Pachulia's situation wasn't a concern for many.

Even after the Warriors officially announced Pachulia's injury report, fans just spat on him like they did with Lu Benwei.

Tang Tian's MRI report, on the other hand, drew a wave of attention from fans.

For safety reasons, Tang Tian underwent a full set of systematic examinations the next day.

The test results came out, and Tang Tian was indeed uninjured.

Fans cheered and rejoiced after seeing this, it was truly the best of a bad situation!

Pachulia was suspended, and Tang Tian wasn't injured, so fans were even more excited about the rest of the Western Conference Finals.

Whether the battle would be resolved in six games or go to a Game 7 showdown, it was full of suspense.

Moreover, without Pachulia, this X-factor, fans could enjoy a purer form of basketball.

After finishing Game 5, the Warriors returned to Oakland as a team.

The Pelicans had won Game 5 and already had match point. If they couldn't win this next home game, their season would be over.

Last season's 73-win Western Conference runner-up was already humiliating enough. Now, if the four-star Warriors became Western Conference runners-up again, they would really lose face all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

So they had to win, they had to win the next home game!

But the question was, how to win?

Kerr was feeling a headache. His first and second assistant coaches, Ron Adams and Jarron Collins, were sitting in his coaching office.

After Gentry went to the Pelicans, Collins, who was originally the team's chief video analyst, was promoted.

Both of his assistant coaches were offering tactical suggestions, but Kerr remained silent.

In Game 5, everyone felt that Pachulia's foot caused the Pelicans to gain momentum, eventually leading to the Warriors losing the game.

But that wasn't actually the case.

Because they only lost by 16 points in the end, and before Pachulia made that move, they were already down by 11 points.

In fact, since Game 3, they hadn't been able to defend against the Pelicans, or rather, Tang Tian.

Tang Tian's average score in these three games was close to 40 points, which was a score that could directly determine the outcome of the game in such a high-intensity competition.

"Do you think we have a way to defend Tang Tian?"

Kerr asked after listening to his assistant coaches' opinions.

Silence.

The originally lively office suddenly fell silent.

Tang Tian, not to mention defending, even limiting him was difficult to do.

If only considering scoring skills, Tang Tian might not be as good as Jordan and Kobe, and in terms of scoring visual effect, he might not be as good as Iverson and Carter.

However, he was too well-rounded, even more so than James.

He could shoot, he could break through, he could play with the ball, and he could play without the ball. He could also assist, organize, and defend...

Moreover, this "can" wasn't just "can," but "very good at."

Others believed in "it's not about having many skills, but being proficient in one, being specialized and precise, having a unique skill." He believed in "it's not just about having many skills, but also being proficient in them, never having too many skills."

Defending against such a player was really difficult.

It seemed that other than praying that Tang Tian himself would have a bad touch, there was really no other way.

Or, borrow some poisonous milk from Jordan again?

Well, that seemed like a good idea.

"I don't think Tang is without weaknesses."

After a period of silence, Collins suddenly spoke.

Kerr and Adams both turned to look at him curiously.

After Gentry left, the Warriors' usual tactical planning was basically done between Kerr and Adams.

Collins, as a newly promoted assistant coach, didn't participate much.

So at this moment, when he spoke, the two were both puzzled and expectant.

"I've studied all of Tang's technical characteristics. His jump shot is fast and accurate, his breakthrough is strong and swift, his passing is extremely precise, and his defense is impenetrable."

The video analyst's usual job was to analyze game videos. Of course, this analysis wasn't just about the team, but also about the players' technical characteristics.

Therefore, coaches who came from this background were more familiar with the players' technical characteristics.

Heat coach Spoelstra was a typical example.

However, Kerr and Adams didn't react much when they heard this. Collins was saying things they already knew. They were waiting for the twist later.

"But he has one skill that is relatively less outstanding, and that is also a skill we can try to target."

Sure enough, Collins immediately made a turn.

"Ball-handling skills. As a forward over 2 meters tall, his center of gravity for ball-handling is very low. Even during fast breaks, he deliberately lowers his center of gravity."

Collins' observation was really meticulous.

"I remember about three years ago, when Tang had just arrived in New Orleans, everyone thought he was just a catch-and-shoot scorer and wasn't good at dribbling, but he proved himself. I don't know if you remember what he said after the game?"

Collins even deliberately paused to build suspense when he said this.

Kerr frowned slightly. He didn't really like Collins' way of speaking, especially in front of him.

"Because his dribbling skills are very similar to Kemba Walker's, he said in an interview that Kemba Walker learned the skills from him."

Collins immediately continued when he saw Kerr's reaction.

"That must have been a joke, but what we can know is that his ball-handling skills were taught by Walker, but that is the technique of a guard, and not so suitable for a swingman."

Collins finished his sentence in one breath this time.

Kerr and Adams nodded thoughtfully after listening.

Although Collins' way of speaking wasn't so likeable, his analysis was indeed very accurate.

Tang Tian's other technical characteristics were almost perfect, and even his physical resistance was very strong, but Collins had analyzed the only weakness.

"Tang's shooting and first step are very fast. We can arrange two-layered defense before and after, so that we can force him to dribble more, and then we try to put pressure on the ball to make him in the most uncomfortable offensive manner."

After Collins analyzed it, Adams then began to enter his professional range.

A smile finally appeared on Kerr's face at this time.

Teams in a disadvantageous position need some changes, and this was the best change.

The sixth game between the Pelicans and Warriors would be played in two days. The Cavaliers and Knicks' Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals would be played first.

The Knicks, like the Warriors, had no way to retreat, and they were also fighting with their backs to the wall at home.

After the game started, the Knicks also played with intent, taking an early 8-2 lead.

But after that, the game was gradually controlled by James and the Cavaliers.

There were many upset games in the NBA regular season, but few in the playoff series. The root cause was that the series was a game of up to seven games.

Unless there were major injuries, even if they temporarily fell to the bottom and were dragged into a stalemate, the team with the stronger paper strength would most likely win in the end.

In the end, James continued his hot streak, contributing 30+ triple-doubles, helping the Cavaliers beat the Knicks 106-93 and advance to the Finals first.

The Eastern Conference Finals came to an end, and now it was up to the Western Conference Finals to see who could stand out between the Pelicans and the Warriors.