Aside from DeRozan, the Raptors also had Kyle Lowry, the quality point guard who had just made the All-NBA Third Team last season. Though the veteran who entered the League in 2006 stood only 185 centimeters tall, he had established himself in a League dominated by giants through his excellent defense and playmaking.
They had also added two highly talented, immensely promising big men in this year's ninth pick, Jakob Poeltl, and twenty-seventh pick, Pascal Siakam.
The current Raptors balanced present strength with future potential so well that even the Lakers next door would be jealous enough to cry.
The game began with the Thunder winning the tip. Westbrook brought the ball into the frontcourt and passed to Odie. Odie drove with the ball, but DeRozan cut him off, so he kicked it back to Little Sabonis. Little Sabonis gave a pump fake at the top of the arc, but Siakam was far too composed for a rookie and did not bite at all. With no other option, Little Sabonis handed the ball back to Westbrook. Westbrook drove again after receiving it, drew the defense, then passed back to Little Sabonis, whose Mid-range shot missed.
On the other end, the Raptors attacked. DeRozan came up to receive the ball off Lowry's screen. Roberson fought through the screen and made slight contact with Lowry. After checking the referee's position, the experienced veteran immediately went down, drawing a Defensive foul on Roberson right away. Roberson was speechless. He had barely touched him, and he had fallen over. Roberson wanted to argue with the referee, but Westbrook pulled him back.
The Raptors attacked again. Lowry fed DeRozan on the block, where he posted up Roberson.
The whistle sounded again, but this time it was an Offensive Foul on DeRozan.
"That's the value of Andre Roberson. You know, if a player who averages only seven points per game can stay in the starting lineup for a long time, then he must have something special to offer on the defensive end!" commentator Hubie Brown said.
The Thunder attacked again. Westbrook fed Adams in the post, and Adams went to work against Poeltl. After backing him down hard twice, Adams noticed the help defense collapsing and immediately passed back to Westbrook. The open three-pointer... missed.
"The Raptors' defense is very targeted. They know your shooting percentage isn't high, so they prioritize packing the paint. That's also how most teams in the League defend the Thunder right now. So the question is now in front of Donovan: should he bring Chris in early again to provide spacing?"
After seeing it over several games, people had begun to understand Donovan's habit of turning to Chen Xi whenever he could not make up his mind. There was no helping it—the Thunder's starting lineup shot terribly. So far this season, only Oladipo had a three-point percentage above 35 percent. Even Grant off the bench was only shooting 37 percent. Above that was Chen Xi's cliff-like 57 percent, which in some ways made him seem rather out of place on the Thunder.
"No, Coach Donovan has chosen to continue trusting his starting lineup. There's nothing wrong with that, of course. It's only been a few possessions. Believing in your players' ability to adjust is also something a Head Coach needs to do."
The Raptors turned the ball over, and the Thunder quickly pushed the fast break. Westbrook charged ahead, easily blew past Lowry, and laid it in uncontested.
The Raptors attacked again. This time, DeRozan kicked it out from the post to Siakam, who calmly knocked down a Mid-range jumper from one step inside the free-throw line.
On offense, big men with some shooting ability naturally had more tools than rough-and-tough blue-collar players. That was one reason the Raptors had put Siakam into the starting lineup so early. After losing Biyombo this season, the Raptors needed to develop their two already fairly polished big men quickly during the Regular season, getting them to the point where they could provide matchup value in the Playoffs. Otherwise, forget the Cavaliers—even the Bucks and Pacers might be too much for them.
After taking Adams's baseline inbound, Westbrook jogged the ball upcourt. Using Little Sabonis's screen, he stepped into the Mid-range area and immediately rose for a zombie jumper, easily hitting the two-pointer.
With his athleticism still intact and his driving threat still present, Westbrook continued to boast a respectable Mid-range percentage. This season, it had become one of his deadliest scoring weapons. His League-best first-step acceleration made his pull-up Mid-range shot nearly impossible for defenders to contest.
As time passed, the game gradually entered its normal rotation stage.
Chen Xi tugged at the hem of his jersey, high-fived Odie and Adams as they came off the court, then slowly walked onto the floor.
After tasting success, Donovan had grown increasingly fond of this Pseudo Five-Out lineup. Chen Xi's absurd shooting percentage always scared opponents into extending their defense, while Westbrook could easily switch between attacking the basket in transition and driving-and-kicking in the half court. In comparison, Odie was a little weaker in that regard.
With Roberson's three-point shooting having improved recently, Donovan chose to send Odie to the bench first. Odie would replace Westbrook to lead the reserves during the Transition Period in the second quarter. It also preserved the lineup's size on the wing, reduced Chen Xi's defensive burden, and allowed him to devote more energy to offense.
The NCAA Championship coach, coming from an academic background, clearly had some ability. Having figured out Chen Xi's current technical characteristics early on, he had put considerable effort into helping Chen Xi maximize his strengths and hide his weaknesses.
The Raptors also brought in Powell and Nogueira, and the game entered a battle between the second units.
Powell was not yet the god who would rule the corner three in 2024. In just his second season, earning a place in the rotation already meant the coaches were developing him.
Without outstanding gifts such as height and wingspan, he could only struggle to establish himself in the League through gradually improving ball-handling skills and a decent shooting touch.
Thunder ball. After Westbrook brought the ball into the half court, he handed it off to Little Sabonis coming up to initiate the offense, then quickly sprinted toward the forty-five-degree angle to set an Off-ball Screen for Chen Xi.
The Raptors' defensive communication broke down. Lowry and Powell both immediately rotated toward Chen Xi popping out. Little Sabonis instantly lofted the ball up for Westbrook's alley-oop.
Boom!!
A thunderous slam from Russell Westbrook!!!
The Raptors attacked. Lowry ran a Pick-and-Roll with Siakam at the top of the arc, drove into the Mid-range area, and watched his soft floater bounce off the rim twice before dropping through the net.
Chen Xi quickly inbounded the ball. Westbrook immediately pushed it upcourt, lifted his legs at midcourt, shifted gears, accelerated, and blew past Powell in three strides. Then, facing Poeltl, he used a Euro Step to easily shake him and finish the layup.
On the way back, he performed his classic rocking-the-baby celebration, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. The fans roared excitedly, cheering for their Star Player.
After replaying the layup, the broadcast camera shifted to Powell's face.
The young number 24 wore a helpless expression. For the first time, he realized just how enormous the gap in this world could be.
He really could not catch him. Turtle Turtle's speed with the ball was a full level faster than his own speed without it. It was simply ridiculous!
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