After the pre-game warm-up, the opening ceremony began.

The starting lineups of both sides took the stage one after another.

The Warriors' Curry was out for the season with an injury. Replacing him as the starting point guard was the team's 44th overall pick this year, Charles Jenkins, partnering with Klay Thompson in the backcourt.

The forwards remained Dorell Wright and David Lee, with Biedrins at center.

For the Spurs, it was Parker, Tang Tian, Leonard, Diaw, and Duncan.

When Tang Tian came out, the cheers from the crowd were noticeably more enthusiastic than usual.

After scoring 32 points in the last game and leading the team to end a three-game losing streak, he seemed to be more than just an ordinary role player.

Duncan tipped the ball back to their half from over Lee's head, giving the home team the first chance to attack.

Parker came up and immediately signaled for the Ai Hammer tactic.

Leonard, using Diaw's screen on the left side, drove to the basket and scored directly, giving the Spurs the first points.

On the Warriors' offense, Jenkins directly fed the ball to Lee in the paint.

With Ellis traded and Curry out for the season, the Warriors' offense could only be initiated from Lee.

Lee faced Diaw's footwork under the basket, turned, and hooked the ball in.

He was averaging 20+10 this season, one of the league's major interior threats.

Diaw pulled to the high post to set a screen for Parker. Parker broke through and passed the ball back to Diaw, who then passed it to Duncan under the basket. Duncan made a bank hook shot from deep in the restricted area.

The Spurs were running a smooth and flowing offense.

The Warriors attacked again, and this time Duncan was defending Lee.

It wasn't so easy for Lee to hold the ball and attack. His turnaround jumper was clearly off under Duncan's long arm interference.

The basketball bounced off the rim, and Diaw grabbed the defensive rebound under the basket.

The Spurs launched a fast break, with Parker driving to the frontcourt and scoring a layup.

6 to 2.

The Spurs were obviously stronger than the Warriors, and they were pressing the Warriors from the start.

On the Warriors' offense, Lee received the ball again, but didn't have a chance to attack, so he looked up, ready to pass.

Thompson reacted quickly, immediately understanding, and turning to cut.

However, Tang Tian was sticking to him, not giving him a chance to receive the ball.

Lee passed the ball to Wright, whose first step was very quick, blowing past Leonard in one stride.

But after getting past him, he seemed a bit lost, unsure whether to take a mid-range shot or drive inside.

"Pa!"

In the moment of his hesitation, Leonard directly used a "death wrap" to steal the ball from his hand.

After stealing the ball, Leonard launched a fast break, passing the ball to Parker, who then passed it to Tang Tian, who hit a three-pointer in transition.

"Swish!"

He brought his Chicago touch back to San Antonio, hitting the three-pointer with ease.

9 to 2!

The Spurs continued to extend their lead.

It seemed destined to be a night of complete dominance.

Lee didn't have an advantage posting up Duncan, so he moved to the free throw line to facilitate the offense.

Thompson cut from the left 45-degree three-point line, continuously using his teammates' screens to run to the right 45-degree position.

But after he finished running, he found that Tang Tian was still glued to him...

He suddenly felt like he was back in the NCAA, back on the court playing against UConn and Washington State.

In that game, Tang Tian was the same, not giving him a chance to even receive the ball...

Thompson had been in great form since becoming a starter, and Lee wanted to pass the ball to him, but there was no chance at all.

He finally passed the ball to Jenkins, who was cutting to the basket, but Jenkins' layup was blocked by Duncan.

The Spurs scored 2 points at the other end with Diaw.

11 to 2.

The gap continued to widen.

Back on offense, Lee continued to organize, but Thompson still didn't have a chance with his continuous running. This time he learned from Jenkins and cut to the basket.

Lee's bounce pass arrived, and Thompson took the pass and went for a finger roll.

"Bang!"

But just as the ball left his hand, Tang Tian jumped up from behind him and slapped the ball out of bounds.

The cheers from the crowd erupted instantly.

He scored 32 points in the last game, setting a new high, and in this game, he was dominating the newly crowned Rookie of the Month, Thompson, on both ends of the court.

Tang Tian's form since returning from suspension was a bit too good!

After being blocked, Thompson stood there, looking a bit miserable as he looked at Tang Tian.

Compared to their last encounter, his strength had improved a lot, and being named Rookie of the Month also showed that he was in hot form.

But after facing Tang Tian, he realized that nothing had changed.

Tang Tian was still that Pleasant Goat, and he was still that Big Bad Wolf...

