Being able to play hard and compete during garbage time also requires skill, and Kayce happens to be quite good at this; with possession, he can grind!
After both teams put in their bench players, the intensity of the game began to drop.
The Denver Nuggets were mainly training Lawson, while the Thunder were letting Kayce gain some experience.
Both were rookies this year, so if not now, when else would they grind!
Kayce slowly dribbled the ball past half-court, signaling Ibaka for a pick-and-roll.
After the screen, he faced the Denver Nuggets' bench center, Johan Petro.
First, a crossover dribble made his opponent lose his defensive balance.
Then, a series of rapid in-and-out dribbles, holding the ball in his right hand, he accelerated past Petro, who was left like a wooden stake.
Facing Anderson, who came over to help defend, he twisted and turned in the air, easily laying the ball in.
"Wow!"
The live audience gasped.
From the dribble to the shot, the entire process was fluid, and the movements were exceptionally beautiful.
After scoring, Kayce remained calm, simply high-fiving Ibaka in celebration.
With Kayce's current physique, his Crossover moves were very wide-ranging, and combined with the refined ball-handling skills honed in the Dream Training Space, the visual appeal was maximized.
Durant, Russell, and Jeff Green were also wildly waving towels on the bench.
Although the team was losing by a large margin, they didn't care.
Lawson, seeing Kayce's impressive display, immediately got energized.
Facing Menor's defense, he simply used his speed to blow past him, a single in-and-out dribble shaking off the defense.
He drove in for a high lob, and Anderson, understanding perfectly, finished with an alley-oop dunk.
"Slam!"
After the dunk, he showily tugged on the rim, and the live audience immediately erupted with enthusiastic cheers.
"Amazing speed! Lawson will definitely have a good performance in his rookie season, and I expect him to win Rookie of the Year! I'll vote for Lawson for the All-Star Game."
The live commentator praised Lawson and then teased Kayce, as TNT's frequent stir-ups had become a minor hot topic recently.
Kayce then showed off his footwork again.
After a pick-and-roll, he faced Anderson's defense, accelerated to drive, then suddenly gathered the ball, performing a large half-turn, and Anderson immediately stuck close to him.
But Kayce quickly pulled back, faking a shot, which directly made his opponent jump.
Then, with an up-and-under move, he easily laid the ball in for 2 points.
"Beautiful footwork! Kayce completely shook off Anderson's defense, and I must commend that shot!"
The commentator exclaimed, and the live audience also let out a huge gasp of admiration, which made Anderson feel a bit embarrassed.
Kayce remained calm.
He was very experienced in playing against such athletic players.
Every night in the Dream Training Space, he would do 1-on-1 training, with Ibaka as his sparring partner.
"Russell, was Kayce's technique this good in college? Those footwork moves are so spectacular!"
Durant watched from the bench, constantly amazed.
Although he had noticed Kayce's excellent technique during training, being able to fully utilize it in a game was truly remarkable.
"Anyway, Kayce's technique was already very good when he first joined the team as a freshman.
Coach Ben even wanted him to play point guard back then, but we had too many guards."
Russell was not surprised by Kayce's performance.
Although he admired Kayce's basketball skills, he still preferred a more direct style of play.
Just accelerate past, drive in for a dunk; flashy moves were just a waste of energy.
In the remainder of the game, it was time for both teams' rookies to take turns showcasing their skills.
Kayce began to constantly deliver pinpoint passes to his teammates, while Lawson started attacking the rim with various moves.
The live audience watched with great enjoyment.
After all, watching basketball is about seeing flashy plays; not many truly like iron-blooded jump shots, as the entertainment value always falls short.
With 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Kayce seized an opportunity and directly stole Lawson's cross-court pass.
After getting the ball, he immediately accelerated towards the opponent's basket.
Facing Lawson's chase-down defense, he performed a behind-the-back dribble and a fancy layup to score.
After scoring, Kayce smiled at Lawson.
It seemed this guy had a bit of a grudge against him, constantly competing with him in this game.
During the NCAA finals, Lawson was targeted, and in this game, he was determined to defend Kayce, but unfortunately, he couldn't stop him; height was a major disadvantage.
Lawson looked at Kayce's handsome face, a surge of anger in his heart.
Coach Brooks proactively called a timeout.
He had to take Kayce out.
If he kept showing off like this and got injured, Coach Brooks would be heartbroken.
"Cool, Bro, you have to teach me that move.
I think your moves are even prettier than Ginobili's!" Russell watched from the sidelines, itching to try it.
"I think you're more suited for some Euro steps; I guarantee the effect will be very good," Kayce said while wiping sweat.
"I think some of the Denver Nuggets fans must be in love with you.
Look at those girls behind you, they've been screaming and shouting."
Durant was a bit envious again.
He also wanted to attract girls' attention with his basketball skills, but unfortunately, it never worked well, as he lacked a handsome face.
Besides money, most girls look at faces.
With Kayce being substituted out, both teams completely entered garbage time.
Finally, the Denver Nuggets easily defeated the Thunder 116 to 101.
Both teams' players also exchanged friendly greetings, showing that the opponent didn't consider the Thunder a serious threat.
Kayce also understood that the Denver Nuggets played in the Western Conference Finals last year, while the Thunder went fishing early last year; both teams were not on the same level to begin with.
In this game, Kayce, by playing hard and competing during garbage time, successfully racked up 25 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 turnover.
He shot 8-for-17 from the field, 3-for-7 from three-point range, and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Just looking at the stats, Kayce was the Thunder's MVP, as Durant shot 6-for-19 and Russell shot 4-for-17, clearly underperforming.
After the game, fans who didn't watch the game could give Kayce the highest praise!
The Thunder lost, but Kayce didn't!
Kayce was the real MVP, his teammates were CBA level!
If they watched the highlights, Kayce's performance would be even better—such a flashy style of play, such excellent passing!
What, garbage time? That's not important, being handsome is enough!
So, sometimes, statistics can be deceiving.
Upon returning to the hotel, Kayce went to bed early.
Tomorrow, he had to fly to Minnesota; there were still the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Portland Trail Blazers in the Northwest Division to play against.
At midnight, Kayce entered his Dream Training Space, called up the control panel, and looked at the prompt on the holographic projection of the Achievement Room, his heart filled with joy.
After entering the Achievement Room, he checked all the achievement badges.
Most of them had gained one or two points of experience, but only the Posterizer remained unchanged.
Kayce then looked at the newly appeared bronze badge, eagerly touching it to check its attributes.
Achievement Badge: Quick Stop Master: 3/50
Enhances the player's ability to start and stop with the ball.
Kayce was very satisfied.
Indeed, he had to grind stats and get ball possession; the more he grinded, the stronger he would become.
Once he upgraded all his badges to purple, he would be a superstar!
"I'm going to grind my way to superstardom!"
Kayce shouted dramatically in the Dream Training Space.