This game's process and outcome were both surprising.

The Rockets, with their Big Three, were unexpectedly vulnerable against the Pelicans, even playing worse than the Mavericks in the first round.

Mike D'Antoni became the target of criticism.

Those who had previously praised D'Antoni's strength were now almost cursing his family.

However, amidst the chorus of criticism, Tang Tian, who had performed exceptionally well, didn't escape unscathed.

"What Best Defensive Player? He only wins with a system. A system player!"

The Pelicans won easily, and Tang Tian played effortlessly. Some, in their frustration, brought up the "system player" argument again.

Tang Tian was amused; there are countless haters, and they'll find something to criticize no matter what.

But this "system player" comment reminded him of something.

The Rockets' unexpected loss in the first game was related to D'Antoni's suffocating tactics.

In the second game, D'Antoni wouldn't be so foolish as to repeat those mistakes.

At that point, besides using the highlight he and Stevens had come up with, the Pelicans would also need to consider how to defend against Harden.

In the Rockets' crushing defeat in the first game, Harden only played 26 minutes, but he shot 7-for-9 and scored a team-high 25 points.

An efficiency of basically one point per minute was enough to show his form.

In fact, in the first round against the Trail Blazers, Harden averaged 28.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds, with a shooting percentage of 44%.

Although D'Antoni had just taken over as coach, and Harden hadn't yet become the unstoppable MVP-level player he would in history, his strength and form were indeed the best among the Rockets' Big Three.

The Pelicans' easy win in the first game didn't mean they would have an easy time in the games to come.

Similarly, just because the preparations weren't needed in the first game didn't mean they wouldn't be needed later.

Being prepared is essential, as they aimed for the championship.

Tang Tian took the initiative to talk to Stevens about this, and they immediately agreed. He had also been thinking about this issue.

They studied for an entire night and came up with a system that would definitely surprise Harden.

Weren't the haters saying the Pelicans won because of the system? Then they would continue to win by relying on the system!

While the two were studying tactics, the last series of the Western Conference first round had just ended.

The Thunder defeated the Spurs 118-108 at home, eliminating their opponents with a 4-2 series score, completing an upset and successfully advancing to the division semifinals.

Tang Tian's premonition came true; the last game of the regular season really did become his last time competing on the NBA court with Duncan.

The Thunder's opponent in the Western Conference semifinals would be the defending champion Warriors.

Fate is strange; Durant was struggling with whether to go to the Warriors or stay with the Thunder, and now the Warriors had become his opponents.

The feud between Westbrook and Curry, and the Thunder's showdown with the Warriors, made this division final equally full of highlights.

However, the game was two days away. Before that, the second game of the Pelicans-Rockets division semifinals would continue at the New Orleans Arena.

The fans were even more excited than they had been two days earlier.

The overwhelming victory in the first game filled them with anticipation for their home team.

Rockets fans had blasted D'Antoni after the first game, making it clear they weren't convinced. So they would continue to play until they were!

Fifteen minutes before the game started, the players from both sides entered the arena one after another.

Despite the crushing defeat in the first game, the Rockets' players looked to be in decent shape.

It seemed that their ideological work and psychological adjustment over the past two days had been quite effective.

Both sides started with the same lineups.

The Pelicans used their regular lineup, and so did the Rockets.

Paul and Harden on the outside, Tucker and Morris on the frontline, and Cousins as center.

Davis used his speed to outjump Cousins, officially opening the game.

The Pelicans attacked the frontcourt, and Tang Tian dribbled to break through. The Rockets didn't double-team.

D'Antoni's actions in the first game weren't completely without reason.

In the first round against the Trail Blazers, his double-teaming of the "double guns" was very effective, and Lillard and McCollum both performed far below their normal levels.

This was why D'Antoni had confidently said those things before the first game.

But he had underestimated the difference in strength between Tang Tian and the Trail Blazers' double guns, which led to the first game's disaster.

But having tried it, he knew what was up, and he didn't do it again in this game.

Tang Tian used Davis' pick-and-roll to break past Morris, then pulled up for an emergency stop jumper and scored.

With the Rockets not double-teaming, Tang Tian could confidently play one-on-one.

The Pelicans scored first, and Paul dribbled past the half-court line before passing the ball to Harden.

Harden was still the core of the Big Three.

Harden was holding the ball, and Ariza was defending him.

But Ariza's defensive stance was very strange.

Ariza was standing to Harden's left, or rather, to his left rear.

This bizarre defensive stance completely left the right side open.

Harden could break through with any casual move.

And Harden did just that, breaking into mid-range, undefended by the Pelicans.

But when he broke into the restricted area, Jokic came out.

Harden euro-stepped past Jokic and shot.

"Bang!"

Davis, on the weak side, provided help defense and blocked Harden's shot with a huge block!

Jokic grabbed the defensive rebound, and the Pelicans launched a counterattack. Holiday received a long pass from Jokic and made a layup.

4-0, the Pelicans had a good start.

In the Rockets' attack, Paul continued to give the ball to Harden.

Ariza maintained the same defensive stance.

Buzdelik rose from his seat, his eyes fixed on the Pelicans' half-court. He had never seen this kind of defense before.

Harden continued to go right, reaching mid-range and shooting.

Ariza jumped up from behind and directly blocked the shot!

Harden dodged in the air before shooting.

The shot dodged the block, but the rhythm was clearly gone.

"Clang!"

The basketball bounced off the rim!

Jokic secured the defensive rebound, and the Pelicans launched another fast break. This time it was Tang Tian, who received a pass from Holiday and scored with a one-handed dunk.

The fans in the arena cheered. Although they didn't quite understand the tactics on the court, the Pelicans' 6-0 start was the same as in the first game; they were going to crush the Rockets!

Harden was somewhat unconvinced. After dribbling past the half-court line, he walked to the left, but Ariza stubbornly refused to let him pass, so he could only go the right side that Ariza gave him.

He broke into the basket, and Jokic continued to come out, so he directly passed the ball to Morris at the baseline.

But the two had a coordination error. Harden's pass was too early, Morris didn't get the ball, and Harden directly passed it out of bounds.

The cheers in the arena continued. Harden's performance tonight was particularly bad!

Buzdelik whispered something to D'Antoni.

After Tang Tian hit a step-back jumper to score his second point, helping the Pelicans take an 8-0 lead, D'Antoni reached out and called a timeout.

The cheers and whistles in the arena went on for a long time.

Everyone, including themselves, thought it would be difficult for the Pelicans to beat the Rockets.

But these two games so far were no different from the regular season!

Stevens looked at Tang Tian as he went off the court and gave him a playful wink.

The defensive strategy they had stayed up all night to develop against Harden had worked, and it was even better than they had imagined!

On the Rockets' bench, D'Antoni was arranging tactics, and Buzdelik was pulling Harden aside to analyze the Pelicans' defense.

The Pelicans' method was really a bit ruthless.

Harden was a left-handed player, so the Pelicans blocked his left-side breakthrough, forcing him to go right.

Harden was the core of the "Moreyball" offense. He liked three-pointers and breakthroughs, so the Pelicans defended his step-back three-pointers and the area under the basket.

Harden also had a good mid-range game, but his shot speed was slow. With Ariza chasing him from behind, his mid-range shots would likely be interfered with or even blocked as before.

Moreover, the current Harden hadn't reached his peak yet. His floaters weren't that stable, and his passing wasn't that reliable.

The Pelicans were really targeting him to death.