The Thunder had a strong roster on paper, but the Spurs didn't have any clear advantages in terms of matchups. They were relying more on tactics on the court.
After Parker advanced to the frontcourt, he executed a zip hammer play. Tang Tian got an open look at the bottom corner, catching the ball and shooting cleanly for a three-pointer.
5-2, the Spurs took the lead on the road.
The crowd stirred. In that one offensive and defensive sequence, Tang Tian seemed to have gained the upper hand in his matchup against Durant?
Durant went to the three-point line in the frontcourt and directly asked Westbrook for the ball. He had said that if he was going to explode on Tang Tian tonight, he needed to!
You want to stop me from getting the ball? Then I'll just hold the ball at the three-point line!
Westbrook had absolute trust in Durant. Not only did he pass him the ball, but he also signaled his teammates to clear out, giving Durant enough space to isolate.
Durant held the ball, dribbling with his left hand and taking a step to forcefully break through.
Tang Tian held his position, but Durant's long legs allowed him to squeeze past.
As Tang Tian regained his defensive position, Durant directly performed a sudden stop and step-back mid-range shot, his long arms extending straight, ignoring Tang Tian's leaping interference.
"Swish!"
Another successful shot!
After Durant developed his shooting ability, combined with his long legs and arms, he became truly difficult to defend.
After scoring, Durant glanced down at Tang Tian.
The expression on his face was clear: You thought stopping me from getting the ball would stop me? How naive!
Durant made both of his opening shots, which was his normal performance for the entire season. He had solidified his position as the second-best small forward in the league.
The atmosphere at the arena was electric.
Winning a three-point contest had made some "godfather" fans get ahead of themselves, but that was just an All-Star game, an entertainment show. Winning didn't prove anything at all!
Only these kinds of official games were truly convincing!
The home fans whistled non-stop.
Durant had hit consecutive shots over Tang Tian's defense right from the start. That was the difference in strength!
In their eyes, Tang Tian was just a clown, not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as their Durant. Durant's real opponent was that man in Miami.
The Spurs ran their offensive play in the frontcourt, but Parker's floater missed. Ibaka jumped up and grabbed the defensive rebound.
The Thunder now had a chance to take the lead.
Westbrook continued to pass the ball to Durant.
As a brother, he was one of Durant's biggest supporters, and Durant had a good feel, so there was no reason not to let him play.
Durant continued to hold the ball outside the three-point line and forcefully break through, again going to his left.
This time, Tang Tian anticipated the move and forced Durant to stop.
The same trick wouldn't work on him too many times!
After being forced to stop, Durant chose to do a turnaround jump shot, and Tang Tian jumped up early to contest the shot.
"Clang!"
The ball bounced off the rim!
Tang Tian's defensive pressure was particularly intense, and Durant's shot was defended!
Under the basket, Duncan boxed out Ibaka, preventing him from jumping, and Blair grabbed the defensive rebound after securing position.
"Tang's learning speed is really fast!"
Barkley not only thought it, but shouted it out loud.
"Yes, this is only their first matchup. I suddenly feel that our pre-game predictions are likely to come true."
Kenny Smith echoed with a smile.
"I told you, Shaq's sixth sense."
O'Neal joined in, already completely immersed in the commentary atmosphere.
The Spurs ran another Ai hammer play in the frontcourt, and Green received the ball in the corner.
But the Thunder's help defense came quickly, and his shot was contested and missed. Perkins grabbed the defensive rebound.
As one of the top two teams in the West, their overall defense was excellent, and every point was difficult for the Spurs to score.
Westbrook went to the frontcourt and continued to pass the ball to Durant.
The Spurs' style of play this season was team-oriented, while the Thunder were the opposite. They played superstar basketball, even more so than the Heat.
Durant continued to hold the ball and attack Tang Tian, still using the step-in breakthrough on the left.
Tang Tian still anticipated and took position early, and this time, before Durant could raise the ball to shoot, he used his dynamic vision to go for the ball directly.
"Pa!"
He actually slapped the ball out of Durant's hand and stole it!
The Spurs quickly launched a fast break, with Parker starting from the backcourt and going all the way to the front to score a layup.
7-4.
The crowd stirred.
"Woah!" Barkley exclaimed from the commentary booth.
After hitting two shots over Tang Tian's defense at the start, Durant had now been defended by Tang Tian for two consecutive possessions, and he had even been stolen from!
Was Durant strong?
The answer was definitely yes. His average of 28 points per game this season was proof.
But could Durant be defended?
The answer was also yes.
The current Durant was far from the "Grim Reaper" of later years. Before this season, he was still primarily a shooter who relied on catching and shooting and cutting to the basket.
The impression he gave was that he was accurate.
Being able to average 27 points per game just by shooting was Durant's greatest strength.
But after encountering the Mavericks in last year's Western Conference Finals and being targeted to death by Carlisle.
He had spent the past offseason practicing his floater technique and details around the basket, as well as this left-side breakthrough.
So, it's no exaggeration to say that Durant was still in the early stages of learning basketball skills.
This was also why he only used the left-side breakthrough to challenge Tang Tian.
Because of his physical gifts, he could score easily against others with this move.
But against Tang Tian, it seemed a little insufficient.
With Durant struggling, Westbrook stepped up.
He used Perkins' screen to launch himself into the air like a dynamite package, drawing a reaching foul from Blair.
He was sent flying, but he got up and shook his arms as if nothing had happened and went to the free-throw line.
He made both free throws, helping the Thunder keep the score close.
The Spurs continued to run their offensive plays in the frontcourt. Tang Tian's three-point shot after running his route didn't go in, but Duncan grabbed the offensive rebound and drew a shooting foul from Ibaka.
He also made both free throws, and the Spurs continued to maintain a 3-point lead.
The two teams were very close in strength, and the game was unusually intense.
Westbrook didn't have a chance for a strong drive, so he dribbled the ball back to the three-point line. Durant started running an off-ball screen, which was his favorite way to score.
However, by the time he circled out to receive the ball, Tang Tian had weaved through the screens and was still following him like a ghost. When he shot, an aggressive steal attempt reduced his control of the ball.
His forced shot was clearly short, hitting the front of the rim and bouncing out.
Durant failed to score on three consecutive possessions!
Tang Tian's defense was really making Durant uncomfortable on the court!
But that was the effect Tang Tian wanted. It was difficult, even unrealistic, to completely shut down Durant, but making Durant feel uncomfortable was entirely possible.
And discomfort, that was the goal!