Chapter 1 Warriors and Spurs, Post-Game Refereeing

The aftermath of the Warriors and Spurs game was still creating a buzz, but the next day, fans' attention was drawn to another game.

The Pelicans and the Cavaliers, the two teams that faced off in last season's Finals, were about to usher in their respective season openers at the Pelicans' home court.

The scene of being forced to a 3-3 tie after leading 3-1 last season was still vivid in everyone's minds, and Tang Tian's 62 points in three quarters during the Game 7 performance felt like just yesterday.

Now, with the season just beginning, the two teams were facing off again, a testament to the league's mastery in creating rivalries.

Moreover, the Cavaliers had signed Whiteside this season, the only former player to have a fallout with the Pelicans.

At the very start of the season, the league was already offering fans a feast.

On the day of the game, the Cavaliers held an open practice session at the training facility.

The players were training on the court, and the surrounding area was filled with reporters.

For such a high-profile game full of talking points, they would try every trick in the book to extract some information before the game.

The Cavaliers' players seemed to be in excellent spirits, chatting and laughing amongst themselves, and James was also practicing one-on-one offense and defense with Whiteside, looking relaxed.

From all this, one could see that the Cavaliers were determined to win the championship this season and were full of confidence for the upcoming game.

After the training session, reporters swarmed around, and head coach Tyronn Lue and team leader James were surrounded by a large number of fans.

However, besides them, there was one other person who was besieged by reporters: not Irving, nor Love, but Whiteside.

Everyone knew about Whiteside's feud with the Pelicans, but his strength was considerable. He had performed at an All-Star level for the Heat last season.

The contract he signed with the Cavaliers also placed him among the "Big Four" in terms of salary.

Moreover, his not-so-bright personality had become well-known as his exposure increased.

For reporters looking to dig up some dirt, he was the easiest target.

"What do you think of tonight's opponents, the Pelicans? We all know you played for the Pelicans for two seasons."

The reporter's first question was very straightforward.

"They're paper tigers."

Whiteside didn't disappoint the reporters; his opening remark was aimed at stirring up trouble.

"Just like their starting center, soft and white. I don't know when centers started playing like that."

The center he was referring to was Jokic. Even though he had left the Pelicans for over a year, he was still bitter about his competition with Jokic back then.

"Do you think the team can win tonight?"

The reporter continued to ask.

"Of course!"

Whiteside replied without hesitation.

"Before I came here, this team had already fought them to Game 7. Now that I'm here, we will win, and we will win easily."

Whiteside's confidence was overflowing.

If fans hadn't watched the Finals, they might have actually found his words reasonable.

Whiteside's interview was reported, and Cavaliers fans were ecstatic.

The Cavaliers already had enough strength, but they always felt like they were missing something. Now they realized it was this kind of domineering attitude.

James was domineering on the court but humble and modest in front of the media. Irving and Love were the same. Now that Whiteside had arrived, he filled that gap perfectly!

Pelicans fans were quite angry after seeing it.

They knew exactly how the Cavaliers had managed to make it to Game 7 last season, and Whiteside had caused trouble himself, and now he was attacking Jokic in retrospect.

He really wasn't very bright!

And he had completely maxed out the hate meter!

Other fans didn't mind the commotion and enjoyed watching the drama. Whiteside's remarks only made the already highly anticipated game even more so.

On the night of the game, the New Orleans Arena was packed.

Not only because the opponent in the opening game was the Cavaliers, but also because, as the defending champions, the home opener would feature the championship ring presentation ceremony.

The ring belonged to the team, but the honor belonged to the fans, and they would also witness the team's first championship banner being raised in the arena.

No Pelicans fan would miss such an occasion.

One hour before the game, both teams entered the arena early for warm-up training.

Tang Tian practiced for a while and then sat down on the sidelines to rest.

Soon, a reporter approached him.

"What do you think of Whiteside's comments?"

Whiteside's words had been reported and hyped up, and now everyone knew about them.

"It's not important."

Tang Tian's answer was very casual, and his expression showed a complete lack of concern.

The reporter was stunned for a moment. He obviously hadn't expected Tang Tian to respond like this.

But looking at Tang Tian's expression, it was definitely not an act. He really didn't care about Whiteside's words, or Whiteside himself.

The reporter came back to his senses and understood. Whiteside was basically taught by Tang Tian, so this kind of attitude towards a younger brother was perfectly normal.

After both sides finished warming up, the stadium staff quickly began setting up the stage, and both teams returned to their respective halves to await the championship ring presentation ceremony.

Except for Tang Tian and Ariza, the other members of the Pelicans looked very excited.

This was their first championship ring in their careers.

At this moment, Deron and West had very special expressions, looking at the sparkling championship rings displayed in the center of the court with envy in their eyes.

The two veterans were All-Stars in their prime, but after wandering through various teams, they had yet to win a championship ring.

Tang Tian saw this and went over to pat them on the shoulder.

The meaning was clear: they didn't have one now, but they would soon.

Kenny Smith hosted the award ceremony. League President Adam Silver and Pelicans owner's wife, Gayle Benson, both came to the scene.

Tom Benson was not feeling well and couldn't leave the house, so the affairs of the Pelicans were now being managed by his wife.

"Hello, champion fans of New Orleans!"

Smith was a professional commentator and knew how to create a lively atmosphere. His opening remarks stirred up the emotions of the New Orleans Arena.

"Charles is envious of you, because you, like me, will soon have a championship ring."

He then looked towards the Pelicans' bench and said, revealing his plastic friendship with Barkley.

Cheers and whistles erupted from the audience, and the atmosphere was completely ignited.

Silver smiled, but no one knew what he was thinking.

But just like at the end of Game 7 last season, the championship ring was there waiting for him to present, whether he wanted to or not, and whether he was in a good mood or not.

When Smith finished warming up the crowd and announced the start of the championship ring presentation ceremony, the lights and cameras all focused on the rings in the center of the stage.

The top of the ring featured the player's jersey number, surrounded by 74 sapphires, representing the Pelicans' historic 74 wins last season!

On either side of the ring, there were also 14 diamonds, representing the team's 14-year history (including the former Hornets).

The player's name was engraved on one side of the ring, and below the name were the numbers 4-0 and 4-3, representing their Western Conference Finals and Finals scores, respectively.

These rings, filled with honor and history, shone brightly with not only a large amount of platinum and diamonds, but also each ring was unique!

According to pre-game news, the cost of each ring was as high as $1 million!

The Pelicans' first championship ring, the team's upper management had really spared no expense!