inbound pass seconds away from becoming a violation. Losing patience, he shouted a curse.
"Oh, oh!"
Snapping out of his daze, CJ snatched the pass and pushed it upcourt. As he crossed half-court and looked to hand it to Butler, he realized Butler had no intention of taking it.
"Go on, take it yourself!"
Butler barked, immediately stepping up to set a screen for CJ.
CJ gave him a grateful nod. Without hesitation, he used the screen and cut across to the weak side.
The defender rotated over to help, but Gay was already planted firmly in his way.
Swish!
CJ rose in rhythm and knocked down the wide-open jumper.
"Welcome back."
Jogging back on defense, Gay leaned in close and whispered, "We've all been waiting for you."
Those few words hit CJ hard.
The league was full of empty promises and fake smiles—so much could change in just a few months.
During his injury, CJ constantly feared being abandoned. After all, he'd only had one strong season. With so many young talents waiting, trading him while injured would've been perfectly reasonable.
But from the moment he went down, the team gave him only reassurance. Even Chen Yilun personally reached out, telling him to focus on recovery and promising that the trade window would be shut to give him confidence.
With that security, CJ threw himself into rehab. What doctors predicted would take five to six months, he completed in just over three.
"Nice shot!"
Butler even offered a rare word of praise as he ran back.
CJ glanced at Butler, finally feeling a weight lift from his chest.
In casual chats with teammates earlier, he hadn't thought much of this new team leader. Rumor had it Butler enjoyed bullying his teammates.
But now, CJ began to wonder if Butler wasn't as cold or ruthless as the whispers claimed.
"This game's getting tougher by the minute."
Coach Donovan frowned as he studied the action.
Durant had been worn down by the Kings' relentless rotation and sat on the bench gasping for breath, trying to recover.
For now, Westbrook was leading the Thunder, while the Kings kept nearly their full starting lineup on the floor. Only Booker and Jokić had subbed out, replaced by the equally troublesome CJ and Oden.
"How many guys did the Kings stockpile? They just keep coming!"
Donovan's frustration was understandable. The Kings had already built their strength around depth, and with CJ back, they were even more dangerous.
Meanwhile, Presti and Donovan were in the middle of a heated exchange. Presti sat cursing furiously, while Donovan, knowing he was partly at fault, scrambled to apologize.
"Unbelievable."
Chen Yilun smirked. "The GM and the coach are going at each other now?"
But it was only a small sideshow in the middle of the game.
On the court, CJ was on fire. After three months of bottled-up energy, every shot felt automatic.
His teammates kept feeding him, eager to help last season's primary scorer find his rhythm.
In just a few minutes, CJ had piled up nine points off constant feeds—and he wasn't slowing down.
"Timeout! Timeout!"
After finally calming Presti, Donovan quickly called for a timeout to break the Kings' momentum.
"Kevin, how's the rest?"
Durant wiped the sweat from his face with a towel. "I'm good. Ready anytime."
Coming out of the timeout, Donovan adjusted the defense. He pushed Durant up to the top of the key, using his long reach to choke off the Kings' passing lanes.
But Coach Malone wasn't idle. Seeing Durant about to return, he countered—bringing in Jokić and Porter.
He was ready to risk it all with a five-out lineup.
The moment Durant checked back in, the Thunder's efficiency spiked.
In today's league, no one matched Durant's ability to create his own shot. With him on the floor, he was an entire offensive system on his own.
Even when the Kings rotated bodies at him in waves, they couldn't completely shut him down.
But as Red Auerbach famously said: basketball is a five-man game.
Even someone as dominant as Durant couldn't survive the Kings' relentless pressure. Under Malone's deliberate plan, his stamina drained rapidly again after his return.
In the end, the Thunder couldn't keep up with the Kings' depth and fell in Sacramento.
When the final buzzer sounded, thunderous cheers shook the Kings' home arena.
Even though expectations were high, this fully-loaded Kings team still exceeded them.
By dismantling the Western Conference powerhouse Thunder, they gave their fans plenty to dream about.
"This is insane."
In the broadcast booth, Charles Barkley couldn't stop repeating himself. "The way the Kings are playing right now, I'm almost becoming a fan."
Beside him, Shaquille O'Neal was equally moved.
"They don't have a superstar, but this Kings team looks scarier than some so-called super teams. They're like an unstoppable war machine, steamrolling opponents and leaving nothing but despair."
"The Western Conference is going to be something else this year."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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