Westbrook's passes always arrived right on time.
On top of that, Wade's shooting had grown more accurate with age.
That made him the Thunder's leading scorer during the second quarter's transition period.
By comparison, the Cavaliers' bench players weren't giving Old Zhan much help.
They managed a few scattered baskets, providing just a little support.
Against the Thunder, their firepower was a level below.
When Chen Xi checked in for the final five minutes of the second quarter, the Thunder were already up by 11.
Then, thanks to Chen's repeated mismatches, they managed to stretch the lead to 16 by halftime.
As the halftime buzzer sounded, James stood with his hands on his hips in his own half and glanced up at the scoreboard.
His second-quarter performance hadn't been great, but he'd already put up an all-around line of 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
He'd also committed two turnovers, but that hardly diminished the rest of his performance. He was still living up to his stature and salary.
It was just that his teammates weren't giving him much to work with.
Hood had made just one of five shots, Clarkson one of four, and Nance had only taken one shot—which Collins blocked.
That level of play was downright embarrassing.
Even a powerhouse like Old Zhan was beginning to feel exhausted.
The scary thing wasn't that they had little chance of winning this game. It was that most games this season would probably go the same way.
They might manage against ordinary teams, but they were a long way off when facing teams like the Thunder, Warriors, Rockets, Spurs, and Raptors.
How tragic~~
The Cavaliers couldn't mount another rally for the rest of the game.
James was left to carry the load alone, and in