Chapter 198 Cupping

The game ended, and the Pelicans players returned to the locker room one after another.

In the locker room, Tang Tian gave an encouraging speech to the team.

"Last year, we lost to the Grizzlies, and we took revenge; we beat the Spurs, and I took revenge; next year, we and I will win against the Warriors."

His words resonated strongly with his teammates.

A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. They had only needed one season for their previous revenge, and now they only needed one season as well.

This off-season would be shorter than last year, but it would be even more intense for each of them.

Because they had the fire of revenge in their hearts, which was the motivation for their desperate training.

From this perspective, compared to winning the final championship by luck, it would be more satisfying to truly defeat their opponents after becoming stronger.

After the game, the players went home one after another.

Tang Tian was about to leave when he saw Holiday was still there, and he called out to him.

"Want to go to Chinatown with me? I saw a traditional Chinese medicine shop there the other day that does *bá guàn* (cupping). Want to try it with me?"

"*Bá guàn*?"

Holiday was full of curiosity.

Tang Tian nodded and took the opportunity to explain it to him.

This was a relatively popular and well-established therapy in traditional Chinese medicine.

Although not many people in the NBA used it, it had been accepted by more and more athletes in the wider world of sports.

During the Olympics, *bá guàn* and acupuncture had become ways for many athletes to relax their muscles.

The season was over, and Holiday was temporarily free, so he didn't refuse Tang Tian's enthusiastic invitation.

When they arrived in Chinatown, the two big men got on the bed, bared their backs, and lay face down.

Cupping required *guā shā* (scraping) first. Tang Tian was fine, but Holiday screamed in pain.

Tang Tian couldn't stop laughing on the side.

Among the Pelicans players, Holiday was the most diligent. He would do whatever the coaching staff asked of him without complaint.

He had excellent defense, his three-pointer was now stable, and his contract was very cheap, with a salary of 10 million a year until the summer of 2016.

He was a very important piece of the puzzle for the Pelicans' future.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Holiday got used to the pain and asked with a smile when he saw Tang Tian looking at him.

Tang Tian shook his head.

But at that moment, he remembered something.

In history, Holiday had missed a long period of games in the 2016-2017 season for personal reasons.

The reason for his absence was that his wife had brain cancer.

It was a very touching story, but also a very sad one.

Holiday was an important piece of the Pelicans' future. If he took a break like he did in history because of this, it would greatly weaken the Pelicans' strength.

So whether from a personal or team perspective, Tang Tian had reason to mention it.

But he had to find the right time, otherwise asking someone if their wife had brain cancer right away would be idiotic.

After the *guā shā* was completed, the two began cupping, lying there and chatting idly.

When they got up after the cupping, Holiday couldn't help but sigh in comfort.

The effect of cupping was really immediate, especially for a while after it was done.

"So amazing."

Holiday felt like half of his fatigue had disappeared, and he felt an indescribable sense of ease.

This was more effective than any post-game ice pack.

"I have to bring Lauren to try it when I have the chance. She told me recently that she gets tired easily."

Holiday continued.

When Tang Tian heard Holiday mention his wife, he knew his chance had come.

"From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, there are many reasons for fatigue. It's best to go to the hospital for a full body checkup, especially of the brain."

He said casually.

"She's fine, and you know hospitals, sometimes they can really drive you crazy."

Holiday pouted.

If Holiday was injured, the team had a team doctor, but the team doctor didn't care about the players' families.

The United States claimed to have free medical care, but the waiting list at public hospitals could drive you to despair.

Although rich people could go to private hospitals, they still had to wait in line unless they had a private doctor.

So even for rich people like Holiday, they didn't want to go to the hospital unless it was a major illness.

"Trust me, I have experience in this area. Spend some time and money, and get your family a physical exam every year. It will give you a lot of peace of mind."

Tang Tian said with a smile, pointing to his back.

Holiday saw Tang Tian's gesture and nodded with a smile.

He had just had a cupping session with such good results, so he listened to what Tang Tian said.

And he had hired a private doctor in Philadelphia before, but he hadn't been in New Orleans for long, and he and his wife were fine, so he hadn't hired one again. Now it seemed he had to hire one again.

Seeing Holiday nod, Tang Tian breathed a sigh of relief.

This was a win-win situation.

Tang Tian returned to the villa. Now that the season was over, he could really spend more time with Olsen and the baby in her belly.

And in about a month, when the baby in her belly was about four months old, he could go to the hospital to confirm the baby's gender.

After taking care of Olsen and putting her to sleep, he lay in bed and, as usual, summarized his performance this season and made plans for next season.

This season, he led the team to 60 wins, 10 more wins than last season;

Although he didn't score as many points as last season, he was clearly more versatile;

Although it was a pity that he didn't get the MVP and lost to the Warriors and didn't win the final championship, things weren't that bad.

He strongly agreed with the saying that failure is the mother of success.

It depended on how you failed. If they hadn't had the experience of losing to the Grizzlies last season, they might not have made it to the Western Conference Finals this season.

With Jokic still a rookie and Davis not fully grown, losing 2 to 4 to the Warriors this season wasn't a failure.

This kind of failure could motivate them to improve.

Just like the Spurs, after winning two consecutive championships, the players' desire to win clearly decreased, which was also a very important reason why their dynasty dream was shattered.

So losing the game gave them more motivation for next season, and the future was even more promising.

The first thing he needed to increase next season was definitely his back-to-the-basket game or triple threat, which would allow him to connect his various techniques and make his scoring ability more stable.

Then there was his passing ability. His fingertip artistry was only good enough for now, and his many assists were largely due to his high ball possession rate. He had to strengthen this aspect as well.

Looking at the data, he was similar to Curry and even James, but his real passing ability was still a level below.

The Pelicans' players would become stronger next season, so he had to make the team run more smoothly, and he had to strengthen his passing.

Then the most important thing was to find a chance to exchange for the legendary red skill.

If he wanted to truly carry the whole game, he would definitely need to be all-around on offense and defense, instead of only being able to focus on offense or defense like he was now.

If he had the ability, he would even have to exchange for Stone Buddha to enhance his performance stability.

Spending money was endless!