NBA's King of Talking

On November 7th, the Thunder will host the Raptors.

As last season's runner-up, the Thunder started the season with a three-game losing streak, putting immense pressure on their coaching staff. That's the nature of the NBA; if a team's record is unsatisfactory, the coach is often the one who gets fired – a stark contrast to the NCAA.

The Thunder's main problem during their three-game losing streak was the low offensive efficiency of their starters and the lackluster performance of their second unit on both offense and defense. This led the team to overuse Durant and Westbrook, whose offensive efficiency dropped significantly after playing for extended periods, resulting in a lack of offensive consistency for the team.

Many Thunder fans are already missing Harden. Numerous fans have left messages on the team's official website, criticizing the team's inaction during the offseason, accusing the owner of being stingy and unwilling to spend money, complaining that General Manager Putin did not use Harden to acquire any strong stars, and criticizing Coach Brooks for his simple tactics, excessive conservatism, and failure to utilize the lottery picks acquired in the trade. They also criticized him for keeping two rookies who were in such good form last season firmly on the bench, making him the primary culprit for the losing streak.

As usual, Jia Fei, Reggie, and Lamb practiced together before the game. Reggie and Lamb were unaware that Jia Fei would be part of the rotation for this game, and Jia Fei himself didn't know if they had received a text message from the coach. But he wasn't stupid; he could guess most of it from their pre-game expressions. If he really was part of the rotation, would they still have those expressions?

Durant was still practicing his jump shot with a blank expression as usual, wearing long socks. His legs were so thin and long, they were the kind of "mosquito legs" that every girl dreams of!

However, this "chopstick suspension" is not necessarily practical for basketball. It is fast and lightweight, but it is not durable and the chassis is unstable.

Westbrook was unlike his usual jovial self today; his face was filled with ruthlessness. He is an optimist, that's true, but he's also an ultimate competitor. He won't allow the team to keep losing; he has a strong obsession with victory.

The entire Thunder team is eager to win, especially since it's a home game tonight. They are determined to end their embarrassing losing streak and secure their first win of the season.

The commentators for this game were ESPN's chief commentator Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy, the former head coach of the Houston Rockets who coached Yao Ming.

Before the match even started, the two commentators began warming up the audience.

Mike Brin said, "Jeff, do you believe OKC will change their lineup for this game?"

Jeff Van Gundy shook his bald head: "I don't think so. Scott (Coach Brooks) isn't someone who likes to change lineups. He didn't change lineups much when he was down by a large margin in last season's Finals. At most, he made some minor adjustments to the bench rotation."

"So, do you predict the home team will win this match?" Mike Breen asked.

Jeff Van Gundy continued shaking his bald head, this time up and down: "Of course, OKC's strength is not in question. Their previous losses were mainly due to problems with their offense. But this team is just too talented. I really don't want to believe that their offense will go cold for the fourth consecutive game. Today is a home game, and I don't believe that KD and Russell Westbrook will allow themselves to be defeated at home and suffer a fourth consecutive loss."

The starting lineups for both teams were displayed on the big screen. The Thunder made no changes to their lineup, which has been considered one of the most consistent starting lineups in the league over the past two seasons.

For the Raptors, the starting five are Barriani, Valanciunas, Landry Fields, DeRozan, and Lowry.

Jia Fei remembered that DeRozan and Lowry were the infamous "trash brothers" in his previous life, Valanciunas was a pretty good center but not well-suited to the small-ball era, and Barriani was a notorious draft bust. He didn't remember much about Fields, only that he was a decent guy who offered Jeremy Lin a couch to sleep on when Lin was having trouble in New York.

Overall, the Raptors' roster is of average strength, consisting mostly of young players with no All-Stars or superstars. But that's the beauty of competitive sports; a team with a stronger roster on paper isn't guaranteed to win.

After the game started, the Thunder showed a very strong will to survive, playing with great intensity on both offense and defense, full of energy. However, perhaps due to being too focused, they exerted too much effort, resulting in low offensive efficiency.

Meanwhile, their opponents, the Raptors, also had their offense stifled, missing shots like crazy. Fans who didn't understand basketball might have thought they were in a blacksmith's shop, not a basketball arena.

Reggie and Lamb both had expressions that said, "I could do that too," clearly indicating they both wanted to play. They both felt that if they were on the court, the team's offense would improve, since all five players on their team were really struggling with their shooting.

Kevin Martin was the first player to be substituted on, replacing Sefolosha.

With 1 minute and 51 seconds left in the quarter, the Raptors called a timeout, and Coach Brooks called out Jia Fei's name.

"Get ready to go on the court!" Coach Brooks said something that sounded incredibly comforting to Jia Fei.

These words were comforting to Jia Fei, but surprising to Reggie and Lamb, because their names weren't called. Clearly, Jia Fei had been rotated in, while they hadn't.

Reggie and Lamb watched Jia Fei warming up on the sidelines with envy, like watching a roommate preparing to have sex, while they could only keep company with the five girls.

Why did they abandon us? Wouldn't it have been better to stay with us, guard the water fountains, and watch the game from the VIP seats on the sidelines?

The timeout ended, and Jia Fei took off his training uniform and officially entered the game!

"Oh—Jeff, OKC really did change their lineup today. Look, player number 3, Jia Fei, is on the field!" Mike Breen said.

Jeff Van Gundy nodded and said, "Yes, this is his first appearance of the season. I think Scott wants to add some energy and variety by adjusting the second unit, which is a positive sign!"

Some fans at the Ford Center applauded. Jia Fei has been with the Thunder for a season now, and some fans have a good impression of him. He had some highlights in the games he played last season. Many fans also felt sorry for him, wondering why he wasn't given playing time when he clearly had the ability.

Jia Fei replaced Durant, and at that time the Thunder's five players on the court were Thabeet, Collison, Jia Fei, Kevin Martin, and Eric Mayno.

The Thunder's second unit uses a twin-tower lineup, and Jia Fei should be playing small forward based on his position. He doesn't care what position he plays; he's willing to play center as long as he gets playing time.

The Raptors' starting five players were Calderon, Amir Johnson, John Lucas III, Ed Davis, and Terrence Ross.