But no matter what, this scene had already been recorded by the cameras on site.

After 13 years, the ass-kissing gag finally had a new breakthrough, and this time it would spread even wider.

After tonight, Sir Barkley might have a new nickname: Sir Ass.

The news of Barkley kissing Smith's ass hadn't subsided when the sixth game between the Pelicans and the Warriors began in New Orleans.

News came before the game that Ariza would be resting due to fatigue and soreness.

This was obviously not good news for the Pelicans, but fortunately Tang Tian and Davis were both healthy, and the Pelicans still had a chance against the Warriors.

The New Orleans arena was packed with fans.

After the Pelicans reversed a 1-3 deficit against the Spurs, they were full of expectations for the team to reverse a 1-3 deficit against the Warriors.

And in fact, they had already come back from 1-3 to 2-3. If they won this home game, they could play the final Game 7 with the Warriors.

Because James had exploded for two consecutive games in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavaliers had already eliminated the Bulls 4-2, and this game became the only game and the absolute focus of attention.

League President Adam Silver also appeared at the game.

The Pelicans were full of confidence after winning the last game. Before the game, the players shouted slogans together on the bench, full of momentum.

After five games, both sides were very familiar with each other.

In terms of lineup, except for Aminu replacing Ariza as the starting player for the Pelicans, everything else was the same as the previous game.

The Pelicans' regular lineup went up against the Warriors' small lineup.

Davis continued to win the first offensive opportunity for the Pelicans.

The Pelicans still played low-post offense at the start, with Tang Tian posting up Thompson in the low post.

His turnaround fadeaway jumper gave the Pelicans the first points.

Curry held the ball in the frontcourt.

But at this moment, everyone noticed that the Warriors' tactics had been adjusted.

They didn't play the unlimited cutting tactic, but simply had Green come to the three-point line to screen for Curry.

After the screen, Curry faced Jokic, and everyone else spread out.

Kerr was really smart!

In the last game, the Pelicans used Tang Tian to constantly attack Curry. In this game, he looked for Jokic!

Curry was the Warriors' defensive weakness, but so was Jokic for the Pelicans now!

Curry's continuous crossovers made it obvious that Jokic couldn't keep up with his speed.

Seeing Jokic lunging out, Curry directly accelerated and crossed him over, hitting a floater before Davis could come over to help.

Tang Tian continued to drop to the low post in the frontcourt. After Green came to help, he passed the ball to Davis, who also made a bank shot before Green could recover on defense.

Curry went to the frontcourt and continued to find a screen to attack Jokic.

This time he still broke into the paint. Davis' help defense was very fast, and Curry directly used a fake move to draw his foul.

The opening few possessions became a microcosm of the first three quarters of the game.

The Pelicans' purpose of attacking Curry was more to consume Curry's stamina, but that would also consume Tang Tian's, so in the first three quarters, they mostly stuck to their original set-piece low post offensive tactics.

Tang Tian and Davis were both in good shape this game, and the Pelicans' offense was fine.

The Warriors, on the other hand, were hammering Jokic to death. Jokic was switching onto guards, and his defense was making him question his life.

After three quarters, the two teams were evenly matched.

The only thing the Pelicans were worried about was Davis' foul trouble, because he needed to constantly help Jokic on defense, and he already had four fouls after three quarters.

In the critical fourth quarter, the Pelicans actively brought out their small lineup.

Curry couldn't not play for the Warriors, but the Pelicans could sit Jokic.

This lineup worked, and Curry was continuously bullied by Tang Tian.

But Kerr also responded by constantly creating opportunities for the Splash Brothers on the outside through screens.

At this time, the impact of Ariza's absence appeared. When Ariza was there, he and Holiday could match up with the Splash Brothers on the defensive end.

But without Ariza, Aminu struggled to keep up with either Curry or Thompson's speed.

The two sides were still deadlocked, and the situation was extremely anxious.

At a critical moment, Davis was called for an offensive foul on a screen, and he was called for his sixth personal foul and was ejected.

The arena was filled with boos.

Williams also protested to the technical table.

Davis only had an imperceptible movement on the screen, which referees usually wouldn't call.

And Green had several more obvious plays in the previous games that weren't called. This was an inconsistent standard of judgment.

The referee insisted on his call, and this became the turning point of the game.

Davis was ejected, and the Pelicans were forced to put Jokic back in.

Jokic continued to be targeted. Thompson shook off Aminu and hit a key three-pointer, helping the Warriors take a 3-point lead.

At the critical moment, Tang Tian once again stood up to carry, hitting a difficult fadeaway in the double-team.

But Curry was directly unreasonable, hitting a fatal logo three-pointer.

And in the next possession, Jokic, who was stunned, paid the price for his youth. His pass after being double-teamed went out of bounds.

The game also lost its suspense after this mistake.

In the end, the Pelicans, without Ariza, narrowly lost to the Warriors at home 108-112, ending their season journey at 2-4.

When the game ended, Davis pounded the bench with red eyes.

He hated himself for being ejected early and causing the situation on the court to change drastically.

Tang Tian went over and patted him on the shoulder in comfort.

"We'll win it back."

He said firmly, and then looked up at Adam Silver in the stands.

The Pelicans' loss in this game was closely related to the referee's final calls.

But you couldn't say anything, because those borderline calls were just that, and once called, they were called.

In the end, it was still because their strength this season wasn't strong enough.

If his ability to attack in clutch situations could be stronger, if Jokic's defense could become tougher, if their small lineup could be used earlier and fully integrated...

If all these ifs were true, they wouldn't have fallen into a 1-3 situation against the Spurs, and they wouldn't have fallen into a 1-3 situation against the Warriors.

In other words, these ifs were what they needed to improve on next season.

They really needed to become strong enough.

That way, they could truly seize the initiative in the series, instead of being forced into a 1-3 situation every time.

That way, even the referees wouldn't be able to influence their games, and Adam Silver could only watch helplessly from the stands.

That way, they could overcome all obstacles and reach the championship road, and win the championship that truly belonged to this team!

The arena resounded with thunderous applause and cheers.

Although the team stopped here, the fans were already very satisfied.

A team that had only been integrated for two seasons had already reached the Western Conference Finals, which was the achievement that the Clippers and Rockets had been dreaming of for who knows how long.

Tang Tian pulled Davis up from the bench and gestured to the audience.

They were still very young. Among the starters, he, Jokic, and Davis were only 22 years old, Holiday was only 25 years old, and even the oldest Ariza was only 29 years old.

One year, they could afford to wait.

Just like what Jokic said after being maliciously fouled in the last game, next year they would definitely beat all their opponents!