The locker room was silent for a moment.

"Follow me to the film room."

Brooks finally broke the silence.

The players stood up one after another.

Westbrook went to help Durant up.

The brief internal conflict had subsided.

In the film room, Brooks began to give the players a pep talk.

The effect, judging from the players' faces, was mediocre.

He was better at developing rookies; this kind of motivational speech was clearly not his forte compared to guys like Doc Rivers.

After the pep talk, the players prepared to head back.

"Hey, James."

Westbrook called out to Harden before he left.

"I think you need to sit down and have a good talk with Kevin."

Westbrook continued.

"Did Kevin send you?"

Harden countered.

Westbrook shook his head.

Harden smiled helplessly.

"I just think you need to sit down and have a good talk with him. We have to be united if we want to win."

Westbrook continued.

"Russell, do you really think the problem is on my side?"

Harden looked at Westbrook earnestly before speaking.

Westbrook paused, surprised.

Before he could respond, Harden turned and walked away.

"James!"

Westbrook called out again, but Harden didn't turn back, pulling up his hood and disappearing into the tunnel.

The Spurs' victory in the first game boosted the team's morale.

Popovich was in high spirits as well, only scheduling routine shooting and defensive drills in the following days.

Knowing that Durant scored so many points and still lost, the Spurs had a significant advantage in the series.

Three days passed quickly.

On May 29th, the Thunder and Spurs faced off in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals at the Spurs' home court, the AT&T Center.

Pre-game in the locker room.

"Tang, are you planning to make Durant throw up again tonight?" Diaw asked Tang Tian while changing his clothes.

His words drew laughter from the other teammates.

That joke was more popular than bathwater these days.

"He'll adjust."

Tang Tian said seriously.

Although he knew that the current Durant wasn't the true Grim Reaper yet, he was already a top-tier superstar in the league.

Superstars have strong self-adjustment abilities.

And Durant wanted to win.

That night's game was still highly anticipated, with the TNT trio all sitting courtside.

The popularity of the first game of the Western Conference Finals was unexpected, and this game was also highly anticipated.

However, after the game started, everyone was dumbfounded.

It wasn't the Spurs.

The Spurs played similarly to the previous game. The only change was that Tang Tian didn't shoot much.

And the change was brought about by the Thunder's adjustment.

Kevin Durant.

The league's scoring champion this season, the second-best small forward who scored 41 points in the last game, took zero shots in the first half of this game!

He put all his energy into defending Tang Tian!

No matter how Westbrook and Brooks tried to persuade him on the sidelines, he just wouldn't shoot!

As a result, the Thunder were down by 15 points to the Spurs by halftime!

During halftime, Brooks pulled Durant aside for a private chat.

Harden was chatting with Perkins on the side, minding his own business.

Seeing this scene, Westbrook suddenly realized that the problem might really be with his good brother.

Durant still didn't shoot much in the second half.

The Grim Reaper became Durant "No-Shoot."

The Thunder ultimately suffered a crushing defeat to the Spurs 91-109, falling behind 0-2 in the series.

The game played out completely differently than anyone expected.

Even Tang Tian was stunned. He expected the Thunder and Durant to make adjustments, but he never would have thought it would be this kind of adjustment!

After the game, social media exploded.

"Durant doesn't want bathwater anymore?! Why is he suddenly giving up?"

"Maybe he finally realized that bathwater doesn't taste good."

"I think there's a problem within the Thunder. All of the Thunder's shots are with Westbrook. He took 35 shots by himself."

"That's true, Harden only took less than 10 shots in this game. What's going on?"

"As a Spurs fan, I'm suddenly so excited, are we going to coast into the Finals?"

"Popovich: I haven't even exerted myself yet, and you've already fallen."

…

The external speculation wasn't without merit; the Thunder were truly in danger.

This situation was even beyond the control of head coach Brooks.

After the first two games of the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder flew back to Oklahoma City.

The next two games of the series would be played at the Thunder's home court.

Back in their home court, Brooks scheduled a routine shooting practice.

Harden and Durant still didn't look at each other.

After practice, Harden left early.

Westbrook then called Durant to the bathroom alone.

"Kevin, stop being stubborn. Do you want to watch all of our season's efforts end here because of this?"

Similar to what he said to Harden, but more direct, Westbrook's personality was much more outgoing than Harden's.

However, Durant wasn't angry. Harden was just a teammate to him, but Westbrook was his friend.

"We need Kevin Durant, the Durant who scores, the Durant who leads the team."

Westbrook said, punching Durant in the chest.

Durant didn't say anything, but nodded.

The same words depend on who says them.

Harden saying it was useless, Brooks saying it was useless, but when Westbrook said it, Durant could listen.

Only then did he realize that if he continued to play like this, he would lose more than just his within-reach peak.

He would also lose their season's efforts, and even the future of this team.

"That's the way!"

Seeing Durant nod, Westbrook smiled, put his arm around Durant's shoulder, and walked out.

The 0-2 deficit put a lot of pressure on Brooks. After studying in his office for a long time, he finally walked out with his briefcase.

Walking past the bathroom, he paused when he saw Westbrook and Durant coming out with their arms around each other's shoulders.

What's going on with these two?

But seeing the smile on Durant's face, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that the team wouldn't be so passive in the next game.

The third game of the Western Conference Finals was played at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Despite the 0-2 deficit, despite the team seeming to be in turmoil, the enthusiasm of the Oklahoma City fans remained undiminished.

Teams in these small cities have a very solid fan base.

The Chesapeake Energy Arena was packed, fans held up the "Four Young Masters" (si shao) KT boards, and the atmosphere was incredibly intense.

When the Thunder players came out, there was a roar of cheers from the crowd.

What made them even more excited was that Westbrook was holding Durant's arm with his left hand and putting his arm around Harden's shoulders with his right hand. The three of them walked out laughing and talking!