In the CCTV studio, during the commercial break, host Yu Jia once again brought up a topic:
"Zhang, what do you think of both teams' performance in the first quarter? Kayce only took two shots in the first quarter, making both and scoring 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist. This is completely different from his previous performances."
"Indeed, I think the San Antonio Spurs' strategy is to let you play one-on-one, trying not to give you opportunities to involve other teammates. This lineup of one big and four small players has very fast defensive rotations."
"In the first quarter, it was all one-on-one defense. Even when he got to the restricted area, Duncan's defense was excellent. So, although Kayce made a few good passes in the first quarter, his teammates couldn't capitalize on the opportunities."
"But I still have to say, the Thunder's players are too talented. If you let me play one-on-one, I, Bang Bang, will make every shot. During the few minutes Blair was on, he was continuously targeted by Durant and Westbrook."
"Kayce also exerted himself on both offense and defense. Ginobili only made one shot in the first quarter, going 1-for-4. The San Antonio Spurs had a chance to pull away, but the Thunder held on."
"After the substitutes come on in the second quarter, both sides will have to compete again. This will depend on the performance of Kayce and Ginobili. This period with the substitutes is very crucial for the Thunder."
Although Zhang was optimistic about Kayce's performance, he still believed the San Antonio Spurs would win, as the GDP were the foundation.
During the break, Coach Brooks was also hyping up his players and making tactical arrangements.
"Jeff, you'll also start the second quarter. Pay attention to defense. Ibaka, watch Matt Bonner's outside shooting. Kayce, intensify your individual offense!"
Coach Brooks brought in Jeff Green mainly to open up offensive space for Kayce. Etan Thomas was too easily targeted in such games and was dropped from the rotation this game.
"The second quarter begins. The Thunder have made some adjustments. Kayce and Thabo Sefolosha are in the backcourt, Jeff Green and Ibaka form the frontcourt, and Nick Collison is at the 5 spot."
"For the San Antonio Spurs, George Hill and Ginobili are in the backcourt, Michael Finley and Matt Bonner are in the frontcourt, and Antonio McDyess is at center."
Host Yu Jia began introducing the rotation lineups for both teams.
"The San Antonio Spurs' current lineup can still shoot! Except for the center, everyone can shoot. This game is getting interesting!"
Zhang also noticed the characteristics of the San Antonio Spurs' lineup: they don't suffer in height, they can shoot from the outside, and it's very suitable for Ginobili and George Hill to play to their strengths.
On the first possession of the second quarter, Kayce quickly dribbled past half-court. Seeing the opposing lineup, he immediately signaled Ibaka to come up for a pick-and-roll.
Matt Bonner's defensive lateral movement wasn't great, so after the pick-and-roll, Ginobili quickly squeezed through and continuously applied physical pressure to Kayce.
Kayce, while leaning on his opponent, paid attention to the San Antonio Spurs' defense. Seeing Bonner choose to delay him, he made a behind-the-back bounce pass with his left hand while moving, finding Ibaka at the free-throw line.
The latter caught the ball and, without hesitation, jumped up to shoot.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot went in.
Ibaka's mid-range shot was becoming more accurate. If he was unguarded, his accuracy was very high. The [Offensive Core] badge bonus was still somewhat useful.
Popovich immediately yelled from the sidelines; it was clear he was quite unhappy with this defensive play.
Although George Hill was only a second-year rookie, his playing style was steady, and his tactical execution was also very good, earning him Popovich's affection.
Facing Thabo Sefolosha's defense, after a pick-and-roll, George Hill directly broke through into the restricted area. Against Nick Collison's defense, he used a right-hand scoop layup to score.
Without Ibaka in the restricted area, the rim protection capability plummeted. With the San Antonio Spurs' players standing outside, the Thunder didn't dare to collapse their defense.
"Jeff, next possession, remember to call for everyone to play a zone defense. On offense, try to cut to the basket. We need to play a bit faster."
While inbounding, Kayce reminded Jeff Green. This lineup needed to be dynamic, or it would be wasted.
After dribbling past half-court, Kayce passed directly to Thabo Sefolosha, who immediately made a hand-off pass with Jeff Green, noticing Kayce starting to post up in the low block.
Jeff Green dribbled twice and then lobbed the ball directly to Kayce, then, under Collison's screen, began to move horizontally along the three-point line.
After receiving the ball with his back to the basket, Kayce first faked a one-handed pass outwards, which directly deceived Michael Finley, who was trying to double-team him.
Then he quickly backed down twice, moving into his shooting hot zone. Ignoring Ginobili's defense, he turned around and shot a fadeaway!
"Swish!" The 2-point shot went in steadily.
The [Hot Zone Hunter] + [High Difficulty Shot King] badge bonuses were very effective, ensuring Kayce's accuracy on such difficult shots.
"Oh wow! Kayce just pulled off a signature Jordan move! After a fake, a back-to-the-basket fadeaway. That shot was too beautiful!"
Zhang immediately cheered up, re-entering his Kayce praise mode.
"Serge, zone defense! Pay attention to defensive rotations and rebounds!"
Kayce called out loudly to Ibaka as he retreated on defense.
On the perimeter of the zone defense, Kayce and Thabo Sefolosha's defensive rotations were very fast, but the San Antonio Spurs' players were all veterans. They immediately had Bonner stand near the free-throw line.
After several passes, George Hill shot directly from beyond the 3-point line.
"Swish!" It went in without touching the rim.
"The Thunder's zone defense is really good, but George Hill's 3-pointer was also tough, and he read the defense very well!"
Host Yu Jia also praised the San Antonio Spurs' offense.
