As a young team, the Thunder often struggled with their mentality when facing difficulties.
The game had just started for over 3 minutes, and the Utah Jazz opened with a 9-4 run. For three consecutive possessions, Jeff Green was scored on by Boozer's low-post isolation on the defensive end.
On the offensive end, Jeff Green got two open three-point opportunities, but both were bricks.
Since the game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Jeff Green's mentality had changed. After all, this was only his third season, and media criticism had affected him.
At this moment, the leader on the court needed to speak up. While Durant was active on Twitter, he was a quiet one on the court, and Russell was the self-exciting type, so he couldn't be relied upon either.
So, taking advantage of the inbound pass, Kayce went to Jeff Green and loudly comforted him:
"Hey, Bro, if you have a chance, take the shot. It's okay if you miss, we can still grab offensive rebounds. We are a family! Just do your best on defense. This is a team problem, don't blame yourself."
"I understand, thanks, Kayce. I'll do my job, don't worry!"
Jeff Green first patted his chest, then fist-bumped Kayce in greeting.
On the Thunder's offensive possession, Russell dribbled past half-court and first set a high screen with Kostić. Deron Williams, with his strong body, forced his way through, not allowing Russell an easy shot opportunity.
At this moment, Kayce came off the screen to receive the ball. Facing Matthews' defense, he used a crossover dribble and continuous in-and-out moves to shake off his defender, then accelerated with the ball in his right hand for a drive.
The Utah Jazz's defense instantly collapsed, and Boozer retreated to the paint. Kayce didn't force an attack, instead jumping in the air to pass the ball, finding Jeff Green in the corner.
The latter caught the ball and, without hesitation, launched an open three-point jump shot.
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in cleanly.
"Roar! !" Jeff Green roared, clenching his fist.
Jeff Green was incredibly excited after making the shot. Including the game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he had missed seven consecutive outside shots, and this one finally went in, successfully releasing the pressure in his heart.
Coach Brooks on the sideline smiled in relief at this scene. He hadn't misjudged Kayce. His arrival had increased the team's cohesion; he was a natural leader.
As the Utah Jazz's on-court engine, Deron Williams remained unhurried despite Russell's relentless harassment. He first protected the ball with his back to the basket, then raised his body's center of gravity with the ball in his right hand, executing his signature continuous changes of direction.
After shaking off Russell with a change of pace, he took a mid-range jump shot from the free-throw line.
"Swish!" The two-pointer went in easily.
"Ah! Oh ah!"
The spectacular crossover also made the Salt Lake City audience cheer and shout loudly.
The second-year rookie, Russell, was suppressed. Deron Williams was strong and played with rhythm, which made it very difficult for Russell to defend him.
Kayce knew that for the Thunder's offense to flow, they needed to generate transition offense, but the Utah Jazz completely controlled the pace of the game with their preferred half-court offense.
On the offensive possession, after a series of perimeter passes, Jeff Green set a high screen. Kayce accelerated with the ball in his left hand, shook off Matthews, and faced Boozer's defense.
He quickly pulled back with a crossover dribble, instantly faked a gather, paused slightly, stopped and started abruptly, changing pace to shake off Boozer, then accelerated with the ball in his right hand for a drive.
Seeing Durant cut to the inside through Kostić's screen, he immediately delivered a precise lob pass.
The ball and player arrived simultaneously, and Durant took off directly, grabbing the ball with one hand and slamming it fiercely into the basket.
"Clang!" "Boo! ! !"
The home fans immediately let out huge boos; the flashy offense angered the audience on site.
Coach Sloan noticed a slight change in the pace of the game and immediately called a timeout, not wanting the Thunder to build momentum.
They were stunned by the Utah Jazz's continuous half-court offense at the start. After this alley-oop, the Thunder players finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Very good, maintain the offensive rhythm, protect the rebounds, and when we have a chance, we need to execute fast break transitions."
During the timeout, Coach Brooks began to give everyone a pep talk.
However, the game situation changed. On offense, the Utah Jazz started to frequently run pick-and-rolls with their center, exploiting Kostić's slow footwork, and Okur continuously got open looks from beyond the arc.
Bang Bang's two three-pointers once again extended the lead.
The Thunder's offense, however, ran into problems again. The Utah Jazz increased their defensive intensity. First, Kostić failed to convert a layup in the paint, and then Durant was cleanly stripped by Ronnie Brewer, leading to free throws.
The first quarter had been played for over 8 minutes, and the Thunder had already reached the foul limit.
While the opponent was shooting free throws, Kayce quickly shouted, "Patience! Don't foul easily!"
But the wily veterans of the Utah Jazz wouldn't let this opportunity slip. Every possession, they tried to get the ball inside, and Deron Williams also drove hard into the paint after pick-and-rolls. As a result, Kostić committed his third foul.
Coach Brooks reluctantly brought Ibaka in early. Collison was injured, leaving only one reliable big man rotation.
Seeing his teammates' offense falter again, Kayce increased his aggressiveness, continuously driving to draw fouls and stepping to the free-throw line.
"Boo! !"
Seeing Kayce shoot consecutive free throws, the home crowd immediately let out huge boos, and a small number of people started cursing the referees.
"An away game is like a graveyard. This officiating standard really lives up to its reputation," Kayce muttered to himself while shooting free throws.
The Utah Jazz's defensive actions were not clean. Several perimeter players frequently reached in, and on offense, they sometimes set moving screens.
Durant's mentality was starting to explode. Ronnie Brewer was pushing and pulling, but the referee just wouldn't blow the whistle.
