Chapter 3 A Complete Turnaround

Lillard's pre-game interview remarks caused a great uproar.

As the beneficiary, his attitude could be described as unique.

You should know that even superstars like James and Durant would remain silent when they benefited from traveling violations or not going out of bounds.

But Lillard was different. He might not have their star power, but his personality was much bigger!

However, there were many fans on social media who supported Lillard.

This was the true temperament!

No matter what you do, people like this kind of personality!

This wave could be said to have greatly increased his popularity.

New York headquarters.

"This idiot!"

Adam Silver slammed the table repeatedly, his face flushed with anger.

This Lillard was really unreasonable.

He was obviously using the referees to help the Trail Blazers, but their core player said they didn't need it!

It felt like trying to curry favor with a smiling face, only to be spat on!

He was just being cheap!

"Then, in this game, should we still let the referees..."

Knowing that Silver was angry, Adam Fok asked carefully, because the game would start tonight, and he had to give the referees a clear signal.

"A**! A bunch of ungrateful bastards!"

Silver was furious.

He wanted the Pelicans to lose in the playoffs, but he wouldn't debase himself!

"Let's see how many points these guys will lose without the referees!"

Silver then said fiercely.

In the last game, with the referees helping the Trail Blazers the whole game, they still lost by more than ten points. Counting the first game, where the referees helped for half the game, they still lost by more than twenty points.

If there were no referees at all in this game, he wanted to see if the Trail Blazers would lose by 30 or 40 points.

You don't want what's given to you; it'll be useless to beg him then!

Before the game between the Pelicans and the Trail Blazers, the players were chatting about various things.

Bojan was talking about picking up girls last night, and Walker was chatting with Butler about potential opponents in the next round.

While the Pelicans and the Trail Blazers were playing, the Mavericks and the Warriors were engaged in an even more heated battle.

The two teams were now tied 1-1. The Mavericks had lost home-court advantage, but the point difference in both games was in single digits, and they might go all the way to Game 7 to determine the winner.

As they chatted, they even talked about the Finals.

But it was normal for them to talk that far ahead.

The Eastern Conference was really different from what was predicted.

The Cavaliers' playoff performance was really poor. Although they swept the Magic in the first round, everyone who watched the games knew that they didn't win easily.

As a result, problems arose in the second round. They were now tied 1-1 with the Nets.

With that so-called five-star lineup, James wanted to kick all of his teammates one by one.

The Bucks, on the other hand, continued to be brave and had already won two consecutive games against the Raptors by a large margin.

If they continued to play like this, the Cavaliers would most likely be defeated by the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals this year, and James's record of reaching the Finals for seven consecutive years would be broken this year.

Tang Tian found their conversation interesting.

He was really surprised by the Bucks' performance in the playoffs.

"Damian is really something!"

Just as he was listening, Davis suddenly leaned over and said to him.

Tang Tian turned his head and listened to him for a few sentences, and he knew that Davis was talking about what Lillard had said in the previous interview.

"He's just that kind of person, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen him over George for the All-Star game."

Tang Tian said, winking at Davis.

Davis laughed and nodded.

He admired tough little guys like Walker and Lillard.

Now that Lillard, as an opponent, could have such behavior, it wasn't just admiration; he even felt some respect for him.

"Tonight's game will be difficult, so be mentally prepared."

Tang Tian said, touching Davis's head.

Davis didn't resist and just nodded.

As long as Silver wasn't being cheap, the officiating standards tonight should be normal.

And after saying those words, Lillard would definitely go all out.

Tonight's game would be very different from the past two games.

Moda Center, with a maximum capacity of 19,980 people, was packed to the rafters.

Hanging above the arena were numerous division championship banners, as many as 11 retired jerseys, and a championship banner that read 1976-1977.

The Trail Blazers weren't one of the earliest teams to join the NBA, but they had a franchise history of 47 years.

Among the many historical stars of the team, Drexler and Bill Walton were the most well-known representatives.

This was a team with a strong history, but it hadn't reached the threshold of being a powerhouse.

Before this, what made them stand out in the league was the personal economic strength of their owner, Paul Allen.

But now, he had been replaced by the Clippers' Ballmer.

In short, their fame had always been in the middle level of the league, just like Lillard's popularity now, neither high nor low.

The first home game of the Western Conference Finals, Moda Center was packed.

The Pelicans Effect was a signature phenomenon in the league this season, but here, it was difficult to find Pelicans fans. The scene was a sea of red.

Although the Trail Blazers had made the playoffs for five consecutive years, they mostly stopped in the first round.

But this performance hadn't affected their popularity.

Lillard's overall popularity was neither high nor low, but in Portland, his popularity was absolutely phenomenal.

His personality was just like the reaction of fans on social media these past two days. He was too good at attracting fans.

The venue was full of signs supporting Lillard and the Trail Blazers.

This was the first time Tang Tian had played in the playoffs against the Trail Blazers since entering the league, and it was also the first time for most of the Pelicans' players.

This kind of scene was really shocking to see for the first time.

It was almost as good as the Pelicans' home court.

After the warm-up, the starting lineups of both teams took the stage one after another.

The starting lineups on both sides hadn't changed.

But this time, the explosive cheers were given to the home team, the Trail Blazers.

Lillard was enjoying the cheers here that Tang Tian used to enjoy in New Orleans.

And from his eyes, you could visually feel a sense of killing intent.

Lillard might not be able to maintain a superstar-level performance all the time, but his game temperament really wasn't inferior to that of a superstar.

Nurkic tipped the ball back to the Trail Blazers' half, officially kicking off the third game of the series between the two teams.

Lillard started by holding the ball and going for a single, his offensive desire looked very strong.

But Walker's defense wasn't bad, and Lillard's continuous crossovers failed to shake him off.

Just then, Aminu took the initiative to come up high to provide a pick-and-roll.

This was a change outside of the tactics, and Walker was blocked for a moment.

Butler quickly switched over.

The Pelicans' defense was the best in the league.

But even the fastest pick-and-roll switch had a time difference.

In such a fleeting opportunity, Lillard pulled up and shot a three-pointer directly!

Butler was limited by his wingspan and couldn't block it, but he still put enough pressure.

"Swish!"

A crisp sound.

Lillard's three-pointer went straight through the net despite Butler's defense.

He scored the first points for the Trail Blazers!

The cheers at Moda Center erupted instantly.

The overwhelming cheers showed their love for Lillard!

Just like Tang Tian said, tonight's Trail Blazers, tonight's Lillard, would be different from the past two games.