Neil shot a stellar 41.9% from three-point range last season, averaging 1.6 three-pointers per game and scoring nearly 10 points. He's a top-notch three-point shooter, but his defense is far inferior to his offense.

Popovich's roar after Jackson's breakthrough wasn't defended indicated he wasn't that angry yet. But missed three-pointers, even hesitation to shoot, were completely intolerable.

Hearing Popovich yell, Tang Tian took off his training suit and stood up.

"Be decisive when you have the opportunity to shoot," Popovich specifically instructed.

Tang Tian nodded and walked straight to the scorer's table.

Although he was on the active roster, he shouldn't have been in the rotation. After all, his position was behind Ginobili and Leonard, one the sixth man, the other a rookie the team was heavily developing. He was just a substitute.

Although Ginobili was a shooting guard, he could play point guard perfectly fine. In reality, Neil was just a three-point shooter paired with him. Neil's poor performance and Tang Tian coming on were essentially the same thing.

Moreover, the timing was also important. If this situation had occurred three or four minutes into the second quarter, Popovich would have directly put Green in.

Of course, this was also related to Tang Tian's excellent performance in training games. Otherwise, if Neil performed poorly, James Anderson or Joseph would have replaced him instead.

Due to many reasons, he got the chance to play early.

Jackson's shot drew a foul on Neil, giving him the opportunity to score his ninth point of the game. His performance was explosive.

The game entered a dead ball, and Tang Tian got up to enter the game, replacing Neil.

Some scattered cheers rang out from the sidelines.

Not only from the few fans holding up the Godfather signs, but also some local Oklahoma City fans.

Durant turned his head at the sound of the cheers, letting out a disdainful sound.

After turning his head, he looked at Jackson, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Jackson was on fire, and the Spurs bringing on Tang Tian was definitely a stopgap measure. This gave Jackson the perfect opportunity to blow past Tang Tian, which was exactly what he wanted to see.

After Jackson made both free throws, his personal score reached 9 points, surpassing Westbrook and Durant to become the Thunder's highest-scoring player.

The crowd also cheered for him. The Thunder had found a treasure at the end of the first round.

A hint of smugness was barely concealed in Jackson's eyes. This was the feeling of a comeback! He would make the 23 teams that passed on him regret it!

The Spurs' offense saw Ginobili dribble the ball from the backcourt to the frontcourt. He was now playing a pure point guard.

Defending him was Reggie Jackson.

Tang Tian ran the play at this time, positioning himself in the corner to create space.

Ginobili signaled Splitter to come up for a high pick-and-roll.

Thunder coach Brooks had faced the Spurs many times and knew how good Ginobili was at penetrating, so he yelled from the sidelines not to switch.

Jackson quickly closed the distance with Ginobili, not giving Splitter a chance to set the pick.

Seeing this, Ginobili directly made a crossover to the right, then cut in to the left, a signature snakelike breakthrough.

Jackson was, after all, a rookie and lacked experience.

Leonard cut to the basket on the weak side, using Splitter's screen.

The Spurs' tactics weren't about a single point, but about the entire team moving. This was Popovich's tactical system.

However, the Thunder did a good job of protecting the basket on this play. The off-ball switching was timely. Cook fronted Splitter, cutting off his reception, and Muhammad covered Leonard.

Ginobili's pass to the weak side was blocked, and at the same time, Harden also retreated to the basket, preparing to double-team Ginobili as before.

Brooks' coaching level had always been questioned, especially the monotony of his offensive tactics, but he actually wasn't bad at defense.

Seeing Harden, Ginobili threw the ball out to the corner.

Tang Tian raised his hand to catch the ball, catching it comfortably.

It had to be said that Ginobili's passing ability was much better than Walker's and Joseph's. He caught the ball at chest level, the kind of ball that could be shot directly.

Harden turned to defend. The Spurs had used similar tactics before, but Neil hadn't been able to seize the opportunity.

When he retreated, he only symbolically raised his hand. He knew Tang Tian, this "Godfather," but he also knew the difference between streetball and real games. Neil could shoot more accurately than Tang Tian on a streetball court.

Tang Tian's three-pointer was already released, taking only about 0.6 seconds.

The hard work in the offseason had paid off significantly. Even if Harden rushed over with all his might, it would be too late.

Popovich looked up at the ball after Tang Tian released it.

Whether the things he had trained could be displayed on the court depended on this shot. If he couldn't make such an open shot, it meant that Tang Tian was just a practice player. Conversely, if he could make it right away, it meant that Tang Tian deserved a chance to enter the rotation.

There were only over 400 players in the entire NBA. For most players, opportunities might only come once.

"Swish!"

Tang Tian's three-pointer went in cleanly!

He had seized the opportunity!

He had scored his first goal on the NBA court!

"fxCk! Can this rookie just make a three-pointer right away?" a fan exclaimed from the sidelines.

"He seems to be the 'Godfather'? The one who was popular in the offseason?"

"Seems like it, but that's a streetball court. This is an NBA game!"

The Thunder had already widened the gap to 7 points, and Tang Tian's three-pointer was a welcome relief for the Spurs.

Ginobili smiled and pointed at Tang Tian as he retreated on defense. He now believed that what Tang Tian had said was true.

Sitting on the bench for more than a quarter and then making a three-pointer right away was not something that ordinary people could do. Tang Tian did indeed have a Champion's Heart.

"Shit!" Durant couldn't help but curse on the sidelines. Tang Tian's three-pointer made him feel very uncomfortable.

Jackson dribbled the ball towards the frontcourt at this time. He heard Durant's curse and his expression became serious.

This was the Thunder's home court, and also his home court. He couldn't let Tang Tian steal the cheers he had just won, especially since Durant had specifically told him to.

He dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and, seeing that Tang Tian was defending him, directly signaled his teammates to spread out.

He was now going to do what Durant had told him to do: blow past Tang Tian.

Harden also gave him face, taking Ginobili, who was defending him, to the weak side.

The Thunder's offense mostly relied on one-on-one isolation to create advantages, at most adding an off-ball screen. Jackson's choice was also very Thunder-like.

Seeing the space open up, Jackson made a crossover, alternating between his left and right hands, and then suddenly accelerated to break through on the right.

He had worked hard on his breakthroughs this summer. He could achieve the same crossover frequency as before without raising his dribbling point!

"Pa!"

But the next second, he had passed, but the ball was snatched away by Tang Tian!

After dynamic vision enhancement training, Tang Tian's overall reaction had improved to another level. Jackson had been intercepted by him with the same move in streetball games, and now he could steal it just as easily, and even more easily!