After a back-to-back, the Pelicans had a two-day break.

In addition to participating in daily training, Tang Tian's training was temporarily suspended.

The past of the three non-sticks is unbearable, and he must increase the number of times.

Olsen was tired and collapsed every night, if it weren't for the good sound insulation of the villa, the neighbors might have thought that their family was having domestic violence!

But tired and tired, Olsen behaved like a child after every time.

Although Tang Tian's waist and abdomen strength had increased so much, his combat power had increased dramatically, but the past few days had also fully proved that truth.

There are no ploughed fields, only tired oxen.

Two days later, the Pelicans sat at home for their final game before the All-Star break.

The opponent is the old rival Spurs.

It's a battle of focus.

The Pelicans are now second in the West, with the Spurs in third.

The two teams are only three wins separating each other, and this direct confrontation will affect the direct standings of both sides.

This is especially true for the Spurs, who have lost their previous two meetings.

If they lose another game in the same region, they will be relegated to the bottom of the rankings if they have the same record.

With the two sides so close, this is entirely possible.

This situation is just the opposite of the previous grizzly bears.

The Grizzlies were the sufferers of the Pelicans after winning the previous two games, but now the Pelicans have become the sufferers of the Spurs.

The Pelicans have made a name for themselves in their last game, and it's up to the Spurs to do that with the Pelicans.

And both teams are now the favorites to win the championship, and they are disadvantaged in the regular season, and in the playoffs, it will be a big psychological disadvantage for the Spurs.

So this one, the Spurs have to win.

On game day, the Spurs had a training session open to the public.

Although the pressure is not small, the Spurs players have a smile on their faces.

That's the atmosphere of this team as well.

After training, Popovich spoke to reporters on the sidelines.

The focus of the questions is mainly on two, one is naturally whether the Spurs can win tonight, and the other is Tang Tian, who has been on fire in these two games.

'Yes, we're going to win this game, it's important for us.'

Faced with the first question from reporters, Popovich replied very seriously.

They wouldn't find it strange if it came from other coaches, but it was weird when it came out of Popovich's mouth.

But when he answered the second question, the reporters realized that nothing had changed, but later than expected.

"If you tell me before I see the news that somebody is going to hit the Grizzlies with 50 points over their heads, I'm going to kick him in the ass and wake him up and come back to me."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Popovich came with a wave of side blows.

"yes, he's the best player in the league right now, you can't defend him in a single defense, especially now that he's developed a solid back, he's got thirty or forty points, it's as easy as me drinking a glass of wine, damn, how could he not do that when he was in San Antonio?"

What he said next made the reporter laugh even more.

The last time the two teams met, he promised Tang Tian not to blow him, but this time he didn't, he could finally let go of his milk.

"Do you think he'll get another 50+ tonight?"

A reporter asked, this is also a focus of discussion among fans on social media.

Popovich put away the smile on his face and shook his head seriously.

Jokes are jokes, milk is milk, this kind of thing can't be said casually.

"If my team members let him get this score, I'll kick them in the ass and then not touch the wine for a month."

Popovich didn't answer directly, but the meaning in his words was already very clear, no one had been able to score 50 points on the Spurs' head before, and Tang Tian couldn't either.

Before the game, Tang Tian watched the news, and Popovich's poisoned milk made him laugh.

However, Popovich's last words were correct, and he didn't actually want to be 50+ in a row.

He's no longer the same scorer he was last season, and as long as the team can win, it doesn't matter if he only has a dozen points.

That night, the game between the Spurs and Pelicans officially kicked off at the New Orleans Arena.

There were players absent from both sides of the game, with Ginobili suffering hip discomfort on the Spurs' side and Holiday diarrhea on the Pelicans' side.

In terms of the impact of the absent players, both teams are about the same, and on paper it is a tie.

At the end of the opening ceremony, when Tang Tian appeared on the stage, the cheers on the scene were surprisingly high.

There are a lot of factors that go into this.

There is the reason that Tang Tian is a veteran of the Spurs, the reason why Tang Tian was booed in San Antonio, and the reason why Tang Tian has recently cut 50+ in a row......

A combination of factors made this cheer unprecedented.

Popovich couldn't help but look up and look around, such a fanatical home field, not to mention compared with here before, as far as his impression is rare.

Tang Tian has been in New Orleans for more than a year, and the impact and changes he has brought here are too great.

After the opening ceremony, the starters of both teams appeared one after another.

The Spurs are still the regular starting five, with Parker and Green on the outside, Leonard and Duncan on the front, and Gasol at center.

