Chapter 1 He Has No Shortage of That Kind of Thing

The AT&T Center, just three hours before the start of the game, already had over sixty percent of its seats filled with spectators.

The players from both sides hadn't entered yet, but on the court, a figure was shooting hoops with the help of a trainer.

Kevin Durant.

"Swish! Swish!"

The crisp sound of basketballs hitting the net echoed continuously.

His touch looked excellent.

And he wore a constant smile, appearing relaxed.

"The Godfather is in trouble tonight."

In the stands, two fans in the front row were discussing the situation.

"It's just shooting practice," the other fan said dismissively.

Because it was a shortened season, the Thunder and Spurs had only played each other three times.

In the first game, Tang Tian didn't start; in the second, Tang Tian held Durant to 10-for-29 shooting; and in the third, Tang Tian played shooting guard, so the two didn't match up.

"No, I've seen games at the Thunder's home court too, and he rarely comes to the arena for shooting practice before a game. That shows he really values this game."

"What's there to be afraid of? He may be Kevin Durant, but we have the Godfather! Have you forgotten, the Godfather was just selected for the All-NBA Second Team!"

"That's true. I hope Popovich will have the Godfather guard Durant tonight."

"He definitely will."

After saying that, the person noticed his companion was still a bit worried, so he cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted loudly at Durant on the court.

"Does Scarlett's bathwater taste good?"

Because he was so close to the court, his voice actually reached Durant.

His companion was stunned for a moment, then abruptly slapped his arm.

That was provoking!

Durant turned his head and frowned at him.

A security guard was standing next to Durant, and he heard it too, turning to walk over.

Durant waved the guard to stop, then turned to look at the fan and gave him the middle finger.

The man's companion held his arm, preventing him from responding.

After making the gesture, Durant turned back and continued shooting.

"Jack! What are you doing?!" Once Durant had turned away, the companion lowered his voice and questioned the fan.

"Disrupting his mindset. Did you see that gesture? He's definitely angry," the fan named Jack said with a smile.

"It's dangerous! If we get kicked out, we won't be able to watch the game tonight."

"Don't worry, we have season tickets. The arena won't kick us out. Fortune favors the bold, just watch."

...

With only half an hour left before the game, players from both sides gradually entered the court and began their pre-game warm-up drills.

The arena was now completely packed.

The Western Conference Finals, the winner advances to the NBA Finals.

A game like this naturally had the fans in eager anticipation.

During warm-up, Tang Tian noticed Durant on the opposite half of the court was frequently glancing in his direction.

Back in the regular season, after Tang Tian had held him to 10-for-29 shooting, Durant had been preparing to teach Tang Tian a lesson in the playoffs.

Now the time had come, and he seemed impatient.

The pre-game warm-up ended, and the opening ceremony began, with the starting lineups for both sides announced.

For the Thunder, Harden was still coming off the bench, and the starting lineup was the same as the regular season.

Westbrook and Sefolosha in the backcourt, Durant and Ibaka on the frontline, and Perkins at center.

The Thunder used their regular lineup, but the Spurs made a starting adjustment, with Leonard not starting this game.

Parker and Danny Green in the backcourt, Tang Tian and Diaw on the frontline, and Duncan at center.

When this starting lineup was announced, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Tang Tian was starting at the three, matching up against Durant!

Popovich was indeed bold!

But if he wasn't, he wouldn't be Popovich.

The game was about to begin, and the starting players from both teams entered the court one after another.

Ibaka and Duncan for the jump ball.

Ibaka's leaping ability was monstrous; he jumped high and tipped the ball back to the Thunder's side of the court, giving the visitors the first chance to attack.

Durant went to the high post, directly backed up against Tang Tian and reached for the ball.

He had a strong desire to attack right from the start.

Westbrook cooperated well, flicking the ball inside.

Tang Tian was completely holding his ground, and he knew Durant wouldn't post up, so he reserved some energy to be ready to pounce out and interfere at any time.

Durant received the ball and directly flipped into a fadeaway jumper.

This was one of his signature offensive moves.

Tang Tian pounced out to contest the shot immediately.

Durant had long arms and legs, but Tang Tian was blocking his shooting sightline.

It was a very well-executed defense.

"Swish!"

But Durant's shot still dropped cleanly into the net.

He had a great touch to start the game.

Parker's layup missed, and Durant continued to back down Tang Tian.

This time, Tang Tian chose to half-deny him, directly preventing him from receiving the ball.

A chorus of whistles came from the sidelines.

Tang Tian's defense wasn't just strong, but his reaction was really quick; he adjusted his defensive strategy in just one possession.

Durant didn't get a chance to receive the ball and directly started running off-ball.

Tang Tian chased closely behind.

Durant ran out and received the ball, and Tang Tian followed up immediately.

But Durant caught the ball and just threw it up, completely ignoring Tang Tian!

Tang Tian jumped up to block at the same time, almost getting a hand on Durant's shot.

Another perfectly executed defense.

"Bang!"

Durant intentionally raised his release arc, and the ball hit the backboard after it was released, but it bounced in anyway!

A stir went through the crowd.

Durant had scored 4 points to start the game, all with high difficulty, and his touch was pretty good.

Popovich also reached up and rubbed his face.

Tang Tian's defense wasn't the problem, but Durant's hot start would be a big problem for the Spurs tonight.

Duncan received a pass from Parker in the frontcourt and drew a foul on Perkins while attempting a shot under the basket. He made both free throws, opening the scoring for the Spurs.

Turning back, Durant continued to run off-ball.

This time, Tang Tian stuck even closer, not giving him a chance to receive the ball.

Durant went directly next to Westbrook.

A handoff pass, and Durant caught the ball and threw it directly from beyond the three-point line.

Tang Tian pounced out with all his might, almost getting a block.

"Bang!"

Durant didn't have time to adjust his release, and the shot finally missed.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Sure enough, only Tang Tian could defend Durant, even if Durant's touch was hot!

But before the cheers could die down, Ibaka soared in to grab the offensive rebound and passed it back to Durant.

Durant shot over Tang Tian again.

Tang Tian's reaction was really quick, jumping up to contest the shot again.

"Swish!"

But Durant's second three-point attempt went in!

He had scored 7 points to start the game!

The crowd was in an uproar.

Tang Tian couldn't help but take another look at Durant.

Fans divide LeBron James into several periods, from only knowing how to charge straight ahead, to later developing post moves and mid-range shots, and finally becoming technically complete.

James has actually been improving all the time, and has therefore gained nicknames such as "Little Emperor" and "Thanos".

Durant is actually like James in that he has several periods, but his main nickname is "the Grim Reaper".

But the Grim Reaper actually comes in many forms.

If you apply the abilities of Ichigo Kurosaki from the Japanese manga *Bleach*, the current Durant can at most be considered a Visored Ichigo.

But he has now entered the "Visored" state.

ps: My condition is average tonight, and the later chapter will probably be after 0:00, but I will do what I said, and that extra chapter will not be counted in the five guaranteed chapters for tomorrow.