By the Western Conference Finals, Kobe Bryant had actually been playing with injuries. His knee problem first appeared in the first round, and after draining fluid in the semifinals, his knee had just started to improve. However, the dislocated finger injury continued to bother him.
The six grueling games against the Phoenix Suns had also significantly depleted Kobe, as he had to carry the team in every game, pushing his body to its limit. After a few days of rest, for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Kobe had not fully recovered to his optimal physical condition.
In the first possession, Kayce easily made a long two-pointer. Seeing Bynum's indifferent attitude, Kobe felt a surge of anger and immediately shouted at Bynum:
"Expand your defensive range! I don't want to see you defending like this in the rest of the game!"
After saying that, Kobe glared fiercely at Bynum, then quickly ran to the frontcourt. Seeing his boss so serious and intense from the start, Bynum grumbled inwardly but immediately went to inbound the ball.
"Let's go Lakers! Let's go Lakers! Let's go Lakers!"
Fisher quickly dribbled past half-court amidst the rhythmic cheers of the home DJ. He immediately noticed that the Thunder were also playing a 2-3 zone defense, again leaving the Lakers' wings open. After several quick passes on the perimeter, Artest got an open three-point opportunity.
However, the Lakers chose not to shoot a three-pointer right at the start. Gasol came to the free-throw line, received a pass from Artest, and immediately wanted to execute a hand-off with Kobe at the top. But Kayce's defense was tight on Kobe, making Gasol hesitant to pass.
With only 7 seconds left on the shot clock, Kobe Bryant received the pass directly from a step beyond the three-point line. Gasol went to set another screen. Seeing time was running out, Russell immediately stepped up to double-team Kobe with Kayce.
Kobe didn't force the shot, instead passing the ball back to Gasol in the left elbow area of the free-throw line. Gasol caught the ball and took a mid-range jump shot.
"Swish"
Jeff Green's close-out defense had no effect, and the two-pointer went in just before the shot clock expired.
Coach Brooks on the sidelines immediately gave his players a thumbs-up, indicating it was a good defensive possession. This was the Thunder's pre-game strategy: appropriate double-teams to reduce the Lakers' strong drives to the basket or mid-range shots.
"Wow!"
The Staples Center crowd immediately cheered for Gasol's basket.
The Thunder quickly inbounded the ball. After Russell dribbled past half-court, he didn't call for a screen. Facing Fisher's defense, he executed a sudden crossover dribble with his right hand, then quickly accelerated with his left hand to drive. Fisher, having just been faked out by Russell, hadn't even had time to slide his feet continuously when he saw Russell pull up for a mid-range jump shot.
"Swish" The mid-range shot went in steadily.
Head Coach Phil Jackson frowned instantly upon seeing this scene on the court. Fisher was struggling to contain Russell's drives on defense, but against the Thunder's 2-3 zone, the Lakers needed Fisher's outside shooting ability. This put him in a dilemma.
"Boo!"
The Staples Center crowd erupted in boos again; no one wanted to see the Thunder score so easily on offense.
On this Lakers' possession, immediately after crossing half-court, the ball went to Kobe beyond the three-point line. Kayce still defended him by stepping on the three-point line. Noticing Gasol coming up to screen again, Kayce first gave a look to Jeff Green, who was chasing Gasol, then agilely squeezed through the screen.
He constantly body-checked Kobe, while Jeff Green's defense quickly came in front of Kobe. The Thunder double-teamed Kobe again. Kobe naturally noticed the situation on the court and passed the ball back to Gasol. He noticed Durant had already collapsed back on defense.
The clear-headed Gasol immediately swung the ball to Artest on the right wing beyond the three-point line. Artest caught the ball and took an open three-point jump shot.
"Clang" A brick.
As the long rebound bounced out, Kayce, with quick eyes and hands, secured it. The Thunder, like a tide, quickly surged towards the opposing half. The Lakers also hurried back on defense. While in motion, Kayce subtly flicked his right wrist, making a bounce pass to Durant on the fast break.
Durant caught the ball and immediately drove in a straight line. Before the Lakers could complete their defensive matchups, Durant's three big steps had already picked up speed, easily breaking into the Lakers' restricted area. After leaping high, he slammed it down with a one-handed dunk!
"Slam" A transition dunk was successful.
"Ah!!!"
Durant, after landing, was extremely excited, pounding his chest and passionately roaring at the Lakers' sideline spectators.
