Victory can mask many problems, but as soon as you lose, these problems will erupt. At halftime, Howard no longer had a smile on his face, and his emotions were on the verge of exploding.
Playing an away game against a bottom-feeder team from last year, no one expected this to happen. Halftime score was 40 to 56, trailing the opponent by 16 points.
Especially after coming on in the second quarter, Howard couldn't get the ball and could only watch his teammates clang shots from the outside. Long rebounds would bounce out, leading to Thunder's frantic fast breaks.
Russell had Jameer Nelson's defense in tatters, but no one dared to speak up, as the locker room also respected seniority.
Although Jameer Nelson's forced return in last year's NBA Finals didn't go well, Howard and his teammates didn't blame him.
Head Coach Van Gundy saw the silent locker room and could only offer some motivational words. At this point, any talk of tactics was useless; it was good enough that the players weren't blaming each other!
"I really hope Vince Carter's arrival can solve the team's problems. I hope we haven't made a mistake with this trade."
Van Gundy could only pray silently in his heart.
In contrast, the Thunder's locker room was filled with laughter and smiles. Defeating a team that made it to the NBA Finals last season felt truly amazing!
"Alright guys, I have an announcement to make. I'm giving my beloved matching necklace to Kayce! His dunk was too cool!"
Jeff Green, in a fit of excitement, pulled out a large gold chain identical to the one he was wearing and hung it around Kayce's neck.
"Woah! Bro, I really like this necklace, but it's a bit too heavy. Next time, you might consider making it a bit thinner."
Kayce immediately felt his neck sink. Good heavens, wearing this thing every day would definitely strengthen his neck muscles.
"No, no, no, Kayce, gold chains, the thicker the better! I guarantee, wearing this necklace, all the girls at the club will fall in love with you!"
Jeff Green boasted about his glorious achievements while speaking.
Kayce saw everyone starting to brag and joke around again, and a slight smile appeared on his face. The taste of victory was indeed wonderful!
During halftime, the Ford Center audience was also very happy. Currently, their home record was undefeated, and today's game was pretty much secured. Although ticket prices had risen a bit, being able to watch such a game made it worthwhile!
The home commentator, Twin, began to complain about the NBA:
"The NBA really should increase the number of national broadcasts for the Thunder. Our boys are amazing; they deserve more attention!"
The NBA was actually already coordinating this. Broadcasting issues with China were also being discussed, as who would have thought that last season's 23-win tanking team would turn things around this season?
Fans in China also began to complain about the broadcasting situation. It was too difficult to watch Kayce's games; the resources they found were blurry and constantly buffering, offering no viewing experience.
"Brothers, I'm watching the game live in Oklahoma City today. Kayce is playing explosively! My throat is hoarse from cheering! I'll try to get an autograph after the game. Kayce is really too handsome!"
"Envious of those who can watch live. How's the atmosphere in Oklahoma City? There's no broadcast today, so I can only follow the text live stream on Hupu. It's so frustrating!"
"It's incredibly lively! Especially Kayce's poster dunk over Gortat, the arena just erupted! Everyone around me was screaming like crazy."
Currently, some international students and Chinese people have come to watch Kayce play live. Ticket prices for Thunder home games in Oklahoma City are not expensive, so coming to watch a game is like a trip.
Chinese fans have been frequently seeing Kayce in the top ten plays recently, but the more they watch the highlights, the more unsatisfied they feel, because there's nowhere to watch the games!
Currently, Kayce's fans can only post on various post-game news forums to get their fix.
"OP, if you get an autograph, remember to come back and post about it! In Zhang's interview video, Kayce was so handsome. This time, let's see what he's like in person!"
"Agreed, waiting for OP to post pictures after the game! No pictures, no truth!"
After the third quarter began, both teams brought back their starting lineups. When Kayce came on, he noticed that the Magic players were not very enthusiastic, and their offense was played casually.
A group of them watched Howard pound away inside, but no one was moving. The players all stood still. When Kayce saw this situation, he knew that this game pretty much had no suspense.
After Howard successfully scored with a strong drive, the Thunder quickly brought the ball across half-court, still running the high screen and continuous hand-off passes.
Durant, using Kostić's screen, took one dribble and immediately pulled up for a mid-range jump shot.
"Swish" 2 points easily went in.
Kayce observed that Howard's help defense wasn't coming either. Van Gundy sat on the sidelines watching the game. It seemed the Magic just wanted to go through the motions.
In the ensuing game, both sides' defense gradually disappeared. The scene was lively, but the point differential remained unchanged. Kayce also lost some interest, and once he relaxed, he started missing shots continuously.
