Chapter 106 Predictions and Tattoos

After the Eastern and Western Conference playoff matchups were set, the media and fans couldn't help but start making predictions.

As in previous years, TNT monopolized the broadcasting rights for all playoff games. In their latest show, the Big Three were sure to make some professional predictions.

They mostly agreed on the other matchups, but there were significant differences of opinion on the Spurs-Thunder and Pelicans-Mavericks series.

"The Thunder are going to beat the Spurs, and the Pelicans will sweep the Mavericks," Shaq predicted straightforwardly, but this drew fierce opposition from Barkley and Smith.

"Man, the Mavericks aren't as weak as you think. They won't get swept, and they might even have a chance to upset the series," Barkley said, agreeing with the first half of Shaq's statement but strongly disagreeing with the second.

"I don't think the Spurs will lose to the Thunder. Popovich's coaching in the playoffs is incredible," Kenny Smith said. As a former Spur, he admired his old coach.

"And Kenny's right. The Pelicans' performance this season is similar to the Hawks last season. If they don't play well, I wouldn't be surprised if they lose to the Mavericks," Smith added, completely rejecting Shaq's statement.

"Come on! The Pelicans have Tang. Their situation is completely different from the Hawks, and they won 74 games, guys, 74 games!" Shaq protested, feeling helpless against his two partners.

They had been arguing with him for so long that they were instinctively opposing his views. They were just being difficult!

"Shaq, please note that the Mavericks have Nowitzki, Butler, Harris, and Embiid. After they get used to playing together, they should be a top-three team in the league. Their eighth-place ranking is just an anomaly," Barkley said with a smile.

"Yes, the Pelicans won 74 games, and they have Tang, so they have a better chance of winning, but the gap in strength between the two teams isn't that big. The Mavericks have a good chance," Smith echoed with a smile.

The hardest thing in the world is to persuade someone who has a different opinion from you.

Shaq spread his hands helplessly, realizing that they couldn't reach an agreement on these two matchups.

In fact, it wasn't just media outlets like TNT; fans also had widely differing opinions on these two series.

The latest survey showed that 53% of fans actually thought the Spurs could beat the Thunder.

And in the Pelicans-Mavericks series, the percentage was higher, but only 62%.

This was much lower than the Warriors (90%) and Rockets (85%).

Theoretically, the Pelicans' 74-win season should have been convincing enough.

But the Mavericks' strength on paper, combined with the Pelicans' failure in last year's playoffs, made fans less confident in them.

In other words, although the Pelicans had an incredible regular season, they still had a lot to prove in the playoffs.

The Pelicans had the best record in the league, giving them home-court advantage against all teams in the playoffs.

The first game of the first round of the playoffs would be held in New Orleans, two days after the end of the regular season.

Stevens was strict with training, but he relaxed things a bit in the two days before the playoffs, scheduling training only in the mornings and giving the players the afternoons off.

After training one day, Tang Tian came out of the shower and saw Ariza toweling off.

He took a special look and saw the tattoo on Ariza's chest, which was a portrait of Ariza's brother, just as Stephenson had said.

This confirmed that the rumors Stephenson had mentioned were true.

He withdrew his gaze, and a memory related to tattoos suddenly came to mind.

During the 2010-2011 season, the Mavericks' Jason Terry tattooed a championship trophy on the inside of his bicep to build confidence in his teammates.

This move stunned everyone at the time. Not only did outsiders laugh at him, but even his teammates initially thought he was just joking.

After all, the Mavericks weren't even considered championship contenders at the time.

But in the end, the Mavericks actually won the most incredible championship that season.

Terry's performance in the playoffs, especially in the Finals, was outstanding.

Although the Mavericks' championship wasn't solely due to the tattoo, it was clearly one of the many factors.

Tattoos, like getting hairstyles, are a very popular thing among NBA players.

Tang Tian was a coach in his previous life, and coupled with his Chinese identity, he wasn't that interested in it.

But Terry's story, combined with Ariza's experience, gave him the idea.

Davis had just come out of the shower at this time, and Tang Tian stopped him directly.

"Let's get championship trophies tattooed on our arms," Tang Tian said directly.

Davis didn't react at first, but after sitting down and talking with Tang Tian, he nodded in agreement.

They were going to do the same thing Terry had done, and even for the same purpose.

But the Pelicans' situation was definitely different from the Mavericks' back then.

The Mavericks had been reborn in a desperate situation, while they were determined to win.

After failing in the playoffs last year, they had no reason to lose again this season.

Especially after having such a brilliant regular season, the championship had become their only goal.

Since there was no other choice, they would tattoo it on their arms to remind themselves at all times.

Anyway, there was no training in the afternoon, so they went to the tattoo shop together.

Terry had tattooed the championship trophy on the inside of his bicep so it wouldn't be too flashy.

But Tang Tian and Davis both chose to tattoo it on the outside.

They had nothing to hide, and tattooing it on the outside would better remind them.

The next day at training, when Tang Tian and Davis appeared in the training hall, they were greeted by excited screams from their teammates.

Davis already had tattoos, so they didn't notice it right away, but Tang Tian's was definitely the first time.

And the championship trophy was so eye-catching that it was hard to miss.

"Yes, that's how it should be!" Stephenson shouted excitedly.

"It's ours!" Bojan added.

Jokic and Ariza didn't say anything, but they both had confident smiles on their faces.

When Terry got a tattoo, his teammates treated it as a joke, but when Tang Tian and Davis got tattoos, their teammates' reactions were to become even more confident.

The team's leaders had both made this statement, so they really had to win the championship this season!

The players were all full of fighting spirit in this day's training.

Stevens was surprised to see it, but when he saw Tang Tian and Davis's new tattoos, he understood.

His confidence in the playoffs also increased.

Getting such a tattoo was equivalent to completely cutting off their retreat.

After all, if they got the tattoo and didn't win the championship in the end, it would become a laughingstock for their entire careers, and the lost face would never be recovered.

Tang Tian and Davis had chosen to put themselves in a do-or-die situation. Success or failure, it was pressure, but also motivation.

If the team's core players were so confident, then he, as the coach, had to be confident as well.