Jokic's injury recovery is progressing well, but he still has a long way to go before he can return to the game.

Biyombo and McGee's performance during this period will be very important for the Pelicans.

These last six weeks of the season are also crucial for the Pelicans.

The previous ups and downs in their record have narrowed the gap between them and the Spurs, and now there are only three games separating them.

If there are any major fluctuations, they could very well be squeezed from second to third place by the Spurs.

Second and third place may seem like just a difference in ranking, but if both teams make it to the second round of the playoffs, it means home-court advantage.

The Pelicans definitely don't want to lose that if they face the Spurs.

So they will definitely go all out in every game that follows.

On March 8, International Women's Day, the Pelicans and the Clippers faced off for the last time this season.

Williams, following the results of his discussion with Tang Tian, gave McGee about 10 minutes of playing time, and he delivered an excellent performance of 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

The Pelicans ultimately secured the game, extending their winning streak to five games.

Two days later, the Pelicans played the Kings again, dominating the entire game and easily defeating their opponents, securing their sixth consecutive victory.

Karl and Cousins had a heated argument on the bench during a timeout.

It's clear that one of the two will definitely be gone next season.

The day after playing the Kings, the Pelicans faced the Jazz in a back-to-back game.

The Jazz played exceptionally stubbornly in this game, and Whiteside didn't gain much of an advantage against Gobert.

The two teams were deadlocked until the last moment, when Ingles hit a miraculous shot to kill the Pelicans, ending the Pelicans' six-game winning streak.

This game also highlighted the disadvantage of Jokic's absence, as their bench scored 20 points compared to 40 for the Jazz.

Three days later, the Pelicans faced the Spurs for the last time this season.

In this game, the Pelicans not only had a bench disadvantage, but their outside shooters also felt off, and the Spurs' collapsed defense made it extremely difficult for the Pelicans to score.

In the end, the Pelicans suffered a losing streak, and the Spurs also changed the regular season record to 1-3, avoiding being swept.

……

These few games have become a microcosm of the Pelicans' last six weeks.

They won more than they lost, but the impact of Jokic's absence was obvious.

After six weeks, the Pelicans' record was 59 wins and 22 losses, tied with the Spurs' record.

Because of the advantage in the head-to-head record, they were temporarily ranked second in the West.

At this point, the final game became extremely crucial.

The Pelicans' last game was against the Thunder.

The Thunder are currently ranked eighth in the West, but only one game ahead of the ninth-place Lakers, and they also trail the Lakers 1-2 in the head-to-head record.

The Lakers' last game is against the Warriors.

This matchup made the rankings exceptionally complex and delicate.

If the Pelicans win against the Thunder and the Lakers win against the Warriors, then the Lakers will squeeze out the Thunder at the last moment and become the eighth seed in the West.

Conversely, any result other than that situation will see the Thunder continue to rank eighth.

The Pelicans want to compete with the Spurs for second place, so they definitely have to win the last game, and the Warriors have already locked in the league's top spot, so their starters will most likely not play in the last game.

In this way, the only possibility for the Lakers to advance has become a high-probability event.

In the Thunder's locker room, after the end of the regular training session, the players left for home one after another.

The team's captain, and also the locker room leader Nick Collison, was studying the schedule in the locker room at this time.

Durant was in the recovery period from his injury, and after doing some training in the weight room, he returned to the locker room.

Seeing that Collison was still there, Durant walked over and chatted with him with a smile.

When Durant entered the Thunder, Collison was already on the team, and now so many years have passed, the people on the team that year have all left, leaving only Collison.

They also have a very good relationship.

As they chatted, the two naturally talked about the playoffs.

Durant looked very depressed when he talked about this.

Although he is injured and can't play, he still cares about the team, and now the team's fate is in the hands of the Pelicans, in the hands of Tang Tian.

That feeling really made him very uncomfortable.

"Kevin, you seem to have a good relationship with Stephen, can you ask if there's any chance the Warriors can win against the Lakers in the end?"

Collison said suddenly.

From another perspective, as long as the Warriors can beat the Lakers, then it's secondary whether the Pelicans beat the Thunder or not.

"I'll ask."

Durant nodded.

Actually, when you think about it, the Warriors also have a reason to win against the Lakers.

The Warriors' record this season is 67 wins, which has already broken the team's best regular-season record in history.

Records are definitely better the higher they are, and 68 wins is better than 67 wins.

After separating from Collison, he called Curry.

The two had already exchanged contact information at last year's All-Star Game.

"No, Kevin, I won't play in the last game."

However, Curry's answer directly poured cold water on him.

"Why? Don't you want to challenge for a higher regular season historical record?"

Durant was a little unwilling to give up.

"That's not important, I want to prepare for the playoffs that are about to begin."

Curry's answer was very straightforward, 67 wins is already a record, so winning one more game is not that important.

It's not like they have a chance to challenge the Bulls' 72-win regular-season record.

Durant was very helpless when he heard this.

Curry on the other end heard this and then remembered the Thunder's current situation.

"Actually, Kevin, if you're interested, you can consider coming to Golden State to play with me after your contract expires. I think we'd be a great fit."

Curry said on the other end of the phone.

Now everyone knows that the salary cap will increase significantly in the summer of 2016, and the Warriors will have enough salary cap space to sign a max contract at that time.

Durant's contract will also expire at that time, which is definitely a good opportunity.

Two people who admire each other playing together.

Three top shooters, they will create a dynasty.

Durant was stunned when he heard this, but immediately rejected Curry.

He couldn't leave Oklahoma, he was a man of principle, and he wouldn't run around like James.

Winning their championship together in Oklahoma with Westbrook, that's what he wanted.

After hanging up the phone, he was still a little dazed, his heart was very firm, but he didn't know why he had a moment of heartbeat when Curry recruited him.

He shook his head immediately.

Curry won't play in the last game, unless the Lakers screw themselves over, then the Lakers winning is a foregone conclusion.

In that case, whether the Thunder can advance to the playoffs really depends on the Pelicans' faces.

This damn, fucked-up league schedule.