"Haha, feeling good! It's not just that I'm bad at Lei, you Huo are just as bad!"

"Being bad is relative. When facing the Pelicans, the other 29 teams in the league are all bad!"

"Actually, four stars aren't that much. The Warriors were also four stars. The main thing is the natural chemistry, no hidden injury risks, they can all play off-ball, they all have defense, they all have a drive to improve, and they have a leader who can hold them all down..."

"You forgot one thing: they also have a bench that could make a starting lineup!"

"And the UConn trident! It worked so well this game, they'll definitely use it more in the future. UConn fans are in for a treat!"

"This is the strength of the third-ranked team in the league ╮(๑•́₃•̀๑)╭"

"This meme... ESPN is going to have its face slapped all season long!"

"Speaking of which, after continuously beating the Thunder and the Rockets, is this a sign that they're going for an 82-win season?"

"82 is too difficult. Injuries and some uncontrollable factors mean they might lose a game or two. I'm really looking forward to 80+ wins. Achieving that would be a new dimension!"

"If that happens, the NBA is really over, and Adam Silver is probably done for!"

"Didn't Durant choose a harder path than LeBron? Adam Silver is choosing an equally difficult path as commissioner~"

"(ಡwಡ)(ಡwಡ)"

...

Fans couldn't help but discuss the game on social media afterward.

Although they were both big wins, the opponents were different!

They were both beatdowns, but the style and posture were different, bringing completely different pleasure and experience!

In the locker room after the game, the Pelicans players were also cheering and screaming in celebration.

Although they had expected the new season to be easy before it started,

they didn't really know just how easy it would be until they were in the thick of it!

Brogdon had just come out of the shower when Tang Tian gave him a hard pat on the head, and then Davis gave him a hard slap on the butt.

Tang Tian and Davis were fully implementing the Duncan and Ginobili routine.

But Brogdon deserved it tonight; he was the Pelicans' second-highest scorer, higher than Walker, Butler, and Davis.

After the celebration and showers, Tang Tian said goodbye to Walker and the others and left the locker room first.

He still had to have a late-night snack with Ariza tonight.

Ariza was feeling pretty down after the game.

Being traded by the Pelicans and then getting beaten by them was a really bad feeling.

As a friend, Tang Tian had to comfort him.

He arrived at the restaurant, called Ariza, and then stopped by the convenience store next door.

Ariza arrived after a little wait.

"I brought you a gift."

Tang Tian took out two things from under the table as soon as Ariza sat down.

Ariza was surprised when Tang Tian said he had a gift, since this was Houston, and he was the host while Tang Tian was the guest.

But when he saw what Tang Tian took out, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

They were clearly two boxes of Kangshifu instant noodles!

"Pickled cabbage flavor, the best kind."

Tang Tian said with a smile.

"I've only ever had braised beef flavor."

Ariza replied with a smile.

With just a small joke, Ariza's depression from losing the game disappeared for the most part, and it immediately brought them back to their days as teammates.

There was actually a lot they could talk about.

The current situation within the Pelicans team, Ariza's feelings after arriving in Houston.

In the middle of their conversation, Ariza went out to take a call.

By the time they finished eating, it was more than an hour later.

The two of them got up and left the restaurant.

It was then that Tang Tian saw someone waiting for them outside.

Zhou Qi.

"Zhou called earlier and said he wanted to find you. I told him the address."

Ariza said.

It seemed like the call he had taken earlier was from Zhou Qi.

Tang Tian nodded.

Ariza and Zhou Qi exchanged greetings, and then Ariza took a cab and left.

"Tang-ge, I want to train with you next summer!"

Compared to yesterday, Zhou Qi was noticeably more proactive today.

It seemed that the old saying was right: only after experiencing the beatings of society can one be motivated to improve!

Zhou Qi got even more opportunities this game than last, but he played just as badly as before. Plus, with Tang Tian's reminder, he finally proactively wanted to improve.

"You might not even be in the NBA next summer. Your contract this season is unguaranteed."

Tang Tian's words made Zhou Qi's sense of urgency even more obvious.

"I'll put together a set of training methods that are suitable for you, and you can start training during the season."

Tang Tian didn't dampen his desire to improve, and then said.

Yi Jianlian was a successful example in front of Zhou Qi. Summarizing his experience, plus some of Tang Tian's understanding, should be very effective.

Speaking of which, Tang Tian had also done something similar for Whiteside back then.

"This is the last time I'll help you. As a member of the national team, it's up to you whether you can seize the opportunity."

Tang Tian continued.

It was because of Zhou Qi's change and initiative that he chose to do so, but he would only go this far.

After all, he was just a national teammate.

"Thank you, Tang-ge!"

Zhou Qi nodded forcefully after hearing that. It seemed that he was really going to go all out this time.

The Pelicans' consecutive big wins had Pelicans fans excited.

However, Adam Silver's pressure was increasing exponentially.

The Pelicans' crazy performance was not only drawing away the fans' attention, but also the patience of the team owners.

If this trend continued, he might be jointly fired by the team owners before the end of the season.

However, not all the news was bad news.

The performance of two teams after the start of the season still made him happy.

One was the Knicks.

After Howard's season-ending injury, the Knicks suffered two consecutive losses after the start of the season.

Moreover, they lost to teams like the Pistons and Bulls, who didn't make the playoffs last season.

Besides the reason for Howard's absence, another reason was Anthony's poor performance.

Speaking of which, Anthony was already 33 years old, and he had been playing with a knee injury last season.

This season, he seemed to have lost his explosiveness, and his strength had declined severely.

The reason why it was good news was because if they continued to play like this, the Knicks would definitely fall out of contention for the championship this season, or even the playoffs.

The Thunder had been interested in Anthony before, and he had been trying his best to make it happen.

Now, the Knicks' decline would greatly accelerate this process.

The other was the Mavericks.

Speaking of star power, among the super teams, the Mavericks had always been the weakest.

They had even traded away their strongest player, Butler, in the past offseason.

However, in the past two games, they had won against the Spurs and the Bucks, respectively, and their performance was very impressive.

ESPN's preseason rankings were constantly criticized, but their evaluation of the Mavericks was relatively accurate.

Conley and Holiday were both known for their stability, and the backcourt duo they formed was integrated in both offense and defense, putting a lot of pressure on their opponents.

Jokic had also lost weight and switched to the power forward position this summer, and his twin towers with Embiid were full of talent.

Moreover, his organization had been greatly developed among his quasi-All-Star teammates.

In addition to Carlisle's skillful hands, the strength shown by the Mavericks really had the potential to contend with the Pelicans.