In this era, Howard, as a player who could be traded one-for-one with James, was undeniably skilled. Seeing Kayce deliver an early blow, he had to retaliate.
The Magic's offense was swift. Seeing Howard post up in the low block, they immediately lobbed the ball to him. While Howard struggled against centers like Yao Ming, Kostić was a different story.
He immediately backed down with two powerful bumps. After creating space, Howard exploded upwards and slammed the ball down with one hand!
"Bang!" Kostić was left speechless by the dunk.
"Whoa! I like dunks too, buddy!"
Howard, after his successful dunk, trash-talked Kayce with a smile while slowly retreating on defense.
Kayce chuckled at the situation. If this were Kobe, he would at most give you a cold stare; a boss wouldn't be all smiles while trash-talking a rookie.
"I have to praise Howard; this guy is simply a superman. His vertical quickness is truly incredible!"
Commentator Twin, despite having seen many dunks, was still awestruck by this one.
After Russell brought the ball across half-court, he saw Jameer Nelson guarding him. He didn't choose to attack directly; even though Nelson was a head shorter, the first possession still required a tactical play.
Kayce came over to receive a hand-off from Russell, while also signaling Kostić to come up and set a screen. After quickly passing the ball to the screening Kostić, Kayce sank to the corner.
Durant came off an off-ball screen to receive the ball. Kostić's screen quality was excellent, which caused Matt Barnes' defense to be a step slow. Howard was still lurking in the paint, protecting the rim.
But for Durant, such a defense was a gift. After the screen, he took one dribble, pulled up for a jump shot, and released the ball.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot went in easily.
Matt Barnes' defense was actually in position, but Durant was more than a head taller than him. His extremely high release point negated the opponent's defense.
This was the game strategy formulated by the Thunder coaching staff before the game: resolutely attack with mid-range shots after pick-and-rolls, and reduce attacks on the rim, as Howard's rim protection and help defense were too strong.
In last season's NBA Finals, Howard set a new block record with 9 blocks in a single game. Stubbornly attacking the rim would surely result in a block.
Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy saw through the Thunder's offensive strategy, but he wasn't too worried yet. After all, Howard had an absolute advantage inside. If you can't score, but I can, the lead will open up soon.
After Jameer Nelson brought the ball across half-court, he ran a pick-and-roll with Brandon Bass. However, Jeff Green's athleticism didn't put him at a disadvantage; he constantly used his body to cover Nelson.
Seeing JJ Redick continuously running off-ball without being able to shake off Kayce's defense, Nelson reluctantly made another bounce pass to Howard in the low post.
After receiving the ball, Howard first executed a stiff triple threat, then quickly backed down twice, and scored with a fadeaway hook shot.
Howard was also a bit puzzled. Why were the Thunder playing only single coverage? Scoring felt too easy...
Kayce quickly brought the ball across half-court and signaled a play to his teammates. At this moment, Jeff Green and Kostić both came up to the top of the key. Kayce quickly passed the ball to Jeff Green.
Russell immediately came over for a hand-off. After a fake screen, Jeff Green quickly created space. Jameer Nelson was chasing tightly, constantly using his body to create contact.
But Russell was too strong; such contact had no effect on him. He accelerated in a straight line, and just past the free-throw line, he suddenly pulled up for a jump shot.
"Swish!" Another mid-range shot went in.
Howard suddenly had a familiar feeling, as if he was back in the NBA Finals, when Kobe tore apart their backcourt.
"Guys, pay attention to defense. Try to funnel them inside, and I'll take care of the rest!"
Howard couldn't help but call out to his teammates to focus on perimeter defense.
The Magic's offense was still struggling to get going. JJ Redick never had a good opportunity.
Kayce's relentless chase-down defense was effective, and coupled with Russell's pressure on Jameer Nelson, the ball movement was slow.
This possession was nearing the 24-second mark. After receiving the ball off a pick-and-roll, Brandon Bass faced Jeff Green's defense and pulled up for a mid-range shot.
"Clank!" It clanked off the rim.
But Howard, snatching the rebound over his head, grabbed the offensive board and, on his second jump, put the ball in.
Kayce couldn't help but marvel at Howard's second-jump quickness. His physical gifts were truly exceptional.
Russell brought the ball across half-court and passed it to Kayce. Kostić came up to set a screen. JJ Redick immediately squeezed through, constantly disrupting Kayce's dribble. Kayce noticed Howard's defensive positioning was a bit advanced this time.
While moving, Kayce suddenly made a behind-the-back bounce pass with his right hand. The ball swiftly passed between JJ Redick and Howard, accurately delivered into Kostić's hands.
The latter received the ball, took off, and slammed it down with both hands!
"Bang!" Kostić also let out a big sigh of relief, as the defensive pressure on him was quite high.
"Beautiful pass! Kayce tore open Howard's defense with his exquisite assist! God! How did that pass get through? That was amazing!"
This play left the home commentator Twin stunned; he repeatedly exclaimed and praised it.
"Wow!"
The slow-motion replay of Kayce's pass was shown on the big screen, and the Ford Center audience also gasped in amazement.
Kayce retreated on defense with a calm expression. He couldn't pull off fancy moves against Kobe's defense, as Kobe was a First Team All-Defense player. In comparison, JJ Redick was several tiers below.
The badge bonuses of [Dime Time] and [Bullet Passer] made Kayce's passes incredibly penetrating.
Feeling embarrassed, Howard again posted up in the low block on the offensive possession. It was still his three-move arsenal: backing down the defender, then scoring with a jump hook.