On the Pelicans' side, Kerr replaced Holiday and Tang Tian in the backcourt, with Ariza and Davis at the front and Whiteside at center.

Whiteside jumped to the cheers of the fans to beat Gasol and get the home team the chance to attack first.

As soon as Tang Tian received a pass from Kerr in the front court, Green and Leonard directly wrapped it up.

Popovich was crazy about Tang Tian before the game, but many of those words were true.

He knew that whether it was Green or Leonard, it was difficult to defend Tang Tian alone, and he directly gave Tang Tian a double package at the beginning.

Tang Tian gave the ball to Ariza.

Ariza made a quick three-pointer.

Duncan's defensive rotation was a little slower, and the ball didn't interfere too much.

"Bang dang!"

However, Ariza's shot smashed into the frame, and his first shot ended in a striking iron.

Gasol defends the defensive rebound.

The Spurs' hammer tactics in the frontcourt, Gasol caught the ball under the basket and hit Davis, and the hook hand that turned to score scored to give the Spurs the first shot.

The Spurs look to be in very good form.

Tang Tian ran without the ball in the front court, and after receiving the ball, Parker and Leonard directly wrapped him.

Popovich has made another adjustment on the defensive end, using a defensive style similar to a nearby package.

It's an extreme way to defend.

Even at this time, if you look at what he said before the game, he didn't want Tang Tian to score 50 points, he didn't want him to take 20 points!

Tang Tianbao gave the ball to Kerr, who made a three-point shot.

The trajectory of the ball is very positive.

"Bang dang!"

But the basketball smashed out of the frame.

Kerr's three-pointer, too, iron!

There was a stirring of fans on the sidelines.

The Spurs are in hot form, but the rest of the Pelicans look average!

Tonight's game is difficult!

The Pelicans collectively don't feel good, while the Spurs are on a hot streak.

With more than four minutes into the first quarter, the Spurs had already led the Pelicans by double digits 12-2.

The fans were agitated, which was not the case the last time the two teams met!

Tang Tian ran the middle distance without the ball in the front court, and after receiving the ball, he didn't wait for his teammates to run, and directly pulled up and shot.

After a few minutes, he already knew that his opening teammates did not feel good, and even if he was targeted, he had to make a move.

"Huh!"

Tang Tian's first shot hit.

His teammate feels cold to the touch, but he looks good to the touch.

"Don't let Don catch the ball there!"

Popovich yelled at Green.

He really wasn't ready to let Tang Tian score.

Parker broke through to the basket and made a layup, and the Spurs were in really good shape tonight.

14 to 4.

It's still a 10-point difference.

Tang Tian ran without the ball when he arrived in the front court, and the ball couldn't reach him.

After Green was yelled at by Popovich, he stayed in front of him in the spot-catcher position.

And the rest of the Pelicans have average passing ability, and they can't get the ball in the first place when they are guarded.

Tang Tian had no choice but to signal his teammates to pull away, and leaned on Green in the high position to ask for the ball.

Kerr hoisted the ball in from beyond the three-point line.

Parker shrunk the clip straight in.

It was still the strategy at the beginning, using the method of nearby wrapping to force the ball out of Tang Tian's hands.

However, Tang Tian didn't make a fake move after receiving the ball, and directly turned around and leaned back to the bottom line.

Before Parker's bag came up, Tang Tian had already leaned back to meet Green's defense.

"Huh!"

Tang Tian's second shot is also available!

He cut 50+ in two games in a row, and his hand is hot!

The cheers at the scene did not stop!

What is the core, that is, when a teammate has a bad hand, it is the core!

The four-pointer also encouraged the Pelicans.

Davis gave Gasol a big hat on the defensive end, and the Pelicans managed to defend against a wave of Spurs offense.

The Pelicans attacked the frontcourt, and Tang Tian continued to ask for the ball.

This time, he received the ball and turned directly to the baseline to break through.

Green was close to him, and Duncan on the inside also came out.

However, Tang Tian didn't really want to break in, and when he reached the outside of the penalty area, he directly made a sharp stop and leaned back to the right.

The whole person and the basket were obliquely at a forty-five degree angle, and the shot was thrown back sharply.

The pose is picturesque.

The fans at the scene were excited.

At this moment, they seemed to see the number 31 jersey and the number 8, and the number 24 jersey overlapping.

The ball went over Green's fingertips.

"Huh!"

Or enter!

Tang Tian scored 3 goals in a row!

The crowd erupted in cheers, and many fans stood up with their hands raised.

