Chapter 5 The Expected Performance

After the game, Tang Tian and Davis attended the press conference with head coach Williams.

"The Pelicans dominated the Grizzlies throughout the game. What adjustments did you make before the game?"

The reporter naturally asked this question.

"None, we just played the way we should," Tang Tian said calmly.

This sounded a bit arrogant at first, but it seemed to be the truth.

The Pelicans didn't have the explosive performance they had in the first game, nor did they make any tactical adjustments, or have any surprise players emerge.

They just "auto-attacked" (a gaming term for a basic attack) the Grizzlies to death.

Back in the locker room, the players were either humming songs in the shower or chatting with smiles on their faces.

The joy of victory was reflected in every detail of the players, but there was no wild celebration.

They weren't as excited and exuberant as they were after winning the first game, not even patting Davis' butt.

This difference showed something: winning the game in this way brought the players tremendous confidence.

Before, our own form fluctuated, so we went back and forth with you.

Now I understand, I don't need any other tricks at all, as long as I perform normally, I can definitely beat you!

Tang Tian was also pleased to see this change in the players.

He no longer had to think about how to change his method to mobilize the players' condition.

And in all honesty, the stalemate in the first four games was actually a good thing for the Pelicans.

Although this was their second year together as a team, the team was still young and lacked playoff experience.

If this problem wasn't exposed now, it could lead to direct elimination later on.

From stalemate to sudden clarity, it was like seeing a rainbow after the storm, beautifully.

From this perspective, playing the Grizzlies in the first round, and being forced to a Game 5, was actually a good thing.

The next game would be in Memphis again, and the players went back to the hotel to rest after showering.

Tang Tian was the last to leave the locker room, and he happened to see assistant coach Borrego just about to leave as well.

The two walked and chatted.

Williams was good at interpersonal relationships but not good at tactics, so he relied entirely on Borrego for tactics.

Borrego did indeed display the tradition of Spurs system coaches, and he did a good job.

The two passed the training hall during their chat and saw Jokic still doing shooting practice with the help of a ball boy.

Jokic didn't return to the locker room after the game, so it seemed that he had come to train alone.

His physical condition looked very good, and his movements were not much different from before the injury.

It must be said that he was ruthless with himself, and his diet was very restrained during the injury period.

And since his lower body couldn't move, he trained his upper body, and his overall weight didn't increase too much due to the injury.

It's just that his shooting touch wasn't very good, and his shots kept going off target during training.

After all, he hadn't played for two months, and he needed time to adjust back to the state he was in before the injury.

"When will Nikola be able to return?" Tang Tian turned to Borrego and asked.

From the regular season to the playoffs, Jokic's absence had an obvious impact on the Pelicans, especially on bench scoring.

Biyombo and McGee were not bad in strength, but they had too obvious advantages and disadvantages, and they were easily targeted on the playoff stage.

Especially if they won against the Grizzlies and played the Spurs in the next round, they would be targeted to death.

The Pelicans and the Spurs were not that far apart in strength, so whether Jokic could return would be very critical.

"Physically, he will be able to play in the next game, but Monty and I discussed it, and his condition still needs time to adjust. Plus, the team's chemistry is good now, so we plan to let him return in the next round against the Spurs," Borrego replied.

Tang Tian nodded after listening, this decision was fine, and it was the best for the Pelicans.

He went home after the game.

As soon as he got to the second floor, he heard the sound of retching.

He hurried up and saw Olsen in the bathroom, covering her mouth to restrain her morning sickness, with the nanny standing beside her.

Morning sickness varies from person to person, and is even related to physique.

Olsen insisted on exercising and was in good physical condition, but after all, she was carrying two babies, so the morning sickness became more obvious.

Tang Tian signaled the nanny to go downstairs first, then walked over and took her hand.

This kind of thing is the same as a woman's period, men can't help.

But it's also the same as a period, what girls need is not "drink more hot water," but to be accompanied.

He just held her hand quietly, and when she felt a little better, he gently massaged her back from top to bottom to make her feel more comfortable.

Olsen turned her head and smiled at Tang Tian, leaning her body into Tang Tian's arms.

Male hormones are the safest scent.

Tang Tian helped Olsen to sit on the sofa, only to find a very familiar thing on the coffee table.

The Chinese Dictionary 2004 edition.

He didn't know where Olsen got this thing, and it looked like she had been flipping through it before.

"Are you preparing names for the children?" Tang Tian quickly guessed what Olsen was doing.

Olsen smiled and nodded, then picked up the dictionary.

"I was just about to ask you, what do you think of these characters?"

Olsen gave Tang Tian a few annotated characters.

Qilin (a mythical Chinese creature), Fenghuang (Chinese phoenix), Kunpeng (a mythical Chinese bird)…

Tang Tian couldn't help but scratch his head as he looked at these characters or words.

"Our children will hate you, these characters have so many strokes and are so difficult to write."

Olsen laughed even more after hearing this.

She really hadn't thought about that.

"There's no rush, take your time. It will be easier in two months," Tang Tian said as he put down the dictionary.

Generally speaking, the sex of the fetus can be determined by B-ultrasound and some other assisted technical means when the baby is 3-4 months old.

In China, because the feudal idea of ​​valuing men over women is more serious, coupled with the legal ban, and the B-ultrasound is sometimes inaccurate, people will not go to see it in advance.

But the situation is better in the United States, and it is up to the parents whether to watch it or not.

It's like shooting in a game, you know whether it will go in before the ball touches the rim.

Kobe gave birth to daughters like this every time.

Tang Tian and Olsen had the same attitude towards boys and girls, so they would choose to watch it in advance and be psychologically prepared earlier.

Olsen nodded, her Chinese had improved a lot, and she also knew that there was a big difference between boys' and girls' names.

The sixth game between the Pelicans and the Grizzlies would be played in Memphis.

Because it was the Pelicans' series point, Olsen wanted to go to the scene to support Tang Tian, but Tang Tian refused.

The first two or three months of pregnancy are the most unstable, and it is easy to have a miscarriage.

He didn't want to take any risks.

On May 3rd, US time, the sixth game between the Pelicans and the Grizzlies officially kicked off at the FedExForum in Memphis.

Compared with the last time the two teams played against each other, the enthusiasm of the fans here was still the same, but no one shouted anything like "this is our stage" anymore.

It was enough to set up a flag once, and they were afraid of it.