Chapter 1 "I know about the 2k stuff, but it won't bother us. He basically always chooses to break through on the right, which is easy to defend."

Green, afraid the reporter wouldn't understand, emphasized again.

"Aren't you worried about him going left?"

The reporter pressed.

"I'm afraid he won't dare go right. You can report this. If he goes right, I'll stop him."

Green pointed at the reporter.

This wasn't just trash talk, it was somewhat scheming.

Using the media to speak out, making the media his weapon.

If Tang Tian didn't dare go right, he'd be admitting defeat; if he only went right, Green's chances of defending successfully would greatly increase.

The media was already used to Green's big mouth.

If he said the Warriors would definitely win, or the Pelicans were trash, they wouldn't react much.

But this scheming boast excited them.

Although there were still two days until the game, the next day the media unanimously used this news as the front-page headline.

This was the kind of drama fans loved to see.

Sure enough, the next day the fans went wild.

Although Green was hateful, it had to be said that with him around, the games became more interesting.

The day before the game, the Pelicans team traveled to Oakland to prepare for the next day's Christmas game.

Tang Tian didn't take the same plane as the team; he chartered another plane with Olsen and his two sons.

This year's Christmas Eve would have to be spent in Oakland again.

Speaking of which, when Adam Silver stepped down, he would have to discuss the schedule with the new commissioner.

The Pelicans were now a proper powerhouse team, ranking among the top in both team strength and market size; they couldn't always be playing away games on holidays like this.

Arriving in Oakland and carefully preparing Christmas gifts for his two sons, Tang Tian was in a good mood.

His two sons were already aware of the outside world and would interact with him.

The bond between father and son, thicker than water, didn't exist from the moment of birth; it was more about the companionship during this growing stage.

Finally lulling his sons to sleep, Tang Tian continued to fight alongside Olsen.

They had to prepare for a second child; having sons, they both wanted a daughter.

At times like this, they could only hope for Mamba Mentality to be upon them.

…

The next morning, the Pelicans arranged their usual shooting practice.

"Tang, Draymond is deliberately provoking you; he's thinking too much."

Because they weren't on the same plane, Walker came over early to remind Tang Tian.

"I know."

Tang Tian nodded with a smile.

Everyone could see through Green's little scheme.

"Don't worry, I'll blow him up."

Davis chimed in at this moment.

He had increased more than just his consistency this season; he also had more confidence.

Before, they had set up plays for Walker in Charlotte, and then for Butler in Dallas; now that they were in Oakland, it was time to give Tang Tian one.

Tang Tian also nodded with a smile.

He didn't refuse the good intentions of his brothers who had practiced hard, but he also had his own plans.

When playing the Mavericks before, because he had just gotten the skill, he wasn't that skilled in using it.

Although he consciously broke through from the right, the passive skill of "Wu Chu Qi You" (unparalleled) hadn't been triggered.

But as the games had progressed, he had basically mastered the skill.

He was just missing a chance to properly experience the passive skill; since Green wanted it, using him as a backdrop was most suitable.

That night, Oracle Arena was packed.

In fact, it wasn't just the arena; all the bars and restaurants, wherever there was a TV, were filled with fans.

ESPN's prediction for this game was accurate; this scene in America was comparable to the NFL Super Bowl.

Could the Pelicans tie the Lakers' 33-game winning streak, could the Warriors win the game and complete the best-case scenario, Green's pre-game trash talk, and so on.

The outcome of this game was related to too many things; it was absolutely highly anticipated.

The players from both sides entered the court one after another to warm up; both sides had four-star lineups.

The staff at the arena were also very helpful, giving both sides' 2k ratings on the LED screens when the players were warming up.

Such a direct comparison created a full sense of atmosphere for this battle of the century.

After the warm-up, the opening ceremony quickly started, and the starting lineups for both sides were also released one after another.

The Pelicans side had all four stars: Walker, Tang Tian, Butler, Davis, plus Dedmon.

The Warriors side was the same: Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green, plus McGee.

It's worth mentioning that McGee, after wandering around, finally became the Warriors' starting center.

After the lineups were given, the camera frequently cut to shots of the two teams' starters.

Walker and Curry, Tang Tian and Thompson, Butler and Durant, Davis and Green.

Not to mention the two teams, just the matchups were very interesting.

Durant seemed to be in a good mood; the team had been in great form recently, and now there was such an opportunity in front of him.

If he could win, then everything before wouldn't matter.

The game was about to begin, and the starters from both sides entered the court one after another.

Before entering, Tang Tian threw magnesium powder as usual.

There was a stir at the side of the court.

This action was now really tied to Tang Tian.

In the stands, Adam Silver's face stiffened when he saw this.

He had come to the scene again, and compared to the last time, he had made more preparations.

McGee tipped the ball back to the Warriors' half, officially kicking off the Christmas game.

Curry dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, and Durant came up for the pick-and-roll.

The Warriors had greatly increased the number of Durant-Curry pick-and-rolls this season; against the Pelicans, they were even more direct, using it right from the start.

Curry went out after the pick-and-roll, lobbing the ball to Durant.

Durant caught the ball with his back to Walker, quickly turning around and jump shooting.

"Swish!"

Durant scored the first points for the Warriors.

In the Pelicans' frontcourt, Walker and Davis ran a pick-and-roll; Davis went out after the pick-and-roll, catching Walker's pass at the free-throw line and hitting a mid-range shot over Curry.

Back on the other end, the Pelicans adjusted their defense, switching Butler to guard Durant, and Tang Tian to guard Curry.

But the Warriors adjusted their offense, having Thompson post up Walker in the low post, and a turnaround layup drew a defensive foul on Walker.

After two free throws, the Warriors continued to score.

These opening possessions were a microcosm of the first quarter.

The Warriors knew it would be difficult to defend the Pelicans, so they simply went for an offensive battle.

Walker was a bit targeted on the court.

His defense was above average in the league, and he wasn't at a disadvantage when guarding guards one-on-one.

But the Warriors kept looking for mismatches against him, whether it was Durant or Thompson.

Walker's height was only 1.85 meters after all, which made him very disadvantaged in mismatch defense.

Neither side could defend each other in the first quarter.

At the end of the quarter, the score on the court was 41 to 40.

Both teams scored 40+ in a quarter, which was historically rare.

But such a scene excited Adam Silver in the stands.

Before, the Mavericks and Pelicans played defense, and they couldn't stop Tang Tian and ended up losing.

But if the Warriors and Pelicans played offense, that problem would no longer exist!