Indeed, upon reaching the door, Ginobili signaled for him to open it.

Tang Tian inwardly groaned.

Were Americans generally low on intelligence? He'd fallen for it once, and now a second time?

Oh wait, Ginobili was Argentinian.

Guess it wasn't just Americans, but everyone in the Americas was like this.

He opened the door and stood to the side.

But no champagne sprayed out.

He suspiciously peeked inside again, then Ginobili pushed him into the locker room.

The curtains were drawn, but the lights were on.

Entering, he saw four benches arranged to form a small table.

A cake sat on the table.

"Happy birthday, Tang," Green said, smiling.

"Happy birthday," Parker also said with a smile.

The other teammates looked at him with affection, including "Stone Buddha," who had transformed into the Maitreya Buddha.

Tang Tian felt a warmth in his heart.

Just as he knew, the NBA wasn't the NCAA; teammates were more like colleagues.

To have so many teammates celebrate the birthday of a role player was quite rare in the league.

"Let's light the candles!"

Ginobili closed the door, put his arm around Tang Tian's shoulder, and led him forward.

The cake already had "520" candles on it, which was his birthday.

He had mentioned this in a casual chat with Green before.

Green handed him a lighter, and he lit the candles. Diaw also turned off the lights in the room.

A group of grown men began to sing "Happy Birthday" in unison.

Bonner's voice was especially clear; he actually had the potential to be a singer.

The worst was Leonard's. Although quiet, it was clear he had never sung before.

But none of that really mattered. Tang Tian clasped his hands together and made two wishes.

One was to wish all the readers good health, happiness, and great wealth.

The other was to wish for world peace.

After making his wishes, he blew out the candles in one breath.

Diaw turned the lights back on.

Green and Leonard, from who knows where, got streamers and sprayed them into the air.

The birthday atmosphere was absolutely top-notch.

Tang Tian was feeling moved when he suddenly felt Duncan and Splitter grab him and immobilize him.

Then Ginobili removed the candles and smeared the cake directly onto his face.

He pressed the entire cake onto his face, like stamping a seal.

When they took it off, his face was covered in cream.

Duncan and Splitter released him, and the locker room erupted in laughter.

Tang Tian was a Godfather in his previous life; no one would or dared to do this.

Now that he was a player, he had fully experienced an authentic American birthday.

After the commotion died down, Tang Tian washed his face and came back. His teammates then gave him their birthday gifts one after another.

Duncan gave him a two-pack of electric razors, which were considered essential tools for adults.

However, Easterners generally didn't have as much body hair, so the quantity he gave was a bit much.

Parker's gift was the most valuable, a Rolex watch. Although they didn't communicate the most often, the gift was truly impressive.

Green gave him a bottle of conditioner, seeming to understand Tang Tian's troubles.

Diaw's gift was the funniest. He somehow got his hands on Dior perfume, which made Tang Tian burst out laughing.

Leonard gave him the latest 64g Apple 4s phone.

Tang Tian had bought a Blackberry when he was in college, so Leonard's gift was also very practical.

The most outrageous was Ginobili; his gift came in a box.

Under the gaze of his teammates, Tang Tian curiously opened it and found boxes of condoms inside!

The whole team burst into laughter.

This was truly an adult ceremony!

After this birthday, Tang Tian officially turned 20 years old.

All in all, he had been transmigrated for almost two years.

Time flew by like a white horse glimpsed through a crack; time really was the fastest thing.

But there wasn't much time for sentimentality. The next night, the Spurs faced the Clippers in the third game of their series.

This time, the game was at the Staples Center.

It was an interesting situation because the Lakers and Clippers shared a home court, and both had made it to the playoffs.

When a Clippers game ended and it was time for a Lakers game, the staff had to change the floor.

Then when the Clippers played again, they had to change the floor back.

Now that both teams were in the playoffs, the busiest people were the staff, who basically had to change the floor every few days...

But having both teams in the playoffs also had its advantages. There was no shortage of fans; at this stage, the Lakers and Clippers fans were basically one big family.

The Staples Center was packed every night, and the atmosphere was incredibly intense.

And more interestingly, both the Lakers and Clippers were down 0-2 to their opponents after the first two games.

The fans wanted to see which of the two teams would get their first win of the series.

Returning home was their best chance.

During the pre-game warm-ups, the cameraman gave a shot of Kobe, sitting in a VIP box.

When he saw himself on the LED screen, he waved to the audience, drawing cheers from the crowd.

But because he had divorced Vanessa in December of last year, he was alone this time.

The opening ceremony began, and the starting lineups were announced.

The Spurs' Popovich made a lineup adjustment, putting Diaw back in the starting lineup.

Splitter hadn't played much in the first two games. He had overestimated DeAndre Jordan's ability.

The Clippers' starting lineup remained unchanged: the Big Three plus Foye and Butler.

Jordan still won the tip-off for the home team, giving them the first possession.

Foye got a three-point opportunity off a screen. Tang Tian contested, but he still made the shot.

Tang Tian also ran out of position on the Spurs' side and made a catch-and-shoot three, immediately answering back.

Paul made a mid-range shot over Diaw after a screen.

Leonard missed a three, but Duncan grabbed the offensive rebound and shook off Jordan for a second-chance score.

Both teams showed very good competitive form.

The start of the game was a bit like Game 1 of the series; it seemed like neither team could stop the other.

Popovich wasn't angry this time.

The Clippers' points were all made with contested shots, not because the Spurs' defense wasn't good enough. This kind of state couldn't last an entire game.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 29-27, with the Spurs holding a 2-point lead.

Popovich rotated early in the first quarter and now put his "five tough guys" lineup back on the court.

Clippers' coach Vinny Del Negro finally made some adjustments this time. Paul and Griffin rested for two minutes in the first quarter and were now substituted back in early.

It seemed that Paul had had an in-depth discussion with Del Negro in private.