On the morning of November 12th, Kayce was thoroughly enjoying posts on Reddit in his luxurious Oklahoma City mansion. American netizens were truly creative, making several memes of Howard and Stan Van Gundy.
The media's hype had worked; everyone thought Howard was unhappy with his Head Coach.
Seeing the Thunder's section, numerous fans were already fantasizing about a championship. Kayce found it increasingly amusing and left a comment under a fan who was praising him wildly:
"Buddy, you're absolutely right!"
Trainer Tony, seeing Kayce occasionally burst into laughter, couldn't help but interrupt him:
"Kayce, your strength training progress is excellent. I have to say, your modified movements are indeed more suitable for you. The data doesn't lie. Can you tell me how you managed to optimize your movements?"
"Tony, this is my body. I feel comfortable doing it that way, so I just followed my instincts. By the end of next month, perhaps we can start the next phase of strength training."
Kayce actually relied on the Dream Training Space system for optimization. To train more efficiently, he only needed to pay attention to the changes in his body data within the Dream Training Space.
"I'll consider your opinion, but Wagner and Meg are the professionals in this area. They need to assess your physical condition."
Trainer Tony was very cautious; excessive training can be counterproductive.
"You guys handle it. Also, tell Wagner to change my menu. He's being a bit too reasonable; I need to eat beef!"
Kayce complained to Tony while getting up to stretch his body.
"He's a professional. Chicken and fish are both delicious, Kayce. You have a cheat meal every week, so adjust your taste yourself!"
Every team's locker room has different cliques. For example, on the Thunder, Kayce and Russell are the closest, and he also gets along with Durant, Jeff Green, and Ibaka.
His other teammates are more like superficial-level buddies. They're all part of the team. After two days off, Kayce visited Russell every day. The poor guy eventually went to the hospital for a check-up, but fortunately, the problem wasn't serious.
Driving to Russell's house, Nina saw Kayce's car approaching and immediately called out to Russell.
"Kayce is here to see you again. God, you need to watch your diet! You've eaten too much these past two days!"
Nina couldn't help but complain about her boyfriend, who ate more than a pig.
"Just these two days, I promise! It's mainly because the pastries and cakes Kayce brought are too delicious!"
Russell was completely engrossed in the sweet pastries and cakes. The high-calorie desserts soothed his upset stomach.
"Russell, how's your recovery today? I brought chocolate mousse cake. I specially ordered this; it's absolutely sweet and delicious!"
America is a haven for sweet-lovers, the kind that's sweet enough to kill. Russell loved it, and Kayce had been bringing it for two consecutive days.
"Kayce, Russell can't eat any more cake! He's had enough these past two days!"
Nina glared at Russell, who was about to unwrap the package, and seriously told Kayce.
"It's okay, Nina, let's eat together. Don't worry about calories. There's nothing written on the cake, no label, so it's zero calories!"
Kayce stepped forward to comfort her. This was one of his few opportunities to indulge; he had to eat to his heart's content these two days.
"Last time, no more after this! God, how much chocolate did you let them put in? It's too sweet!"
Seeing the two of them eating happily, Kayce smiled slightly.
On the morning of the 14th, after the Thunder's simple tactical training session, Coach Brooks began his pre-game pep talk:
"Guys, don't pay too much attention to media reports. We are a young team, and we just need to stick to our game plan and play our style.
Our goal isn't some winning streak record; our goal is to make the Playoffs!"
The Thunder's winning streak at the start of the season had finally attracted media attention. Generally, most still believed the Thunder benefited from an easy schedule, playing mostly weaker teams.
Coach Brooks reminded his players not to be influenced by media reports; they were still a long way from the Playoffs!
"I don't like some commentators talking nonsense on shows. We beat the Lakers, and we beat the Magic. Honestly, they lack respect for us!"
During lunch, Durant complained to his teammates while eating.
"Kevin, that's normal. First, we're all very young, we're still rookies, so it's expected that we're not favored!
Also, Oklahoma City is a small market after all. If the Lakers had a winning streak to start the season, believe me, some commentators on TNT or ESPN would directly declare that this season's championship already belongs to the Lakers."
Shows need gimmicks, audiences, and traffic. Kayce knew those unscrupulous media outlets all too well.
His teammates all laughed at Kayce's words. There were indeed many loud-mouthed commentators, and Kayce's description was very vivid; 'loaning' a championship happens frequently.
In the evening, the Ford Center was packed. Even with extra seating, it couldn't meet the demand of local Oklahoma City fans. Many complained that they couldn't buy tickets, and even ticket scalpers had no tickets left.