Fortunately, this no longer affected the outcome of the game. With just over 3 minutes left in the third quarter, the Magic called a timeout and brought in their bench players. Subsequently, the Thunder also pulled their starters.
The fourth quarter also quickly ran out, and ultimately, the Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 110 to 82.
The Thunder's bench players, however, wouldn't relax. They showcased themselves to the fullest in their limited time.
So, sometimes a large margin of defeat isn't caused by the starting lineup. After all, bench players want stats, and no one talks about favors or relationships with them; stats are money.
Kayce finished this game with 8-of-12 shooting, 2-of-4 from three-point range, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, totaling 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. He was on track for a perfect shooting night, but relaxed in the third quarter and started missing.
Durant finished with 9-of-14 shooting, 1-of-2 from three-point range, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, totaling 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 turnover. Russell finished with 8-of-12 shooting and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, totaling 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 turnovers.
These two came out strong in the third quarter, making their stats look much better. Basically, for the Thunder, as long as Kayce, Russell, and Durant are shooting well, the game is easy. The Big Three is starting to take shape.
After the game, the home fans were very enthusiastic, all wanting to take pictures with their favorite stars. Kayce had the most people around him.
"Kayce, over here! Over here!" A group of white girls frantically shouted at Kayce.
"No need to rush, I'll sign everything before I leave, everyone, no need to rush!" Kayce saw several girls pushing and shoving and quickly reassured them.
"Kayce, will you release a single for Christmas? I love your songs so much, and you play so beautifully. God, I really love you!"
This full-figured brunette kept trying to hug Kayce. When others saw this, they all got excited. Some hugged his arm, others his waist; they just touched him. There was nothing to lose by touching him!
Finally, the team staff couldn't stand it anymore and quickly pulled the girls away.
"It's okay, it's okay! Let's take a group photo at the end. Sorry, it's very late tonight, so no individual photos!"
Kayce quickly called everyone for a group photo. These girls were too enthusiastic, which wasn't ideal.
As soon as they heard 'group photo,' everyone rushed to surround Kayce. Bold girls directly pounced on him.
Kayce was surrounded by a large group of girls and noticed a fellow countryman dressed as a student standing dumbfounded outside. He quickly called out:
"Brother, let's take a picture together. Sorry, it's too late today. If you have a chance to come to a home game in the future, I'll give you front-row tickets!"
The young man was thrilled to hear this, but seeing Kayce surrounded by girls, he could only helplessly stand at the back. Finally, with the help of the team staff, a large group photo was completed.
The team had to depart for Sacramento tomorrow to challenge the Sacramento Kings. Kayce had also arranged to meet James Harden tomorrow, so he had to go home early to rest tonight.
"Harden must be thrilled. The Sacramento Kings have traded away most of their veterans, so this is clearly about developing him fully!"
On the drive home, Kayce listened to music and thought about Harden's situation. With more ball-handling responsibilities, Harden's stats were already rising.
In a previous game between the Sacramento Kings and the Utah Jazz, Harden scored 32 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists on 7-of-15 shooting, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and an impressive 16-of-19 from the free-throw line. Although he had 4 turnovers, he still helped his team secure the victory.
However, the Utah Jazz media heavily criticized Harden's free throws, believing the referees ruined their victory. This game was highly discussed in America, as the number of free throws was indeed quite high.
The next day, on the plane to Sacramento, the Thunder players were all in good spirits. Last night's game was relatively easy, and everyone recovered quickly.
"Kayce, have you seen the reports on Twitter? Howard said he wants to fire Van Gundy! That's crazy!"
Durant said, shuffling cards, what he had read in the news.
"Howard shouldn't be that foolish. He definitely wouldn't say something like that publicly. Kevin, read fewer Twitter news articles. There are more and more outrageous reports these days!"
Kayce guessed that perhaps Howard had discussed it behind his back, and the media caught wind of it, exaggerating it into the current news.
"In college, if a player spoke ill of a coach, he would definitely be glued to the bench. But in the NBA, perhaps the situation is different, after all, Howard is a superstar!"
Russell, focused on his cards, casually quipped.
"Management won't condone players' demands. If every superstar's request was met, the NBA would be in chaos! Wow, I'm so lucky today!"
Jeff Green, beaming, expressed his opinion.
"Shit! I hate Texas Hold'em! Guys, next time let's try a different game!"
Kayce looked at his terrible hand, complaining silently.
"No! We all love Texas Hold'em!"
Upon arriving in Sacramento, after dropping off their luggage at the hotel, Kayce went directly to the restaurant he had arranged with Harden to catch up and have lunch.
