In the NBA, a large reason why many teams' performances consistently fail to improve is that they've lost so much they've become numb, leading to tanking, and completely eradicating any winning culture in the locker room.
Rookies joining such teams often struggle for their first few years, as rebuilding is a process.
During the break, DeAndre Jordan, sitting on the Clippers' bench, felt a pang of discomfort as he watched the team's veterans remain calm despite being behind, even cracking jokes now and then.
"DeAndre, you're up first in the second quarter. Focus on protecting the defensive rebounds and don't foul unnecessarily!"
Old Dunleavy scanned the bench, then sighed helplessly, ultimately choosing DeAndre Jordan, last year's second-round pick. A hardworking kid deserved more playing time.
DeAndre Jordan first froze, then immediately stood up, quickly shedding his jacket. "I'm ready, Coach!"
Old Dunleavy said nothing, just patted DeAndre Jordan's shoulder.
Early in the second quarter, the Clippers started Kareem Rush and Sebastian Telfair in the backcourt, with Craig Smith and Marcus Camby at forward, and DeAndre Jordan at center.
Marcus Camby's lateral movement was slow, so Old Dunleavy, in a desperate attempt, sent in the athletic DeAndre Jordan, hoping the two could complement each other and withstand the Thunder's assault.
The Thunder, meanwhile, made their regular rotations, with Kayce and Thabo Sefolosha in the backcourt, and I Tang Thomas, Ibaka, and Nick Collison also rotating in normally.
"The Clippers have subbed in their rookie center, DeAndre Jordan, whom they drafted last year. Is this Coach Dunleavy's surprise move?"
As the second quarter began, the home commentator, Twin, noticed the new face on the Clippers and quickly looked up his information to introduce the player.
After Sebastian Telfair brought the ball past half-court, seeing Kayce come to guard him, his scalp tingled. Wasn't this just bullying?
Westbrook, at 191cm, was already tough enough for him to guard. Kayce looked to be 2 meters tall, while Sebastian Telfair was only 183cm. This matchup completely stunned him.
After all, he wasn't Paul, nor was his athleticism explosive. Facing a player with such innate talent, he would almost certainly be stifled.
As soon as Kayce entered the game, he stuck to Sebastian Telfair like glue. He enjoyed guarding these short, less physically gifted guards.
He kept pace, used his body to cover the opponent, and with the bonus from his silver badge [Defensive Expert], he constantly harassed and poked at the ball, making it difficult for Sebastian Telfair to even pass.
Protecting the ball, Sebastian Telfair quickly signaled for an offensive play. DeAndre Jordan immediately came up for a screen, but unfortunately, the screen quality was too poor, and Kayce easily squeezed through.
Just as Sebastian Telfair relaxed slightly after the screen, he suddenly found a hand on the ball.
"Slap!"
Kayce, after squeezing through the screen, directly swiped the ball from his opponent's hands. After the steal, he immediately dribbled and accelerated past half-court, taking off one step past the free-throw line.
Gliding through the air, he threw down a one-handed dunk!
"Slam!" The steal and dunk were executed seamlessly.
"Ah! Ah!"
The fans at Ford Center immediately erupted in a huge cheer for the spectacular dunk.
After the dunk, Kayce calmly and quickly retreated on defense. A true boss had to show off quietly.
"Wow! Kayce is definitely a nightmare for some guards. Sebastian Telfair actually relaxed after the screen, and he paid the price!"
Commentator Twin was also a die-hard fan of Kayce, and he praised him with gusto.
Old Dunleavy shouted from the sidelines, constantly reminding his players to stay focused.
But it was no use. The Clippers' offense couldn't get going. DeAndre Jordan's screens were ineffective, easily bypassed every time. With no options on the perimeter, they had to give the ball back to Marcus Camby in the low post.
This time, the offense was stopped by the combined efforts of Collison and Ibaka. Ibaka grabbed the rebound and immediately passed it to Kayce.
Dribbling quickly past half-court, Kayce immediately passed the ball to Thabo Sefolosha and began his off-ball movement. Collison gave Kayce a back screen, then cut directly, while Kayce quickly popped out.
DeAndre Jordan's defensive attention was on Kayce, but he reacted a beat too late. Thabo Sefolosha made a direct pass, and Collison, under the basket, easily laid the ball in.
This simple Spain pick-and-roll was very effective, especially against rookie big men like DeAndre Jordan, who lacked defensive experience.
After scoring, Collison gave his teammates a thumbs up. The offense was too easy.
On the Clippers' next possession, Sebastian Telfair brought the ball past half-court and immediately passed it. Kareem Rush received the ball and ran a pick-and-roll with Marcus Camby.
But Thabo Sefolosha's defense was also good. After squeezing through, he constantly applied physical pressure to the opponent. In the paint, Ibaka also kept calling out to his teammates. After several passes, the Clippers still couldn't find a good opportunity.
Finally, Kareem Rush, contested, took a forced three-pointer from beyond the arc.
"Bang!" It was a brick.
The long rebound bounced out and was immediately picked up by Kayce, who initiated a fast break. But the Clippers retreated very quickly. Seeing no opportunity, he made an offensive gesture, signaling his teammates to slow down.
He quickly passed the ball to the cutting I Tang Thomas. Kayce again moved off-ball, while Thabo Sefolosha also went to receive the ball.
Collison still gave Kayce a back screen, then cut down. This time, DeAndre Jordan didn't miss his man on defense, but Kayce successfully shook off his defender and popped out to receive the ball.
Sebastian Telfair, helpless, rushed over to help defend. Kayce, after receiving the ball, used a triple threat. Seeing the defender shift back slightly, he pulled up for a jump shot.
