As the Thunder secured their playoffs spot early, the joy of Thunder fans was matched by the pain of Rockets fans. The Rockets, currently in 9th place, still theoretically had a chance to make the playoffs, but only if the Trail Blazers continued to lose.
On March 25th in China, the Rockets and Thunder played. After Yao Ming's season-ending injury, McGrady being benched and then traded to New York, and future star Ariza turning into Brick Ariza, Rockets fans had already given up hope after the All-Star Weekend. Not to mention Shane Battier also got injured later. Now, most Rockets fans were numb.
The gap between the two teams was too large. After the tip-off, the Thunder went on a 16-6 run, and the rest of the game completely fell into the Thunder's rhythm.
The modified 3-2 zone defense prevented the Rockets' perimeter players from finding many opportunities. The paint was also a non-factor; Hayes was practically ignored, and whenever Luis Scola touched the ball and approached the paint, the Thunder's defense would instantly collapse.
Coupled with Kayce's tight defense on Kevin Martin, the Rockets' perimeter offense went completely silent. Ariza, well, he just kept clanking shots.
Luis Scola received the ball in the low post, facing Jeff Green's defense. After backing him down a couple of times and just about squeezing into the paint, Durant's help defense was already in position. Luis Scola immediately passed the ball out to Ariza on the perimeter, who caught it and took an open three-point jump shot.
"Clank" Another brick.
Kayce grabbed the long rebound and immediately pushed for a fast break. Westbrook had already sprinted ahead. Kayce threw an overhead pass to him, and Aaron Brooks' interference had no effect as Westbrook threw down a one-handed dunk!
"Boom" A fast-break dunk was successful.
On the Rockets offense, Kevin Martin receive the ball and tried to make a cross-over move, but Kayce was waiting for him, directly snatching the ball from Kevin Martin's hands.
After successfully stealing the ball, Kayce accelerated with the ball in his left hand, noticing that Kevin Martin behind him had already given up on defense. Just a step past the free-throw line, he pushed off with both feet, quickly soaring into the air. After an extremely fluid between-the-legs dribble in mid-air, he slammed the ball into the basket with his right hand!
"Boom" A steal followed by a between-the-legs dunk was successful.
"Ha ah!!"
The crowd at the Ford Center immediately cheered loudly for the spectacular dunk. Oklahoma City fans had also discovered that whenever it was a blowout game, the Thunder's plays were especially exciting!
After landing, Kayce even posed for the sideline camera, making a 'motorcycle twist' gesture, paying homage to Carter's dunk.
At this moment, Ariza looked at the 20-6 score, with only one thought in his mind:
"God, please let me go back to the Lakers."
In the subsequent game, the Rockets were completely dominated. Westbrook, in particular, was driving and passing, getting more and more excited. It was rare to encounter a team with such short big men like the Rockets, so he had to rack up the stats!
99:122, the home team Thunder once again delivered a heavy blow, showing no mercy, winning by 23 points against the Rockets. After a brief handshake, the Rockets players immediately turned and walked back to the player tunnel, having lost too badly.
In this game, Westbrook performed the best, completely out of his slump, efficiently scoring 28 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, and 3 turnovers. Kayce and Durant's performances were rather ordinary, with them scoring 22 and 32 points respectively. The Big Three once again combined for 82 points, sending Oklahoma City fans into a frenzy.
The advantage of playing at home was that they could have ample physical therapy after the game, staying as long as they wanted. After his teammates had all left, only Durant and Kayce remained in the therapy room.
"Kayce, what do you think of Battier? Do you think he has a chance to join the team next season?"
Kayce was slightly surprised by Durant's question, but seeing his serious expression, he still offered his opinion.
"Battier is indeed a great fit for us. Excellent defense, accurate three-point shooting, and players speak highly of him. He should be easy to get along with."
Durant nodded slightly after hearing Kayce's words, then said in a serious, low voice:
"The Rockets seem to be starting a rebuild. What do you think if I try to recruit Battier during the offseason? I feel like we should further improve our offensive spacing."
Kayce almost didn't catch on. Good heavens, you're trying to be GM Durant! But then he thought, if Durant could really pull it off, it would indeed be a good thing, as he himself couldn't very well poach Yao Ming's teammates.