The Lakers' offense this time was simple and brutal. After Fisher dribbled past half-court, he immediately passed the ball to Gasol posting up on the left block. Gasol received the ball, facing Jeff Green's defense, quickly put the ball down, drove twice, then quickly turned and gathered the ball, delicately making a soft shot under the basket with his left hand.
"Swish" Two points under the basket.
Jeff Green was basically helpless against such a strong low-post attack. This was also a difference between the Thunder and the Phoenix Suns. With Stoudemire anchoring the paint, Gasol had played inconsistently in the Western Conference Semifinals.
But facing the Thunder's defense, Gasol would definitely play tough throughout this series.
After more than 4 minutes of play, the Staples Center crowd grew anxious. They noticed that the team's superstar, Kobe Bryant, was struggling against the Thunder's defense.
Kayce had been closely following Kobe since the start. Whenever Kobe dribbled into the area below the free-throw line, the Thunder would quickly double-team him. Kobe certainly had some shooting opportunities, but he chose not to take those low-percentage long two-pointers, opting instead to share the ball more with Gasol.
By the time of the first quarter's official timeout, it was 18:14. In half a quarter, the Thunder had scored from various spots, completely suppressing the Lakers with their offense.
During the timeout, on the Lakers' bench, Head Coach Phil Jackson was somewhat conflicted. Substituting Fisher out now was too early, but the defensive disadvantage was hard for him to accept. He glanced at Shannon Brown on the bench, but Phil Jackson still suppressed his initial thought.
"On defense, we need to be smarter. Let's adjust our defensive scheme appropriately. Gasol, you're in charge of directing everyone's defensive positioning. We can also play a 3-2 zone defense. Stay clear-headed, and on offense, we need to be more patient!"
After saying this, Head Coach Phil Jackson glanced at Kobe. He was also worried about his superstar suddenly getting agitated, as Kobe still had 0 points. Noticing Kobe's calm nod, Head Coach Phil Jackson finally relaxed.
After the timeout, the Thunder had possession. Kayce naturally noticed that the Lakers had suddenly changed their defensive alignment. Gasol had dropped deeper inside, and the two big men began to protect the paint more.
Giving his teammates an offensive signal, Kayce, from beyond the three-point line, suddenly moved to the right corner. After a cross-screen with Jeff Green in the paint, Jeff Green quickly popped out.
When Jeff Green received the pass from Russell at the left 45-degree angle beyond the three-point line, the Lakers' defense had not rotated into position, allowing Jeff Green to take an open three-point jump shot.
"Swish" The three-pointer swished through the net.
Clearly, the Lakers' defense intended to leave Jeff Green open at that spot, and their defensive rotation also had issues on this possession. Seeing Jeff Green excitedly pumping his fist and roaring, Kayce, retreating on defense, also loudly encouraged him:
"Good job! Bro, when you're open, shoot it decisively!"
When everyone's shooting touch was excellent, Kayce would allow his teammates to attack more. The Lakers had a slow start, and the Thunder had to seize this opportunity to try and extend their lead.
The Lakers' offense went back and forth, and Artest on the wing once again got an open three-point opportunity, but unfortunately, he still couldn't make the shot.
Kobe also noticed that the Thunder were starting to collapse aggressively, constantly double-teaming Gasol and Bynum. He knew it was his time to shoot.
On the Thunder's possession, Durant, using Kostić's screen, back-cut to receive a pass from Russell in the right elbow area of the free-throw line. After catching the ball, he drove straight, ignoring Artest's defense on his side. After two large dribbles, he pulled up for a jump shot.
"Clang" The ball hit the front rim and quickly bounced out.
Jeff Green, with quick eyes and hands, successfully secured the long rebound and passed the ball back to Russell at the top of the arc. The Thunder reorganized their offense again.
"Boo!"
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
The Staples Center crowd first erupted in a huge boo, then began loudly cheering for the home team's defense. No one expected the Thunder to be so strong.
Noticing that the Lakers were again playing a 3-2 zone, as Kayce received the ball, Kostić quickly came up to screen. Noticing Kobe was still tightly guarding his left hand, Kayce dribbled with his right hand and accelerated to drive. After shaking off Kobe's entanglement, he quickly burst into the paint.
At this moment, Bynum and Gasol both quickly collapsed, but Kayce's move was faster. In motion, he suddenly executed an in-and-out dribble with his right hand, then quickly changed direction with a body fake, leaving Bynum standing still.
