108 to 107, the Pelicans narrowly passed, securing their first victory of the season.

For the Lakers, James scored 37 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, Simmons had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Horford contributed 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.

On the Pelicans side, Durant scored 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Davis had 28 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

The Pelicans were overjoyed to get their first win.

At the post-match press conference, Stevens also highly praised the performances of Davis and Durant.

"They are the team's twin-turbo engines."

Stevens also used a very vivid metaphor.

When asked about James' potential game-winning shot at the end, Stevens was quite frank.

"We were lucky, but luck is also part of the game."

As Stevens spoke, Durant couldn't help but recall past times.

Whether he was on the Thunder, Warriors, Lakers, or even the national team, he was always the target of game-winning shots when facing Tang Tian.

Now that he's on Tang Tian's team, others can't successfully hit game-winners against him.

Could this be the legendary metaphysics?

After the press conference, Durant and Stevens left the venue.

Tang Tian had been waiting for them at the entrance of a nearby corridor.

As they approached, Tang Tian hugged them one by one.

"Well done, this is just the beginning," Tang Tian said as he embraced Durant.

Durant nodded with a wry smile. His mind was still echoing with fans calling him "Tang Tian's successor," and he was also thinking about metaphysics.

"Keep working hard and prove yourself."

Tang Tian patted Davis on the head as he hugged him.

Davis nodded with a helpless smile.

During the Pelicans' first training session, the players, especially last season's teammates, breathed a sigh of relief.

Tang Tian's retirement was a loss for the team, but they could finally end their career of being patted on the head by Tang Tian.

Who would have thought that Tang Tian would come, wearing a suit?

So, it seemed they still couldn't escape that fate.

"Brad, I want to talk to you," Tang Tian said, looking at Stevens.

Stevens nodded, signaling Davis and Durant to return to the locker room first, and then went to the coach's office with Tang Tian.

"Tang, without you, we were really lucky to win this game," Stevens said with a smile after closing the door.

He was telling the truth, with a little bit of flattery.

"No, with you, Kevin, and AD, they can do it too."

Tang Tian smiled and sat down, in a good mood.

"I wanted to talk about Pascal," he continued after laughing.

Stevens was curious, wondering why Tang Tian would suddenly mention Siakam.

"I just have a suggestion. I think Pascal could start at small forward. Of course, that might involve losing some weight."

Tang Tian knew that he was saying this a bit late. It would have been best to say it before the offseason.

But at that time, he was busy preparing for the World Cup and didn't have much time to think about these things.

Moreover, this was his idea after watching the opening game, so he only told Stevens that it was a suggestion.

"Letting Pascal play at the three means Kevin has to play at the two..."

Tang Tian then told Stevens the details.

Siakam playing at the three, as he said, meant Durant would have to swing to the two.

On the bright side, it wasn't like Durant had never played at the two before. When the Thunder were still the SuperSonics, he played the two.

The height difference made opposing shooting guards quite desperate on defense.

However, after gaining weight, Durant had difficulty defending opposing shooting guards because of his speed, and plus he had grown taller, so he became a three.

So, this was also the issue of losing weight that he mentioned, not just for Siakam, but for Durant as well.

The benefits of losing weight are obvious. James tonight is a very good example.

James is more inclined towards physicality. For players like Durant who rely on shooting, the effect would only be better.

A lighter weight would not only make him faster on the defensive end, but even on the offensive end his movement and shooting would become faster, thus becoming a greater threat.

To give an inappropriate example, Durant could become a bigger Kobe.

Even more, this would be greatly beneficial for Durant in avoiding injuries to weight-bearing areas such as ankles.

As for Siakam, it goes without saying.

In his three years with the Pelicans, he was a substitute. Although he went from the end of the bench to the sixth man, that was obviously not enough for a player of his talent level.

In fact, his defensive effect against heavy small forwards like James is noticeably better than Durant's.

"If the new starting lineup works, it could be a win-win situation. You know his rookie contract expires next year," Tang Tian said finally.

He said this from the perspective of team building.

Although Siakam is on a rookie contract, the Pelicans have the right to match any offer, but it's hard to guarantee that Siakam feels unhappy in the Pelicans.

If he directly chooses to sign a one-year qualifying offer contract next summer, then the Pelicans will lose the right to match the contract.

Stevens nodded.

Tang Tian's suggestion was good. Siakam has the absolute strength to start, but because Davis is in front, he has never had a chance.

Siakam can start in a small lineup, but Davis is prone to injury, which is not a long-term solution.

If he continues to be a substitute, even if he doesn't express it, he will definitely have complaints in his heart.

Moreover, Alexander also exposed a lack of experience in this game, and it may take some time before he can take on the heavy responsibility.

"But it may take some time," Stevens added.

Adjusting the lineup is not an overnight thing, especially if it involves losing weight.

He even needs to ask Durant for his opinion.

If Durant is unwilling to return to the two, then all of these assumptions are useless.

Tang Tian didn't object, he knew that Stevens could handle it well.

Leaving the coach's office, he found someone doing extra training when he passed by the training hall.

Looking inside through the crack in the door, it was Siakam.

Siakam played well tonight, contributing 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 23 minutes, meeting the team's requirements on both offense and defense.

Performing well and still doing extra training after the game is a very good phenomenon.

Tang Tian didn't go in. During the World Cup's second round, the Chinese team eliminated Cameroon to advance to the quarterfinals through net points.

At that time, Tang Tian encouraged Siakam, hoping that the latter would not be discouraged and continue to improve himself.

Now it seems that Siakam listened.

Looking back at his suggestion to Stevens to promote Siakam to the starting lineup, it was a very correct decision.