The outcome was no longer in much doubt.

However, for the season's opening game, Lue didn't want to give up so easily. At the start of the fourth quarter, he sent James, Irving, and Love back onto the court.

This was their last push.

Stevens didn't put Tang Tian back in this time. Even Davis remained on the bench to rest.

On one hand, they had a significant lead and could afford to do so.

On the other hand, and more importantly, bringing the starters back at this point would definitely lead to stamina issues by the end. It was better to stick to the regular rotation.

Led by the Big Three, the Cavaliers launched a counterattack. Deron's performance remained lackluster, missing shots and committing passing errors.

The Cavaliers seized the opportunity to launch a scoring run, narrowing the gap to around 15 points.

With just over four minutes played in the fourth quarter, Stevens substituted the starters back in.

Tang Tian demonstrated his superstar prowess, immediately breaking through for a basket to stabilize the situation.

After Irving hit a three-pointer from the outside, he quickly answered with a three of his own.

The Cavaliers performed well in the final quarter, but their momentum in closing the gap noticeably slowed.

And as the game wore on, their stamina issues became more apparent. They were unable to further reduce the deficit.

With two minutes left in the game, the difference still hovered around 15 points.

Lue finally withdrew his starters, conceding the game.

Stevens also gradually subbed out his starters.

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

Perhaps the previous game between the Warriors and Spurs had put too much pressure on the league, as the referees didn't step up to steal the show in this game.

Without the referees' help, and with Whiteside sidelined, the Cavaliers, like last season, couldn't pose much of a threat to the Pelicans.

In the final two minutes, Brogdon, Joe Harris, and Boban got a chance to play.

Brogdon displayed the excellent form he'd shown in the preseason, hitting a three-pointer right away, then assisting Harris for another three with a drive and kick.

Those six points successfully extended the Pelicans' lead to over 20 points again.

In other words, the Cavaliers' efforts in the last quarter were all for naught...

In the end, the Pelicans defeated the Cavaliers 120-99 in their home opener, securing a winning start to the season.

Davis had a team-high 28 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Jokic had 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Holiday had 13 points and 7 assists, and Bojan had 12 points.

Tang Tian finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists.

The stats weren't particularly eye-catching for him, especially the low scoring total.

But it was clear from the game that, after experiencing the Olympics, he had even greater control of the game.

His scores were mostly crucial points, and in the faster game tempo, he organized the team's offense even more smoothly.

For the Cavaliers, James had 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, Irving had 20 points and 4 assists, Love had 16 points and 5 rebounds, and Tristan Thompson had 8 points and 8 rebounds.

Whiteside only played 20 minutes, finishing with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

Looking at the stats, the Cavaliers' 98 million summer acquisition seemed like a loss, but having watched the game, it was clear that the 98 million had already gone down the drain.

Whether it would be a complete waste depended on Lue and Whiteside's ability to adjust.

But that was something for the Cavaliers to worry about. After their dominant win in the opener, the Pelicans' morale for defending their title was soaring.

Carrying that momentum, they went on to defeat the Raptors, Jazz, and Clippers in succession in the following week.

Tang Tian's stats in those three games were 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists; 40 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists; and 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.

In the first week of the season, they achieved a 4-0 record, tied for the league lead with the Warriors.

In TNT's latest power rankings, the Pelicans also surpassed the Warriors to take the top spot.

Aside from TNT having Tang-fan Shaquille O'Neal, the Warriors' controversial win in their opening game clearly cost them some points.

The other championship contenders, the Rockets, Mavericks, Spurs, and Cavaliers, all had 3-1 records.

This performance was basically in line with the preseason media predictions.

However, every season has its dark horse team, and this time, the dark horse was the Charlotte Hornets in the East.

The Hornets also hadn't lost a game since the start of the season, their 4-0 record surpassing the Cavaliers and Raptors to take the top spot in the East!

And the key figure in their success was their core player, Kemba Walker.

Over the past week, he averaged 35.25 points, 3 rebounds, and 5.25 assists, with a 48.7% field goal percentage and 50% three-point percentage.

At the end of the Ku Lian Xiong Di training camp, Tang Tian had predicted that Walker would have a career-best performance.

As it turned out, it wasn't a jinx, but a very accurate prediction.

At the end of the first week of games, the league also announced the Players of the Week for the Eastern and Western Conferences.

In the East, Kemba Walker was the obvious choice, his second time winning the award in his career.

In the West, Tang Tian's selection wasn't much of a surprise either.

The Pelicans were 4-0, and he averaged 31.25 points, 10.25 rebounds, and 10.5 assists, with a 52% shooting percentage and 49% three-point percentage.

After meeting with Jordan, Tang Tian had set a goal for himself to aim for a triple-double average.

Although the season was long, he had at least achieved it in the first week!

Of course, more importantly, he had led his team to victory while doing it!

"Wo Ke has finally risen! The Connecticut Huskies are shining in the NBA!"

"Walker's improvement this season is surprising, but Tang is too good, a triple-double average! He's going to make Oscar Robertson uneasy!"

"Actually, Tang's assist numbers were already high in the second half of last season. It seems like his rebounding has also improved this season, so getting triple-doubles is reasonable!"

"Stamina is the biggest factor limiting him right now. I think if he improves his stamina, he really has a chance to average a triple-double!"

"I'm really looking forward to it. Michael Tang surprises us every season and lets us witness history!"

...

With the weekly awards being swept by the Ku Lian Xiong Di duo, James in the East and Durant in the West were a bit depressed.

Durant's performance in the first week, averaging 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, was also very good, and the Warriors were also 4-0, but he just couldn't beat Tang Tian...

Originally, being defeated by Tang Tian had always been Clay Thompson's exclusive experience.

Now that Durant had come to the Warriors, it was becoming a "defeated duo."

Durant was depressed, but James was even more depressed.

He hadn't joined Dream Twelve to play in the Olympics this past summer, and he hadn't attended many events either.

After losing in the Finals last season, he had spent almost the entire summer losing weight and training.

His style of play was more fluid, and the proportion of his outside shots had increased.

His three-point percentage was 45% so far this season, which was excellent, and he was averaging 32.25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists, also a very eye-catching performance.

But unfortunately, the Cavaliers were badly beaten by the Pelicans, and he not only lost to Tang Tian, but even the weekly award was snatched away by Tang Tian's good buddy, Walker...

If possible, the league's top two small forwards should really find a bar to sit down and have a sympathetic conversation.