After Russell brought the ball across half-court, Kostić set a screen. After the screen, Russell accelerated with a right-hand dribble, driving towards the paint, plowing inside with Jameer Nelson on his back. Howard, seeing this situation, immediately perked up and rushed over to help defend.
But Russell was waiting for this moment. He faked a shot and made a true pass to Kostić. Howard quickly jumped to contest, but Kostić used a change of pace, faking out the defense, and laid the ball in at the rim.
Head Coach Van Gundy frowned from the sideline, constantly shouting instructions to his players. He was very dissatisfied with the perimeter defense.
The Magic's offense this time ran a high-low play. Brandon Bass came up to the free-throw line area to facilitate, passing the ball to Howard in the low post. Jeff Green couldn't resist and tried to steal the ball.
But with that movement, the Magic's ball started to rotate, from inside to out. Finally, Matt Barnes drove past Durant, took one dribble, and hit a mid-range jump shot.
Jeff Green immediately raised his hand, signaling it was his mistake. Kostić also loudly said from the side:
"No need to help defend, guys, no need to help defend!"
"Kayce, speed up the game! We need to play faster! Aggression! Aggression!" Coach Brooks also instructed Kayce from the sideline.
Kayce quickly brought the ball across half-court and immediately shouted, "Number 5! Number 5!" while making a tactical hand gesture.
On this offensive possession, Kayce, Russell, and Durant continuously executed quick hand-offs at the top of the key. The Magic were forced to switch defenders.
As a result, Durant, facing JJ Redick's defense, accelerated with his right-hand dribble, suddenly pulled back, and released a pull-up jump shot.
"Swish!" The two-point shot went in easily.
From this possession onwards, the Thunder's offense picked up pace. Durant and Russell frequently used screens for mid-range jump shots, and Kayce also started using his driving ability to set up teammates for easy scores.
The strategy of switching on screens was useless against Kayce. Facing Brandon Bass's defense, he used a crossover dribble, then quickly pulled back to shift the defender's weight, followed by a wide behind-the-back dribble, feigning a drive.
Brandon Bass immediately stepped forward, wanting to initiate physical contact with Kayce, but in that instant, Kayce smoothly executed a quick spin with his left hand, then accelerated directly with his right-hand dribble.
Brandon Bass was faked out and stumbled, only able to watch Kayce break through his defense. Seeing Howard come over for help defense, Matt Barnes was also drawn in by him.
While moving, Kayce suddenly made a behind-the-back pass with his right hand, directly to Jeff Green in the corner. The latter received the ball and shot a three-pointer from beyond the arc.
"Swish!" The open three-pointer found nothing but net.
"Beautiful drive, spectacular assist! Jeff Green didn't waste this opportunity. I believe this shot will definitely be a candidate for today's best play!"
Commentator Twin exclaimed loudly. Unbeknownst to him, he had already entered "Kayce praise mode."
In the first quarter, Kayce would try to set up his teammates as much as possible, as shooting touch isn't something that just appears. He would only unleash his scoring in the second quarter, as the bench needed his firepower.
The game progressed to over 5 minutes. After the Thunder accelerated their offensive pace, they launched an attack run, leading 16-12, a 4-point advantage. The Magic's offense was exceptionally stagnant, and they consistently lacked good opportunities from the perimeter.
Van Gundy couldn't stand the team's perimeter defense anymore and called a timeout. He had to take out JJ Redick. Unable to score or defend, it was a disastrous performance.
Returning from the timeout, the Magic substituted Michael Pietrus for JJ Redick. At least in terms of size, Pietrus wasn't at a disadvantage. Van Gundy hoped he could limit Kayce's performance.
However, this substitution still didn't help, because Kayce wasn't the only ball-handler on the court. Russell, relying on his own ability, easily tore apart the defense, and his drive-and-kick game was also flourishing.
On the perimeter, Jeff Green, Durant, and Kayce all had three-point shots. Jameer Nelson simply couldn't contain Russell.
This possession was a Russell drive, followed by continuous quick ball movement on the perimeter. Kayce received the ball, made a pump fake, got Pietrus to jump, and then quickly stepped back for a three-pointer from beyond the arc.
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in cleanly.
"Ah!!! Ah!!!"
The live audience also cheered enthusiastically for Kayce, unable to believe they were suppressing last year's runner-up like this!
Howard grew increasingly frustrated. He hated the Thunder's hand-off screen tactics at the top of the key, which put him in a dilemma defensively.
What made him even more speechless was the team's perimeter defense, which was like paper, easily torn apart. Coupled with Durant and Russell's frequent mid-range jump shots, his rim protection advantage couldn't be fully utilized.
Head Coach Van Gundy was completely speechless. If he had even one reliable point guard, he would absolutely sub out Jameer Nelson.
The game continued for another 3 minutes. The Magic grew more and more frustrated, especially after Kayce's consecutive successful drives to set up Kostić. Howard was nearly driven to death by his team's perimeter defense!
Coach Brooks, seeing the time was almost up, directly substituted Kayce and Kostić, bringing in Thabo Sefolosha and I Tang Thomas. He was currently very satisfied with the team's performance.
Kayce finished the first quarter with 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists, with no turnovers, perfectly completing the task assigned by the Head Coach.
After being substituted, Kayce sat on the bench and took a sip of water. Seeing Howard on the court, who had lost his smile, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart:
"No matter how strong your rim protection is, you can't withstand frequent defensive breakdowns from your perimeter teammates. Howard, after all, isn't a true superman."