With a score of 110 to 98, the Thunder secured their first win of the preseason.
After the game, the Ford Center erupted into a sea of jubilation. Last year's performance was so bad, wins were hard to come by, and the fans had been holding it in.
Players from both sides greeted each other; after all, they're all in the same business, and on the surface, everyone's a brother. Kayce looked around but didn't see Matthews. It seemed he had truly been broken by Kayce.
"Good job, Bro, you're definitely going to be Rookie of the Year!" Deron came over to hug and greet Kayce.
"Did you also see the TNT report? How idle are those guys? But I really do want that award, so go easy on me next season," Kayce replied to Deron in a teasing tone, without false modesty.
"Haha, come to Salt Lake City, and I'll treat you. I guarantee a good time!" Deron laughed and responded.
Kayce currently has a bit of fame in America, having won MOP in the NCAA and released a popular single.
Plus, TNT has been teasing him a lot lately, and that Chinese interview was translated.
The young fans on the sidelines kept shouting Kayce's name, with the female fans being the loudest. He had no choice but to go over and greet them. After all, fans who pay for tickets need to be treated well, and a fanbase needs to be maintained.
But Kayce still underestimated the enthusiasm of the Oklahoma City female fans.
They were passing notes, pulling his arm, and some even tried to pounce on him for a photo. The children couldn't push past these adult fans and could only stand on the outermost perimeter.
Fortunately, the team's security personnel saw that the situation was getting out of hand and pulled Kayce back into the player tunnel.
"Thank you so much, guys! Any later, and I feel like my shorts would have been ripped off!" Kayce quickly thanked the security personnel.
"Oklahoma City fans are indeed very enthusiastic, but mostly, you really play cool. Keep it up, Bro, I'm rooting for you to win Rookie of the Year next season!" The security guard patted Kayce's shoulder in support.
In the Thunder locker room, Durant was a bit envious. Ever since he moved to Oklahoma City, the female fans there had never been so enthusiastic about him, and ever since he started using Twitter, haters always provoked him.
"Russell, why aren't we as popular as Kayce? He just joined the team, look at those female fans. Last year, there was nothing like this."
Durant had 9-of-18 shooting, 2-of-4 from three, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line for 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 turnovers. Although he scored the team's highest points, he was clearly not the most popular.
"It was the same at UCLA. When Kayce first joined the team, the cheerleaders loved to flock around him. But I don't think it has anything to do with team performance; they simply judge by looks."
Russell was already used to this scene. He met Nina thanks to Kayce's party. In this game, he shot 6-of-10, 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, for 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 turnover.
"I think this is a good thing. After all, we definitely won't be short on hot girls for parties in the future. I love the parties Kayce organizes!"
Jeff Green loved this kind of thing. He welcomed hot girls with open arms. He played very comfortably in this game, shooting 6-of-13, 3-of-7 from three, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line for 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
"Party? Are we having a party? I'm not very familiar with Oklahoma City yet; I don't have any hot girl resources here." Kayce heard everyone's discussion as soon as he entered the locker room and seamlessly joined the conversation.
He came off the bench in this game, playing 20 minutes. His idle time in the fourth quarter was a bit long. Overall, he shot 7-of-12, 2-of-4 from three, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line for 18 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and no turnovers.
Upon hearing about girls, the other teammates immediately perked up and began sharing their favorite spots, and the locker room atmosphere instantly became lively as everyone joined the discussion.
This situation gradually subsided only when Coach Brooks entered the locker room.
"Alright, boys, there's another training session tomorrow, after which we'll be heading to Denver. Go home and get some good rest, and take care of yourselves!" Brooks was very pleased with the locker room atmosphere; unity leads to success.
As everyone took a quick shower and prepared to go home, Durant quickly pulled Kayce aside and whispered:
"Kayce, remember to tweet and @ me when you get home. We need to interact more in the future!" Durant noticed that whenever Kayce retweeted or liked his posts, his followers would surge.
"No problem, Bro. Believe me, your follower count will definitely surpass Kobe's," Kayce consoled Durant, who was obsessed with Twitter.
By the time Kayce drove home, it was almost 11 PM. He opened the refrigerator, took out the late-night snack nutritionist Wagner had left for him, and ate while editing his Twitter post.
"Oklahoma City fans are amazing! Thank you all for your support! Go Thunder! #ThunderFamily #RookieOfTheYear."
Kayce @-ed all his teammates and the Thunder's official account in this tweet. After thinking for a moment, he sent a separate one to Durant.
"A generational athlete, he's going to put on an incredible performance this season. Everyone should follow my brother @Durant, this guy is truly cool!"
Kayce looked at his phone with satisfaction. Comments started pouring in right after he posted the tweet. It seemed his agent Chapman really hadn't bought him followers, as most of them were active.
After taking a bath, Kayce lay directly on his big bed, messaging Anne and Britney to maintain their relationship, and looking forward to midnight. The experience for his achievement badges should increase a bit.
When Kayce entered the Dream Space, he immediately called up the control panel. Looking at the prompt on the holographic projection of the Achievement Room, Kayce breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, preseason games could earn experience; otherwise, this game would have been a huge loss.
He immediately entered the Achievement Room and first checked the experience status of his achievement badges. He found that the experience for most badges had increased, and the experience for [Ankle Breaker] had even reached 30/50, an increase of 5 points.
"I still need to show off! Is this encouraging me to play more flashy?" Kayce complained helplessly as he looked at the achievement badges in front of him.
This game generated a new bronze badge. Kayce gently touched it to view its attributes.
Achievement Badge [Bullet Passer]: 3/50
Enhances the player's quick passing ability.
Kayce felt he was one step closer to becoming a primary ball-handler. Now, all he lacked was badge levels. It seemed he would have to grind hard in subsequent games.
Leaving the Achievement Room, Kayce turned on some music and began his nightly routine training.