Chapter 104 The First Game of the Playoffs

The news of Tang Tian and Davis tattooing the championship trophy was quickly exposed by the media.

This also led to heated discussions among fans on social media.

"This is determination. Tang and AD are going all out. The Pelicans will definitely win the championship this year!"

"74 wins is already proof of their strength. The Pelicans are the strongest team in the league this season, and the championship is already in hand! (Double meaning)"

"Looking forward to the moment when the Pelicans win the championship, looking forward to the moment when Tang proposes, looking forward to the moment when New Orleans history is made!"

……

"Tattooing the championship trophy before winning it? Isn't that too high-profile!"

"Although the Pelicans had 74 wins this season, the Warriors also had 73. This approach will stimulate the Warriors and other opponents and bring bad luck!"

"I really look forward to the moment when the Pelicans are eliminated. I really want to see Tang and Anthony Davis' expressions at that time. It must be very interesting!"

……

The fans' opinions were clearly divided into two factions: supporters and mockers.

Amidst this discussion, the door to the playoffs had quietly opened.

The Western Conference's Pelicans vs. Mavericks, Spurs vs. Thunder, and the Eastern Conference's Cavaliers vs. Nets, and Heat vs. Hawks, the first four matchups began.

Dallas was very close to New Orleans, and they only arrived in New Orleans on the day of the game.

Moreover, after arriving in New Orleans, they only conducted one or two hours of open training to adapt to the new environment.

The Mavericks players looked to be in good spirits.

Although they were playing as the eighth seed against the first seed, this did not seem to affect their morale.

"We all know the Pelicans' strength. They are not easy to deal with, but neither are we. We played well in the second half of the season, which shows that our understanding of each other is getting better and better. We have many scoring points, and we have a chance to win the series."

Jimmy Butler, one of the team's core players, also showed confidence in front of reporters.

"We know that your relationship with Tang is very good. Will this affect your game?"

The reporter then asked.

"No, our relationship off the court will not affect our performance on the court. On the contrary, because I am very familiar with him, it will help me defend him better."

Butler replied bluntly.

Many fans were already hoping for a Mavericks' black eight upset, and Butler's remarks during the interview were reasonable and well-founded, making them even more convinced of this.

An hour before the start of the game, fans began to enter the New Orleans Arena in droves.

The fans' faces were full of confidence. Many fans saw reporters carrying cameras and ran over to shout their slogans.

"Pelicans champions!"

The tattooing incident of Tang Tian and Davis caused fans to argue endlessly on social media, and the supporters gradually began to unify their message.

And this sentence was their slogan.

Moreover, not only verbally, but also many fans held up K-T boards with such slogans written on them.

This catchy slogan will definitely accompany the Pelicans throughout this year's playoffs!

Half an hour before the game, the New Orleans Arena was already packed, and fans couldn't wait for the new season's playoffs.

Both teams were making final preparations in the locker room.

"Keep a normal mindset, don't get too excited, all we have to do is play normally."

Stevens' pre-match speech was very calm. He did not try to mobilize the players' emotions, but instead tried to keep them as calm as possible.

He knew very well the difference in strength between the two teams. As long as the Pelicans played normally, they would have a great chance of winning.

Fifteen minutes before the start of the game, the two teams entered the arena one after another to warm up.

Tang Tian and Butler exchanged greetings at center court, but it was just a greeting.

The two had a good relationship in private, but as opponents now, it was not appropriate to have too much communication.

After the warm-up, the opening ceremony began, and the starting lineups of the two teams were released one after another.

The Mavericks' lineup was: Deron and Butler on the outside, Harrison and Nowitzki on the forward line, and Embiid at center.

The Pelicans' lineup was the same: Holiday and Tang Tian on the outside, Ariza and Davis on the forward line, and Jokic at center.

Davis looked a little excited. He jumped up at the sound of the whistle and tapped the ball back to his half, giving the Pelicans the opportunity to attack first.

The regular season is very long, and the playoffs are also very long.

Now playing the first game of the first round, the Pelicans did not attack Tang Tian's point at the beginning, but Jokic organized in the frontcourt.

Stevens' purpose was also very clear. He didn't want Tang Tian to be consumed too early, but wanted to let others adapt to the intensity of the playoffs through the previous games.

This way, everyone's state could come out later, in the Western Conference Finals or even the Finals.

Davis's cut was very beautiful, and Jokic's pass was also very timely. Davis caught the ball and jumped up to dunk.

"Bang!"

However, he may have been too excited, and the sure-fire ball was actually dunked out.

Embiid secured the defensive rebound.

The Pelicans' retreat speed was very fast. The Mavericks attacked to the frontcourt, and Nowitzki held the ball in the low post to post up.

After Nowitzki's age increased, his playing time was limited, and Carlisle would try to play his point as much as possible when he was on the court.

Moreover, when Nowitzki posted up, the Mavericks had three-point and cut coordination on the weak side with off-ball screens.

As a tactical master, Carlisle's level was no weaker than Stevens.

After Nowitzki leaned on a few times, he turned around and leaned back, shooting with his signature golden rooster independence.

Davis's defensive coverage was very large, but he couldn't block this kind of shot, so he could only try his best to interfere.

"Swish!"

Nowitzki was an old driver even in the playoffs, and he had a shot at the start.

In the Pelicans' positional battle, Tang Tian ran tactic number 1, breaking through to attract a double team and then passing to Ariza.

Ariza received the ball and feinted past Harrison, holding the ball and rushing inside, forcing Embiid's foul with his shot.

However, it was a bit of a pity that his two free throws were a bit too hard, and the balls hit the back rim and bounced out.

The Mavericks' counterattack still failed to start, and Nowitzki continued to hold the ball in the positional battle.

This time, he turned around and passed the ball to Harrison, who was cutting in. The latter hit a mid-range shot with an emergency stop.

Harrison was a rookie in the same class as Tang Tian, and his draft pick was not high, and he didn't get many opportunities in the first two years.

But he enriched his offensive skills one step at a time every year, and now he is also a player with super starting strength, plus that emergency stop jump shot, he has a bit of the meaning of a poor man's version of Anthony.

The first few rounds of the opening became a microcosm of the two teams' first half of the game.

Although Stevens had told them before the game, the Pelicans players were still a little too excited in the first game of the playoffs.

Excitement is a good thing, but too much excitement, like Davis's dunk and Ariza's free throws, became a little abnormal.

And the Mavericks, under the excellent performance of Nowitzki and Harrison, were steady and steady.

At the end of the half, the Mavericks took the lead as guests, leading the Pelicans by 8 points with a score of 50 to 42.

Such a score made the fans who supported the Mavericks on the hotline excited, and the black eight was promising!

ps: Today, Little Eggplant has a fever and came back very late in the afternoon. The fourth update may be later, I will write it as soon as possible.