The team's excellent start to the new season, coupled with the flashy and explosive play of Kayce, Russell, and Durant, meant tickets had long been in short supply!
However, international student Qin Hua didn't have this problem. Today, he used the VIP channel.
Although he didn't get Kayce's autograph last time, which led to complaints from Hupu netizens after his post-game thread, Qin Hua declared himself a big winner this time! The front-row seats are usually reserved for players' families.
Kayce directly gave him the ticket as compensation, which made Qin Hua so excited he couldn't sleep last night. He continuously posted several threads on Hupu praising Kayce wildly, incidentally making a bunch of netizens incredibly jealous.
"I must record this game well. Kayce is really too handsome!"
Qin Hua roared excitedly in his heart after entering the arena.
The San Antonio Spurs currently have a 4-3 record this season. Although they lost consecutively to the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers at the start, outsiders still favor them because the Spurs have the GDP.
Under the leadership of the old man Gregg Popovich, the Spurs, with Duncan, have always been steady. Last season, the Spurs achieved an excellent record of 54 wins, ranking third in the Western Conference.
Although they unexpectedly lost to the Mavericks in the first round, it is still widely expected that the Spurs will make a comeback this season, provided the GDP remains healthy.
In the player tunnel before the game, everyone gathered in a circle, shouting together, "One, Two, Three, Family!"
When the arena DJ started screaming, the players began to enter.
"Let's welcome from UCLA, the Rookie of the Year, wearing jersey number 10, Kayce Li!"
"Wow!!! Ah!!!"
The Ford Center instantly erupted in a huge cheer. The volume was basically on par with Durant's.
Kayce truly felt the enthusiasm of the Oklahoma City fans, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart:
"Only excellent performance can earn the true support of fans!"
It was Saturday in China, across the ocean, and CCTV finally broadcast a Thunder game, thanks to the Spurs. Otherwise, Kayce wouldn't have been seen today.
The CCTV host was still Yu Jia, and the commentator was Zhang Weiping, who had already returned to China.
Before the game started, host Yu Jia routinely brought up a topic:
"Zhang, the Thunder currently have an 8-game winning streak this new season, and during this streak, Kayce has performed exceptionally well. What are your thoughts on this?"
"The Thunder, in my opinion, are truly remarkable. Their talent is incredible. I've watched several of their games live. Kayce, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant—these three play with great aggressiveness!"
"Most importantly, Kayce can organize and play off-ball, he can drive and shoot. Last year, the Thunder were just missing such a player. Durant is more suited to finishing attacks, and Russell Westbrook's strengths are in transition and drive-and-kick plays."
"With Kayce joining this season, the other two have been unleashed, and the offense has completely opened up. However, the interior is still a bit lacking. In today's game, they will have a hard time containing Duncan. To win, their perimeter shooting needs to get hot first!"
Zhang was still speaking frankly. In those days, the interior was still mainstream, and a twin-tower lineup was king.
Host Yu Jia, hearing the director's cue, immediately got to the point:
"Thank you for your comments, Zhang. The game is about to begin. The starting lineup has already been released. Kayce will still start in this game.
For the Thunder, the backcourt is Russell Westbrook paired with Kayce, the forwards are Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, and the center is Nenad Krstić."
"For the Spurs, the backcourt is Tony Parker and Keith Bogans, the forwards are Richard Jefferson and DeJuan Blair, and Tim Duncan is at the center position."
"The game officially begins. Both teams are ready for the jump ball. Duncan won the first offensive possession for the Spurs."
Kayce on the court noticed that the Spurs immediately deployed a big-man, four-small-men lineup, a clear adjustment made to counter the Thunder, aiming to limit the Thunder's perimeter shooting.
Tony Parker brought the ball past half-court and immediately executed a handoff pass with Richard Jefferson. Seeing Duncan already posting up in the low block, he directly lobbed the ball over.
At this point, all the Spurs players spread out, and the Thunder couldn't double-team, as the perimeter players could all shoot.
Duncan's offense was very simple. After receiving the ball, he immediately backed down twice, pushed aside his defender, and quickly shot a hook shot.
"Swish." The 2-point shot went in easily.
After scoring, Duncan remained expressionless and quickly retreated on defense.
Seeing this, Kayce immediately felt a sense of unease:
"Duncan easily dominates the paint, and then a bunch of forwards come out to defend the perimeter. This old man Popovich is really devious!"