On the other side of the ocean, Sina Sports once again secured the broadcasting rights for today's Thunder game. However, a massive influx of fans in a short period caused the server to crash for a while.
The commentators today were still Ke Xiaofan and Ma Jian. Hearing the prompt from the director's team, Ke Xiaofan reluctantly explained.
"Due to the large number of fans, the server was a bit overwhelmed, but don't worry, the issue has been resolved!
Let's get back to the game. Coach Ma, what are your thoughts on Kayce's performance in these two games?"
Ma Jian was practically a Kayce superfan and immediately began to speak eloquently:
"I personally feel that Kayce hasn't fully utilized his potential. His main job right now is to connect the team's offense, and he doesn't attack much himself, but he absolutely has that ability.
At the same time, I also read reports from his counterparts in America. Some of what they said was exaggerated, but there's also some truth to it. Kayce is indeed a genius player."
"That's true, I also read the reports from ESPN, which were almost entirely complimentary. Fans who are interested can check out our translated posts!"
Ke Xiaofan was too embarrassed to mention the specific content of the posts in the studio, as the praise was truly excessive.
"The game is about to begin, let's look forward to the performance of both teams today!"
At the Ford Center, the live DJ started shouting and screaming, introducing the home team players. When Kayce entered, the fans in the arena erupted in huge cheers.
However, Kayce only smiled and exchanged fist bumps with his teammates. A leader must have a calm demeanor!
The Portland Trail Blazers' starting lineup was all on the court today. Oden's health was good at the moment, as the regular season had only just begun with two games.
Both teams were in the Western Conference Northwest Division, so the competition would be particularly fierce. This concerned the Northwest Division championship, and a championship meant money, and no one would turn down money.
The game was about to start, and both teams' players began their final warm-ups. Kayce noticed that Coach McMillan of the Portland Trail Blazers was constantly communicating with Webster.
It seemed that in today's game, the opponent would once again focus their defense on Durant.
In the Sina studio, host Ke Xiaofan was introducing the starting players for both sides:
"For the Thunder, the backcourt consists of Russell Westbrook and Thabo Sefolosha, the frontcourt is Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, and the center is Nenad Krstić."
"For the Portland Trail Blazers, the backcourt is Steve Blake partnering with Brandon Roy, the frontcourt is Martell Webster and LaMarcus Aldridge, and the center is Greg Oden."
"I believe everyone is very familiar with the starting lineups for both sides. Kayce is still coming off the bench today."
"The Portland Trail Blazers have a huge advantage in the paint. Let's see what kind of defensive strategy the Thunder will adopt in this game!"
Ma Jian was very optimistic about the Portland Trail Blazers' interior, as the combination of Oden and Aldridge looked stronger, and Roy also provided an outside threat, making them strong both inside and out.
"The game begins! Oden successfully tipped the ball to the Portland Trail Blazers for the first possession. His jumping ability is indeed excellent!"
Ke Xiaofan immediately began to commentate on the game.
The Portland Trail Blazers' offense was very targeted. Under Blake's organization, Roy successfully came off a screen to receive the ball, but he immediately passed it to Aldridge in the low post.
Facing Jeff Green's defense, Aldridge had an advantage in both height and weight. After two strong post-ups, he held the ball in his right hand and directly executed a turnaround jump shot.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot went in cleanly. This was Aldridge's signature offensive move.
Jeff Green's strong defense had little effect; the opponent's release point was too high, making it almost impossible to interfere.
Coach Brooks saw the Portland Trail Blazers' first possession and knew that this game would be difficult. The opponent had completely grasped the Thunder's weakness.
In this era dominated by big men, Jeff Green playing at the power forward position was a disadvantage.
The Thunder's offense was still initiated by Russell and Durant. After continuous handoffs on the perimeter, Durant dribbled with his left hand and accelerated to drive.
Webster was conceding Durant's left hand. As soon as he drove, Oden's help defense would immediately come over. Durant felt the opponent's defensive rotation and opted for a pull-up jump shot.
"Clank!" It was a miss. Webster's physicality was still having some effect.
After securing the rebound, the Portland Trail Blazers were in no hurry. After crossing half-court, they made a series of passes, then gave the ball to Aldridge in the low post again. The latter received the ball, posted up, and then executed another turnaround jump shot.
"Swish!" The ball went cleanly through the net.
"The Portland Trail Blazers have indeed targeted Jeff Green. The Thunder's defensive strategy needs to be adjusted."
Ma Jian, seeing the Portland Trail Blazers initiate their first two possessions in the paint, couldn't help but say a word for the Thunder.
After Russell dribbled the ball past half-court, he noticed that Webster was sticking tightly to Durant, so he directly called for a pick-and-roll.
Kostić set a high-quality screen. Russell immediately accelerated, shaking off Blake's defense.
Seeing that Aldridge didn't step up, he immediately pulled up for a mid-range jump shot.
"Swish!" The two points went in.
The pace of the game was completely controlled by the Portland Trail Blazers. After Aldridge got going, the Portland Trail Blazers combined inside and outside play. Blake and Roy consecutively made shots, and Oden also got easy scores.
The Thunder's offense was struggling. Although Russell made a shot, the Portland Trail Blazers were defending his drives, preventing him from getting the whole team involved, while also frequently making physical contact with Durant.
After more than 6 minutes of play, the Thunder had only scored 10 points, trailing the Portland Trail Blazers by 6 points. Durant was currently 1-for-4, and the opponent's defense was very successful.
