Chapter 1 After One Day

A day later, at the AT&T Center, every seat was filled.

The game had reached the Western Conference Semifinals, and their opponent was the Lakers with their F4, a matchup comparable to the Finals, so fans were naturally eager to come to the arena.

Unlike their previous regular-season encounters, Kobe came over to greet Tang Tian as usual, but this time it wasn't to issue a challenge, but a genuine greeting.

It was clear that his mindset was completely different from then.

This was entirely reasonable; in the NBA, winning was the solution to all problems.

Before the game started, there was an added award ceremony.

Stern wasn't present; instead, the league's Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver was there to present Tang Tian with the Defensive Player of the Year trophy.

The camera didn't focus on Silver, but his expression wasn't good at all.

Stern had once again completely ignored his suggestion and insisted on giving the Defensive Player of the Year award to Tang Tian.

But he'd learned his lesson by now; knowing that protesting was useless, he'd begun to bide his time.

Anyway, Stern had already stated that he would announce his retirement at the end of the season, and in another two years, it would be his turn to take over.

The lights shone down, and a forced smile appeared on Silver's face.

He was still capable of putting on a good show.

"Congratulations."

Silver handed the trophy to Tang Tian.

Tang Tian took the trophy, unmoved by the forced smile on Silver's face.

He'd sensed Silver's dislike for him when he presented the championship rings at the season opener.

But so what if he didn't like him! He was still presenting him with an award!

At least until Stern retired, he'd have to suck it up, no matter how unhappy he was.

As for what would happen after that, anything was possible.

Tang Tian raised the trophy high above his head, and the arena erupted in deafening cheers.

Just as Tang Tian had expected, choosing to receive the award at this time would be a huge morale boost for the fans and the team.

Because it was the Defensive Player of the Year award, a relatively significant award, Tang Tian also had to give an acceptance speech.

"First of all, the person I should thank most is all the fans who support me. The reason I can play on this court is because of your support and encouragement."

Tang Tian's words immediately drew cheers from the fans in the arena.

It was rare for someone to thank the fans first.

"Next, I have to thank my coach, Gregg Popovich. If it weren't for him campaigning for me at the press conference, I definitely wouldn't have gotten so many votes."

His words drew laughter from the entire arena.

Popovich couldn't help but laugh along.

The campaigning Tang Tian mentioned referred to Popovich's joking words when he continuously put up mini-triple doubles at the start of the season.

Now that it had come true, Popovich probably didn't know what to make of it.

"Then I want to thank my opponents. Only outstanding offensive players can bring out outstanding defense. Each of them is worthy of respect. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have been able to receive this honor."

Tang Tian paused here, then turned his gaze toward the Lakers' half of the court.

"Especially Kobe, he is one of the greatest shooting guards in history."

As Tang Tian said this, the lights immediately focused on Kobe on the Lakers' bench.

The fans in the arena were in an uproar. Tang Tian's words didn't sound right! He was about to play the Lakers, but he was praising his opponent?

"Precisely because of his greatness, every time he clanks a shot, he adds another point to my evaluation."

Tang Tian's subsequent words instantly silenced the arena, followed by an explosion of cheers and whistles.

So the previous sentence was a setup!

Tang Tian was a Kobe hater!

Kobe was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then couldn't help but laugh.

His smile now was exactly the same as when Irving called himself a "failure" at the All-Star game.

Later, he utterly dominated Irving when he played against the Cavaliers.

After that, Tang Tian thanked his family, the team's management, and the coaching staff.

After his speech, the award ceremony came to an end.

After a short warm-up, the opening ceremony followed.

Because of Tang Tian's award and that acceptance speech, the fans at the AT&T Center were especially excited tonight, their cheers piercing the sky.

After the opening ceremony, the starting players from both sides took the court one after another.

The Spurs used their regular lineup, with Parker and Tang Tian in the backcourt, Leonard and Duncan in the frontcourt, and Splitter at center.

Popovich didn't adjust his starting lineup because the Lakers were using a small-ball lineup.

His tactical intention was clear: to control the pace of the game.

The Lakers used the small-ball lineup they'd been using in the second half of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs.

The backcourt consisted of Nash and Kobe, the frontcourt of C.J. Miles and Artest, and Howard at center.

Howard outjumped Splitter, giving the Lakers the first offensive opportunity.

Nash advanced to the frontcourt, and Kobe immediately reached out for the ball.

Tang Tian couldn't help but smile when he saw Kobe's action.

He'd given Kobe advice during the regular season, and he was really worried that Kobe would change his nature.

That's why he said those things when he gave his acceptance speech earlier.

He knew Kobe very well; Kobe had dominated Irving before, so if he said that, he would definitely want to dominate him.

Old habits die hard.

Come to think of it, it took Kobe 16 years to develop his own Mamba Mentality, how could he change it in half a season?

But Kobe had indeed changed compared to before. As soon as Nash's pass came over, he didn't adjust much and directly pulled up for his signature fadeaway.

This was somewhat unexpected to Tang Tian.

Tang Tian didn't have time to pounce on him, so he simply reached out to obstruct his vision.

Kobe had changed, so it wouldn't matter much if he made this first shot.

The defensive pressure on this shot wasn't great, and Kobe's shot was very comfortable.

"Clank!"

But after the shot, it hit the rim and bounced out.

Howard jumped up under the basket, wanting to grab the offensive rebound.

But Splitter's defense was very good, and he was strong enough, successfully boxing out Howard to secure the defensive rebound.

This season, because of Tang Tian's dazzling performance, many people had overlooked Splitter's improvement.

This season, he not only successfully squeezed out Blair to become the team's starter, but he also averaged 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, with a field goal percentage of 56%.

With a height of 2.11 meters and a weight of 111 kilograms, plus considerable strength, he could clearly play a bigger role on the court than Blair.

The Spurs advanced to the frontcourt, and Parker signaled to run the hammer play.

With the addition of Miles, the Lakers' defense had a connection between the perimeter and interior defense, and the overall defensive quality had obviously improved.

But the Spurs' offense had great chemistry and patience.

Parker took advantage of Nash's failure to keep up on the retreat, directly attacking the basket with a floater to score the first points for the Spurs.

P.S. The fourth chapter is here. I'll write as much as I can today. I'll fight as hard as I can. Everyone, please give me some support with your monthly tickets. Let's fight together.