Head Coach Popovich and coaching staff carefully studied the Thunder's roster structure before the game.
They concluded that to defend the opponent, they needed to play with more forwards, as regular big men wouldn't be of much use.
Therefore, DeJuan Blair got the starting opportunity in tonight's game.
With a height of 201cm and a weight of 118kg, his task was to relentlessly guard Durant, immediately getting physical with him upon receiving the ball.
DeJuan Blair was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2nd round, 7th pick, this year, and the young man naturally played with all his might on defense when given a starting opportunity.
On the wing, there was also Richard Jefferson, a player with a tough playing style, good at both offense and defense.
Overall, the San Antonio Spurs' lineup of one big and four small players, aside from Tony Parker being a bit short, all had forward-like physiques.
On the Thunder's first possession, the fans in the Ford Center were incredibly enthusiastic, all standing and cheering for their home team.
After Russell brought the ball across half-court, Tony Parker immediately stuck close to him. Kayce first feigned a screen, then faked out his defender and ran over to receive the ball.
After receiving the ball, he quickly signaled an offensive play. Jeff Green immediately came up to screen. After Kayce passed the ball, he also set an off-ball screen for Durant, but the San Antonio Spurs switched defenders on the screen.
By the time Durant received the hand-off, Richard Jefferson was still glued to him, and DeJuan Blair was also keeping an eye on Jeff Green, who popped out after the screen.
This hand-off didn't create a good opportunity; the San Antonio Spurs' defensive rotations were too quick.
Durant, facing Richard Jefferson's defense, dribbled with his right hand and accelerated for a drive. Richard Jefferson stayed by his side, constantly applying physical pressure.
But the advantage of his height and arm length allowed Durant to ignore the defense. After two dribbles, he pulled up for a sudden stop-and-pop jumper.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot found the bottom of the net.
"Wow! Ah! Ah!"
The audience in the Ford Center immediately erupted in huge cheers for the home team's first score.
"Durant's physical talent is truly remarkable! He made that shot even with Jefferson applying significant physical pressure. That's pure talent, just unreasonable!"
In the CCTV studio, Zhang couldn't help but exclaim as he watched the Thunder's offense.
The San Antonio Spurs' offense was also simple and direct, running a pick-and-roll with Parker and Duncan. Russell quickly squeezed through the screen. Parker's mid-range shot is very accurate, so that couldn't be left open.
But after the screen, Parker passed the ball back to Duncan. Facing Kostić's defense, Duncan executed a triple-threat move before directly shooting a jumper.
"Swish!" The two-point shot went in cleanly.
Kayce felt a bit helpless seeing this situation. As long as Duncan was within one step of the free-throw line, he was essentially in his shooting hot zone.
Kostić's defense was awkward; if he pressed too hard, Duncan might drive past him. If he sagged back, Duncan would shoot. If his shot wasn't falling, he would post up. Either way, he would score.
After Russell brought the ball across half-court, Parker continued to bother him, constantly reaching in to disrupt the dribble. Parker was not at a disadvantage in terms of footwork, and his defensive experience was excellent. This time, Kostić came up for a screen.
After the screen, Russell immediately gained half a step on Parker, dribbling with his left hand and accelerating to drive inside.
But Duncan's help-side positioning was excellent, disrupting Russell's passing lanes and using his size advantage to firmly cover him, denying a layup opportunity.
After circling inside with no opportunity, Kayce quickly came over to receive the ball. Veteran Keith Bogans also stuck tightly to Kayce, occasionally throwing in some small fouls.
After receiving the ball, Kayce quickly put it on the floor, dribbling with his left hand and accelerating for a drive. The Quick Stop Master badge's boost made Kayce's first step incredibly fast, allowing him to get half a step past Keith Bogans.
Just past the free-throw line, noticing Duncan had stepped up, Kayce suddenly stopped short, dribbled once with his left hand, then executed a between-the-legs crossover. This sudden stop and go made Keith Bogans stumble to his knees.
"Oh! Ah!"
The live audience also gasped; such a moment of a defender being faked out was always a crowd favorite.
With his defender gone, Kayce launched a mid-range jumper from the free-throw line.
"Swish!" The two-point shot went in cleanly.
"What a great shot, Kayce's ability to combine dribbling and shooting is truly excellent! His shot selection is also smart; if he drove further in, Duncan's defense would be waiting!"