And in that instant, Kayce took three big steps, successfully driving to the basket under Gasol's surprised gaze, then delivered a powerful reverse dunk!
"Slam" A driving dunk was successful.
"Oh!!"
All the spectators in the arena simultaneously let out a gasp of surprise. This move was too familiar to them; it was completely Kobe's signature drive. In last year's NBA Finals, Kobe had a similar dunk.
Seeing Kayce, after landing, provocatively shook his No. 10 jersey at the crowd, the Staples Center instantly filled with various sounds, followed by a huge roar of boos.
"Boo!"
This was blatant provocation! Everyone in the arena was enraged by Kayce's move. Kobe first glared fiercely at Kayce, then gave Bynum a death stare. The Black Mamba was angry!
Kayce, retreating on defense, chuckled. He knew that if he talked trash, Kobe wouldn't bother with a rookie like him, since he didn't have a championship ring.
In Kobe's eyes, perhaps the two were not even on the same level, but he had replicated one of Kobe's dunks, then provocatively shook his jersey. This would definitely succeed in enraging Kobe!
Sure enough, on the next offensive possession, Kobe suddenly accelerated his offensive rhythm. Using Bynum's high screen, he briefly shook off Kayce's entanglement. Just a step past the three-point line, he pulled up for a long two-point jump shot.
"Swish" The two-pointer swished through the net.
The Thunder quickly inbounded the ball. Russell passed the ball directly to Kayce. After Kayce dribbled past half-court, he gave his teammates a signal, indicating no screen. On this possession, he wanted to directly go one-on-one against Kobe.
When Kobe saw Kayce wave his hand to signal, the small flame in his heart flared up. The spectators, seeing such a provocative scene, first erupted in a huge boo, then quickly focused on this offensive possession.
Noticing that Kobe had already lowered his center of gravity, Kayce held the ball with his left hand beyond the three-point line, slightly raised his center of gravity, quickly executed an in-and-out dribble with his left hand, then immediately changed direction between his legs, accelerating his drive with his right hand. Noticing Kobe was still tightly sticking to his side,
Kayce suddenly dribbled behind his back while in motion, faking hesi shot move that made Kobe's defensive weight shift forward. Then, with an extremely quick crossover dribble, he shook off Kobe's defense, gathered the ball, and made a pump fake, completely making Kobe jump.
Then, with his left foot as an axis, Kayce quickly spun and took a mid-range jump shot.
"Swish" The two-pointer swished through the net.
"Oh!!" "Boo!!"
The Staples Center crowd watched Kayce in disbelief, letting out a collective gasp of surprise, followed by a huge roar of boos throughout the arena.
"You shouldn't have exposed your knee injury to the media! You can't guard me!"
After scoring, Kayce quickly trash-talked Kobe. And Kobe, hearing Kayce's words, immediately retorted:
"Facing a rookie team, I don't need to be 100% to crush you guys!"
After saying that, Kobe no longer bothered with Kayce and immediately ran to the frontcourt. Kayce, retreating on defense, saw the still aloof Kobe and said nothing more. He would respond to Kobe with his performance on the court.
For the next three minutes, Kobe did not lose his composure. After all, this was the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers continued to score inside and out. Aside from the wing three-pointers not being converted, Gasol and Bynum completely dominated the paint.
On the Thunder's side, Russell continued his efficient play, while Kayce frequently sought out Kostić. Big men are not easy to screen, so they needed to be encouraged with easy baskets. Plus, Durant had also adjusted to Artest's defense, so the Thunder's offense remained efficient.
With 2 minutes and 36 seconds left in the first quarter, Coach Brooks substituted Kayce out, and Thabo Sefolosha came in. The Thunder were preparing for their rotation. The Lakers, meanwhile, substituted Bynum and Fisher out, with Odom and Shannon Brown entering the game.
Head Coach Phil Jackson seemed to want to tie the game at the end of the first quarter, but the Thunder held off the Los Angeles Lakers' offense. At the end of the first quarter, the Thunder led by 5 points, 35:30, playing away from home.
During the break, Coach Brooks was very satisfied with his team's performance. After the previous two rounds of training, the most obvious improvement for the Thunder was the quality of their screens. After being tested by high-pressure defense, the players' cooperation had become more tacit.
"Kayce, during this rotation, we need to speed up our offense, aiming to complete an attack within 14 seconds. We'll use a fast pace to wear down their big men. Pay attention to rebounding. Serge Ibaka, watch your screening movements; don't let the referees catch you with a moving screen!"
