For first-round draft picks, the Summer League is basically just an appearance. After Curry made consecutive shots, he also sped up his ball distribution, allowing his teammates to participate in the offense.
Curry faced the Thunder's defender, executing continuous behind-the-back dribbles, then suddenly a crossover dribble, shaking off the defense and driving into the paint. A simple drive-and-kick found a teammate on the perimeter.
"Clang!" The shot clanked off the rim, and Kayce grabbed the long rebound, immediately initiating a fast break.
Seeing Kayce accelerate, the Thunder's role players quickly ran with him, forming a three-lane fast break. Kayce continued to accelerate past the three-point line, and the Warriors' defenders rushed to meet him.
He made a direct behind-the-back bounce pass, and a Thunder role player caught the ball for a one-handed dunk.
"Ah!" The teammate who successfully dunked was extremely excited, yelling loudly.
"Excellent pass! It seems the Thunder are going to have Kayce play point guard next season. Everyone can look forward to it!" The game was uneventful, and the live commentator had already started looking to the future.
The Warriors' offense slowly devolved into a "whoever gets the ball, shoots" rhythm. Mainly, Curry couldn't always monopolize the ball. He would drive to the basket with the ball, and if he had no options, he would pass it out.
Kayce was eyeing the passing lanes. He watched a small guard drive halfway, stop, and then was forced to throw the ball out. Seizing the opportunity, he directly stole the ball, leading a 1-on-0 fast break.
Kayce easily showcased a windmill dunk.
"Clang!" The ball slammed into the hoop, and Kayce calmly jogged back on defense.
"Ah!" A female fan in the front row, who had come to watch Kayce yesterday, was still present today, acting as part of the hype squad.
Curry looked at Kayce's dunk and couldn't help but show an envious gaze. He couldn't dunk like that; at most, he could manage a basic dunk. If he tried to spin around and then dunk, he would definitely fall flat.
The Thunder's Assistant Coach had been observing Kayce. He found that Brooks indeed had a unique eye. In America, there are plenty of players with good physical attributes, especially small guards; there are piles of them.
But Kayce was a player who played with his brain. His skills were comprehensive, his fundamentals were good, he could understand the coach's tactical intentions, and his execution was impeccable. No wonder Brooks kept emphasizing paying attention to Kayce's physical condition.
The Warriors immediately called a timeout. Random play like that on the court was unacceptable. If the game was decided in one quarter, the audience would definitely start complaining.
After the timeout, Curry began to hold the ball more, slowly orchestrating the team's offense. Basically, every offense initiated by him was successful. Kayce, meanwhile, completely entered "corner smoking" mode.
However, sometimes the ball finds you. When the Thunder's role players saw the shot clock about to expire, they directly passed the buck to Kayce. The leader is meant to take the blame; if he can't, he shouldn't be a leader!
After Kayce received the ball and executed a triple threat, he pulled up from beyond the three-point line and shot. At this point, shooting it was better than a turnover, and if it missed, he might even get a rebound.
"Swish!" It went straight through the net.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! A buzzer-beating contested shot! Kayce's hand is hot!" The commentator shouted loudly.
His teammates immediately cast admiring glances. This leader is good; he even got an assist. Next time, they'd let him take the blame again!
Kayce was also a bit speechless that the shot went in. Although the left side of the arc was his sweet spot, this shot was purely luck.
Perhaps this shot truly encouraged Kayce's teammates. With 3 minutes left in the first quarter, their defensive intensity noticeably increased, preventing the Warriors from scoring for a long time and forcing 2 turnovers.
With 40 seconds left in the first quarter, the Thunder led the Warriors 34-26, an 8-point lead.
Kayce still unhurriedly brought the ball across half-court, not opting for an early shot, but immediately passing the ball and settling into the corner. After setting several off-ball screens for his teammates, no great opportunities arose, as the Warriors' defense had also stepped up.
Seeing only 8 seconds left on the shot clock, Kayce quickly received the ball at the top of the arc. Facing his defender, he executed continuous crossover dribbles. A sudden acceleration with his left hand changed the defender's center of gravity. He immediately pulled back and took a step-back jump shot.
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in, and the live audience let out a gasp of surprise.
The Warriors quickly inbounded the ball from the baseline. Curry, with the ball, immediately accelerated, passing directly to a teammate in the frontcourt, then running towards the three-point line himself. After his teammate passed it back, he was still a step behind the three-point line, and he quickly shot.
"Swish!" It went in cleanly. This was Curry's rhythm; distance was not an issue.
"A long-range three-pointer! This is Curry's ability! The first quarter was very exciting. Let's look forward to how the rest of the game unfolds!" The live commentator painted a promising picture for the audience.
In the first quarter, the Thunder led the Warriors 37-29, an 8-point lead. Kayce was 5-for-5, scoring 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, very efficient.
Currently, his teammates liked playing with Kayce. He wasn't greedy for the ball and could take the blame; truly a good teammate!
"Kayce, you'll rest in the second quarter. Your playing time after that won't be much." The Assistant Coach routinely informed Kayce.
"Okay, Coach, no problem!" Kayce readily replied. Being part of the hype squad on the bench was quite good.
When the second quarter began, both sides made rotations. At this point, the game completely devolved into chaotic play. One person would drive, then another would. Whoever got the ball would attack; if it didn't work, they'd pass. The pace was very fast, though.
As it turned out, the Thunder's role players were better. After 5 minutes in the second quarter, the score difference widened to 15 points. The Assistant Coach looked at the situation on the court and immediately felt relieved; Kayce didn't need to play!
The live commentator was a bit helpless. The game was indeed a bit dull; the audience's emotions couldn't be stirred.
The Warriors also didn't put Curry back in, as the score difference was getting larger and larger. The second half completely became a time for stat-padding. In the end, the Thunder defeated the Golden State Warriors 118-90.
Curry's playing time was also a little over one quarter, scoring 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. Kayce could tell that Curry was a bit unhappy, as he still wanted to perform well in the game, but it ended up being a blowout.
"Come out tomorrow and hang out. Don't worry, we're not going to party hard, just a simple get-together." Kayce found Curry after the game and said.
"No problem, a little relaxation can make you feel better!" Curry gave Kayce a fist bump.
The Las Vegas Summer League had been going on for two days, and by this time, most of Kayce's "superficial brothers" had arrived.
"Wow! Look who's here! Is life in Los Angeles great?" Kayce saw Griffin, who was warming up in the training gym.
"Life in Los Angeles is good, but the Los Angeles Clippers are really not great. There wasn't even a welcome ceremony. Those old guys don't respect me at all!"
Griffin shrugged, indicating that he was just a nobody on the team.
"But you'll definitely have plenty of playing time next season. No one will compete with you!" Curry said, shooting hoops and feeling a bit envious.
"When are we going to party? I'm ready, guys!" Harden shouted as soon as he walked in.
Watching everyone look at Harden speechlessly, DeRozan next to him shook his head helplessly, silently thinking,
"Big-booty girls really are a huge detriment!"