When the Portland Trail Blazers went to the free-throw line again, Coach Brooks subbed in Kayce. Thabo Sefolosha's defense and catch-and-shoot were fine, but his offensive contribution was limited, so he had to be taken out.
"Kayce, speed up the offense. We need to run as much as possible. If there's an opportunity, take the shot decisively!" Coach Brooks instructed Kayce.
"No problem, Coach!"
Kayce had also seen it clearly from the bench: the opponent was using a half-court offense to wear down the team. He had to change that situation.
Durant also breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Kayce enter the game. To be honest, he wasn't very good at organizing the offense, and the team's offensive struggles were partly due to his lack of contribution in that area.
After entering the game, Kayce signaled an offensive play to his teammates. This was a Thunder handoff play, with Jeff Green and Kostić both moving to the high post to set screens, opening up space on the court.
After crossing half-court, Russell, Kayce, and Durant frequently passed the ball. This time, after Kayce received a handoff pass from Kostić, he held the ball in his right hand and accelerated, shaking off Roy's defense.
At this point, Kostić rolled to the basket, drawing Oden's defensive attention. Kayce immediately took a jump shot from near the free-throw line.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot went in.
"A beautiful mid-range shot! After Kayce entered the game, the Thunder's offense changed. This continuous handoff passing wasn't seen before."
Ke Xiaofan took the opportunity to praise Kayce again.
The Portland Trail Blazers' offense also encountered some problems. Roy was severely limited by Kayce's defense, making it difficult for him to receive the ball.
Although Blake eventually scored 2 points with a mid-range shot after a pick-and-roll, the team's offensive rhythm was disrupted.
After Russell dribbled past half-court, Kayce signaled that he would be the primary attacker this possession. In terms of matchup, Blake simply couldn't guard him. After a pick-and-roll, Aldridge quickly followed up on defense, using his height to cover Russell.
Seeing no opportunity, he immediately passed to Jeff Green in the corner. The latter, without stopping the ball, immediately passed to Kayce beyond the three-point line. After receiving the ball, Kayce made a quick step to drive.
Roy stuck tightly to Kayce. Feeling the opponent's defense, Kayce suddenly pulled the ball back between his legs with his right hand, then quickly spun to his left, stopping and starting abruptly, completely breaking through Roy's defense.
Seeing Oden come out, he immediately threw a high lob pass, which slipped past the opponent's fingertips, and Kostić took off behind him.
"Slam!" The alley-oop dunk was successful.
"Whoa!!!"
The crowd cheered excitedly. Earlier, the team's offense was stagnant, and everyone's mood was low. This alley-oop was the first time the Ford Center crowd's enthusiasm was ignited.
"What a great play! A beautiful drive and a brilliant pass. This ability to distribute the ball is truly amazing."
Ma Jian couldn't help but enter his Kayce-praising mode.
The offensive pace on the court clearly sped up significantly. Roy, frustrated by Kayce's defense, missed two shots in a row. For the Thunder, Jeff Green continuously fired from the perimeter, successfully narrowing the deficit.
With just over 2 minutes left in the first quarter, McMillan called a timeout. He wanted to make substitutions and let Roy rest, as his offense had become noticeably rushed for a while.
Joel Przybilla and Rudy Fernández entered the game. The former could maintain height on the court, while the latter was an outside scoring threat.
The Thunder, on the other hand, brought in Ibaka, completely accelerating the pace and further speeding up their offense.
Kayce saw the opponent's lineup and knew an opportunity had arrived. Oden's athleticism gave him a large defensive range, but the big man who came off the bench couldn't do the same.
After entering the game, Kayce reminded his teammates, "Play 5, Play 5!"
On defense, Ibaka began to guard Aldridge. Although Aldridge had a size advantage, Ibaka's jumping ability also interfered with him.
"Clank!"
Durant fought hard to secure the rebound and immediately found Kayce. As he accelerated with the dribble, he noticed that Russell was already close to the opponent's three-point line.
He immediately sent a long pass across half-court. Russell understood, took off directly, caught the ball with both hands, and slammed it into the basket.
"Slam!" A half-court alley-oop dunk was successful.
"Ah!!!"
The crowd roared wildly. This play was too spectacular! A Thunder-like offense, so fast!
Once a young team gains momentum, everything goes smoothly. They played with extra effort on defense, forcing the Portland Trail Blazers to miss consecutive shots.
In the next few offensive possessions, Durant also regained his touch, making two consecutive shots to tie the score.
On the last possession of the first quarter, with 15 seconds left on the shot clock, Russell drove after a pick-and-roll and dished the ball to Durant. The latter, without stopping the ball, immediately passed it to Kayce in the corner.
With a subtle fake, he sent the rushing Rudy Fernández flying, then accelerated along the baseline. Joel Przybilla in the paint was a step slow in his movement.
Kayce jumped with both feet, pulled his arm back, and tensed his body, like a fully drawn bow.
Facing the defense, he unleashed a powerful one-handed tomahawk dunk!
"Slam!" The ball was violently slammed into the basket.
"Ah!! Ah!!"
The crowd roared wildly. The bench's atmosphere crew immediately rushed over, slapping Kayce, and towels were thrown all over the floor.
Kayce had directly rider-dunked over the 216cm center!
Although Kayce appeared calm on the superficial, he was secretly thrilled inside:
"You have to dunk over big centers. You even get badge experience after dunking. This is a huge win!"
With this dunk, the first quarter ended, 27 to 25, with the Thunder taking a 2-point lead.