Zhang immediately started praising Kayce after he scored, leaving Yu Jia, next to him, a bit stunned.
After Kayce scored, he fully understood the San Antonio Spurs' defensive intention: in this game, they would use their forwards to defend the Thunder's perimeter players, and rely on Duncan for interior defense.
Isolation shots were allowed, but assisting teammates or strong drives to the paint were resolutely denied by the San Antonio Spurs.
"This old man is indeed very cunning; he's completely exposed the Thunder's weakness!" Kayce muttered to himself as he transitioned back on defense.
On the San Antonio Spurs' offense, after Jefferson received a pass from Parker, DeJuan Blair immediately came over to set a screen, incidentally switching Jeff Green onto Jefferson.
At this point, Jefferson immediately accelerated with his right-hand dribble, driving towards the paint. He managed to break through, scoring two points while being guarded by Jeff Green.
Kostić dared not help out inside, constantly keeping an eye on Duncan under the basket.
Kayce noticed the rhythm on the court was off. After receiving the ball and dribbling it across half-court, he immediately called out a tactical signal and loudly reminded his teammates:
"Number 5! Number 5! Russell, run!"
Playing at a slow, one-on-one pace against the San Antonio Spurs, the Thunder would definitely lose. Speeding up and playing with athletic talent was the Thunder's rhythm, and Kayce wanted his teammates to move.
At this point, Kostić and Jeff Green both moved to the high post, either setting screens or making hand-off passes. Russell, Kayce, and Durant began to run figure-eights, disrupting the opponent's defensive rhythm.
After running two figure-eights, Durant received a hand-off from Kostić. DeJuan Blair switched onto him, sticking close on defense.
Durant dribbled with his left hand, suddenly raised his center of gravity, feigning a drive, which momentarily surprised DeJuan Blair. Then, he saw Durant take a big step-back jumper, firing from beyond the three-point line.
"Swish!" The three-point shot went in cleanly.
DeJuan Blair's agility was a bit lacking; he couldn't close out on the shot, and Durant seized the opportunity.
"The Thunder's offense is completely opposite to the San Antonio Spurs'. The San Antonio Spurs primarily scored inside at the start, constantly feeding the ball into the paint. The Thunder, on the other hand, kept screening and looking for outside opportunities. This game is really interesting!"
In the CCTV studio, Yu Jia also recognized the San Antonio Spurs' strategy, which was to exploit the Thunder's weak interior defense.
Over the next few possessions, the San Antonio Spurs continued to execute their game plan, constantly attacking the paint. Parker and Jefferson took turns driving, and Duncan also easily scored in the low post.
The Thunder, relying on the individual abilities of Durant and Russell, kept the score close. Kayce continuously tried to find Jeff Green on the perimeter and Kostić inside, but the San Antonio Spurs tightly defended his passing lanes.
With 5 minutes and 46 seconds remaining in the game, Popovich called a timeout. The old man was bringing in Ginobili. DeJuan Blair's defense had been exploited twice by the Thunder, resulting in scores.
The current score was 12-12, with both teams shooting at a very high percentage. The game was flowing smoothly, much to the delight of the live audience.
During the timeout, Coach Brooks also began to instruct his players:
"Kayce, play with your aggressiveness. We need to continue to speed up the pace of the game. If there's a fast break opportunity, you must seize it!"
Kayce immediately indicated that he understood. The San Antonio Spurs didn't want him to get his teammates involved, and this one-big, four-small defense was indeed very effective.
Coming out of the timeout, the San Antonio Spurs substituted DeJuan Blair for Manu Ginobili, adding another ball-handler while not significantly decreasing their height.
Manu Ginobili is also 198cm tall. With him in, the San Antonio Spurs' offensive firepower was further strengthened, as now all four perimeter players could handle and distribute the ball.
The Thunder, on the other hand, took out Kostić and brought in Ibaka, completely going with a small lineup. On defense, Ibaka covered a large area on help-side, and on offense, he could space the floor. Coach Brooks was really going all out.
Coming out of the timeout, the San Antonio Spurs' offense also started with continuous hand-off passes. Kayce experienced the pain other teams faced defending the Thunder: constant switching and chasing on defense, it felt terrible.
After a series of hand-off passes, Manu Ginobili, facing Kayce's defense, suddenly changed direction, driving left towards the paint. Ibaka quickly came over to help.
