Chapter 445 MVP-level Performance

The Pelicans' teammates on and off the court rushed to Tang Tian like crazy.

This was definitely an epic buzzer-beater, the kind that could rank in the all-time Top 50!

"MVP! MVP!"

The fans in the audience also shouted in unison.

However, they weren't shouting Tang Tian's name, but "MVP".

Not only because of Tang Tian's performance tonight, but also because he responded with practical actions when the outside world questioned the MVP rankings.

15 of 27 shots made, 40 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, a personal scoring surge in the first and third quarters, and the final epic buzzer-beater.

Tang Tian put on an absolute MVP-level performance in the most important game.

And the key was that he also led the entire team.

Davis had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks, with 4 of his field goals coming from Tang Tian's assists;

Ariza had 14 points and 4 rebounds, and 2 of his 4 three-pointers were from Tang Tian's assists;

…

After the game, the two teams shook hands in a final show of sportsmanship.

James went straight back to the locker room without shaking hands with any of the Pelicans' players.

He had 33 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in this game, stats that weren't much worse than Tang Tian's, but the key point was that the Cavaliers lost.

He was also a person who cared about face, and losing to Tang Tian continuously, and being defeated by a buzzer-beater, he couldn't show his generosity on such a night.

Tang Tian chatted a lot with Irving when they hugged, and they exchanged many congratulatory words.

Irving had 30 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists in this game, a very outstanding performance.

On social media after the game, Pelicans fans, who had been suppressed on the message boards all night, finally started to fight back.

"To those who said before that Tang had no reason to be ranked ahead of James, I'll tell you now, it's because of winning!"

"You straight up killed the game, dude!"

"Honestly, LeBron played very well in this game, but what can you do when the opponent is the MVP contender ranked second, there's a reason why he's ranked higher than you!"

"It's really quite emotional to think about it, a second-round pick who was given up by the Heat, now the shouts for MVP are even louder than when they shouted for the league's number one back then, tsk!"

"Riley wired five thousand dollars to your bank account and is begging you to stop digging up ancient graves!"

…

This soul-stirring victory swept away the gloom of the past week for the Pelicans and was a great boost to the team's morale.

But good news is always accompanied by bad news.

The revenge victory over the Cavaliers in the highly anticipated game was gratifying, but Jokic's post-game MRI examination was positive, which was not ideal.

And the results of the examination came out the next day, he had a sprained ankle tendon and would be out for 1-2 months.

This was definitely a major blow to the Pelicans.

It was now March, and even if Jokic recovered well and could return in a month, it would be close to the end of the regular season.

Just like Davis before, players need time to adjust their condition after returning from injury.

Moreover, Jokic was prone to weight gain, and he would definitely gain weight during this rest period, and it would take time to lose it again.

Not to mention that if it was 2 months, then his return would be in May, when the playoffs might already be in the second round.

With Jokic suffering a serious injury, Demps also accelerated contract negotiations with McGee.

McGee was ignored in the buyout market, and he finally agreed to a one-year fully guaranteed minimum salary contract with the Pelicans.

This meant that he would play for the Pelicans until the end of the season.

After being waived by the 76ers, McGee returned to Denver, and after signing the contract, he packed his bags and arrived in New Orleans the next day.

After renting a house and passing the physical examination, he reported to the team the next afternoon.

His quick actions allowed him to catch up with the next home game against the Nuggets.

The NBA schedule had already been set during the offseason last year, but sometimes the schedule is just so magical.

McGee had just been traded away from the Nuggets, and his first game after signing was against his old team.

When McGee came to report, the players had just finished training and were resting in the locker room.

2.13 meters tall, a super-sized build, if it weren't for that face that made it difficult to be serious because of the "Shaqtin' a Fool" segment, this would be the appearance of a super center.

Borrego led McGee to Evans' locker and told him the same things he had told Biyombo before.

McGee nodded with a smile. Completely different from Biyombo, as soon as Borrego left, he took the initiative to greet the other teammates and introduce himself.

This guy was very active and seemed to have a cheerful personality, completely the opposite of Biyombo before.

"Hey! Bro!"

McGee finally came to Tang Tian, smiling and reaching out to hug him directly.

Davis was sitting next to Tang Tian drinking water at this time, and almost spit out a mouthful of water directly.

Who has ever seen a newcomer come to the team and call the team's boss "bro" right away!

The others also had headaches. This guy McGee, his brain is indeed not as good as Whiteside's!

Tang Tian didn't mind, and hugged McGee with a smile.

The game against the Nuggets was at home, tomorrow night.

Williams only arranged some shooting and simple confrontation training on the morning of the game day.

When the training ended, Dinwiddie was preparing to buy burgers for everyone.

Dinwiddie was a rookie, this kind of work was his to do, and he was very happy to do it.

However, with burgers and juice drinks for 15 people, Dinwiddie couldn't carry it alone. This job was usually done by him and Jokic together.

Now Jokic was injured.

"JaVale, you go with Spencer."

Metta World Peace said to McGee with a smile.

McGee was no longer a rookie, but he was still a newcomer to the Pelicans.

Moreover, McGee called Tang Tian "bro" as soon as he arrived yesterday, and Metta World Peace also wanted to knock him down a peg.

"No problem."

McGee was straightforward, didn't say anything, stood up with a smile, and went out with Dinwiddie happily.

This move caused laughter among everyone in the locker room.

In their opinion, McGee probably didn't even know he was being knocked down a peg.

Metta World Peace also shook his head with a wry smile.

More than half an hour later, Dinwiddie and McGee returned.

The players had already finished showering and had been chatting there for a while.

It turned out that the burger shop near the arena was temporarily under renovation, and they ran to a shop a few kilometers away to buy the burgers.

The players originally wanted to complain about their slow speed, but praised them when they heard this.

McGee started handing out burgers, but before handing them out, he gave the first one on top to himself.

"JaVale, you can't do that, giving the first one to yourself."

Metta World Peace couldn't help but say when he saw this.

He really thought this guy's brain wasn't good.

"It's windy outside, the one on top is a little cold, you'll easily feel uncomfortable eating it, my stomach is fine, I'm not afraid of that."

McGee didn't get angry, and said with a smile.

Metta World Peace originally wanted to educate him, but suddenly froze when he heard this.

Tang Tian was sitting not far away, and he also looked up at McGee when he heard this.

This didn't seem like someone with a bad brain, but someone who knew how to behave.

Thinking again about calling him "bro" as soon as he arrived, and trying to get closer to his teammates, McGee might not have a bad brain, but rather a high EQ.