Every NBA team has many sets of tactics. The Head Coach and coaching staff's job is to formulate a suitable tactical system around the players' characteristics. But why do some games look like a disorganized mess?
Because the players' abilities are limited. Some players are naturally not suited for complex tactics and get confused while running. Other players have extremely high tactical literacy and undeniable basketball IQ. These are the players coaches love most.
At point guard, Kidd, Nash, and Paul are currently the players many coaches in the league like. With the right lineup, they can guarantee a team's floor.
And Sacramento Kings' Head Coach Paul Westphal also discovered Harden's talent!
So he hoped to fully unearth Harden's potential over two or three seasons, and the pick-and-roll tactic was specifically designed for Harden by coaching staff.
On the Sacramento Kings' first possession, Harden dribbled past half-court and initiated a pick-and-roll with Jason Thompson. The Thunder's opening defensive strategy was to switch after the pick-and-roll.
If it was a pick-and-roll involving the 5th position, then they would need to squeeze through, as Kostić's footwork was slow, and defending smaller players was too disadvantageous for him.
After the screen, Jeff Green switched onto Harden, while Kayce constantly watched the passing lanes, preventing Harden from making a quick pass.
However, the Sacramento Kings' offense was patient. Beno Udrih and Harden continuously sought out big men for pick-and-rolls. After several switches, Durant ended up defending Jason Thompson.
The latter, facing Durant's defense, directly backed him down, using his weight advantage to drive in and score a layup.
Kayce noticed that the opponent's offense was intentionally targeting Durant, and he had a bad premonition. The Thunder's defensive weak spot truly was Durant at this moment.
Looking at his physique, Durant was tall with long arms, which looked intimidating, but in reality, Durant's defensive habits were not good at the moment. He didn't need to play defense during the previous two years of tanking, and he hadn't really received any targeted training.
Russell also didn't play defense last year, but at least he was a defensive ace at UCLA. This year, after Kayce joined the team, his defensive intensity also picked up. The players who truly did the dirty work for the team were actually Jeff Green and Kostić.
"Kevin, pay attention to switches! They will target you!"
"Green, communicate more on the court. Remember to remind Kevin, don't blindly reach for the ball."
Kayce took advantage of the inbound pass to loudly remind his teammates. The Sacramento Kings had studied them, and coaching staff was certainly not slacking off.
When passing the ball to Russell, he also gave him a hand signal. This was a tacit understanding they had developed in college, indicating a need to increase physical confrontation.
After dribbling past half-court, Russell immediately executed a hand-off with Kayce. Kostić came up for a screen, and Kayce used this screen to directly shake off Harden's entanglement.
Hawes didn't drop back in a defensive stance; he came up to defend directly, attempting to double-team Kayce with Harden.
Sensing the opponent's defensive intention, Kayce immediately lowered his center of gravity, dribbled with his right hand, accelerated, and broke through. Hawes covered him from above, denying Kayce a layup opportunity.
Jason Thompson saw Kayce drive into the paint and immediately wanted to help defend. However, as soon as he shifted his weight, Kayce directly passed the ball to Jeff Green in the corner.
The latter caught the ball and shot a three-pointer from beyond the arc.
"Swish" The open three-pointer went in cleanly.
Beno Udrih immediately went over and spoke to Jason Thompson, the veteran teaching defensive experience on the spot.
The Sacramento Kings' offense still tried to target Durant, but Jeff Green reacted quickly after being reminded, constantly calling for teammates to switch. Seeing that the play wasn't developing, Harden received the ball to re-organize.
After Hawes came up for a screen, Kayce immediately squeezed through the screen, continuing to hound Harden. The latter didn't hold onto the ball, directly making a bounce pass to Hawes at the free-throw line, who caught the ball and immediately shot a jumper.
"Swish" The mid-range shot went in cleanly.
This Sacramento Kings possession took 22 seconds, almost running out of time, but they ultimately exploited Kostić's slow footwork and successfully scored.
This offensive style was completely opposite to the Thunder's. Kayce knew that this was the game strategy formulated by the opposing coaching staff. As the regular season progressed, the Thunder would inevitably be constantly studied by various teams, looking for weaknesses.
However, Kayce didn't mind. After all, the Thunder were essentially playing talent-based basketball, and their defense was currently doing its best.
After Kayce dribbled past half-court, he gave his teammates a hand signal. Jeff Green moved to the high post, and Kayce quickly passed the ball. At the same time, Durant immediately came over for a hand-off, and Jeff Green faked a screen, then popped out to create space.
Durant, using the moment of the screen, immediately accelerated with a left-hand dribble. After two big dribbles, he disregarded Andrés Nocioni's defense and pulled up for a jump shot.
"Swish" The 2-point shot went in easily.
After scoring, Durant smiled and shook his head, jogging back on defense, as if to say that such defense was useless against him. But this was also true; the Sacramento Kings' wing players still lacked a bit of athleticism.
Even with enough defensive experience, if the body can't keep up, it's useless. Andrés Nocioni found himself in this awkward situation.
The Sacramento Kings' offense remained unhurried. Beno Udrih and Harden were masters of slowing down the pace; their offense was incredibly slow. Seeing that the 24-second clock was about to expire again, Beno Udrih scored a mid-range jump shot after a pick-and-roll.
"Ah!!! Wow ah!!!"
The home fans immediately erupted in huge cheers for that offensive possession.
Russell raised his hand, signaling that the mistake was his. At the last second, his defense couldn't keep up.
After these few possessions, Kayce completely understood the Sacramento Kings' intention: if they couldn't outrun you, they would grind you down. As long as they didn't score, they would return to a half-court grind.
Beno Udrih and Harden were two commanders, constantly finding the Thunder's defensive weaknesses through pick-and-rolls and ultimately completing the offense.