"Haha, Bro, you finally came around! This necklace is really cool! Looks like I'll have to get an even thicker one custom-made!"
Harden burst out laughing when he saw Kayce's outfit: jeans, a white T-shirt, and a large gold chain around his neck.
"Come on, a thinner one is better. This is a gift from Jeff Green. Personally, I prefer something lighter." Kayce shrugged helplessly after sitting down.
"It seems you're doing very well with the Thunder! A triple-double record, God, that's incredible!" Harden was the first to enter the mode of mutual flattery.
"That's just a boring record. You, on the other hand, scored 32 points, the highest for a rookie in this draft class! Media on Twitter were all talking about you a few days ago!"
Kayce took a sip of water and immediately started flattering back. When it came to mutual flattery, he was definitely the league's number one!
"Come on, because of that game, I got absolutely roasted, especially by the Utah Jazz fans at the arena. That day, besides cursing the referees, they just kept yelling 'f*** you' at me."
Harden felt a bit down when he brought this up. After all, he was still a rookie and hadn't seen such a scene before.
"Anyway, you won the game in the end. That's your way of scoring. If the referees allow it, there's nothing wrong with free throws. But remember to pay attention to the officiating standards. Over-reliance on free throws isn't a good thing."
Kayce had no prejudice against drawing fouls. Free throws were fine, but they were just one scoring method. True superstars relied on their raw talent.
"Of course, drawing fouls, testing the referees, I learned that from you originally. In high school, Jason Thompson was fouled out by me once. Just thinking about it makes me happy!"
Bringing up high school memories, Harden's mood immediately brightened, and he started chugging juice.
"Yeah, Klay was furious in that game. You even mocked his dribbling. You two almost got into a fight back then!"
Kayce also laughed happily thinking about high school.
"It proves his dribbling skills are still bad, just like his aesthetic taste. Kayce, if you get a chance, I'll take you to the best spots in Sacramento to have some fun. I guarantee you'll have a blast!"
As soon as this topic came up, Harden became energetic, excitedly recounting his discoveries from the past few months to Kayce.
Kayce listened, a knowing smile forming in his heart:
"James Harden is indeed the same as he was in high school. This feeling is really good!"
On the evening of the 10th, the atmosphere inside the ARCO Arena was very lively. Although the team had traded away its veterans, their recent string of victories had greatly boosted the fans' confidence.
Especially James Harden's performance, which won over many local fans. His full beard also became Harden's signature.
"The Sacramento Kings have completely rebuilt. The old Princeton offense is also becoming a thing of the past!"
Russell, observing the Sacramento Kings' roster during pre-game warm-ups, couldn't help but sigh.
"They really had a chance to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, but unfortunately, O'Neal's dominance in the paint was too strong, an incredible athletic talent."
Durant shot hoops while reminiscing about those past games.
"I hope the Sacramento Kings rise later. The Western Conference Playoffs competition is too fierce. I'm a bit envious of the Eastern Conference teams."
Kayce stretched while complaining about the Western Conference.
"Hehe, we're number one in the NBA right now! I get happy just thinking about it. No one believed in us before the season started!"
Kayce listened as Russell began to constantly jinx them, and his expression immediately turned strange. He sighed in his heart:
"If we faced a fully healthy Los Angeles Lakers, that game would likely be a loss. I hope we don't enter 'brick-laying' mode when things get tough."
The game was about to begin. The Sacramento Kings' home DJ started howling, continuously introducing the players. When Harden came out, the crowd gave him a huge cheer.
In this game, Kayce still started, and coaching staff had assigned him the task of defending Harden.
James Harden was very happy today. Before the game, he hugged Kayce in greeting and even said a couple of things:
"Kayce, I'm going all out in this game today. Don't blame me if you lose."
"Bro, how long has it been since you last beat me? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you at the right time!" Kayce smiled, patted Harden's shoulder, and turned to leave.
The Sacramento Kings' home commentator also began introducing the starting lineups for both teams.
For the Sacramento Kings, the starting guards were James Harden and Beno Udrih, the forwards were Andrés Nocioni and Jason Thompson, and the center was Spencer Hawes.
This lineup was very reasonable, mixing veterans with rookies while giving the rookies plenty of playing time.
For the Thunder, Russell and Kayce still partnered in the backcourt, Durant and Jeff Green formed the frontcourt, and Kostić was at center.
"The game officially begins! Nice job, young man, Hawes successfully won the tip-off!"
The Sacramento Kings' home commentator immediately got into the game.
Kayce looked at James Harden dribbling past half-court, a sly smile in his heart:
"As brothers, I have to guard you! I hope you don't complain about me being too rough after the game!"