The Grizzlies' toughness is well-known throughout the league.

Their brick wall defense in the playoffs has also been a headache for all opponents.

But tonight, the Pelicans were like a Gatling gun, no matter how strong the Grizzlies' defenses were, they blasted them full of holes!

In the end, the Pelicans thrashed the Grizzlies 116-90 at home, taking the first win of the series.

Tang Tian played three quarters, easily racking up a near triple-double of 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Davis had a team-high 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks, Ariza and Holiday each hit 3 three-pointers, and Whiteside also had 9 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

The Pelicans shot a whopping 56% from the field and over 60% from three-point range!

They flat-out shot the Grizzlies to death tonight.

The Grizzlies were given a beating and had nothing to say.

In the locker room after the game, the Pelicans players were celebrating wildly.

This was the most satisfying way to win!

This victory released all the anger from being eliminated last year.

Davis had just come out of the shower when Holiday and Whiteside pinned him to the ground, ripped off his towel, and spanked his bare butt wildly.

This passionate celebration made Tang Tian, who was sitting in his seat, shake his head with a wry smile.

The Pelicans were indeed a team mainly composed of young players.

"We'll end the series quickly, right?"

McGee said with a smile, sitting next to Tang Tian at this time.

"Hopefully."

Tang Tian said with a smile.

If the Pelicans maintain their performance from this game, there is a possibility of ending the series within four games.

To beat the Grizzlies, you have to do it in one fell swoop. If you get dragged into five or more games, or even a Game 7, then the outcome of the game is really hard to say.

Two days later, the second game between the Pelicans and the Grizzlies continued at the New Orleans Arena.

The Pelicans were united in their will, but they ran into trouble after the game started.

After the Grizzlies' first big loss, they adjusted their defensive matchups in the second game, having Randolph defend Whiteside and Gasol match up against Davis.

The result of this adjustment was that Whiteside couldn't adjust to the confrontation with Randolph and quickly fell into foul trouble.

Jokic was still unable to play, and when Whiteside went down, the Pelicans' inside game began to collapse.

Moreover, Jeff Green, a substitute the Grizzlies acquired mid-season, had a breakout game, scoring a game-high 24 points for the Grizzlies.

In the end, the Grizzlies narrowly defeated the Pelicans 97-93, tying the series at 1-1.

In this game, the Grizzlies proved their competitiveness in the playoffs and snatched home-court advantage in the series from the Pelicans.

At the post-match press conference, Zach Randolph couldn't hide the smile on his face.

He had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds in this game.

"We knew that the Pelicans' shooting percentage in the first game wouldn't be the norm, just like I said at the beginning, I knew we would win the series."

The 1-1 situation was somewhat different from what fans had expected after the last game, but for the Pelicans' coaching staff and players, it wasn't an unacceptable outcome.

After all, their opponents were the Grizzlies, the toughest team in the playoffs. You can't really expect them not to win a single game.

However, after tying the score and gaining home-court advantage, the Grizzlies' fans were quite excited.

They are really good at playing these underdog games, and now the series with the Pelicans seems to be developing in that direction.

Two days later, the two teams moved to Memphis to continue their series.

Before the game, local Memphis fans flooded into the FedExForum, and the enthusiasm of the fans here was no less than that in New Orleans.

Outside the arena, fans expressed their excitement through words.

Many fans filmed themselves on camera and shouted wildly to cheer for their home team, and uploaded it to social media.

"We are the Pelicans' kryptonite!"

"Welcome to the playoffs! This is our stage!"

"Tang, you can't get revenge on us, just like Kevin Durant! You don't have a chance to get revenge on the Spurs either!"

...

Before the game, Tang Tian was preparing for the game in the locker room.

"Tang, have you seen those social media posts from Memphis fans?"

McGee said to Tang Tian with his phone in hand.

Tang Tian took the phone and looked at it, smiled after reading it, and then returned it to McGee.

"Javier, don't be distracted by these things before the game, focus on the game."

Tang Tian said dismissively.

These fans even compared him to Durant while clamoring, which made him a little unhappy.

But he couldn't let this emotion show, the Pelicans were a young team, and the mood of their leader could easily affect the players.

McGee nodded after hearing this, and threw the phone aside with a smile.

Tang Tian's relaxed attitude also boosted the morale of the Pelicans players.

The game was about to begin, and the players from both sides entered the court one after another.

Tang Tian noticed that Aminu was constantly patting his chest.

Green, who he was guarding in the last game, scored 24 points, and he was obviously dissatisfied with his performance.

Tang Tian went over and patted him on the shoulder, telling him to relax.

Although he couldn't become a starter because he couldn't develop a three-pointer, his defense was still tough enough.

Green had a good game last time, but it was unlikely he'd have another one.

After the opening ceremony, the starters from both teams entered the court one after another.

As in the previous two games, there were no adjustments to the starting lineups for either side.

Amidst the cheers of the home fans, Gasol tipped the ball back to the Grizzlies' half, officially opening the curtain on Game 3 of the series.

Conley dribbled the ball to the frontcourt. Randolph and Gasol had a small pick-and-roll in the paint. After he switched onto Whiteside, he asked for the ball with his back to the basket.

Conley passed the ball in, and after Randolph hammered inside a few times, he turned around and faded away towards the baseline.

Whiteside rushed out, but Randolph's fadeaway was wide enough and his release point was high enough.

"Swish!"

The ball fell heavily into the net after drawing a high arc.

Randolph scored the first points for the Grizzlies.

Randolph was emotional after scoring, and shouted at Whiteside, who was guarding him.

"Welcome to the playoffs, kid!"

Whiteside frowned slightly when he heard Randolph's shout.

He had been made very uncomfortable by Randolph in the last game, and Randolph's provocation in this game made him even more unhappy.

In the Pelicans' offense, Tang Tian was double-teamed and passed the ball to Ariza, whose three-pointer failed to hit.

Whiteside used his long arms to grab an offensive rebound in the paint, and went straight up for a layup after battling Randolph.

Although Randolph was shorter than Whiteside, he was really tough, and managed to block Whiteside's layup with his physical confrontation, and grabbed the defensive rebound.

"No way! This is my territory!"

Randolph turned around and shouted at Whiteside again after grabbing the rebound.