"I think you should let Kleiman handle this. It's best for agents to communicate. At the same time, I also want to remind you that while player's willingness is one aspect, the truly decisive factor is the contract. Our owner is not a generous person."
Durant felt a bit disheartened after hearing Kayce's blunt truth, but he felt he should still try. If he could bring in Battier, his influence in the locker room would also increase. This would be a win-win situation!
"Don't worry, I won't be foolish enough to talk to Presti about this myself. I believe the owner should still be willing to spend more money, after all, we're doing so well, so of course, we need to strengthen the roster to contend for the NBA Finals!"
"Let's hope so. Just do your best. I believe even with our current roster, we can win the NBA Finals."
Although Kayce had some doubts about the Thunder's willingness to spend money, he didn't want to say too much. What if it caused a butterfly effect? This matter should wait until the offseason.
The Thunder currently have a 55-15 record, just one win behind the Lakers. In their next game, they will host the Lakers, making it a crucial positioning battle.
If the Lakers win, they will have a very high chance of securing the top spot in the Western Conference, and at the same time, they can continue to challenge for the best record in the league. Therefore, Coach Phil Jackson decided to go all out in this game.
Andrew Bynum had been out for a week due to injury and had just recovered. For a crucial positioning battle like tonight's, Phil Jackson waved his hand and immediately put Andrew Bynum into the starting lineup. If they were going to win, they would go all out with two big men.
On the evening of March 26th, the Ford Center was exceptionally hot. The battle for the top spot in the Western Conference had attracted immense attention.
Coach Brooks didn't have too many thoughts about this game. He just wanted to finish the remaining games safely. Health was the most important thing for the team.
"This might be a game to test our defense. Gasol might handle the ball a lot near the free-throw line. Green, your defense needs to keep up."
"At the start, we'll play 2-3 zone for a while, Russell, you need to get back quickly on defense, and don't press too high. If their three-pointers start falling early, we'll switch to 3-2 zone."
"Stay healthy, find problems, and enjoy the game, boys!"
"Yeah!"
Coach Phil Jackson didn't overemphasize offense before the game. Zone defense was already common for the Lakers. Teams with weak interiors, facing the Lakers' twin towers, often adopted such a defensive strategy.
In this game, Phil Jackson focused more on offense. He knew, of course, that the Thunder's offense was very strong in the 1st quarter. As long as they withstood the Thunder's early onslaught, the Lakers could slowly build an advantage.
Although scoring close to the basket was more stable, in the early stages of this game, the perimeter should be the first to respond.
"No matter how the opponent defends, we must move the ball quickly. Ron, pay attention to your offensive positioning. You need to be ready to receive the ball on the weak side at all times. If there isn't a good opportunity, you still need to move, increasing some baseline cuts."
"The same goes for defense. Don't let Kevin Durant receive the ball comfortably. Defend his right hand, increase physical confrontation, but also pay attention to the referee's whistle. In this regard, Ron, you manage it yourself."
Ron Artest nodded. As an excellent defender, he naturally knew how to avoid foul trouble. He also believed he could limit Durant. Although he didn't have a height advantage, he still had the upper hand in strength and physicality.
"Kobe, the defense on Kayce is up to you! We must try our best to win this game and secure home-court advantage."
"Don't worry, I won't let that rookie score easily on me!"
Kobe said immediately with a serious expression after hearing the Head Coach's words. For this game, he would also give his all. If they won against the opponent, the Lakers would ascend to the top of the league, and their record would also surpass that of the Cavaliers in the East.
After a crazy outburst from the home DJ, the Ford Center was now boiling. The top battle in the Western Conference! Oklahoma City fans had never seen such a spectacle before.
During the final warm-up phase before the game, Kayce transformed into a gear expert again tonight, fully equipping himself.
His compression pants and tights were black, while his arm sleeves and knee pads remained white.
He even deliberately styled his hair, making him look particularly energetic.
Kobe Bryant saw Kayce's somewhat flashy attire and immediately frowned, saying in a low, aggressive voice:
"You should put all your energy into basketball. You won't score easily against me tonight!"
After speaking, he turned and left without waiting for Kayce's reaction.
Kayce was a bit confused; what was going on?
"You yourself are wearing a flashy outfit, so why is it not okay for me?"
Westbrook naturally noticed the situation here and immediately asked curiously:
"What did Kobe say to you? Did he talk tough before the game again? We won by a good margin last time we played."
