After the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs game ended, host Yu Jia began his routine post-game commentary:
"What a fantastic game! In the end, the young Thunder team emerged victorious.
Kayce finished with 9-of-15 shooting, 2-of-2 from three-point range, and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line, totaling 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Zhang, are you satisfied with Kayce's performance?"
"I think Kayce played perfectly, with no turnovers. The San Antonio Spurs constantly tried to cut off his passing lanes, but he still dished out 7 assists. Most importantly, those few shots in the fourth quarter were all crucial!"
Zhang Weiping was delighted watching the game; the better Kayce played, the happier he felt.
"With a 9-0 start, I believe many fans are already paying attention to the Thunder. What are your expectations for this Thunder team?"
Host Yu Jia smiled and posed another question.
"I hope these young men can stay healthy. There are still many games left in the regular season, and health is paramount. I also hope Kayce can win Rookie of the Year, haha, this young man is incredible!"
Zhang Weiping, in fact, still didn't have high expectations for the Thunder. Without an excellent big man, it would be difficult for them to stand out in the Western Conference.
In the long regular season, opponents will continuously study your playstyle. Once the perimeter offense is no longer efficient and the interior cannot support the team, their performance will gradually decline.
"Thank you, Zhang, for your commentary, and thank you to our viewers at home for joining us. On Tuesday, we will broadcast the New Jersey Nets game. We'll see you on Tuesday!"
Playing games at home in Oklahoma City has one advantage: everyone doesn't have to rush, and they can continue to chat and boast after the game.
"Even though we won, I played like crap. My legs were soft in the latter half of the fourth quarter. God, what kind of games was I playing the past two years!"
In the locker room, Durant was icing his legs and complaining about his own performance.
He finished the game with 8-of-18 shooting, 1-of-3 from three-point range, and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line, totaling 23 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 turnovers. Statistically, it looked decent, but Durant was almost invisible in the latter half of the fourth quarter.
"A win is a win, Kevin. You're too hard on yourself. No one can stay efficient all the time!"
Russell was on fire in this game, shooting 8-of-14, 1-of-1 from three-point range, and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, totaling 23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 turnovers. Most importantly, he performed exceptionally well in the fourth quarter.
"Kayce still seems very efficient, although he was a bit off in the third quarter. Honestly, I don't want to guard Duncan anymore; I'm sore all over right now!"
Jeff Green was already sprawled out. In this game, he frequently rotated to help defend in the paint, and in the latter half, he was practically wrestling in the restricted area, so he was completely exhausted after the game.
"Actually, we didn't play smart enough. This was the San Antonio Spurs' pace, but we still won, guys. Enjoy the victory tonight, because we have another game tomorrow!"
Kayce was not satisfied with his own performance. In this game, they had been playing at the San Antonio Spurs' pace, and winning truly had an element of luck.
"God, I want to complain about the NBA's schedule! It doesn't give anyone a break!"
Everyone started complaining about the schedule, and Kayce also sighed helplessly. Fortunately, they were playing the Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow, so the pressure would be a little less.
By the time Kayce drove home to Oklahoma City, it was already deep into the night. He felt a bit tired, but his condition was better than Durant's.
"With 94 stamina, it should be no problem to get through the regular season!"
Kayce thought to himself while showering.
He still had a game to play tomorrow. After quickly replying to a few messages, Kayce lay directly on his soft bed and drifted off to sleep.
In the Dream Training Space, Kayce called up the control panel and smiled slightly when he saw the notification in the Achievement Room:
"Although the game was tough, the rewards were huge. Two badges have been upgraded!"
He eagerly entered the Achievement Room and first checked the badge experience situation, finding that most badges had gained about 3 points, with only a very few not increasing in experience.
Kayce was very satisfied with this rate of experience growth; playing against strong teams indeed yielded more experience.
Finally, he came to the two new silver badges, reached out and touched them, and checked their attributes:
Achievement Badge [Ankle Breaker]: 5/500
Increases the chance of breaking through a defender with dribbling or fakes, and temporarily increases shooting percentage after a successful breakthrough.
Achievement Badge [Triple Threat Veteran]: 7/500
When attempting to break through a defender, quickens the triple threat move and temporarily increases the shooting percentage directly after a triple threat.
Kayce noticed that the description of the [Ankle Breaker] badge had not changed, while the [Triple Threat Veteran] badge had an additional description, and he immediately looked thoughtful:
"Can a silver badge only have two effects at most? I really want to see the final form of the badge!"
With badge upgrades and game victories, Kayce happily threw himself into his daily basic training. If he didn't train for a day, he would feel uncomfortable all over.
The next morning, after breakfast, Kayce was reading funny posts on Reddit. Oklahoma City fans were already going crazy, not only predicting a championship but some even dreaming of a three-peat.
