Chapter 1 Stevens's Thoughts

Stevens wasn't just nodding at this point, but smiling and turning his head to look at Tang Tian in the stands.

Since becoming the owner, Tang Tian's trash-talking skills had become unbelievably strong.

Durant was not only decisive in his attacks tonight, but even his passing was timely, as if he were a different person.

With this Durant, he was even confident of beating the Spurs in the next game.

Tang Tian noticed the gaze and looked at Stevens with a knowing smile, keeping his achievements to himself.

To be successful with trash talk, you also have to know the person. Durant was his nemesis, but he knew him inside and out, and every jab hit home.

Durant finding his rhythm benefited Davis more than himself.

Davis already had a significant advantage in the interior matchup, and after Durant forced the Rockets to help defend, he seemed to be everywhere.

In the first half, Davis scored a game-high 22 points.

Combined with Durant's 13 points and 5 assists, the Pelicans led the Rockets by a whopping 15 points, 62-47, at halftime.

The fans' emotions were completely back.

"They say three cobblers are as good as one Zhuge Liang; Davis and Durant together are as good as one Tang Tian!"

"This is the Durant we want, with offense and organization well-connected, showing Tang's style of the past!"

"AD has really gotten stronger, Capela looks like a little brother in front of him!"

"Haha, Little Shuai and AD, you always have to pick one cup of poison, but no matter which one you pick, you're dead!"

…

The fans on the online forum were back to their usual rhythm, and joy filled the air.

The Rockets rallied in the second half, but after they focused their defensive efforts on Davis, Durant began to shine.

His performance in the first half had restored his confidence, and in the second half, his shots were decisive and resolute. The Grim Reaper Durant reappeared on the court.

The Rockets worked hard, but they couldn't close the gap.

In the end, the Pelicans came from behind, relying on their consistent performance to defeat the Rockets 112-100 and win this crucial game.

For the Rockets, Westbrook had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, and Harden had 41 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. The two combined for 60 points, but it wasn't enough to help the team win.

For the Pelicans, Durant had a team-high 35 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Davis had 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

The two controlled their respective halves, and their dual-core performance was outstanding.

After the game, the two received rave reviews on social media.

Especially Durant, who was praised to the heavens for his organization in the first half and his output in the second half.

His teammates were a little unaccustomed to seeing Durant smiling while looking at his phone in the locker room after the game.

But when he put down his phone and said he would treat everyone to a late-night snack, the locker room erupted in cheers.

A happy Little Shuai was indeed quite lovable.

The Pelicans' players and fans were overjoyed to defeat the Rockets.

Tang Tian was also happy for the team, but he didn't go to the locker room.

Going at this time would seem like he was stealing the credit. He would let Durant and the other players enjoy it on their own.

He had his own things to do back at the manor.

He had discussed making a movie about the Men's Basketball World Cup with Yao Ming before, and the preliminary work had been prepared.

The director had also come to Tang Tian with the script.

Tang Tian had been a basketball godfather in his previous life and had invested in many movies as a side job, so he was very experienced in this area.

The director's idea of making a documentary was quickly rejected by him.

The purpose of this movie was to stimulate the basketball interest of domestic fans. Forcing people to watch it would be counterproductive.

So the script had to be designed to be interesting, and even the movie title had to be interesting.

After some discussion, Tang Tian went from being just an actor to a part-time screenwriter.

Tang Tian drew inspiration from Nolan's filming techniques in *Dunkirk* and cut the movie into three lines.

The three protagonists were Shen Zizhe, Tang Tian, and Yi Jianlian.

These three people also represented the three elements of this national team: a rookie, a player in his prime, and a veteran.

Shen Zizhe was the first line to appear.

The scene opened with the night Shenzhen was swept by Guangdong. After the game, the sweaty players were silent in the locker room.

Shen Zizhe was panting heavily with his head down.

A flashback showed Shenzhen trailing Beijing 0-2 in the first round and about to be eliminated. Zhang Kai, the team's old大哥 (dàgē, big brother), gave a passionate speech in the locker room, and they completed the first 3-2 comeback in CBA history.

In this game, they tried their best but couldn't stop Guangdong and were swept out of the playoffs at home.

Glory seemed like yesterday, but failure was already in sight.

Zhang Kai got up and gathered the players together. This veteran, who had been selected for the national training team in 2008 and had a tryout with the Kings, was about to retire at the end of the season.

This was the last time he would appear in the Shenzhen locker room. He gathered the players together and said some words of encouragement.

"The failure in front of you is nothing. Don't stop. You have more important things to do."

Zhang Kai said to the players and hugged them one by one.

At this moment, the team's general manager knocked on the door and called Shen Zizhe out separately.

"This is an invitation from the national team. You have been invited to participate in the World Cup national team training camp."

The general manager didn't say much, but a glimmer of light flashed in Shen Zizhe's eyes.

He was already 22 years old, but this was the first time he had been invited to the national team.

After having the most glorious season of his career, this was undoubtedly the best consolation and affirmation he could receive after the team was eliminated.

"Work hard and try to stay on the roster and bring glory to our Shenzhen team."

After listening to the general manager's words, Shen Zizhe nodded vigorously, his face full of hope.

Shen Zizhe's opening ended here, and the scene switched to the Pelicans' championship moment.

"The 2018-2019 NBA champion is the Pelicans!"

"The winner of the 2019 NBA Finals Bill Russell Trophy is Tang Tian!"

Tang Tian won the FMVP, completing the MVP Grand Slam and helping the team complete an incredible four-peat.

In the post-game championship speech, Gasol and Davis "clamored" with Tang Tian about winning the World Cup.

Tang Tian made a gesture that they couldn't do it.

At this moment, the scene flashed back to the moment when the Chinese team won the Rio Olympics in 2016, and the countless voices of doubt on social media.

"They don't deserve this championship."

"They're just lucky."

"This is the least valuable Olympic champion."

…

Countless words flashed back. The Chinese team's Olympic champion didn't make them recognized by the world, but made them suffer unprecedented doubts.

The scene cut back to Tang Tian, who, after making the gesture, looked at the Chinese fans in the stands who had traveled thousands of miles to watch the game, his eyes full of fighting spirit.

If an Olympic champion wasn't enough to prove it, then he would win another world championship!