"Nothing, Kobe must be jealous that our home jerseys are too good-looking!"
"..."
Both teams' players came to the center of the court.
They exchanged simple greetings, and the referee signaled Kostić and Bynum to come for the jump ball.
"The game begins! Kostić won the tip-off for the Thunder. The atmosphere at Ford Center is incredibly lively tonight; everyone is standing to watch the game!"
"OKC! OKC! OKC!!!"
Amidst the cheers from the live audience, Westbrook quickly dribbled past half-court and immediately executed a high pick-and-roll with Kostić.
Bynum's defense also followed out.
Seeing this, Westbrook, with the ball in his left hand, accelerated his drive.
After circling around, he didn't find a good opportunity and passed the ball to Durant on the perimeter.
As soon as Durant received the ball, Artest's defense immediately stuck to him.
To prevent Durant from drawing a foul, Artest did not make too many hand movements on the perimeter but instead lowered his center of gravity, maintained focus, and consistently stayed in front of Durant.
After failing to shake off the defense even with a pick-and-roll from Jeff Green, Durant didn't rush to attack and immediately passed the ball to Kayce, who was already posting up in the left block of the paint.
Kobe Bryant hadn't expected Kayce's post-up ability to improve so much.
Unlike their last encounter, Kayce now had the Silver Badge bonus, plus a season of training, and had completely moved past the rookie stage.
After receiving the pass from Durant, feeling Kobe's defensive pressure from behind, Kayce took the ball with his back to the basket and sat back, while quickly dropping the ball with his right hand.
He backed down twice, getting close to the rim, then suddenly pulled his right hand back, faking a reverse spin.
Then, using his left foot as an axis, he twisted his body, quickly gathered the ball, and shot a fadeaway.
"Swish" The mid-range shot went in steadily.
"Ah!!!"
The Ford Center audience immediately cheered loudly for Kayce's basket.
This shot made the audience feel as if they were watching Michael Jordan, with graceful and beautiful movements!
"Tonight, I'm definitely going to score a lot of points on you!"
Taking advantage of the basket, Kayce also responded to Kobe's pre-game trash talk, then turned and ran back on defense, giving the opponent no chance to retort.
Kobe looked at Kayce's retreating back and didn't care.
He wasn't a trash talker; he intended to respond to Kayce's provocation with action.
Facing the Lakers' offense, the Thunder played a 3-2 zone defense.
When Gasol came to the free-throw line to facilitate, Jeff Green's defense immediately followed.
After a simple high-low post play, Bynum received the pass in the low post.
However, Durant quickly collapsed, directly going over to help defend.
Bynum didn't hold the ball and instead passed it to Artest on the perimeter, who caught the ball and quickly shot from beyond the three-point line.
"Bang" A hard miss.
It was a 2-on-1 situation, and the rebound was easily secured by Durant, who made a quick pass to a fast-breaking Westbrook.
The latter received the ball and began to accelerate frantically.
Fisher's speed clearly couldn't keep up, and he could only watch as Westbrook easily scored a layup.
The Lakers attacked again.
This time, after Fisher dribbled past half-court, he immediately passed the ball to Kobe.
Gasol immediately moved up, initiating their familiar pick-and-roll play.
Kobe used Gasol's excellent screen to briefly shake off Kayce's defense, but at this point, Durant quickly closed in, and Kayce agilely squeezed through the screen, chasing from the side.
The two used their height and wingspan advantage to double-team Kobe.
Artest, who was left open, was naturally not a mere decoy.
He began to cut along the baseline, and after receiving a pass from Kobe, he drove straight to the basket.
However, Jeff Green and Kostić had already collapsed to the paint, and Artest, out of options, tried to pass the ball to Gasol, who was rolling down.
But he still underestimated Kayce's reaction.
The moment he passed the ball, Kayce had already anticipated his passing lane.
With a long swing of his arm, he easily stole the ball and immediately threw it to the frontcourt.
A fast-breaking Westbrook received the ball and soared, throwing down a one-handed dunk.
"Clang" A successful fast-break dunk.
"Roar!"
The excited Westbrook started making strange noises again, constantly flexing his biceps.
The Ford Center audience also cheered wildly, as the Thunder had an exceptionally smooth start to the game.
Coach Phil Jackson shook his head secretly on the sidelines.
