Since the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma, they were renamed the Thunder, and their general manager Preston began his magical draft journey as if he were on cheat mode. In 2007, they selected Kevin Durant with the second overall pick in the first round, and insisted on letting Durant attack like a small forward. They gave Durant an entire season to get used to the NBA’s rhythm by bricking shots. You know, even after entering the NBA, Durant was still growing. Some people suggested letting Durant play inside, but in Preston’s view, that would simply be a waste of Durant’s talent.

He had guard-like speed, and the wingspan and height of a big man—he was basically the perfect future warrior.

The next year, the Thunder got their wish and selected the explosively athletic Russell Westbrook with the fourth overall pick in the first round. While the Heat were pleased with their pick of the stat-padding Michael Beasley, and the Timberwolves were overjoyed to get OJ Mayo at number three, Preston was also celebrating. So the Thunder decided to keep letting Durant level up, only this time Westbrook joined in. The two of them kept bricking shots together, and maybe that’s how the Thunder’s big men developed their future, godlike ability to grab offensive rebounds...

Because they were tanking, the Thunder had a good chance at the number one pick in 2009. For Oklahoma fans, after the team had picked two extremely talented perimeter players in a row, of course they hoped the team would be blessed by the gods and select a gifted big man in the third year.

And the candidate, of course, was Blake Griffin, who grew up in Oklahoma and was famous there.

Just thinking about these three forming the Thunder’s future core lineup was simply delightful.

Today happened to be the NCAA game where the University of Oklahoma hosted the Davidson Wildcats. It was also a rest day, so the Thunder’s trio—Durant, Westbrook, and Green—came to watch the game together.

Yes, this was the old version of the trio. Jeff Green was also one of the players Preston had focused on developing. Unfortunately, his ceiling was too low, but even so, after leaving the Thunder, Jeff Green still had a pretty good NBA career.

“Davidson Wildcats, that’s the team with Stephen Curry, right?” Kevin Durant asked curiously.

“Just another JJ Redick.” Russell Westbrook wasn’t interested in Curry; he was more excited to see Blake Griffin perform. He liked dunks, and of course, he liked players with explosive athleticism. But Westbrook would probably forget one day in the future that he actually met Curry quite early...

Durant, on the other hand, was very interested in Curry, because he’d heard about Curry’s crazy performance in the NCAA that March. JJ Redick couldn’t do that, and recently Preston had been making Durant practice three-pointers more. Durant also felt that three-pointers were much more cost-effective than two-pointers.

Jeff Green could only play the role of the sidekick, following behind the other two as they entered the arena. After they walked in, some Thunder fans cheered for them, but today’s main characters weren’t them.

Amid the low roars and applause of the fans, the star of the Oklahoma Sooners, Blake Griffin, took the court. With a strong body and obvious muscle definition, Reggie Miller, who was commentating the game, asserted that this guy was already NBA-ready.

“White Beast” was the nickname for Griffin. You know, at this time, the “Beast” Howard could be traded one-for-one for LeBron James.

“Wow, he’s really cool. I hope we can draft him next year. Look, Kevin, the height he gets on those alley-oops in warmups—I could get at least five more assists per game!” Russell Westbrook cheered.

Durant buried his head. He actually didn’t like Westbrook’s personality and playing style very much, but sometimes Westbrook’s explosive scoring could really boost the team’s morale.

“That’s strange, didn’t they say Davidson didn’t have any big men?” Jeff Green glanced at the Wildcats and suddenly noticed there was actually a seven-footer on their team.

“An Asian?” Durant took the gum that Green handed him.

“Not every Asian is Yao, and look at that skinny frame—oh my god, I’m really worried I might bump into him and make him cry,” Westbrook said.

During warmups, Stephen Curry hit 15 straight three-pointers, which prompted Durant to tease Westbrook, “If only you had half his shooting percentage.”

“Oh no, Kevin, three-pointers can’t fire up the crowd like dunks!” Westbrook was increasingly annoyed by that skinny little guard. Actually, Curry was about the same height as Westbrook, but next to Stephen, Westbrook looked like a giant, because Stephen was just too skinny.

At this moment, the players from both teams were warming up on the court. Eric Bennett had noticed the Thunder trio as soon as he entered. He felt a bit excited, and also a bit nervous.

“Lin, aren’t you going to shoot a few threes?” Stephen Curry came over to Eric Bennett.