Chapter 79 Game Seven

The atmosphere at the post-game press conferences was completely different on either side.

"I forgive him, but he's going to have to go back and practice a thousand more three-pointers."

Popovich wasn't in a good mood, but he still chose to defend his players.

"We have a fifty percent chance of winning."

And he was still relatively optimistic and positive about being forced into a Game Seven.

On the other court, the atmosphere at the Pelicans' post-game press conference was much more relaxed.

Tang Tian set a single-quarter scoring record of 27 points, tied Jordan's 63 points, and now, after being down 1-3, they were heading to Game Seven.

These were all focal points of the reporters' questions.

Interestingly, when asked about Game Seven, his answer and Popovich's were somewhat similar.

"Now we can use one game to decide the outcome with the Spurs. We still have a fifty percent chance of winning."

However, the same words felt completely different coming from the two men.

Popovich's was a joke in adversity, and also a way to indirectly encourage his teammates.

The Pelicans, on the other hand, had won two games in a row with high morale, and Tang Tian's words carried a sense of momentum.

After the game, many of the Pelicans players stayed behind to practice, including starters Jokic, Holiday, Ariza, and others.

Although winning was exciting, they also knew that they hadn't played their best.

Tang Tian was pleased to see this. Although their young age led to significant fluctuations in their playoff performance, this kind of attitude determined that the team would only get better and better.

On TNT's latest episode, Barkley and Smith were relentlessly "attacked" by O'Neal, but could only respond with laughter.

This time, O'Neal beat them so badly that they were speechless.

On the show, they also analyzed the upcoming games.

The Pelicans had won two straight, plus they were playing at home, so the probability of them winning Game Seven was very high.

This time, Barkley and Smith joined O'Neal and all turned to support the Pelicans.

They also previewed the remaining Eastern Conference Finals.

The Bulls won against the Hawks 4-2, and the Hawks, one of the season's three dark horses, were the first to be eliminated.

The Cavaliers also eliminated the Knicks 4-2, with James once again eliminating his brothers to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

As a result, the Bulls and Cavaliers would be the teams facing off in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Rose and James were facing each other in the playoffs once again, but this time he had more injuries and a super teammate, Butler.

It was foreseeable that the Cavaliers would face the toughest resistance in this round.

Two days later, the Pelicans and Spurs' Game Seven officially kicked off in New Orleans.

The arena was packed, with fans holding up eye-catching signs such as "Advance to the Western Conference Finals," "1-3 Comeback," and "Tenth in History."

After the Pelicans won two straight games to force a Game Seven, the fans' emotions were more frenzied than ever before.

And on the scene, sharp-eyed fans also spotted an uninvited guest.

Spurs owner Holt also came to the scene to cheer on his team.

However, because it was the Pelicans' home court, he wasn't able to get a VIP box seat, and was just sitting in a front-row seat in the stands.

In the locker room before the game, both teams were making their final preparations for the game.

"Guys, we've already completed all of our small goals, now it's time to achieve our big goal!"

With team morale high, Tang Tian also delivered a wave of the most positive chicken soup before the game.

The Pelicans players shouted excitedly, feeling just like soldiers before going into battle.

They were just waiting to charge!

When the opening ceremony began, it was like a gas can meeting a Molotov cocktail, and the atmosphere in the entire arena exploded instantly.

The atmosphere at the New Orleans Arena was more enthusiastic than ever before.

This scene shocked even the TNT trio at the commentary booth.

But they all had smiles that they couldn't hide on their faces.

This time they were all on the Pelicans' side.

After a short pre-game warm-up, the starting players from both teams took the stage one after another.

Neither side made any lineup adjustments. Davis tipped the ball back to the Pelicans' half, officially kicking off the Western Conference Finals Game Seven.

Tang Tian ran off-ball in the frontcourt, and hit a pull-up jumper after catching the ball.

He continued his hot streak from the series.

Whistles blew constantly in the arena. They were disappointed that they hadn't been able to witness Tang Tian's 63-point explosion in person, and now they wanted nothing more than for Tang Tian to score more points in this game.

The Spurs ran the hammer tactic in the frontcourt, but Green's three-pointer from the outside missed.

It seemed that those thousand three-pointers he practiced in San Antonio hadn't worked.

Davis secured the rebound under the basket.

The Pelicans attacked the frontcourt. Tang Tian and Davis ran a pick-and-roll and then passed the ball. Davis took the ball and stepped past Leonard, scoring with a dunk under the basket.

4-0, the Pelicans gave the Spurs a warning right from the start.

Gasol's mid-range shot in the frontcourt still missed, and Jokic secured the defensive rebound.

The Pelicans launched a fast break. Tang Tian assisted Holiday with a layup.

6-0, the Pelicans' start wasn't just a warning, it was a real demonstration of momentum.

Parker finally found an opportunity to mismatch against Jokic and took a close-range floater.

The ball bounced around the rim several times before falling into the net.

Although this ball went in, it was also a microcosm of the Spurs' start.

Their condition and feel were both very ordinary.

This was also expected. The Spurs had a system and a foundation, but the people playing were still people. Being chased from 3-1 to 3-3 would cause anyone's mentality to fluctuate.

Moreover, Duncan, who was best at playing under pressure, was about to retire, and Ginobili was on the bench.

This situation was really a normal phenomenon.

Tang Tian's three-pointer from the outside missed, but Davis grabbed the offensive rebound with his long arms and flicked it to Jokic on the outside, whose three-pointer went in again.

Jokic's touch was there too!

In stark contrast to the Spurs' condition, the Pelicans were taking advantage of the perfect time, place, and people, and their condition and touch were both quite hot.

By the end of the first quarter, the Pelicans were unstoppable and had already taken a 32-20 lead over the Spurs by 12 points.

"If the Spurs can't bring a better condition, then their loss in the series is a foregone conclusion."

Smith said directly when he saw this scene in the commentary booth.

Barkley and O'Neal both nodded along.

The difference in condition between the two teams was too great. If they continued to play like this, the Spurs wouldn't have much of a chance.

At the start of the second quarter, both sides gradually brought on their substitutes.

Ginobili continued his excellent form from this round of the series, hitting a three-pointer as soon as he came on.

But the Pelicans were also in good shape, and Gordon returned a three-point answer ball in the next round.

The starters couldn't beat them, and the substitutes couldn't beat them either. The entire first half was the same as Game Five of the series for the Spurs.

By halftime, the Pelicans had already taken a 60-45 lead over the Spurs by 15 points.

The Pelicans had suffered a crushing loss to the Grizzlies in Game Seven last year, but this year against the Spurs, they were on the verge of victory!