But Ginobili, cunningly, faked a shot and made a genuine pass. Duncan threw down a one-handed dunk under the basket! An easy score.
"Serge, Duncan is there, no need to help. You just need to stick to Duncan. On defense, don't reach in too much, give more physical contact!"
Kayce quickly advised Ibaka while inbounding the ball. Veterans like Ginobili were very good at finding passing lanes.
"No problem, Kayce, you can remind me in Spanish. Sometimes I don't understand when you speak English too fast!"
Ibaka indicated he understood and also offered a suggestion.
"No problem, Bro. Defense requires communication, you can remind everyone too!"
Kayce dribbled the ball while talking to Ibaka.
"Russell! Number 1! Run!"
After dribbling across half-court, Kayce began to remind Russell to pay attention to his positioning, hoping to get more drives. Although Russell's mid-range shots were all falling so far, this lineup needed him to pressure the opponent's defense.
Upon hearing Kayce's call, Russell immediately came over for a hand-off. At the same time, everyone cleared space for him. Facing Parker's defense, he executed a right-hand between-the-legs crossover, then drove left, shouldering Parker directly into the paint.
"Slap!"
"Screech!" The referee's whistle blew, calling a shooting foul on Parker.
Russell's strong body still gave him some advantages. As long as he got his first step going, the current Russell could drive to the paint while absorbing contact.
Taking a deep breath, he made both free throws. Russell excitedly patted his chest. This was the Thunder's first trip to the free-throw line, and Kayce knew that relying solely on jump shots wouldn't hold off the San Antonio Spurs' offense.
After Ginobili came in, the San Antonio Spurs' drive-and-kick game also started. The ball was constantly moving in and out, and finally, Ginobili shot a three-pointer from beyond the arc.
"Bang!" It was a brick. Ibaka fought hard for the rebound and immediately passed it to Kayce.
Kayce received the ball and immediately accelerated, pushing the fast break. He quickly raced across half-court. Ginobili also transitioned back very quickly, trying to disrupt Kayce, but the Thunder's fast break wasn't just one person.
Seeing Russell had already crossed the opponent's three-point line on the other side, Kayce delivered a precise long pass.
Man and ball arrived together. Russell caught the alley-oop and slammed it down with both hands!
"Slam!"
Russell, after the dunk, immediately flexed his muscles to the audience in the arena.
"Ah! Ah!"
This dunk ignited the home crowd, who cheered and roared wildly.
Over the next four-plus minutes, the offensive pace of both sides suddenly increased significantly. On the San Antonio Spurs' side, Parker, Ginobili, and Jefferson took turns attacking the rim, frequently scoring.
On the Thunder's side, Kayce, Russell, and Durant combined drives and shots, keeping the score tight. Kayce also successfully found Jeff Green, assisting him on a three-pointer, delivering his first assist.
With 42 seconds remaining in the first quarter, both teams had one last possession. The San Antonio Spurs ran down the clock, giving the ball to Duncan in the low post. Facing Ibaka's defense, he posted up twice, then executed a turnaround hook shot in the paint.
"Swish!" It went in cleanly.
On the Thunder's last possession, after Russell brought the ball across half-court, Kayce came over to receive it.
Facing Ginobili's defense, Kayce rhythmically dribbled between his legs, then suddenly paused with the ball in his left hand, simultaneously faking a gather.
This immediately fooled Ginobili, who stepped forward on defense.
In an instant, Kayce executed a quick between-the-legs crossover, shaking off his defender. Dribbling with his right hand, he accelerated for a drive, racing straight to the paint, pushing off with both feet, and taking flight.
Facing Duncan's block, after mid-air contact, he executed a left-handed reverse layup!
"And one!"
Kayce, who was bumped, also shouted.
"Screech! Swish!"
The whistle blew, and the shot went in, counting for an additional free throw.
Durant and Russell quickly came over to help Kayce up. This play was a huge morale booster!
"Great job! Kayce!"
Russell excitedly punched Kayce's chest twice.
Kayce stood at the free-throw line, took a deep breath, and calmly sank the free throw. 29-28, the Thunder ended the first quarter with a lead.
During the break between quarters, Kayce quickly rehydrated, while silently complaining to himself:
"Allowing isolation, but no assists. Today, I'm going to take you all down! This cunning old man is ruining my stats. Even if we lose this game, I'll make you all pay a heavy price!"