Coach Brooks loudly reminded his players. Thanks to the atmosphere in Staples Center, the players could definitely hear him.
When the second quarter began, the Los Angeles Lakers sent out their big five lineup: Vujacic, Luke Walton, Artest, Odom, and Bynum. It was clear that this substitute lineup was meant to match the Thunder's height, with all players on both sides being over two meters tall.
On the Los Angeles Lakers' first possession of the second quarter, Vujacic dribbled past half-court and immediately passed the ball to Odom. Odom began to direct the offense from the perimeter with hand gestures, but after several perimeter passes, he still couldn't find a good shooting opportunity.
Seeing that the shot clock was running down, Bynum immediately moved to the elbow area near the free-throw line to set a screen for Odom. Odom quickly drove left, then suddenly executed a spin move, quickly turning towards the basket. However, he underestimated Serge Ibaka's help defense, and his left-handed layup was still contested.
The ball spun around the rim once before flying out. Jeff Green secured the rebound and immediately passed the ball to Kayce, and the Thunder quickly launched a fast break.
The Los Angeles Lakers' retreat defense was excellent, and they had already set up their defensive positions. Kayce noticed Artest staring intently at him and immediately gave Serge Ibaka a hand signal.
Artest noticed that Serge Ibaka seemed to want to come over for a screen. Just as he shifted his feet, he saw Kayce's sudden right-handed In and Out. This highly deceptive move caused Artest's defense to be a half-beat slow. As a result, Kayce quickly changed direction in front of his body, directly breaking through the opponent's defense.
Holding the ball in his left hand, he accelerated with all his might. Just one step past the free-throw line, he jumped with both feet, quickly soaring into the air. Bynum seemed to have only just reacted, instinctively jumping. After a mid-air collision, he was directly knocked aside by Kayce, who then delivered a powerful one-handed dunk with his left hand!
"CRASH!" A fierce drive and poster dunk.
"OH!!"
The fans in Staples Center, seeing Bynum almost collapse to the ground, all instinctively let out a gasp. Kayce's dunk was simply too brutal; he almost knocked someone flying again.
Russell and Durant excitedly waved towels on the bench, leading the atmosphere group in loud cheers, while Kayce, even more arrogantly, shook his head as he retreated on defense, loudly muttering to himself:
"Too easy!!"
Seeing Kayce's showboating, the Los Angeles Lakers players felt a surge of anger. A rookie team acting this arrogant? Is there still justice?
When the Los Angeles Lakers attacked, as soon as Vujacic crossed half-court, Kayce quickly stuck to him. He hadn't picked up any fouls in the first quarter, so he could make aggressive defensive moves. Vujacic seemed unprepared and, facing Kayce's highly aggressive defense, could only helplessly stick out his butt to protect the ball.
Odom naturally noticed his teammate's situation and immediately came out to the perimeter to receive the ball. Kayce caught Odom's movement out of the corner of his eye and instantly relaxed his pressure on Vujacic. As the opponent hurriedly passed the ball, Kayce made a fierce left-handed steal, immediately succeeding.
Vujacic felt he had made a big mistake and wanted to immediately foul to stop Kayce's fast break, but Kayce's movements were too fast. At that moment, Vujacic stumbled, actually falling to the floor with a thud, watching Kayce go 1-on-0 down the court and easily complete a windmill dunk!
Head Coach Phil Jackson on the sidelines was very displeased with Vujacic's performance and loudly reminded his players to focus. Vujacic, who had stood up, now also noticed Kobe's death stare.
Vujacic quickly ran back to half-court to receive the ball. This time, he immediately sped up his passing, giving the ball to Odom before even crossing half-court. The Los Angeles Lakers' offense also stopped with the fancy plays, directly giving the ball to Bynum who was posting up deep in the low block.
The latter, receiving the ball against Collison's defense, backed him down twice with a thud, then scored with a right-handed floater. Bynum's 2.13-meter height combined with his 129-kilogram weight meant that once he got into a deep position, the Thunder really couldn't defend him.
The Thunder were not at all affected by the Los Angeles Lakers' offense. After quickly inbounding the ball, Kayce swiftly dribbled past half-court. Noticing Artest once again in front of him, he held the ball in his right hand, suddenly raised his center of gravity, and pulled back with a crossover dribble.