Artest's offensive choice was problematic.
With the opponent's defense concentrated on the strong side, he should have taken an open shot from his spot instead of foolishly driving inside.
Phil Jackson gave Fisher a tactical hand signal, indicating that this possession should be simpler.
After crossing half-court, Gasol remained near the free-throw line.
After several perimeter passes, everyone else cleared one side, and Kobe received the ball in the mid-post.
Facing Kayce's defense, he quickly dropped the ball with his right hand, dribbled one step up the perimeter, then quickly spun and gathered the ball, shooting a fadeaway.
"Swish" The two-point shot went in.
Kayce didn't mind; this was the Thunder's defensive strategy: to exhaust Kobe as much as possible in the first few quarters, while also not giving the interior an easy scoring opportunity.
Kayce felt that against an All-Star First Team player like Kobe, his only advantage should be his stamina.
With the Silver Badge [Iron Wall] bonus, he believed Kobe's stamina would decline much faster than under normal circumstances.
Moreover, every time Kobe called for the ball in the low post, he had to face Kayce's constant harassment, which were all stamina-draining actions.
As long as the Lakers' perimeter shooting didn't get hot, they wouldn't easily win this game.
For the remainder of the first quarter, both teams played at a slow offensive pace.
Although Artest had a poor shooting touch on offense, he performed exceptionally well in defending Durant.
Whether it was chasing or fronting, Durant was consistently unable to shake off Artest's harassment, and several of his pull-up jump shots all clanked off the rim.
However, Westbrook's performance compensated for Durant's lack of firepower.
Fisher still had the same old problem; although his defensive stance was good, his action of pulling up his shorts was exceptionally stylish, and his resolute gaze showed his defensive determination, but unfortunately, his legs simply couldn't keep up.
Westbrook could easily get past Fisher's defense without a screen, relying on his speed and in-and-out dribbles.
After making two consecutive mid-range shots, Coach Phil Jackson began to hesitate.
It was too early to take Fisher out at this point.
Especially after seeing Fisher make another three-pointer from beyond the arc, Coach Phil Jackson completely endured it.
Perimeter firepower was more important; keep playing!
Compared to their previous encounters, the Thunder's offensive tactics had become simpler and more direct.
On one hand, Coaching Staff had confidence in Kayce's offense, and on the other hand, the two teams had played each other many times, and many tactics no longer had their initial effect.
On a Thunder possession, after some low-post wrestling between Kayce and Kobe, Kayce successfully received a pass from Westbrook in the mid-post.
With the [Post-Up Maestro] badge bonus, this type of low-post positioning didn't consume much stamina.
After receiving the ball, Kayce suddenly turned, quickly dropped the ball with his left hand, and drove along the baseline.
Kobe's defensive footwork was also very quick, directly blocking Kayce's driving lane.
Kayce, while moving, suddenly changed direction with a crossover, dribbled one step with the ball in his right hand, then gathered the ball and faked a shot.
After a realistic fake move that sent Kobe flying, he quickly spun using his left foot as an axis and shot a mid-range jump shot.
"Swish" The two-point shot went in steadily.
Kobe saw Kayce retreating with a smile, and a surge of anger rose in his heart: "Arrogant rookie!"
In the next few minutes, both teams' shooting percentages began to drop.
Frequent physical contact also made the referee's whistle gradually more frequent.
Kayce secretly rejoiced:
"Come on! On the left side of the court, I can spend all day with you!"
Kobe also discovered, to his frustration, that Kayce was almost inexhaustible, constantly chasing him on defense, and also started to wear him down on offense, exerting full effort on both ends of the court.
By the end of the first quarter, the Thunder led 25-32, a temporary 7-point lead.
Kayce was 3-for-5 in the first quarter, all on mid-range jump shots, which greatly reduced the effectiveness of the Lakers' twin towers.
The best performer for the Thunder was Westbrook, who shot 6-for-8 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, scoring 14 points in a single quarter.
Durant was the most frustrated, only getting 4 points under Artest's harassment.
By the second quarter's rotation phase, after the Thunder brought in Serge Ibaka, their defensive effectiveness improved significantly.
Coupled with the Lakers' perimeter consistently failing to respond, this caused the Thunder's defense to shrink tighter and tighter, making every score exceptionally difficult.