Kayce looked at Coach Brooks and then made a communication gesture. Seeing the coach give a thumbs up, Kayce immediately had a plan.
After dribbling past half-court, Kayce began to loudly signal, "Number 1! Number 1!" and then made two consecutive hand gestures.
Russell immediately recognized the tactical hand signal as a drive-and-kick play, attacking the basket. After receiving the hand-off, he accelerated directly, reaching the opponent's paint in a few steps.
Facing Hawes' block, he drove into the defense and made the layup.
"Ah ha!"
Russell, who had successfully broken through, roared and flexed his muscles to the crowd, which was met with boos.
This possession, after crossing half-court, was completed in about 7 seconds. Russell drove past Beno Udrih directly, without needing any screens, simply overwhelming him with physical talent!
Although their heights were similar, their explosiveness was incomparable. Russell was like a small tank after accelerating.
Head Coach Paul Westphal felt a bit helpless seeing this situation. Hawes' rim protection was average, and the Thunder had seized upon this point.
The rest of the game was very interesting. When Durant and Russell took turns driving, Kayce would transform into an outside artillery, creating space for his teammates.
If the drive failed, Kayce would take over ball-handling duties, running pick-and-roll offenses, feeding his teammates easy scores. At the same time, Durant and Russell would occasionally cut to the basket, exploiting Hawes and Jason Thompson's poor rim protection.
The Thunder's offensive pace was very fast, putting immense pressure on the Sacramento Kings' interior.
Conversely, the Sacramento Kings' offense was a half-court grind, the god of slowing down the pace! They constantly attacked Kostić's weakness, and if an opportunity arose, they would look for a mismatch with Durant.
However, Kayce and Russell frequently engaged in physical confrontation with Harden and Beno Udrih, which also took a toll on them.
The first quarter passed quickly. Apart from a long timeout by the home team at the 6-minute mark, the game flowed very smoothly. Both sides were completely deadlocked, with the score constantly exchanging leads.
Harden was severely defended by Kayce. Kayce understood his moves too well, giving him no chance to draw fouls, while also cutting off his driving lanes. The bonus from the [Ankle Guard] badge meant Kayce was rarely shaken out of position.
But Harden still managed to score. This possession was again nearing 24 seconds. Facing Kayce's defense, after continuous cross-dribbles, he executed a step-back three-pointer, shooting over Kayce's defense.
"Swish" Buzzer-beater successful.
"Wow oh!!!"
The enthusiasm of the home fans was ignited by this three-pointer, erupting in fervent cheers.
After scoring, Harden pointed to the sky with both hands, celebrating with some excitement. His previous two three-pointers had been misses, but this time it finally went in.
"Beautiful step-back shot! Bro, you must have practiced that a lot!" Kayce said, smiling, next to Harden.
"From now on, this will be my signature move. I love the step-back jumper," Harden said, looking smug.
Kayce gave him a strange look, wondering if this guy would become a 'Moreyball' player again in the future.
On this Thunder possession, after a pick-and-roll, Kayce made a direct bounce pass to the rolling Kostić, who then threw down a one-handed dunk.
"Clang" An easy score.
Hawes' footwork was already struggling to keep up. The continuous onslaught had given him 2 fouls in the first quarter, and his stamina was also severely depleted.
With 2 minutes and 36 seconds left in the first quarter, Coach Brooks called a timeout. The score was currently 19-19, and the Thunder's bench unit was about to come in.
Kayce and Kostić were substituted out, and Thabo Sefolosha and Nick Collison entered the game.
"Very good performance, Kayce. Get some rest and play aggressively in the second quarter!" Coach Brooks patted Kayce's shoulder warmly. This kind of game control was what the team had been lacking before.
Kayce did not take a shot in the first quarter but dished out 7 assists with no turnovers, and also grabbed 2 rebounds, essentially completing the tasks given by coaching staff before the game.
Kayce noticed that Harden was also substituted out, and thinking about the Sacramento Kings' current bench lineup, he couldn't help but inwardly rejoice:
"Being able to hold on in the first quarter doesn't mean you can hold on in the second. It's time for a heavy punch!"
By the end of the first quarter, the score was tied at 24. It must be said that the Sacramento Kings did an excellent job of controlling turnovers; the Thunder's transition offense had disappeared in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Thunder's backcourt consisted of Kayce and Thabo Sefolosha, with Etan Thomas, Ibaka, and Nick Collison in the frontcourt.
The Sacramento Kings' backcourt featured Harden and Andrés Nocioni, with Kenny Thomas and Omri Casspi on the wings, and Dante Green at center.
The Sacramento Kings put all their defensive-minded wing players on the court, specifically to limit Kayce. As long as they could shut down Kayce as the offensive initiator, the Thunder's second unit wouldn't pose much of a threat.
As the second quarter began, Kayce noticed that the Sacramento Kings were switching on every screen, which meant they trusted their wing players' defensive abilities. Seeing this, Kayce decided to go straight to work.
Ibaka came up for a fake screen, switching Kaspi onto Kayce. After a crossover dribble, Kayce quickly pulled back, and Kaspi's defensive Center of Gravity had already been shifted.
He faked a drive with his right hand, making the opponent retreat. In that instant, Kayce quickly dribbled behind his back and shot a step-back jumper.
"Swish" The 3-pointer swished through the net.
"Boo!"
The fans in the ACRO Arena let out a huge boo; they didn't like Kayce's flashy score.
Kaspi was left like a statue, only able to watch Kayce's step-back jumper. The thought of more such situations possibly occurring later made his head ache.
Kayce smiled after scoring, quickly retreating on defense, while secretly thinking:
"I love this kind of defense that doesn't really have any effect. Badge experience is definitely going to pile up!"