Kill God when you meet God! Kill the Buddha when you meet the Buddha!

Tang Tian's section is like a sharp blade, invincible.

When Popovich saw this, he shook his head unconsciously.

The Spurs let go of Tang Tian, after last season, the outside world said that they let go of a Maddie.

Now it seems that it was not Maddie who they let go, but Kobe!

And Kobe Bryant is the player who averaged the most points per game against the Spurs in the playoffs among all superstars.

This wry smile contained too much emotion, and the next second he put away his smile and turned to talk to Messina, the team's new first assistant coach, about the details of the defense.

Gasol's strong attack under the basket was interfered with by Whiteside, Davis collected a defensive rebound, and the Pelicans defended another wave of Spurs' offense!

In this section, Tang Tian took what he wanted on the offensive end, and the two inside lines provided him with the most powerful help on the defensive end!

Tang Tian turned his back to catch the ball again, this time Parker wrapped it in advance and didn't give Tang Tian a chance to catch the ball!

That means obviously, Cole can shoot if you want to, anyway, the ball can't reach Tang Tian.

Kerr saw it and shot a three-pointer straight away.

"Huh!"

Entered!

The opening three points were chance shots, but this time it was directly empty.

After identifying Tang Tian and Davis as the core, most of the other players on the Pelicans have moved in the direction of 3D.

The three-point shot is the core of their usual training, and the three-point shooting that Nash makes them practice on the move is not everyone can do well, but this kind of big open space.

Parker really dares to let Cole go like this, Cole really dares to enter!

11 to 14!

The Pelicans went on a 9-2 run to chase the difference to just 3 points!

Popovich reached out and called a timeout.

"Kehuai, you go to defend Tang, let's change the 2-1-2 joint defense, don't wrap up."

Popovich rearranged the team's defensive tactics.

It's an old tactic for the Spurs.

Keep your defense focused on beyond the three-point line and in the restricted area.

Limit the opponent's three-point and layups, and give the opponent the appropriate mid-range.

That area has the lowest scoring efficiency.

The Spurs used to have Bowen and now have Leonard, and the one-on-one static defense is not bad, which can make the opponent's mid-range efficiency even less.

Taking 10,000 steps back, this defensive way of isolating the opponent's core, even if Tang Tian scores a lot of points, the Pelicans may not be able to win.

Popovich said cruel words before the game to prevent Tang Tian from scoring 50 points, but he is not a stubborn person, and winning is the first goal.

Coming back from a timeout, Duncan scored a goal on a low post to break the Spurs' scoring drought.

The margin was widened again to 5 points.

The Pelicans advanced to the frontcourt, and Tang Tian saw that his defender had become Leonard.

One more glance at the Spurs' defensive positioning, he immediately knew the Spurs' defensive adjustments.

Not only because he was a coach in his last life, but more importantly, he spent 2 years with the Spurs, and he didn't talk too much about tactics with Popovich.

This defensive tactic is a bit extreme, and there are only two outcomes.

Either he blows Leonard out and the Pelicans win; Either he can't beat Leonard, get a high score for inefficiency, and the Pelicans lose.

Popovich used this method to deal with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers team in the first place.

He turned his back to the ball and then faced Leonard.

This style of defense will be assisted at the three-point line and in the restricted area, so the only room left for him to attack is the mid-range.

Leonard is slower than him, but his defensive role will be more pronounced because of the limited space to attack.

Popovich's adjustment is indeed the best adjustment.

Alternate hand dribbling left and right with a low body, suddenly change direction to the right with one step, and then pull out with a sharp stop.

Tang Tian used three techniques in one round, and he also knew that in order to break this kind of defense, he had to do his best.

Leonard followed, he knew that Tang Tian would not rush in, and the ball completely blocked Tang Tian's shot angle.

His face lit up with joy.

Prevent others, he doesn't pay attention to success or not, and he won't have mood swings, but Tang Tian is different, he can prevent the next time is a huge encouragement.

However, at this moment, Tang Tian turned dry and backward in the air!

Tough waist and belly strength!

My sister-in-law must be very happy!

An inexplicable thought crossed Leonard's mind, and then he saw the ball fly past his fingertips.

"Huh!"

There was a crisp sound of entering the net behind him.

Tang Tian made 4 of 4 shots in this quarter and scored 8 points!

Four-in-the-back and three-iron? Inexistent!

PS: Happy Women's Day, everyone! Don't forget to give gifts to your wives and girlfriends, and if you don't have one, buy hand cream!