The fans on the sidelines stirred.

Whiteside’s ability to seize opportunities was clearly much better than Evans’s.

After landing, Whiteside excitedly looked up and shouted.

He had been holding it in for too long!

In the Mavericks' offense, Nowitzki's fadeaway jumper missed, and the ball bounced off the rim for a long rebound.

Dalembert grabbed the offensive rebound and turned to attack the basket.

"Bang!"

Whiteside used his leaping advantage to block the shot head-on, swatting the ball out of bounds!

This block demonstrated his physical talent to the fullest, significantly boosting morale.

The Pelicans' bench erupted.

This kind of volleyball-style block was rare, and the boost in momentum was obvious.

The Mavericks' inbound pass resulted in a turnover, directly stolen by the Pelicans.

Carlisle covered his face on the sidelines.

However, the Mavericks retreated quickly, and the Pelicans' fast break failed, transitioning into a set offense.

Tang Tian continued to be double-teamed, and he bounced the ball to Whiteside again.

The Mavericks used the same defensive strategy, but Carlisle was shouting from the sidelines, indicating adjustments in their rotations.

Nowitzki rotated to the basket from the closest position.

Carlisle's reaction was really quick. Whiteside could dunk, but his passing ability wasn't good.

Carlisle's judgment was correct, but after receiving the ball, Whiteside didn't even think about passing. He took two steps and jumped over Nowitzki.

The old driver wasn't strong to begin with, and even weaker as he aged. He didn't have time to jump.

"Boom!"

Whiteside forcibly slammed the ball into the basket over Nowitzki!

The fans in the arena were dumbfounded.

Whiteside was truly fearless, and his leaping ability was really fast!

This was definitely a top-five play of the day!

After landing, Whiteside roared at the fans on the sidelines, then turned to high-five Tang Tian, as happy as a child.

Considering his mental state, he really was just a child right now.

Scold him when he does something wrong, then give him a treat, and he'd be happy.

Tang Tian had unknowingly become a parent again.

But being this parent was worth it.

If Whiteside could play like this, his potential was definitely higher than Evans’s.

But Tang Tian had barely finished being happy when Whiteside committed his second personal foul…

He still had a long way to go.

Calderon made both free throws, continuing to score for the Mavericks.

Whiteside's foul control wouldn't happen overnight, but the good news was that his consecutive strong attacks on offense made Carlisle hesitant to double-team Tang Tian as recklessly as before.

Tang Tian went one-on-one against old Marion and began his personal scoring show again.

A crossover followed by a layup.

A crossover followed by a sudden stop fadeaway.

A crossover followed by a drive to draw a foul.

…

After mastering the low dribble, his scoring ability in one-on-one situations was significantly stronger.

In the end, Whiteside once again emerged as a surprise weapon, leading the Pelicans to a 103-96 victory over the Mavericks, winning this crucial game.

Tang Tian scored another 33 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks, continuing to solidify his position as the scoring leader.

Whiteside had a good performance in this game, playing a season-high 20 minutes, contributing 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 5 fouls.

Tang Tian fed him very well tonight.

Smith's injury gave Whiteside an opportunity, and he seized it.

This game alone was enough for the Pelicans to consider keeping him.

Two days later, the Pelicans ended their long road trip and finally returned home.

Their opponent that day was the Kings.

The Kings had been perennial losers since the dissolution of their glorious Princeton team.

This was considered the easiest opponent in the Pelicans' recent schedule.

After the game started, it went as expected. The Kings had a roster with Cousins, Thomas, and Gay, but they really didn't play well.

Especially Cousins, who got a technical foul after tangling with Evans for only a few possessions.

By the time it was time for rotations, they were already almost 10 points behind the Pelicans.

Just when it looked like it was going to be garbage time again, someone unexpected stood out for the Kings.

It was Derrick Williams, who had just been traded from the Timberwolves.

He and Tang Tian were really destined to meet.

But this time, Tang Tian didn't need to play. Whiteside went up and gave him two big blocks in a row, making him completely lose himself again.

Having a little brother was really different, no need to do it yourself.

The Pelicans ultimately easily defeated the Kings 106-88, achieving a two-game winning streak.

Tang Tian steadily scored 22 points in three quarters and didn't play in the garbage time of the fourth.

Whiteside played particularly well in this game, playing 25 minutes and getting his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and also contributing 4 blocks.

Although he padded his stats a bit during garbage time, his performance was already outstanding.

After the post-game handshake, the players returned to the locker room one after another, but he was the only one still sitting on the sidelines with a towel wrapped around his head, looking emotionally overwhelmed.

This game was just a normal regular season game for others, but it was of great significance to him.

Because the Kings were his former team, a chaotic and disorganized team that ultimately cut him.

This former team was obviously not one he wanted to be grateful for, but rather one he wanted to take revenge on.

Tonight, he did it.

Tang Tian was also preparing to return to the locker room when he saw Whiteside's condition and reached out to pat him on the head to encourage him.

Actually, you have to say, patting someone's head really is a good way to encourage them.

Whiteside played better in each of his last two games, and his performance finally earned him a contract.

After his two ten-day contracts expired, the Pelicans signed Whiteside to a two-year contract.

The first year of this contract was fully guaranteed, guaranteed until the end of this season, and the second year was non-guaranteed.

Getting a guaranteed contract after only playing two games, the Pelicans showed enough respect for a player who hadn't had much success in the NBA.

Whiteside was also very happy after signing the contract and treated Tang Tian to dinner that day.

He wasn't the smartest, but he wasn't a bad person either, and Tang Tian's previous patience was still worth it.

Although there were some twists and turns, Whiteside successfully stayed with the team.

And with him staying, the Pelicans' rotation was basically finalized.

At the beginning of the season, the Pelicans' starting lineup was Holiday + Gordon + Tang Tian + Anderson + Davis, and the core rotation was Jason Smith, Little Rivers, Morrow, and Aminu.

But three-quarters of the season had passed, and with trades, signings, and players falling out of the rotation, there had been a very big change.

The current starting lineup was Holiday + Tang Tian + Aminu + Davis + Reggie Evans, and the core rotation was Cole, Gordon, Morrow, Anderson, and Whiteside.

This was the Pelicans' final rotation for their playoff push.