After dribbling past half-court, Kayce noticed that the San Antonio Spurs' defense was very focused on his 3-point shot, almost always guarding him right at the 3-point line.
Seeing this, Kayce didn't call for a screen. After continuous crossover dribbles, he suddenly made a change of direction in front of his body, directly breaking through Ginobili's defense and driving straight to the basket.
Antonio McDyess saw this and immediately came over to help defend, but then he realized he had made a mistake. Kayce faked a shot and made a pass, and Collison successfully scored an easy dunk under the basket.
"Great pass, Bro!"
After the score, Ginobili caught up to Kayce as he retreated on defense and said with a smile.
"Learning from you, your assist in the first quarter was also beautiful!"
When it came to commercial mutual praise, Kayce was definitely the league's number one!
For the next 3 minutes, the San Antonio Spurs witnessed Kayce's unguardable one-on-one offense.
When guarded by Michael Finley, Kayce continuously dribbled behind his back, then suddenly used a cross-step with the ball in his right hand, quickly pulled back, and smoothly turned with his left hand. After shaking off the defense, he shot a drifting mid-range jumper.
"Swish!" The 2-point shot went in without touching the rim.
In the low post against George Hill, after a jab step, he ignored the opponent's defensive interference and directly pulled up for a jump shot.
"Swish!" The mid-range shot went in again.
After Bonner set a screen, without waiting for the switch, Kayce accelerated with a left-hand dribble, directly blew past his opponent, drove into the restricted area, changed rhythm, and made a reverse layup to score.
After 3 consecutive scores, Popovich quickly called a timeout. In fact, the score was still tied, and the San Antonio Spurs' outside shooting against the zone defense was also very accurate, but the old man was simply not satisfied with his team's defense.
Coming out of the timeout, Kayce noticed that the San Antonio Spurs had increased their physical play against him. George Hill, Ginobili, and Michael Finley started double-teaming him very early, forcing him to pass the ball, and also using constant small fouls.
"Is this how you treat a rookie?"
Double-teaming naturally created opportunities, and Kayce's passing speed was also very fast, but the San Antonio Spurs' defensive rotations were also highly effective. The Thunder's shooting percentage began to decline, and Kayce also started to miss shots.
The San Antonio Spurs were simply not giving Kayce a chance to shoot, testing the other players' ability to handle the ball.
Coach Brooks saw this and immediately called a timeout. He was going to bring in the starting lineup and let Kayce rest for a bit.
"Good job, Kayce, take a break. Kostić, protect the rebounds. On defense, everyone must communicate and help each other!"
Kayce watched Coach Brooks constantly giving instructions on interior defense and knew that the coach also felt uncertain, especially since Duncan went 5-for-6 in the first quarter, playing too easily.
With 5 minutes and 32 seconds left in the second quarter, both teams brought back their starting lineups. The Thunder tried to speed up, wanting to quicken the offensive pace, but haste makes waste, and Russell and Durant started turning the ball over.
The veteran San Antonio Spurs, on the other hand, played calmly, running pick-and-rolls, playing in the low post, and attacking the paint. They would only shoot from the outside if there was a completely open look.
By halftime, the score was 54-50, with the San Antonio Spurs leading by 4 points.
During halftime, in the CCTV studio, host Yu Jia routinely brought up a topic:
"Zhang, what do you think of the situation in this half? The San Antonio Spurs took the lead in the latter half of the second quarter."
"I think the Thunder played a bit chaotically in the last few minutes, overly pursuing speed. Against a team like the San Antonio Spurs, you can't make mistakes; if you do, they will definitely seize the opportunity."
"In the second half, if the Thunder want to win this game, they'll have to maximize their starters' minutes, make fewer mistakes, and try to capitalize on transition offense. If they get into a half-court game, they won't be able to beat the San Antonio Spurs."
Zhang spoke frankly, stating that the Thunder's lineup simply had flaws.
"Thank you for your comments, Zhang. After the commercial, the second half will be back shortly!"
Popovich, that old scoundrel, naturally knew the Thunder's playing style, and he had already noticed that the referee's officiating standard in this game was a bit loose. So, in the third quarter, the San Antonio Spurs made the first move!
When Russell drove into the restricted area, he was directly knocked to the floor with both ball and body by Duncan.
"Squeak!" The referee signaled an out-of-bounds play.
"That was a shooting foul! He hit my hand, you should have seen it, sir!"
Russell shouted excitedly at the referee, but the sideline referee still signaled to continue play.
After the second half began, Kayce noticed that the San Antonio Spurs' defense was very physical. Whether with or without the ball, many times the referees simply didn't call anything!
Under this officiating standard, the Thunder's shooting percentage began to decline, while the San Antonio Spurs remained as steady as an old dog, largely unaffected.
This infuriated the fans at the Ford Center, who immediately started cursing the referees:
"Referee sucks! Referee sucks! Referee sucks!!!"
But this did not affect the course of the game in the slightest. With a score of 25-19 in the quarter, the San Antonio Spurs led by 10 points after three quarters.
During the break, Durant was furious:
"The referees are blind! Our drives only resulted in 4 free throws this quarter. This is a joke!"
Kayce was chugging water nearby. He knew he had still underestimated the veterans. In this quarter, he was defended to 1-for-5.
"It's okay, there's still plenty of time in the fourth quarter. It's only 10 points, a few three-pointers and we'll catch up!"
Kayce began to encourage his teammates. He didn't want to give up just like that, and at the same time, he secretly complained:
"This is truly a home game that feels like an away game. What happened to the promised Thunder Triple Whistle?! This script is a bit off!"