"I always feel like if you keep hyping us up like this, one day you'll jinx us to death! Stephen A. can't even talk as much as you guys!"
Kayce complained while reading the posts.
"Kayce, we all think you can move on to the next stage of strength training. Honestly, if we hadn't continuously observed you for half a month, it would be hard to believe your recovery ability is so good!"
Today, all three members of the private training team arrived at Kayce's house early. They had to serve their big boss well.
"No problem, perhaps this is my physical talent. Wagner, thank you for updating the menu; the recent flavors are very good!"
Kayce's good recovery ability was due to the B+ grade functional drinks. Although they tasted terrible, the effects were definitely outstanding.
"I think it's not just your recovery ability. The fact that increasing strength training doesn't affect your shooting touch, that's what's truly frightening! You really are a genius!"
Meg, having to follow Kayce to every game, understood him very well. Maintaining this level of strength training while still scoring efficiently in games, his performance truly astonished her.
"Guys, no need for the compliments. I need to look at the plan. Tony, do I have a chance to train to the strength level of LeBron James?"
Kayce put away his laptop and looked expectantly at trainer Tony.
"Kayce, some things are innate. Your body also has its limits. Don't put too much pressure on yourself!"
Tony spoke truthfully, shattering Kayce's unrealistic fantasy.
"Alright, you're right. Tank-like breakthroughs seem completely out of the question. Goodbye, my ultimate dream!"
The Thunder had a film session in the afternoon, mainly with Coach Ben leading everyone to review their performance against the San Antonio Spurs. After the review, everyone had a look of relief.
"My defense at the end really had frequent breakdowns, but at the time on the court, I didn't feel it at all!"
Russell sat in his chair, looking bewildered, as he had thought he performed very well on the defensive end.
"Russell, you need to change your defensive habits. Coach Ben actually mentioned these issues when you were at UCLA. I think you have a chance to make the All-Defensive Team."
Kayce encouraged Russell, as it would be a shame not to play defense with such great physicality.
"I should reduce my ball-handling. I should attack immediately after receiving the ball. Watching the film, I realized some of my shot selections were terrible!"
Durant became extremely focused once he entered the realm of basketball. He would review himself after every film session.
"Kevin, the purpose of our hand-off passes is to create mismatches. So, against smaller players, you need to play simpler, and against slower big men, you need to drive more aggressively."
Kayce was afraid Durant would pursue reasonableness and become hesitant, so he quickly advised him.
"Kayce, why does Coach always praise you? You hardly ever make mistakes!"
Jeff Green said enviously.
"No choice, after all, I'm a genius. Of course, the biggest mistake in yesterday's game was not playing our offensive rhythm. I take full responsibility for that."
Kayce put on a big-shot demeanor, silently showing off.
"I want to punch him, guys, let's go! We can't let him show off anymore!"
Durant raised his arm and called out, and everyone rushed forward. Kayce, with two fists against four hands, was immediately overwhelmed.
"You guys are jealous! What I said is all true…"
Although the Thunder players and Coach didn't like back-to-back games, Oklahoma City fans were thrilled. Watching two games in a row felt amazing!
Ford Center was once again packed. Fans believed that as long as they played normally, tonight would be another big win, after all, they had defeated strong teams, and the Los Angeles Clippers, a bottom-feeder team, would be easily handled!
The Los Angeles Clippers indeed hadn't shown much improvement this season, starting with a 3-7 record. At this rate, they were heading for another top draft pick.
Head Coach Old Dunleavy had been having a tough time lately. After drafting Griffin, team owner Donald Sterling had high expectations, but the results were disappointing.
There were rumors that Sterling was privately furious and increasingly dissatisfied with the team. Old Dunleavy knew that he might be leaving soon.
"If they had listened to me and picked Kayce, they would definitely be playing better this season! Those lucky Thunder!"
The game was about to start. Old Dunleavy watched the Thunder warm up, complaining wildly in his heart.
"Friends, tonight I will be facing the Los Angeles Clippers. If we win, we will achieve a 10-game winning streak!
God, last season we only won 23 games in total. Here, I once again call for the NBA to give us more national TV broadcasts; these young men deserve more praise!"
Home announcer Twin had become a die-hard Thunder fan, almost always calling on the NBA to give the team more attention during every game.
"Kayce, perhaps we can try a different playstyle in this game. I need your support!"
The game was about to begin, Durant whispered to Kayce.
"No problem, Bro, pay attention to off-ball screens. You'll definitely play more efficiently in this game!"
Kayce stretched, then patted Durant's shoulder, signaling that he was fine.
"Game on! Wow, Kostić jumped really high today and successfully secured the first possession for us!"
Kayce received the ball, slowly dribbled it across half-court, and thought to himself:
"Time to test the effects of the new badges and new playstyle. I hope the Los Angeles Clippers can put up a good fight!"