At the same time, he twisted his body, executing a lightning-fast between-the-legs crossover with his left hand. Holding the ball in his right hand, he accelerated to drive. Artest quickly adjusted his defensive center of gravity and slid his feet, but he suddenly found Kayce, while moving, executing a behind-the-back dribble with his right hand, pushing off with his feet, and taking a double-step back directly to beyond the three-point line.
Noticing that Artest's defense hadn't kept up, Kayce made a slight adjustment and immediately jumped up to shoot.
"SWISH!" The three-pointer went in cleanly.
Staples Center was now silent. Over six minutes had passed in the second quarter. Although Kayce had missed several shots under Kobe's defense, overall, Kayce was still able to respond to Kobe's offense, and the Los Angeles Lakers had not narrowed the lead.
"Your movement speed has decreased! I guess your left knee is about to give out! You really can't guard me anymore. How's my post-up game?"
After scoring, Kayce continued to chatter trash talk into Kobe's ear. He could guess that Kobe's emotions were likely on the verge of exploding, so of course, he had to intensify the provocation.
"I'm not interested in a rookie's skills! You're only qualified for my evaluation when you win a championship!"
Kobe was already extremely enraged. Kayce kept using his favored technical moves to complete his offense, which was the biggest provocation to him. A rookie, facing his defense, was actually responding! Kobe at this moment just wanted to elbow Kayce twice to make him understand the consequences of provoking the Black Mamba.
With 5 minutes and 12 seconds left in the second quarter, Coach Brooks directly brought back all the starters. The situation on the court was excellent, so he used the strongest tactics to try and enter the second half with a double-digit lead.
The Los Angeles Lakers' interior still scored consistently, but the Thunder's perimeter always responded. In the remaining time of the second quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers' several comebacks were unsuccessful. Durant and Russell also started to explode. In this kind of overwhelmingly favorable game, everyone was fighting hard.
By halftime, the Thunder, playing away from home, led by 12 points, 69:57.
A 12-point lead was not enough to break the Los Angeles Lakers. When the third quarter began, both sides brought out all their starters and once again started an offensive battle.
Head Coach Phil Jackson could no longer sit comfortably on the bench and lean back with his tactics. He began to stand on the sidelines, loudly reminding his players about defensive positioning. The Thunder's perimeter offense was simply too fierce.
The Los Angeles Lakers' interior had just scored two points. On the other end, Russell dribbled past half-court and, using Kostić's high screen, shook off Fisher's defense and hit a pull-up mid-range jumper.
Kobe, using Bynum's screen at the three-point line, escaped Kayce's entanglement and hit a long two-pointer one step inside the three-point line. In the next possession, Kayce did the same, using Kostić's screen, and responded with a long two-pointer from the same spot.
The Los Angeles Lakers traded baskets. Artest got an open look beyond the three-point line and successfully hit an open three-pointer. But the Thunder were not affected at all. They quickly inbounded the ball, made continuous drives and passes, and finally, Durant responded from beyond the three-point line.
The fans in Staples Center, seeing the Los Angeles Lakers' continuous scoring, initially cheered, but as the Thunder kept responding, gradually, all their excitement disappeared. Many fans began to curse loudly, trying to distract the Thunder players on the court.
With 2 minutes and 24 seconds left in the third quarter, the Thunder once again extended their lead. The difference had now reached 16 points. The Los Angeles Lakers attacked with a simple high-low post play. Gasol facilitated from the free-throw line, directly passing the ball to Bynum in the low post.
The latter received the ball, backed Kostić down twice with a thud, and then scored with a two-handed dunk under the basket. The Thunder players didn't seem to mind.
But just as everyone was preparing to inbound the ball, Bynum, after his dunk, seemed to want to wave his arms to show his excitement, but instead, he used his large elbow to hit Kostić hard in the head.
Such a fierce elbow strike directly knocked Kostić to the ground. Kayce was stunned for a moment, then instantly flew into a rage, rushing directly towards Bynum, who was still feigning innocence.
"F*ck you! That's not a basketball move at all!"
The referee also noticed the sudden situation on the court. At this point, players from both teams were already brawling. The Staples Center fans excitedly yelled:
"Get 'em! Good job, guys!"
"It was about time, kill those Thunder bastards!"
At this point, the coaching staff from both sides quickly separated the players, and the Doctor also began to examine Kostić's injury, then immediately called for a stretcher to be brought onto the court.
Kayce, standing on the sidelines, was extremely angry at this moment. The situation was excellent, but then this kind of incident occurred. At the same time, a future memory flashed in his mind:
"Is this a butterfly effect too? The Beard turned into Kostić?"