That said by Tang Tian made it hard for Metta World Peace to turn down.

If he did, it would be like he didn't consider Tang Tian a friend.

Besides, gifts were meant to be reciprocal, and he could always return the favor when Tang Tian's birthday came around.

After the meal and the gift exchange, their relationship had clearly become closer.

In fact, now that Tang Tian was the team leader, many things weren't suitable for him to handle personally, so having Metta World Peace around as a bodyguard was quite necessary.

As January arrived, the Pelicans' first game of the new year was at home against the Thunder.

It was also their first encounter of the season.

Because of the scoring title race, and the trash talk that came with it, the game between the Thunder and the Pelicans was highly anticipated.

Unfortunately, Tang Tian couldn't play in this game.

Even though he couldn't play, he still wore a suit and sat courtside with a brace on his shoulder to cheer for his teammates.

As the game started, with the cheers of the home fans, the Pelicans and the Thunder were evenly matched.

However, seeing that they couldn't break the deadlock, Durant took over the team's offensive power and started an unlimited isolation mode.

With Tang Tian unable to play, Aminu was in the starting lineup in his place.

Aminu's defensive ability on the front line was second only to Tang Tian on this Pelicans team.

But he was no match for Durant.

Durant was bombing shots over his head.

When Williams started double-teaming, Durant's improvement in passing this season became apparent.

He was already the height of a power forward or even a center, so his vision was very open. Once his passing awareness came into play, the effect of the double-team was very weak.

Defending Durant was like other teams defending Tang Tian, double-teaming or not was not ideal.

Moreover, the Thunder's teammates were obviously stronger than the Pelicans.

In the end, the Pelicans held on for three quarters, but were still swept away by the Thunder in the fourth quarter.

Durant had a great game, with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, getting his first triple-double of the season.

After the game, as the best player of the game, he was interviewed by reporters on the sidelines.

"Tang didn't play in this game, do you feel any regret?"

At the end of the interview, the reporter asked a relatively sensitive question that fans would be concerned about after the game.

"No, he can't defend me, so it doesn't matter whether he's here or not, I'll help the team win the game."

Durant's answer was quite direct and confident.

This answer also aroused the reporter's interest.

"Statistical data shows that your and Tang's average scores are very close now. Are you worried about Tang taking away the scoring title?"

The reporter continued to ask.

"No, I'm in good shape, I'll get the scoring title, and even if he comes back, I'll beat him easily."

Durant was really undisguised.

If Tang Tian was just a role player in the Spurs, he would still have some reservations.

Now, after experiencing a series of events such as the bathwater ad and the "system player" comments during the offseason, he didn't want that thin layer of window paper at all.

Besides, now that everyone was a core player, dissing him wouldn't make him look bad.

Durant's interview caused a huge uproar.

"Little Shuai has become an all-around forward like LeBron this season, Tang really can't defend him."

"Yes, Durant's performance this season is even better than LeBron's, he has reached his peak, I believe he will beat LeBron this season and get his first championship in his career."

"Kevin Durant completely outplays Tang on both offense and defense."

"WTF, when did so many Durant fans appear? This is really rare on social media!"

"Are you sure they're all Durant fans?"

"What else could it be? You... Wait, I suddenly realized something!"

"Who doesn't have an alt account on Twitter!"

"Actually, I think Tang really has the capital to confront Durant head-on now. He already proved himself to be the best player to defend Durant when he was in the Spurs, and now his offense is also at an All-Star level."

"Yes, I really look forward to the two of them facing off on the court, just like the game between the Pelicans and the Knicks before."

"Tang will be destroyed by Durant, Durant is invincible now." A comment from a Godfather fan.

"No, Tang will destroy Durant, just like everyone underestimated him before, he proved himself!"

"Durant is stronger!"

"Tang is stronger!"

……

The fans on both sides were spraying each other on social media.

It was really rare to see such direct trash talk between stars now.

And more importantly, the parties involved were Tang Tian and Durant, this eternal trash-talking duo.

Such fan infighting was not a bad thing. For the league, hype was always an indispensable element.

Moreover, when the fans were discussing the most intensely, the league's official Twitter even took the opportunity to post a status.

"Tang and Durant in his third year, who is the better small forward?"

This was definitely a controversial topic in the forum, and this time the league officially started it.

It was not appropriate to compare the current Tang Tian with the current Durant, but a horizontal comparison of their third years was still very fair.

In his third season, Durant averaged 20.3 field goal attempts, 30.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 1 block, 47.6% shooting, 36.5% three-point shooting, and 10.2 free throw attempts per game.

He won the league's scoring title that season.

Tang Tian currently averages 22.5 field goal attempts, 27.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 2.1 blocks, 47.5% shooting, 43.3% three-point shooting, and 5.5 free throw attempts per game.

He had a very good chance of winning the league's scoring title this season.

Comparing the two, Durant's scoring ability was stronger, while Tang Tian's defensive ability was stronger.

But the advantages on both sides were not great, and even the shooting percentages were very close.

This was really like comparing Guan Gong and Qin Qiong, a topic that would never have a result.

But that was precisely what was most likely to spark discussion.

The league made enough hype and attention with this wave.

As the fans' discussion continued, a reporter asked Scarlett Johansson, who had a connection to both of them, about this during an interview.

The reporter told Scarlett about the data of the two, and the fact that Durant had a triple-double in the last game.

Scarlett didn't know much about basketball, but she still showed a surprised expression when she heard about the scoring title and triple-double.

"Who do you think is stronger?"

The reporter asked at the end.

"Tang didn't play in the last game?" Scarlett didn't answer, but instead asked the reporter. The reporter had mentioned it earlier.

"Yes, he injured his shoulder and has been resting for about a week."

Hearing the reporter's answer, Scarlett's face showed a worried expression.

"Is his injury serious?"

The reporter was dumbfounded when he heard this. He was asking who was stronger between Tang Tian and Durant in their third year, how come Scarlett seemed to be focusing on the wrong thing!

The reporter shook his head and explained that he would be able to return in about a month, which was not a serious injury in the NBA.

"That's really good news, Tang is a good man, the most charming and gentlemanly man I've ever met."

After hearing what the reporter said, Scarlett breathed a sigh of relief and replied with a smile.