The Warriors inbounded the ball, and Wright's strong three-point shot from the outside also missed.

Duncan grabbed the defensive rebound.

The Spurs attacked to the frontcourt with a zip hammer tactic.

After running the tactic, Diaw didn't stop and set another screen for Tang Tian. Parker broke through with the ball and passed it to Tang Tian.

Tang Tian took the pass and shot another three-pointer.

"Swish!"

It went in again!

Without realizing it, Tang Tian had made two three-pointers in this quarter!

Whistles rang out from the crowd.

Tang Tian had four or five games with 20+ points this season, but there was always some time between them.

But judging from the current pace, this was going to be the first time he continued it!

Thompson took a deep breath.

He acknowledged Tang Tian's strong defense, after all, Tang Tian had started out as a defensive player in the NCAA.

And this season, he had even held Durant to 10-for-29 shooting, so since he didn't have a chance on offense, he would start with defense.

When it came to defense, he wasn't bad either!

On the Warriors' offense, Lee turned around and hooked the ball over Duncan, scoring for the Warriors.

On the Spurs' frontcourt offense, Thompson began to press Tang Tian tightly.

Just like Tang Tian had done to him before, not giving him a chance to receive the ball, and also getting around Diaw's screen.

"Interesting."

The commentator on the sidelines couldn't help but say after seeing this scene.

Tang Tian and Thompson were both 3-D type players, and there had been news that they had trained together in the summer.

The two were facing off against each other on the court, and even their actions were a bit mirror-like.

It was really as he said, very interesting.

Duncan's turnaround bank shot missed, and the Spurs' offensive possession didn't result in any points.

After Lee grabbed the defensive rebound, the Warriors launched a defensive counterattack. Thompson had an open opportunity on the fast break, and he reached out, ready to receive the ball and shoot.

"Pa!"

Tang Tian arrived just in time, cutting out and intercepting Jenkins' pass!

A good shooter needed to be paired with a good passer.

Thompson was a good shooter, but Jenkins was clearly not a good passer.

Thompson shook his head helplessly. He didn't even get the ball in such a good opportunity.

On the Spurs' frontcourt offense, Thompson continued to guard Tang Tian. Tang Tian suddenly cut inside.

Thompson chased closely behind.

Diaw made a beautiful bounce pass from the high post, and Tang Tian took the pass and took one step before flying up for a layup.

His movements were very skilled. Although he didn't have any skills in this area, his continued training must have had an effect.

And although Thompson and Tang Tian were both 3-D players, his defense was much worse than Tang Tian's. This block was completely ineffective.

Tang Tian's layup went in, scoring his 8th point of the quarter.

Thompson landed with a grimace. He was really... feeling a bit bitter inside.

Compared to three-pointers, Thompson wasn't as consistent as Tang Tian; compared to defense, he wasn't as strong as Tang Tian; compared to teammates, let's just change the subject...

Although they were both 3-D players, Tang Tian was much stronger than Thompson now.

Their stats looked similar, and Thompson's stats in March were even better than Tang Tian's, but stats often lied.

Tang Tian was on the Spurs, the league's best team, starting.

Thompson was on the Warriors, the third-worst team in the West, and he had only just become a starter. The value of these stats was worlds apart.

The Spurs dominated the Warriors throughout the game, eventually defeating them 108-83, and winning two straight after a three-game losing streak.

Tang Tian continued to be efficient, playing three quarters, shooting 8-for-13, 6-for-7 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-4 from the free throw line, scoring 22 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Under Tang Tian's defense, Thompson lost his touch, shooting 2-for-10 and only scoring 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.

After the game, the two teams exchanged the final handshake.

Thompson looked a bit dejected when he shook hands with Tang Tian.

Not only was he unable to seize the last opportunity, but he also fully felt the gap in strength between him and Tang Tian.

It was as if Tang Tian was the 11th pick, and he was the 31st pick.

Seeing Thompson's expression, Tang Tian, as a friend, gave him a hug in addition to a handshake, and said a few more words after the hug.

"Klay, you really should go to nightclubs less often. When you go, I'm training. One day isn't much, but a season is like that, just like the 'rock theory' in our locker room."

Thompson was stunned, and he suddenly realized something.

The Spurs' "rock theory" in the locker room was quite well-known in the league.

Tang Tian's extra training for one day didn't seem like much, but if he trained extra every day for a season, it would be strange if his strength didn't improve more than Thompson's.

"I understand."

Thompson smiled and gave Tang Tian another high-five.

Tang Tian nodded with a smile, it was best that Thompson understood.

