Small Adjustments

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. His shooting motion was no different from what he'd practiced, but Old Zhang's shot still fell a little short.

The ball struck the front rim, bounced high, then came down and was grabbed by Westbrook, who had hustled back to retrieve it.

The Thunder quickly pushed the Fast Break.

Westbrook passed to Chen Xi on the move.

Chen Xi accelerated into a charge as he caught the ball.

It was another small adjustment from Donovan.

When they had a chance to launch a transition offense, Westbrook was no longer the first one to push the ball forward. Instead, he would prioritize passing it to Chen Xi in the backcourt.

That forced the Lakers to choose.

Would they keep double-teaming Chen Xi, or quickly retreat and prioritize getting into position?

If they didn't double-team Chen Xi, then with Chen's speed, he could easily finish a Fast Break before the opposing defense had time to form.

But if they chose to double-team Chen Xi early and force him to pass, the other Thunder players could seize the opportunity while he was trapped and quickly push up the court, creating a local numbers advantage. Chen was also more than reliable as a passer.

Of course, this small adjustment was built around Chen's outrageous individual ability.

His speed pushing the Fast Break was second only to Westbrook on the entire Thunder team, making him a serious threat. His absurd range and outstanding individual skills also meant he could maintain high Offensive Efficiency in one-on-one situations after quickly reaching the frontcourt.

On top of that, his court vision and passing were excellent enough to ensure he could still pass the ball reliably under intense defensive pressure.

The Lakers had targeted Chen Xi's defense to the extreme over the first