This kind of game wasn't pretty, but the Ford Center audience was screaming with excitement.
Under the direction of the live DJ, they constantly cheered for the home team.
A battle of positioning, as long as they could win!
By halftime, the Thunder were leading 50-57, a 7-point advantage.
During halftime in the Thunder locker room, Kayce quickly ate two bananas to replenish his energy.
Kobe was truly a stamina monster; Kayce felt that the opponent's stamina showed no signs of declining.
"Very good, boys, stick to our defense, and continue to protect our rebounds!"
Coach Brooks was very satisfied with the team's performance.
The Lakers had many perimeter opportunities, but their 2-for-9 shooting from three-point range simply couldn't shake the Thunder's defensive strategy.
The second half of the game was almost a replica of the first half.
The Lakers attempted several perimeter three-pointers, all of which clanked off the rim, while Jeff Green of the Thunder suddenly became hot in the third quarter, going 3-for-3, allowing the Thunder to further extend their lead.
Coach Phil Jackson was frustrated by the team's offensive performance.
After more than four minutes into the fourth quarter, the deficit still hadn't shrunk, and Kobe's stamina gradually started to show problems, with his shooting percentage declining.
At this point, Kayce naturally had to strike hard.
After two consecutive screens from Jeff Green and Kostić on the perimeter, Kayce successfully received the ball at the 45-degree angle on the left side of the three-point line.
He smoothly dribbled back with a cross-step with his left hand, changing Kobe's defensive pivot foot, then quickly executed a crossover, faking a drive with the ball in his left hand.
Noticing Kobe's center of gravity shift backward, Kayce pushed off with his feet and shot a step-back three-pointer from beyond the arc.
"Slap"
"Swish" "Squeak"
The referee's whistle blew; the three-pointer was good, and an additional free throw was needed.
"Ah!!!"
The Ford Center audience began to scream wildly, releasing their excitement.
This shot, if it went in, would almost kill the game; the Thunder were already up by 14 points!
"Nice job, Bro!"
"I knew you could make a three-pointer like that!"
Durant and Westbrook immediately went over and pulled Kayce, who had fallen to the ground, up.
Both of them were very excited; winning this game would tie them with the Lakers' record.
Kayce looked at a frustrated Kobe and chuckled to himself:
"It's almost impossible to win this game relying on mid-range two-pointers!"
Kayce stood at the free-throw line, adjusting his breathing.
Just as he twirled the ball twice in his hands, he heard a coral-tsunami-like roar from the crowd:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!!!"
Durant's expression stiffened upon hearing the crowd's cheers.
This was the second time; why had he never received such cheers?
Kayce smiled slightly upon hearing the MVP chants and calmly sank the free throw.
Currently, he had accumulated 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 turnover.
Compared to facing Kobe's defense at the beginning of the season, he could clearly feel his own improvement.
Hmm... Although most of his scoring was concentrated on the left side of the court, this wasn't important.
What was important was that under his defense, Kobe had only scored 22 points!
With just over 5 minutes left in the game, Coach Phil Jackson called a timeout.
The Lakers were calling it quits; their perimeter shooting was too cold tonight.
Without three-pointers, it would be difficult to close a 15-point gap.
Moreover, Bynum had just returned from injury, and Kobe had also expended a lot of energy.
Health was most important.
Ultimately, the Thunder defeated the Lakers 101-91 at home, tying their win-loss record and reclaiming the top spot in the Western Conference.
However, what was both frustrating and amusing was that a day later, the Thunder hosted the Portland Trail Blazers and decisively lost to them, 110-96, with a rampaging Yellow Mamba Brandon Roy exploding for 36 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
In the Thunder locker room after the game, Kayce looked at a remorseful Westbrook and comforted him with a smile:
"It's okay, Russell, losing isn't just your responsibility. Besides, we still have a chance; as long as we tie the Lakers, we can reclaim the top spot in the Western Conference!"
In the game against the Lakers, Westbrook efficiently scored 30 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 turnovers.
However, in this game, he had a terrible performance, only getting 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, along with 4 turnovers.
"It's my fault, sorry guys, I shouldn't have eaten so much chocolate cake last night!"
"..."
Kayce scratched his head helplessly, thinking with frustration:
"It seems we're really going to face the Spurs in the first round. I really don't want to run into that old man Popovich."