The Orlando Magic, who made it to the NBA Finals last year, were completely suppressed by the Thunder in the first quarter, which was unexpected by many fans present.
28 to 22, the Thunder led by 6 points in the first quarter. The score wasn't that important; what mattered was the performance on the court. Howard was like a caged tiger, unable to exert his strength.
"We must give a round of applause to Coach Brooks and the entire coaching staff. Their tactical arrangements for this game were very successful!"
Home commentator Twin knew that the Thunder's lead was largely due to their excellent tactical system.
During the break, Coach Brooks instructed Kayce:
"Kayce, play aggressively, seize opportunities in transition offense, and if you have a chance, shoot decisively."
"I understand, Coach." Kayce immediately nodded in agreement.
The Magic's coaching staff had naturally studied the Thunder's bench lineup, so at the start of the second quarter, they brought in defensive tough guy Matt Barnes to guard Kayce.
The Magic's bench lineup then featured Jason Williams and JJ Redick in the backcourt, Barnes and Michael Pietrus on the wings, and Marcin Gortat at center.
Although this lineup was at a disadvantage in terms of height, Van Gundy primarily aimed for offense. Gortat fought inside, while the four outside players all had three-pointers, creating excellent offensive spacing.
The Thunder remained the same, with Kayce and Thabo Sefolosha partnering in the backcourt, and I Tang Thomas, Ibaka, and Nick Collison on the wings.
As the second quarter began, Kayce leisurely dribbled past half-court. After glancing at the Magic's lineup, he immediately signaled to his teammates, and Collison came up to receive the ball.
Kayce used a teammate's screen to post up in the low block. Matt Barnes constantly engaged in physical confrontation with Kayce, trying to push him out and prevent him from posting up too deep.
But the Thunder's teamwork was seamless. As soon as Kayce got into position, Thabo Sefolosha directly lobbed the ball to Kayce.
After receiving the ball, he immediately executed a triple threat. Seeing that Matt Barnes in front of him wasn't fooled, Kayce quickly put the ball down, accelerated his breakthrough with his right hand, then suddenly pulled the ball back between his legs, simultaneously faking a gather.
This sudden stop made Matt Barnes instinctively step forward to defend. As a result, Kayce accelerated his breakthrough again with his left hand, successfully gaining half a step on his opponent, dribbled twice, and then made a quick stop and pulled up for a jump shot.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot found its mark steadily.
The offensive badges brought Kayce many bonuses. Control Master + Quick Stop Master were very effective for breaking through defenses.
Williams, who came off the bench, felt a bit disheartened seeing Kayce's performance. Are young people this good now?
White Chocolate was no longer as brave as he once was. After retiring for a year, he made a comeback and joined the Magic. He played well in the first few games, but he felt like this game was going to be a bust.
The Thunder played man-to-man defense. Kayce continued to chase JJ Redick, determined not to let the shooter find his rhythm.
However, the Magic's perimeter players were very quick on their feet. Williams set a screen and passed the ball, followed by continuous passing, and Matt Barnes hit a three-pointer from outside.
Van Gundy, watching from the sidelines, breathed a sigh of relief after the basket. If they didn't score soon, the deficit would be heading into double digits.
As soon as Kayce received the ball, Matt Barnes immediately came up to pester him, seemingly trying to catch Kayce by surprise.
But unfortunately, this tight defense had little effect on Kayce. After continuous physical confrontations, Matt Barnes found that Kayce's ball-handling remained incredibly steady.
After crossing half-court, seeing that his opponent was still maintaining tight defense, Kayce first protected the ball with his back to the defender, twisted his upper body to the right, and simultaneously faked with his left hand. Then, he quickly held the ball with his right hand, lowered his center of gravity, and directly accelerated.
Matt Barnes was faked out for a moment, then quickly adjusted his center of gravity, but Kayce dribbled between his legs again, then quickly pulled back, completely shaking off his opponent with a sudden stop and go.
A step-back fadeaway, directly from beyond the three-point line.
"Swish!" The three-pointer found its mark steadily.
"Oh!! Wow!!"
This lightning-fast crossover made the audience at Ford Center cheer wildly and roar with excitement.
Durant saw Matt Barnes defending so closely and knew Kayce would definitely get past him. After seeing this flashy crossover and score, he immediately shouted exaggeratedly from the bench.
He was a very effective hype man.
Van Gundy, watching from the sidelines, immediately felt that this game would be difficult. If their offense couldn't score again, this game would be completely lost.
Fortunately, in the following moments, the Magic's perimeter players continuously fired shots. Except for JJ Redick, who remained cold, everyone else scored.
Gortat constantly crashed the offensive boards, also limiting the Thunder's transition offense, but the score still couldn't be narrowed because Kayce was on fire.
Posting up in the low block, facing Barnes's defense, he directly turned around and scored with a fadeaway.
After a pick-and-roll, facing Pietrus's defense, he accelerated with his right hand and scored with a drifting fadeaway.
