Chapter 2 The Substitute Connection

In the second quarter, Stevens, like in the previous two games, still had Jokic lead the team during the substitute stretch.

This was a crucial part of the team's victories in the past two games.

But this time, the Pelicans didn't establish an advantage.

It wasn't that the Pelicans were playing poorly, but the Mavericks were playing too well.

Mavericks' substitute Barea was in excellent form. His breakthroughs seemed effortless, like a flashback to the 2011 Finals.

With more than four minutes played in the second quarter, the Mavericks were still leading 38-32.

After the substitute stretch, both sides gradually brought their starters back onto the court.

This period was highly competitive. Each point had to be earned through a physical battle.

At halftime, the score was tied at 55.

This was the first time the score had been tied in the series.

Cuban was emotionally excited on the sidelines. His big move had worked.

If they continued playing at this pace, the Mavericks had a great chance of winning tonight!

During halftime, both head coaches were intensely devising tactics.

Stevens' voice was noticeably louder than at the beginning of the game.

He had found a way to defeat the Mavericks, but the stalemate made him anxious, as if things were slipping out of control.

He was excellent, but still just a coach who had just turned 40.

After the tactics were discussed, Tang Tian took the initiative to leave the locker room with Stevens.

"Brad, don't worry. It's okay to lose this game. Besides, there's still the second half. We haven't lost yet."

Tang Tian comforted Stevens.

Stevens paused for a moment after hearing this, then nodded with a smile.

He wasn't as calm as one of his players.

In the second half, neither side adjusted their lineups.

The Pelicans attacked first. Tang Tian, holding the ball, faced Butler and aggressively drove towards the basket.

Butler's defense was solid, not giving Tang Tian an easy shot.

However, Tang Tian didn't intend to shoot from the outside. He directly broke through to the basket and drew a defensive foul on Butler.

Two free throw opportunities.

He adjusted his breathing and confidently made both free throws despite the boos from the crowd.

After making the free throws, he signaled his teammates to quickly retreat to defend.

The Mavericks attacked on the other end. Harris came around to receive the ball and made a shot over Holiday's defense.

The situation seemed unchanged from the start of the game. The Mavericks' stamina had returned after the halftime break.

For the Pelicans' offense, Tang Tian continued to hold the ball, calling for Davis' pick-and-roll, and continued to drive towards the basket.

Compared to the first half, although Tang Tian continued to be the main offensive player, his focus shifted from the outside to the inside.

Butler double-teamed him inside, and Tang Tian passed the ball to Davis, who cut in from the middle. Davis went up for a layup, but Embiid anticipated and interfered with his shot.

Jokic's put-back also missed, and Embiid grabbed the defensive rebound.

"Defense!"

Tang Tian didn't say much, directly signaling his teammates to fall back on defense.

The Pelicans retreated quickly. The Mavericks' fast break didn't materialize, and Butler's jump shot in the half-court set missed.

The Pelicans' defense transitioned into a fast break, pushing the ball to the frontcourt. Tang Tian took the ball and continued to break to the basket, attracting a double-team before passing to Davis again.

This time, Davis seized the opportunity, taking off early for a dunk.

Harris' three-point shot from the outside went wide, and Embiid scored a put-back under the basket.

Tang Tian broke through to the basket and drew Embiid's third personal foul.

After making both free throws, the Pelicans continued to maintain their lead.

These possessions became a microcosm of the third quarter.

Tang Tian frequently attacked the Mavericks' interior, and the Pelicans were led by him to play more and more inside.

Soon, Embiid picked up his fourth personal foul and was forced to leave the court early.

The point difference was unknowingly extended to more than five points.

After Embiid left the court, Mejri, who came on as a substitute, was clearly not skilled enough. The Pelicans took the opportunity to further widen the score.

After three quarters, the Pelicans broke the stalemate on the court, leading the Mavericks by 10 points with a score of 85-75.

Stevens had been standing on the sidelines since the start of the second half. When he saw the score at the end of the third quarter, he couldn't help but smile.

Damn it, he had been tricked by Tang Tian!

This guy even told him to prepare to return to New Orleans for Game 5, but he had already settled the situation in the third quarter!

After Pachulia was suspended, the Mavericks' interior substitutes were a problem.

The game was so intense that he had forgotten about this!

Tang Tian didn't mention it during halftime either!

But this time, Stevens was wrong about Tang Tian.

In fact, he hadn't thought of this before the second half. He was thinking about something else.

The Mavericks had weaknesses and hadn't meshed well together. They were definitely not as strong as the Pelicans.

The only reason it had played out this way tonight was due to off-court factors.

Whether it was giving pep talks or sending gifts, off-court factors had caused the Mavericks players to perform above their level.

But this kind of off-court stimulation had a characteristic, because he used to do this a lot when he was a coach, and he was very familiar with it.

This kind of thing tends to lose momentum after the initial surge. If they didn't establish an advantage in the first half, then the second half would be difficult to play.

The Mavericks' performance tonight actually followed this pattern.

Leading by 6 points in the first quarter, being tied at halftime, and then being overtaken by 10 points in the third quarter.

As for the interior weakness, he had inadvertently noticed it when he glanced at the Mavericks' bench after coming onto the court.

Although Pachulia played dirty, he was a player with the ability to be a rotation player or even a starter on a weaker team. The Mavericks were greatly affected by his absence.

But regardless of the reason, it had worked. After a halftime stalemate, the Pelicans had turned the situation around.

Carlisle belatedly realized this and brought Embiid back onto the court at the start of the fourth quarter, trying to close the score.

Embiid was also very competitive, repeatedly scoring over Biyombo and Aminu with his footwork.

But after only a few possessions, he received his fifth personal foul and had to leave the court.

Stevens already knew what Tang Tian was doing, and he would naturally counter it. Apart from Bogdanovic running around on the outside to create space, everyone else was charging towards the basket.

Embiid was only in his first year as a rookie. He had the ability, but definitely not the experience.

Carlisle took Embiid off the court, but brought all four other starters back onto the court early.

The Mavericks were already on the edge of a cliff.

Led by Butler, the Mavericks began a furious counterattack. They quickly narrowed the score to within 5 points.

Stevens was two minutes late in bringing the starters back onto the court.

The Mavericks and the Pelicans were stuck in a stalemate during this period, with the point difference fluctuating between 5 and 7 points.

But as they reached the last three minutes, the Mavericks' starters had been on the court earlier, and they began to experience stamina problems under this high-intensity competition.

The Pelicans seized the opportunity. Tang Tian scored 5 consecutive points with drives and jump shots, and also assisted Holiday, who hit a three-pointer from the outside.

After an 8-0 run, the point difference had reached double digits.

In the end, the Pelicans defeated the Mavericks 104-91, sweeping their opponents 4-0!

Stevens smiled especially happily. He realized for the first time that being tricked could feel so good!

ps: Just finished the examination, the surgery will be no earlier than Sunday, I only slept for two hours yesterday, and my head felt like it was exploding as soon as I relaxed. I used to think writing books was very tiring every day, but after this series of events, I realized that I was really unaware of how good I had it before.