With this quarter halfway through, the score on the court was 48 to 38.
Walker and Davis fired consecutive shots, helping the Pelicans maintain their lead.
It must be said that Stevens was very far-sighted, consistently using the Walker-Davis pick-and-roll as a regular weapon for the team.
Now that Tang Tian wasn't there, this pick-and-roll was exerting its due power.
Kerr paced anxiously on the sidelines.
With Tang Tian absent, the Warriors hadn't been able to close the score gap. This was simply a waste of opportunity.
The Warriors still couldn't defend the Walker-Davis pick-and-roll. Walker's signature underhand bank shot went in again, scoring his eighth point of the quarter.
The Pelicans once again extended their lead to 12 points.
"Paint, pay attention to protecting the paint!"
Kerr shouted anxiously from the sidelines.
If the Warriors couldn't catch up without Tang Tian, or if they couldn't win when Tang Tian couldn't play,
then the Warriors would definitely be ridiculed to death by fans after the game, and his coaching career with the Warriors might also be over.
At the critical moment, it was still Curry, hitting a three-pointer off a pass from Green.
The Warriors finally narrowed the score gap to single digits.
"Defense! Defense!"
The cheers at the scene rose again.
The Warriors played quality defense on the court, successfully defending against the Pelicans' two consecutive offensive plays, and the Walker-Davis pick-and-roll didn't work either.
Walker had no choice but to go for a one-on-one play at the end.
He shook Thompson off with a series of dribbles, drove to the basket, and prepared to lob the ball again.
But just then, Green suddenly appeared in his path.
"Bang!"
The two collided.
Walker was caught off guard, and the size difference was too great. He was sent flying to the ground.
The referee blew his whistle, signaling a defensive foul on Green.
Walker lay there for a while before getting up.
At this time, Butler finally couldn't bear it anymore. He rushed forward and shoved Green hard, and then swung a punch at Green's head.
Green, a regular by the river, reacted quickly and dodged the headshot. Butler's punch landed on his chest, almost knocking the wind out of him.
The referee belatedly separated the two.
After Green caught his breath, he was furious, but unfortunately, he had already been pulled away, and he had taken a beating for nothing.
A conflict broke out on the court, and the game went into a technical timeout.
The replay of Butler's charge was shown at the scene, drawing boos from the crowd.
However, on the message boards, fans had already brought up Green and Xiao Hua again to bash them.
When Tang Tian was in good shape, he poked Tang Tian's eyes. Now that Walker was in good shape, he confronted Walker again. Green was really shameless and deserved a beating!
And Xiao Hua was undoubtedly the biggest accomplice, not only condoning it but possibly even secretly instructing the referees to exert force.
This was simply wasting the feelings of them fans!
The referee watched the video replay and gave the final verdict.
Butler was given a Level 2 flagrant foul and was ejected from the game.
The crowd cheered.
When Butler left the court, Green even reached out and applauded.
Obviously, his method worked.
Use dirty tricks to mess with you, provoke you, and then get you ejected like this.
This method wasn't invented by him, Green, but he was the most adept at using it.
Now that it wasn't certain whether Tang Tian could play, and Butler had been ejected, with only Walker and Davis left, the Warriors could win no matter how they played!
After his protest was ineffective, Stevens shook his head and returned to the bench.
The Pelicans players were either sitting or standing, with expressions of helplessness and confusion.
This was the first time they had encountered this situation.
Tang Tian and Butler were not only the two strongest players on the Pelicans, but also the two with the strongest mental attributes.
Walker called the players together at this time, trying to boost the team's morale.
This had some effect, but it didn't fully work.
After all, the Warriors weren't pushovers either, and it would be difficult to win with just them.
And what was even more deadly was that if Green kept doing this, even if they could build momentum, they would probably become the third victim.
For the first time this season, a cloud hung over the heads of the Pelicans players.
The timeout was about to end soon, and Stevens picked up the tactical board to prepare for the tactical deployment.
In any case, they should first play well in the possessions after the timeout.
Just as he picked up the tactical board, there was a commotion from the player tunnel.
The cameras at the scene also turned to that side.
Before long, the arena was filled with commotion.
The Pelicans players heard the sound and turned to look over there as well.
After seeing clearly, their original confused and frustrated eyes instantly disappeared, replaced by boundless fighting spirit.
Tang Tian, he's back!
At the entrance of the player tunnel, he was talking to Butler!
If it were at home, the fans' cheers at this moment would definitely explode.
But even as an away game, there was still a lot of applause and cheers.
Tang Tian was, after all, the league's number one player, and even many Warriors fans were moved by this scene.
This scene was comparable to Yao Ming's return as a king!
The fans on the message boards had also exploded. At the most desperate time for the Pelicans, their core, their boss, had returned!
On the Warriors' side, Thompson's eyes lit up. Seeing that Tang Tian was okay, he, as a brother, was relieved.
Curry also smiled. Although he was an opponent, he respected Tang Tian very much.
Kerr and Green both frowned unconsciously.
With Tang Tian's return, Butler's ejection was not so important anymore.
It was no exaggeration to say that with Tang Tian's current strength, his combat power was about half of the Pelicans'.
The other Warriors players also looked worried, obviously aware of this.
"Stay focused, we still need to continue chasing points!"
Kerr called the stunned players together at this time.
Even if Tang Tian came back, his eyes would definitely be affected.
An NBA historical number one player who couldn't make a basket wouldn't be as difficult to defend as before.
Tang Tian and Butler hugged one last time, then walked back to the bench.
The Pelicans players cheered, and Walker and Davis went up to greet him directly.
Tang Tian put a hand on each of their heads and looked at the Pelicans players.
"I'm back. We will win."
His words were few, but they were sonorous and powerful, more effective than any reassurance.
Stevens noticed at this time that Tang Tian's left eye was bloodshot, and it seemed that he had come back after emergency treatment.
"Beep!"
At this time, a short whistle sounded from the sidelines, and the technical timeout was over.
The players on both sides entered the court one after another.
"Are you okay?"
Stevens pulled Tang Tian aside before entering the court and asked, looking at his eyes.
Tang Tian shook his head, indicating that he was fine.
Walker made both of his free throws, and Curry made both of his flagrant foul free throws as well.
The score difference on the court was still 9 points.
But the possession changed, and the possession was the Warriors'.
Tang Tian's return greatly boosted the Pelicans' morale. Although Butler was gone, Siakam, who replaced him, was also a defensive悍將 (han jiang, valiant general), successfully defending against the Warriors' offense in succession.
At the last moment, Curry suddenly passed to Green, and Green took a step and was about to dunk.
But just then, Tang Tian, who had switched to defend, soared into the air, facing his shot, concentrating all his strength on his right hand to make a strong block.
Green couldn't dodge.
"Bang!"
Tang Tian slapped the basketball directly, and the basketball then hit Green's face.
Green was hit with great force and fell to the ground in a "wild goose landing" position.
He didn't control his landing posture well this time, and his waist hit the floor as well. After landing, he lay there howling, not moving for a long time.
Kerr saw this and quickly called the team doctor onto the court, and he also ran to the technical table to yell.
Curry went up to ask about Green's situation as soon as possible.
Thompson was also on the side, but he didn't go up.
And when Green gritted his teeth and was helped off the court by the team doctor, he couldn't help but say one sentence.
"Basketball is a sport with confrontation."
ps: Two consecutive updates late at night, please support with monthly tickets, mwah~