The comments off the court did not affect the players on it.
They were simply doing their jobs and fighting for the win.
Back on the Offensive End, the Rockets encountered a different defensive treatment.
Harden had barely crossed half court when Chen Xi came up to double-team him alongside Westbrook, forming a net in an attempt to force him to pick up his dribble. He immediately passed to the open Gordon.
But Roberson had been prepared and rotated over at once. Gordon was a beat slow with the ball, and when he passed to Ariza, Grant switched over as well, while Roberson and Chen Xi both recovered to their positions.
Donovan's new strategy targeted the Rockets' lack of a second high-quality ball-handler. While limiting Harden, they relied on quick rotations after shots to deny everyone else comfortable shooting space. Giving up one or two occasional opportunities was acceptable.
Faced with this defensive strategy, the Rockets' offense stalled for a while, ending with Gordon clanking a heavily contested deep three.
Westbrook soared up for the rebound and pushed the pace. Reaching the top of the arc, he caught the Rockets before they had settled and used his speed to beat Gordon one-on-one in a mismatch.
Then, on the way back, they double-teamed Harden again.
D'Antoni stood on the sideline, feeling a headache coming on. The Thunder's move had truly caught him off guard.
Unable to come up with an immediate solution on the spot, Coach De could only watch Harden move the ball while Gordon and Ariza took turns isolating.
From there, the turning point began to emerge, and the Thunder gradually widened the gap.
At the end of the first quarter, the Thunder led 37-31, ahead by six.
After some simple adjustments, Chen Xi led the team onto the