After continuous off-ball screens from teammates, Kayce received the ball and directly drove past JJ Redick, cutting from the baseline into the paint. Facing Gortat's block, he performed an aerial reverse layup to score.
Just over 3 minutes into the second quarter, Kayce had already scored 11 points, single-handedly stemming the Magic's perimeter counterattack. This flashy offensive performance ignited the enthusiasm of the live audience.
"Unbelievable, Kayce has completely shredded the Magic's defense. God, is this really a rookie?"
Commentator Twin was stunned by Kayce's performance. He was so strong that he exclaimed, "God!"
After continuous scores, Kayce remained calm. After all, it was expected to produce such an offense against the defense of these role players.
The badge bonuses were basically useless against superstar players, but against this level of defense, it was truly effortless and stress-free. After all, Kayce physically overpowered his opponents.
Van Gundy started roaring loudly on the sidelines again, signaling his teammates to intensify their defense.
After Gortat missed a layup, Ibaka grabbed the rebound and immediately passed it to Kayce. Just past half-court, Kayce noticed that the Magic had started to double-team him.
"Is it really necessary? This again? I'm still a rookie." Kayce reluctantly passed the ball.
After several passes, Collison scored under the basket. A double-team naturally comes with a price.
However, this was the Magic's strategy, and Matt Barnes and Gortat took turns trash-talking Kayce.
"Rookie, keep up your offensive show, keep up your fancy dribbling. Under our defense, you won't score another point!"
Matt Barnes chattered incessantly in Kayce's ear, and at the same time, when Gortat came up to set a screen, he directly knocked Kayce off balance.
"Boy, go home and drink your milk. This is a man's game. Put away your fancy dribbling moves."
Gortat also started causing trouble. After the referee blew the whistle for a foul, the guy was still yelling wildly.
Kayce looked helpless. A role player should have some self-awareness. What's the point of constantly trying to find validation from him?
After Matt Barnes drew a foul and went to the free-throw line, he smugly glanced at Kayce, then made 1 of 2 free throws, choking. This made Kayce laugh out loud.
"Buddy, you should really practice your free throws. Next time you show off, remember, two free throws made is even better!"
Kayce said to Matt Barnes, who was guarding him closely, while dribbling. The latter immediately became angry and intensified his physical confrontation.
This time, Kayce didn't call for a screen. After crossing half-court, he executed continuous behind-the-back dribbles, then suddenly, with the ball in his right hand, performed a crossover with a front-of-the-body change of direction. This large-amplitude change of direction directly shook off Matt Barnes, who was guarding him tightly.
After shaking off the defense, he accelerated in a straight line. Kayce's breakthrough was too fast. Gortat, who had just come over to help defend, wanted to jump up and block, but Kayce didn't shy away. He jumped with both feet, his body arching in the air, gathering strength.
Facing Gortat's defense, he delivered a powerful one-handed tomahawk dunk!
"Slam!"
Gortat was completely posterized by Kayce; the ball went in, and the man flew!
Kayce, after landing, didn't celebrate excessively. He just shook his head and shouted loudly:
"Soft!!!"
This single word caused the Magic to collectively break down. They rushed to surround Kayce, but the Thunder's teammates all came up, pushing their opponents away, and the two sides immediately began shoving each other.
The referee, seeing the situation was getting out of hand, quickly stepped forward to separate everyone.
The audience, witnessing Kayce's poster dunk, was already hyped up. Seeing the Magic still wanting to fight, they immediately became agitated and started cursing their opponents.
"God, Kayce posterized Gortat! This is definitely the best play of the day! Haha, it looks like the Magic are getting desperate. They're definitely going to lose this game."
Commentator Twin was completely ecstatic at this point, directly declaring the Thunder's victory.
When the game resumed, Matt Barnes and Gortat stopped talking, but the actions of both sides gradually intensified, and the referee's whistle sounded frequently.
Kayce was also not polite. Knowing that his opponent was in foul trouble, he directly drove to draw a foul and went to the free-throw line.
After making both free throws, Kayce looked at Matt Barnes with a smile, then playfully shrugged his shoulders and slowly retreated on defense.
Perhaps affected by Kayce, the Magic started missing shots repeatedly. The Thunder seized the opportunity, going on a 6-0 run in just over 2 minutes, extending the lead to 14 points.
Van Gundy called another timeout. He knew in his heart that this game was basically lost. Thinking about how Jameer Nelson would still be targeted when he came on, he almost just sat at the water cooler and conceded.
Kayce was also substituted out. His 15-point performance in a single quarter had Russell on the sidelines already boiling with excitement.
"Great job, Kayce! I've always said you should dunk more. Look at the audience, they love you!"
Russell yelled excitedly, and his teammates were already eager to get on the court and perform.
Kayce smiled and bumped fists with everyone, but secretly sighed in his heart, "I can't farm too much badge experience!"
"The game's outcome is decided. The second half is another three-quarter punch-out rhythm. This game is a bit of a loss!"