Chapter 4 The Buddha's Light Shines

That night, the Pelicans and Warriors continued their series at the New Orleans Arena.

The Pelicans continued their excellent form from the previous game, battling the Warriors throughout the first half.

As in the first two games of the series, the turning point came in the Warriors' signature third quarter.

But this time, it wasn't Curry who went on a rampage, but Thompson.

Kerr unleashed the small-ball lineup at the start of the second half, and Thompson thrived. He hit six three-pointers and scored 20 points in that quarter alone.

Led by him, the Warriors outscored the Pelicans 42-27 in the third.

There were also many controversial calls in this quarter, with Green and Barnes getting away with multiple moving screens.

The Pelicans' new tactics could hold their own against the Warriors, but it was difficult to reverse the situation.

In particular, Jokic's defensive weaknesses and the inexperience of the small-ball lineup were problems that couldn't be changed in a short time.

In the end, the Pelicans failed to turn the tide and lost the fourth game 101-113.

Thompson scored a game-high 40 points for the Warriors.

His outburst gave the Warriors a 3-1 lead in the series, putting them on match point.

The game wasn't even over, and fans on the message boards were already buzzing.

"I heard that after Thompson's Nike tour in China last time, the fans there gave him the nickname 'Buddha.' According to them, Thompson's performance in this game was like 'the Buddha's light shining everywhere.'"

"The Pelicans did a great job defending Curry in this game. Tang even guarded him one-on-one for a while, but Thompson became the key to victory."

"Is no one complaining about Green's screens? He's practically walking into them, and the referee is just pretending not to see it. It's unbelievable!"

"So that's the source of Green's big mouth? The league's favor, Adam Silver's blessing?"

…

After the game, Green was all smiles at the post-game press conference.

"I said we'd finish the series in five games, and now there's only one left."

"Are you sure?" a reporter asked.

"What's not to be sure about? We have no reason not to finish the series in the next game. If we don't, I'll eat my words."

Green really had an incredibly big mouth.

But this time, he had enough confidence, because after four games, the next one would be back in Oakland.

They hadn't lost a single game at home since entering the playoffs. Leading 3-1, there was no reason for them to lose the next one.

After the press conference, Green and Curry walked out together.

"Draymond, let's keep a low profile."

Curry was also happy about the win, but he couldn't stand Green's big mouth either.

"No, no, we need this kind of momentum. And do you think we'll lose the next game?"

Green asked Curry rhetorically.

Curry smiled. There was only one answer he could give to that question.

"Let's enjoy the thrill of winning against our opponents at home!"

Green put his arm around Curry's shoulder and said with a confident expression.

Curry shook his head with a wry smile. Sometimes he liked Green, but other times he was just speechless.

Green's post-game comments caused even more discussion among fans on social media, and even the betting companies got involved.

They opened up betting odds on whether the Warriors could finish the series in five games.

More than 70% of the fans bet that they could.

Although the Pelicans had previously reversed a 1-3 deficit against the Spurs, this time, most people thought the Pelicans' playoff journey would end in the next game.

However, the Pelicans' morale was much better than when they were down 1-3 to the Spurs.

Although the Warriors were much stronger than the Spurs, having already completed a 1-3 comeback, they no longer felt the panic they had before in this situation.

What if they just did another 1-3 comeback?

After resting for two days, the Pelicans flew to Oakland, where they would face the Warriors in the fifth game at Oracle Arena.

Because of the heated discussions and the support of the betting companies, the game received unprecedented attention.

The New Orleans Arena unprecedentedly opened its doors for free viewing of the away game, and fans flocked to the arena to watch the broadcast on the big LED screen.

Not to mention the viewers watching on television.

According to TNT's real-time data monitoring, the game's ratings exceeded the peak value of the Pelicans-Spurs Game 6, setting a new record for this year's playoffs.

Before the game even started, TNT's Big Three commentary team had already begun to warm up.

"The Warriors will finish the series in five games."

Barkley said as soon as he came on.

"That's what Draymond said."

But his next sentence made O'Neal and Smith burst out laughing.

Sir Charles, who always criticized everything, was still not confident after losing so many times.

"Hey, Charles, we have to bet something, otherwise it's just too boring to win against you every time."

O'Neal was truly fearless, and speaking of the last bet, it was Barkley who wore the custom-made pink dress and dunked.

"Let's do it!"

Barkley slammed the table. Although he wasn't confident, he never lost in words.

"I remember you and Kenny once bet on kissing Yao Ming's butt."

O'Neal said.

Barkley and Smith both laughed after hearing that.

"Shaq, you can't always bring that up."

Barkley said to O'Neal with a laugh. It wasn't fair to constantly bring up people's embarrassing moments.

"No, no, let's bet on that again this time. The loser has to kiss Kenny's butt, and this time we can't use a donkey's butt as a substitute, no, we can't use any other butt as a substitute."

O'Neal continued.

Barkley continued to laugh after hearing that.

Smith, on the other hand, stopped smiling instantly, looking at O'Neal with a disturbed expression.

Why, him again!

And why, his butt again!

Who did his butt offend!

"Okay, it's settled then!"

After laughing, Barkley slammed the table and agreed immediately.

This time, he had absolute confidence in the Warriors. If he could make O'Neal kiss Smith's butt in public, then all the losses he had suffered before would be regained!

Smith turned to look at Barkley with a confused expression.

You two haven't even asked for my opinion!

But it seemed that Barkley and O'Neal completely ignored his opinion.

Just as Barkley and O'Neal reached an agreement and Smith was protesting loudly, the players from both teams came out of the player tunnel.

Green smiled and gestured to the audience as he came out.

The cheers were constant.

As opponents, or fans of opponents, they hated Green so much that they wanted to beat him up.

But as fans of the Warriors, they loved Green more than ever before.

Green showing off was like them showing off. That feeling of "you're unhappy with me but you can't do anything about it" was truly indescribable.

Now, they were just waiting to see Green succeed in showing off again and finish the series at Oracle Arena!