By the end of the first quarter, it was 30-23, with the Utah Jazz leading by 7 points.
"Kevin, stay calm, don't get entangled with the opponent. Russell, play aggressively, attack the rim more!"
Coach Brooks used a short rotation again in this game, keeping the starters on for the second quarter to try and close the gap.
The Utah Jazz made their usual substitutions, bringing in the more mobile Paul Millsap and Andrei Kirilenko, while Eric Maynor replaced Deron Williams.
Coach Sloan consistently maintained offensive aggression from the power forward and center positions. Paul Millsap could score both inside and outside, and Kirilenko's help defense was even better.
The second quarter began, and the Thunder quickly fell apart. Jeff Green and Ibaka's defense was completely shredded. Paul Millsap scored with both drives and outside shots, and the Utah Jazz started with an 8-0 run.
Ibaka, facing Kirilenko, was outmatched in experience, while Jeff Green was outmatched in physical strength. Paul Millsap was slightly shorter than him but outweighed him.
Coach Sloan's game plan was to attack the Thunder's weak interior while also messing with their mentality on defense. A simple and brutal strategy, yet it produced a huge game effect.
Kayce knew this game was likely lost. With a large deficit, the Utah Jazz would surely slow down the pace, not allowing transitions, and with the home-court whistle, a comeback was almost impossible.
At halftime, it was 60-44, with the Utah Jazz leading by 16 points.
During halftime, everyone in the Thunder locker room was silent. Losing by so much in one half, with the game so one-sided, it was hard not to feel a ripple of despair.
Seeing this situation, Kayce proactively spoke up:
"It's okay, guys, this is just a regular season game. No team can win all the time, and besides, we still have a chance in the second half. Russell, you'll find your rhythm in the second half, right!"
"Green, keep shooting, and also increase your drives. Boozer can't stop you. Kevin, against their smaller players, it's time to show off your pull-up jumper. Ibaka, don't be discouraged, you're still a rookie!"
Kayce smiled, teasing his teammates.
"You're also a rookie, Kayce! Don't worry, we've lost more games than you have!"
Russell once again stated the heartbreaking truth with righteous indignation.
"..."
Kayce was speechless this time. He couldn't refute that, so he could only shrug helplessly.
"Haha!"
Everyone burst out laughing when they saw Kayce's expression, and the atmosphere immediately lightened.
"You're right, I really shouldn't complain about the referee's calls. I'm going to blow past that annoying guy in the second half!"
Durant was no longer dejected. Russell was right; they had indeed lost many games before.
Because of their excellent winning streak at the start of the season, their mentality had developed problems. After being beaten repeatedly on the road, Durant gradually adjusted. Making the playoffs was their true goal this season!
Coach Brooks also smiled with relief when he saw the situation in the locker room. No need for a halftime pep talk.
As the second half began, the Thunder regained their game vitality. If outside shots didn't fall, they crashed the offensive boards.
If they couldn't defend the paint, Kayce, Russell, and Durant increased their defensive pressure to make it difficult for the Utah Jazz to pass the ball.
Kostić also stopped being invisible. Although his finishing at the rim was a bit lacking, he still managed to get to the free-throw line.
Unfortunately, the hole they dug in the first half was too deep. Despite a full effort to catch up, they still lost the game, 104-96, with the Utah Jazz defeating the Thunder at home.
The game was fiercely contested, but after the game, everyone was amicable. Kayce gained a few more 'surface brothers'; after all, they were all a family!
In this game, Kayce shot 8-for-16, 1-for-3 from three, and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, finishing with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 turnovers. A stable, unremarkable performance.
After the game, the Thunder flew back to Oklahoma City that night. They would then have a continuous five-game homestand until mid-December, when they would depart for Memphis. Everyone was eager to return home.
After getting off the plane and a quick farewell to his teammates, Kayce drove home. Hotels on the road were not as comfortable as his own mansion!
After a quick shower, Kayce immediately collapsed onto his soft, comfortable bed and slowly drifted into sleep.
In the Dream Training Space, Kayce brought up the control panel and, seeing no badge upgrade notifications in the Achievement Room, let out a slight sigh:
"The upgrade speed is still so slow. The experience from each game is completely random. Bronze badges are fine for beating weak teams, but they're basically useless against superstars..."
Although there were no badge upgrades, Kayce still went into the Achievement Room to check the experience status of each badge. When he saw that the [Defense Core] badge experience had increased significantly, his heart skipped a beat:
"What's going on? Why was the experience so little before, only increasing by 2 or 3 points each time?"
Achievement Badge [Defense Core]: 39 / 50
When this player is on the court, teammates' defensive abilities are enhanced.
Kayce carefully recalled his recent matchups, finding that they were still the same as before, with no significant difference. Even when matched against Kobe, the experience was only 3 points.
Since he hadn't changed, Kayce thought back to his teammates. When he suddenly thought of Ibaka, and then remembered that his playing time had sharply increased in the last two games, his heart was filled with joy:
"So there's this way to gain experience! If [Defense Core] can be grinded, then [Organization Core] should be able to as well!"
Achievement Badge [Organization Core]: 29 / 50
When this player is on the court, teammates receive offensive attribute bonuses.
Seeing the badge description, Kayce became happier the more he thought about it. When he remembered that Durant was also on the team, he couldn't help but laugh out loud, muttering to himself:
"I'll try to get Durant a scoring title. For badge experience, you're definitely going to be a utility man!"