Fiery Assault

Chen Xi thoroughly enjoyed those moments when, with his stats still on the low side, every few days one particular attribute would silently tick upward—that thrill was downright addictive.

Visible improvement was the most captivating part. No one could resist the excitement and satisfaction of watching numbers steadily inflate.

The Timberwolves hadn't caused the Thunder much trouble, but the upcoming Miami Heat would hardly let Oklahoma City waltz away with a win so easily.

After Miami's former franchise soul, Wade, left for Chicago dissatisfied with the team's offer, Chris Bosh—who was originally meant to be built around—was diagnosed early this year with blood clots, a career-threatening condition, and reluctantly retired in haste.

As a result, the current Miami Heat's highest salary belonged to Hassan Whiteside at twenty million—and this was 2016.

Despite the team's endless issues, everyone knew Miami never tanked.

Under championship coach Pat Riley's shaping, the Heat were infused with a tenacious, iron-willed ethos, keeping them hovering on the playoff fringe even in lean years. Even now, having lost superstars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Time came to eight o'clock sharp at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Players took the court, and the game began.

The Heat's starting lineup, led by Dragic, immediately engaged the Thunder in a defensive battle. The steadily escalating defensive intensity made it hard for Oklahoma City to adapt.

The Heat, fond of zone defense, loved facing teams with poor three-point shooting. All they had to do was guard the paint, then collapse on the core player to stifle the opponent's offense.

Donovan clearly recognized the team's problem. After a 6-9 score three minutes into the game, he decisively pulled Adams and Roberson, sending in Chen Xi and Grant instead.

"There it is, Coach Donovan's latest research—a Five-Out Lineup," said Kenny Smith, today's commentator.

"This lineup showed decent results against the Warriors. Now, facing Miami's zone, the Thunder are deploying it again. Will it work against the Heat? Let's wait and see."

Heat ball.

Though their defense was excellent, on offense the Heat's talent deficit was glaring. Whether Dragic, Winslow, or West, none had enough shot-creation ability. They could only execute their sets step by step, trying to gain shooting space through movement.

But now the Thunder's one-big-four-small lineup took effect. The three-guard formation, though smaller in size, brought high mobility in chase defense. Against the Heat's slower perimeter, they could easily lock them beyond the free-throw line, forcing tougher long twos and threes.

After three straight failed pick-and-rolls, Dragic chose to dump the ball inside, hoping Hassan would finish. But Whiteside clearly lacked the ability to easily score on Little Sabonis one-on-one.

After multiple feints failed to budge Sabonis, Whiteside had to force a drive—and predictably clanked an iron.

Transition. Westbrook pushed quickly and whipped the ball to Chen Xi at forty-five degrees.

Seeing West still two steps away, Chen Xi rose without hesitation for a pull-up three.

The ball arced beautifully into the net, barely brushing the mesh.

Next possession. Miami's offense ended again with Winslow's missed drive. Sabonis grabbed the board and passed to Oladipo for the push. At the arc, a simple pick-and-pop created another small window for Chen Xi.

Another easy three. Chen Xi raised his right hand, flashing a three-point sign to the crowd as he retreated. The fans answered with thunderous cheers.

"The Heat need a timeout, I think. Spo has to make changes. They're giving Chris too easy of looks. If they don't adjust, the 76ers' fate will be their cautionary tale."

But unexpectedly, the Filipino coach didn't call a timeout immediately. He let the game continue—perhaps wanting to see his players adjust on their own. Maybe that was his way of guiding their growth.

Sure enough, by the third possession, a clear shift in Miami's defensive strategy was visible. They still ran zone, but now they extended wider, applying heavier pressure on the perimeter. Chen Xi, under West's tight defense, couldn't even get the ball for a stretch.

But the strength of the Thunder's Five-Out Lineup wasn't just that Chen Xi or Sabonis could hit mid-range shots from outside—it was that optimizing the space freed up Westbrook's offense.

With the defense extended, the interior naturally opened up. Westbrook's absurd driving and finishing ability would make the Heat pay.

He blew past Dragic in one step, pulling up for a jumper before Whiteside could rotate over, and scored.

This season, Westbrook's massively increased usage rate forced him to carry a heavy offensive load. His steady, efficient mid-range pull-up greatly enriched his arsenal.

When sharp driving finishes combined with precise mid-range shooting, Westbrook on offense was nearly on par with prime Wade.

Spo watched from the sideline as Westbrook unleashed himself freely, a hint of nostalgia creeping in—for the man who once wore Miami's number three jersey, the third-best shooting guard in history.

Having grown accustomed to maxed-out rosters, he now looked at his own players. They weren't lacking in effort—truly, they were the Jordans of their own stories. But in the NBA, talent was just the ticket to entry. After witnessing superhumans like Westbrook, LeBron James, Derrick Rose, and Kevin Durant—those with top-tier gifts—how many had lost faith in the word "hard work" and sunk into self-abandonment?

Back to the game. Whiteside was in deep trouble. He couldn't stop that little number zero on the perimeter, and the guy had excellent vision. If he stepped up to help, he'd free Sabonis.

That white big man with soft touch had too many finishing moves between three and eight feet from the basket.

Whiteside, lacking defensive IQ, was easily fooled by Sabonis's fakes after several possessions. Already out of position, he couldn't stop Sabonis from scoring.

A string of targeted plays left Whiteside unable to attend to both.

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