"Swish!" The three-pointer swished through the net.
"Beautiful three-pointer! Kayce completely ignored the opponent's defense. I'd say the game might already be over! We're up by 19 points!"
Commentator Twin, seeing Kayce make that shot, also got carried away and immediately declared the Thunder victorious.
Old Dunleavy immediately called a timeout. The game was unplayable. DeAndre Jordan's screens were ineffective, the offense couldn't get going, and the defense couldn't hold. He himself was a bit disheartened.
During the timeout, the live fans at Ford Center were ecstatic. The DJ played some hype music, and everyone cheered loudly. They were about to win again, and a 10-game winning streak was within their grasp.
"Great job! Bro, that three-pointer was so cool!"
Durant was excited. A 10-game winning streak, first in the league! Last season, he couldn't have dreamed of such a situation. The feeling of winning was indeed exhilarating.
"Free throw line dunk, Kayce! You should try a free throw line dunk. You're only a small step away!"
Russell was still thinking about that dunk. Since he couldn't dunk like that himself, he wanted Kayce to do one for him to enjoy.
Kayce smiled, responding to his teammates' chattering taunts. He knew this game was already decided.
Indeed, the rest of the game proceeded without much excitement. Both teams tacitly played until mid-third quarter before subbing in their bench players, signaling the game had entered garbage time.
Ultimately, the Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 118-96.
Kayce was also quite happy because his stats were both easily accumulated and impressive. He shot 8-for-13 from the field, 3-for-5 from three, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, finishing with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 14 assists—barely a big double-double.
Durant was also overjoyed, shooting 14-for-16 from the field, 2-for-2 from three, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, exploding for 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. He got more and more into it, with half of Kayce's assists going to him.
Russell was also happy because he also achieved a double-double, shooting 8-for-14 from the field, 1-for-2 from three, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, scoring 21 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 turnovers. Kostić was stuffed from all the easy baskets.
The Thunder achieved a 10-game winning streak, becoming first in the league. Kayce, Russell, and Durant became completely famous. First-year, second-year, third-year, the rookie's combat power was terrifying!
After the game, in the Thunder's locker room, everyone was beaming. Winning was simply exhilarating.
"Alright, boys, go home and get some rest early. Tomorrow we fly to Miami for another road back-to-back game. Don't let your guard down!"
Coach Brooks cooled his players down in advance. A winning streak was good, but the Coach Ben still had a lot of work to do, and he still had no good solution for the team's lineup flaws.
"Shit! Why do we always have back-to-back games in our schedule, playing at home then immediately going on the road!"
The players complained one after another upon hearing this. The schedule was indeed unfriendly.
"Kayce, Miami is my territory. My good brother is there. Tomorrow, when we arrive, let's relax!"
While icing, Durant, looking like a seasoned veteran, said to Kayce.
"Don't listen to him, Kayce. Last year when we went to Miami, we didn't see any hot girls!"
Jeff Green, hearing this, immediately complained about last year's experience.
"This year is different. Michael found a good place there. Just follow me, and you'll be fine!"
Durant's good brother, Michael Beasley, was selected by the Heat with the second overall pick in the first round last year. He averaged 13.9 points in his rookie season and is currently doing well in Miami.
"No problem, as long as we don't get stopped at the door. You have to be 21 to drink. That rule is too unfriendly!"
Kayce shrugged, indicating he was waiting for the veteran to lead the way.
"Haha, just you wait. I guarantee everyone will have a blast!" Durant was already hyped.
The 10-game winning streak of the Thunder also attracted huge attention in China, across the ocean. In those days, it wasn't popular to shoot a lot of threes from outside.
Muscle collisions, fadeaway, and driving dunks were what fans loved most. The Thunder had almost all three of these, so their fan base had recently exploded, and Kayce's number 10 jersey was also selling well.
Although it was already very late in Oklahoma City after the game, the international student Qin Hua started posting as soon as he returned to his hotel. He had to show off, otherwise, he really couldn't sleep.
"Asking for advice, does Kayce's autographed jersey have collection value?" As soon as this post went out, it immediately attracted a bunch of jealous people.
"The OP really got the autograph! And a photo?"
"The OP hit the jackpot this time, watching two games from the front row, getting an autograph and a photo all in one go. What kind of luck is this?"
Qin Hua, seeing everyone being jealous in front of his computer, immediately felt pleased. He continued to type on his keyboard, posting photos.
"It's alright, actually, I also have autographs and photos of Durant and Westbrook!"
"Oh my! I want to jump through the internet and kill this show-off!"
"Count me in, this show-off is too much!"
The international student Qin Hua watched the reply count skyrocket and immediately burst out laughing like a pig under his covers. This feeling was too good.
The next day, the entire Thunder team flew directly to Miami to begin their road trip. On the plane, everyone continued playing Texas Hold'em.
"Wade won a championship so early, that's truly enviable!"
Durant sighed while looking at his cards. Wade's championship experience was indeed somewhat legendary.
"But now Wade alone can't carry the Heat. O'Neal even left after winning the championship. I thought he would stay with the Heat forever."
Last season, Wade averaged 30.2 points, and Jeff Green also greatly admired his ability.
"It's said that the Heat's training was too strict, and O'Neal couldn't stand it, so he left. But I really didn't expect him to go to the Cavaliers this year!"
Russell really didn't expect the aging Shaq to team up with LeBron James. Their playing styles actually didn't quite match.
Kayce silently looked at his bad hand and didn't join the conversation, but he couldn't help but complain in his heart:
"There might be even more unexpected things in the future..."