Opening victory

The whistle blew, and play resumed with Thunder possession.

Westbrook inbounded to Sabonis, immediately moved up to take the ball back, then charged straight toward the basket off Little Sabonis's screen.

The Philadelphia 76ers visibly collapsed on him all at once. With Embiid already waiting in the paint in drop coverage, the space in front of Westbrook was completely sealed off.

But this time was different. With a flick of his wrist, Turtle Turtle fired the ball to the corner.

Waiting there was Chen Xi, who had curled around an Adams off-ball screen to reach the left corner. With the Philadelphia 76ers packing the paint, there wasn't a soul in front of him.

A quick adjustment, a jump, and a release, all in one fluid motion.

Three!!!!

On his way back on defense, he exchanged a light high five with Westbrook.

"Nice shot, rookie! Keep this up and you won't be a rookie much longer! Hahaha!" Westbrook was visibly excited.

Play continued. After another simple sequence of passes, the Philadelphia 76ers again had Embiid finish the possession from the free-throw line, but this time his shooting touch deserted him.

Westbrook grabbed the rebound, then launched a long pass from the backcourt to Roberson on the break for another easy two points.

7–10.

The Philadelphia 76ers' head coach, Brett Brown, roared from the sideline. A former Spurs assistant, he was furious with his team's discipline in transition defense. The team might not have been under pressure to win this season, but he was. Every result on his coaching record would undoubtedly affect his future job prospects. After all, NBA head coaches were hired and fired every season. Few could stay with one team for over a decade like Popovich.

Fortunately, his furious shouting had some effect, giving the Philadelphia 76ers a sense of urgency. On their next possession, they showed remarkable patience. After a series of cuts, they finally used a Chicago action—a fairly common play that could easily be looked up online, so there was no need to elaborate here—to create an opening for Covington, who scored on a layup.

On the Thunder's next possession, Westbrook held the ball at the top of the arc. Little Sabonis came up to screen, then popped out and missed his shot, but Adams secured the rebound and casually sent it back to Westbrook. This time, Chen Xi came up to set the screen. As Westbrook drove toward the free-throw line, Chen Xi used an off-ball screen from Roberson to get open again. The ball arrived right on cue.

Another three.

10–12.

Donovan nodded from the sideline.

Chen Xi had converted both opportunities, greatly increasing his value on the floor. With another perimeter scoring option available, Westbrook's drives would undoubtedly become more dangerous, giving the team a wider range of offensive options.

Sure enough, the quick-eyed, quick-handed Westbrook immediately picked up another steal and charged toward the basket again, deliberately choosing to finish on the left this time. As expected, Rodriguez, who had been reduced to waiting on Chen Xi in the left corner, hesitated instead of decisively collapsing into the paint, allowing Westbrook an easy finish.

Tied at 12.

Since Chen Xi had entered the game, the Thunder had gone on a 10–2 run. Brett Brown could no longer stand idly by on the sideline and signaled for a timeout.

"Wow! What an incredible offensive display from the Thunder Team! They've ripped right through the Philadelphia 76ers' defense!" commentator Hubie Brown exclaimed.

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"This Chinese American kid has really seized his opportunity. Those consecutive threes have opened cracks in the Philadelphia 76ers' defense. They no longer dare commit fully to collapsing on Westbrook and trapping him. Looking at it this way, at least Thunder Management's moves this summer haven't been a complete disaster. Hahahahaha!"

"I want you committing to the trap! Commit to collapsing into the paint! What are you afraid of?! Do you think the 56th Pick can shoot us out of this game? It's only two threes! He can't keep making them!" Brett Brown roared at his players.

"Westbrook is still the Thunder's only threat! You couldn't stop them with Durant, but now that he's gone, you still can't stop them?! Then what the fuck did his leaving change?! Stay focused and stick to my strategy! One or two threes won't decide this game!"

The Philadelphia 76ers returned to the floor with renewed determination, ready to execute their coach's plan.

What happened next, however, left them stunned.

"Wow! That's his fifth three! What are the Philadelphia 76ers doing? They've given Chris Chen open look after open look! It's hard not to question Brett Brown's coaching ability!"

Chen Xi's three-point rating of 100, along with several shooting badges, made the Philadelphia 76ers pay for their defensive strategy.

"Nice! Chris! That's it! Shoot them out of the building!"

Westbrook rushed over excitedly to bump chests with Chen Xi.

Chen Xi's 15-point quarter had also earned Westbrook four assists. What pleased him even more was that, after trailing 2–10 at the start, the team had shot the Philadelphia 76ers to pieces, turning the score around to 27–15 before the end of the first quarter.

It was a thrilling turnaround.

"Fuck, can someone tell me where this Yellow-skinned Number 3 came from?! How is he this accurate? Did he steal Ray Allen's shooting package or Klay Thompson's?!"

The Philadelphia 76ers fans courtside flew into a rage, looking as though they had just swallowed a mouthful of shit.

With Ben Simmons, "Magic's Successor," joining the team this season and Embiid back from injury, the fans had expected big things. They couldn't accept the gulf between their fantasies and reality.

Although Simmons was sidelined by injury, this performance from the Philadelphia 76ers was clearly nowhere near good enough for them.

"Even the Thunder without Kevin Durant can go on a 25–5 run against us! This team is fucking garbage!"

The noise from the sidelines affected the players, too. Embiid draped a towel over his face.

He had expected this game to be his stage. Instead, he had become a stepping stone for that little number 3 on the other team, helping the guy make a name for himself while earning his own place on the wall of shame.

"Damn it, we're changing our strategy. That Chris Chen really can shoot. Rodriguez, you're taking him from here. Get physical and deny him the ball. Everyone else, collapse as usual and watch the weak-side help defense. Cut off the connection between Westbrook and Chen completely. I refuse to believe that number 3 can create his own offense, too!"

Brett Brown bitterly regretted his earlier decision. He had gambled wrong, and Chen Xi had almost shot them out of the game.

Only at the end of the first quarter did he fully come to his senses and realize that Chen Xi wasn't merely on a hot streak. He really was that good a shooter. Brown hurried to draw up a new defensive strategy.

The new strategy worked well, successfully restricting Chen Xi's catches in the second quarter. Even the occasional pass that reached him failed to offer a good shooting opportunity. Without enough ability to create with the ball yet, Chen Xi could only pass it back out in frustration.

The strategy was right. Unfortunately, it had come too late.

Oladipo, who had been subbed out early, had been itching to make his mark. In the second quarter, he went on a rampage. Drives, mid-range shots, threes—everything was falling. Mixing jumpers with attacks off the dribble, he tore through the Philadelphia 76ers once again.

In the end, the Philadelphia 76ers lost by a lopsided 87–108, forced to swallow the bitter taste of defeat.