They were opponents, but if Thompson's progress couldn't keep up with his, then he wouldn't be able to be his opponent.

After the game, the players from both teams returned to the locker room to rest.

"Klay, let's go to a nightclub later, there are plenty of places in San Antonio."

Dorell Wright said to Thompson in the locker room. He, like Thompson, was also a regular at nightclubs.

"No, I'm going to do some extra training later."

Thompson just wiped his sweat and didn't even take off his clothes to shower.

"What?"

Wright thought he had misheard, but before he could ask again, Thompson had already gotten up and left the locker room, leaving him with a confused look on his face.

"This guy took the wrong medicine today."

Looking at Thompson's departing back, Wright muttered, then turned and went to find David Lee.

After a day of rest, the Spurs hosted a back-to-back game at home, where they would face the Grizzlies and the Rockets in succession.

The Grizzlies were working hard to break into the top half of the conference, and the Rockets were making their final push for the playoffs, so neither game would be easy.

The results of the games were as expected, with both games going down to the final five minutes.

Experience and strength allowed the Spurs to laugh last in both games.

Tang Tian had another outstanding performance in the game against the Rockets, scoring a team-high 24 points and 4 steals against Kevin Martin.

The Spurs ended the week with a four-game winning streak, extending their lead over the Thunder to three games.

With only four games left in the season, they had basically locked up the top seed in the West, and even the league.

The Spurs had two rare days of rest in the new week, and on this day, the league announced the Player of the Week awards for the previous week.

LeBron James in the East averaged 30.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists last week, leading the Heat to a 3-0 record.

The Heat were fighting with the Bulls for the top seed in the regular season, so it was not surprising that James had such a performance.

But the Western Conference was a bit of a surprise.

Tang Tian, ​​with his average of 22.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks last week (53% shooting, 62% from three-point range), edged out Durant, Kobe, Paul, and others who also performed well, and was named the Western Conference Player of the Week!

Statistically, Tang Tian didn't have an advantage, and was even at a disadvantage.

But the Spurs were 4-0 last week.

Team record was also a very important factor in the Player of the Week selection.

But in any case, Tang Tian won the first Player of the Week honor of his career, and was also the first rookie in the 2011 draft to do so.

Considering that the season was coming to an end, he would also be the only rookie to win a Player of the Week award.

It was really very difficult and rare for a 31st overall pick to have such an honor.

When the news came out, fans on Twitter exploded again, even more so than when Tang Tian hit nine three-pointers in a single game.

"Real · Low-Key Spurs Rookie · Tian."

"Who would have thought before the season that a 31st overall pick would get Player of the Week, it's really unbelievable."

"According to my analysis as a ball expert, first of all, the team's strength must be strong enough, so that it will have an advantage in the record. Secondly, this team must be a team-oriented team, so that you will have enough opportunities. Finally, this team should be old enough, so that they will cultivate newcomers. Okay, I can't make it up anymore..."

"Is your analysis tailor-made for my Spurs? (ಡωಡ)(ಡωಡ)"

"This is LeBron's name appearing with 'Godfather' again, I'm really looking forward to them meeting in the Finals."

"Durant said he doesn't want your expectations to become a reality, and is already preparing to log in to his alt account."

"Durant's alt account has arrived on the battlefield and threw a 'I'm richer than you' bomb at you."

"And a 'Get out of my Instagram' rocket."

"And a 'loser' missile."

……

Tang Tian's winning Player of the Week was most exciting for domestic fans besides Spurs fans.

Yi Jianlian had also won Rookie of the Month, but Tang Tian was the first person after Yao Ming to win Player of the Week.

The Spurs' popularity in China was soaring, completely surpassing the Rockets.

To put it bluntly, the so-called Rockets sentimentality was that fans were fans of Yao Ming, not the team, and now they were naturally fans of Tang Tian.

In the Beijing Basketball Association office, Chinese men's basketball coach Bob Donewald was trying to communicate with Basketball Association Chairman Yu Zaiqing, hoping to add Tang Tian to the 12-man roster for the London Olympics.

"We will send a special person to the United States."

Yu Zaiqing gave Donewald a definite answer.

If it were a player from the CBA, because they were within the system, the Basketball Association could directly issue a summons to the player.

But Tang Tian was an overseas student and not within the system, which was very different from Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, so he could only send someone over to communicate first.

ps: Thanks to the suggestion from the brother of Yan Yang Tian, ​​you join the group and I will send you a small red envelope.

Little Eggplant's nickname is Tong Tong.