Chapter 1 Holliday Takes the Ball to the Frontcourt

Holliday dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, continuing to pass it to Tang Tian, who in turn continued to look for Jokic to run a pick-and-roll.

Just like when he played against Curry, he was determined to exploit Sullinger relentlessly.

However, with McHale's reminder from the sidelines, the Celtics didn't give Tang Tian the opportunity for a mismatch isolation again.

This time, Sullinger and Smart directly double-teamed Tang Tian.

Tang Tian lobbed the ball high inside.

Jokic had a high basketball IQ. Seeing the double-team, he had already cut inside in advance. The ball arrived just as he did, and he drove to the basket.

Johnson came over to help defend, and Jokic displayed his Serbian golden right-hand skills, dishing a close-range pass to Davis.

Davis caught the ball comfortably and jumped up, slamming it down with a powerful two-handed dunk.

Danny Ainge's face looked a bit grim.

The Celtics' defense had been excellent this season, showing the style of the iron-blooded teams of the past, but being dunked on continuously by the Pelicans at the start was unsightly.

Sullinger continued to attack Jokic in the frontcourt. Davis came over to help defend again, and he passed the ball to Johnson.

Johnson's mid-range shot was very consistent, but he didn't create enough space, and his shot was interfered with by Davis's return.

"Clang!"

The basketball bounced off the rim, and Jokic grabbed another defensive rebound.

The Pelicans launched a fast break. After receiving the ball, Tang Tian accelerated past Smart.

Seeing Smart following closely, he jumped up and dunked with both hands, not giving Smart a chance to foul.

Danny Ainge almost coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Two dunks weren't enough, and now a third?

Did they really think the Celtics were Du Fu, opening their humble doors for the first time today?

Bradley's layup missed. Under the Pelicans' high-intensity defense, the Celtics failed to score on their first four possessions!

In contrast, Stevens's ability immediately stood out.

When he coached the Celtics, it wasn't because Isaiah Thomas was explosively talented, but because he knew how to use people well.

He used a reasonable defensive system to protect Isaiah Thomas and then let him become the Celtics' main offensive point, driving the team's entire offensive system.

Bradley, Crowder, and Olynyk all shone in that system.

But McHale couldn't use Isaiah Thomas, focusing solely on defense, with a low floor but no ceiling. When facing strong teams, the offense became incredibly constipated.

Tang Tian continued to hold the ball in the frontcourt, looking for Jokic for a pick-and-roll.

Having learned a lesson from the previous possession, the Celtics didn't dare to double-team this time. After Tang Tian was mismatched against Sullinger again, he adopted a triple-threat stance.

With a probing step, Sullinger thought Tang Tian was going to drive and took a step back.

But Tang Tian crossed over and pulled the ball back.

Sullinger saw this and lunged out, displaying his nimble fat man side.

But unfortunately, this was still Tang Tian's feint. After Sullinger lunged out, Tang Tian crossed over to the left.

Sullinger wanted to recover, but his body couldn't keep up with his mind, and he stumbled and fell to the ground.

He had been faked out by Tang Tian's triple threat!

Tang Tian glanced back at Sullinger, saw him struggling to stand up, and then calmly shot and scored.

The Pelicans had an 8-0 start!

The crowd was in an uproar.

Danny Ainge wasn't just frowning; his face was grim.

They weren't dunking anymore, but this was even more devastating, faking someone out and making them fall!

Not to mention that glance back, it was downright heart-wrenching!

Ainge was angry, but he was, after all, the general manager. He couldn't go down to direct the team, let alone play the game.

It wasn't until more than five minutes into the first quarter that Sullinger got a lucky basket under the rim, scoring 2 points for the Celtics.

But at this point, the score on the court was already 15-2, with the Pelicans leading by as many as 13 points.

Not even halfway through the quarter, the Celtics could forget about winning; they'd be lucky not to get completely blown out.

This also showed the complementary relationship between a superstar and a top coach.

The Pelicans' offensive system hadn't been established yet, and relying solely on defense, they probably wouldn't play much better than the Celtics.

But Tang Tian's presence allowed Stevens time to slowly integrate the roster.

McHale had no choice but to call Isaiah Thomas and Olynyk up from the bench ahead of schedule.

Isaiah Thomas was very effective. After the Pelicans' offense failed, he launched a fast break on defense, breaking through for a layup and drawing a foul on Holliday. He made both free throws to score consecutive points for the Celtics.

But McHale was ultimately not Stevens, and he hadn't put much thought into how to protect Isaiah Thomas.

Now that Sullinger was out, Tang Tian could turn around and go after Isaiah Thomas again.

Tang Tian's unreasonable style of play was like a large dark cloud hanging over McHale's head.

When he coached the Rockets, the Rockets were beaten badly by Tang Tian. He came to the Celtics, but he couldn't escape the same fate!

It wasn't that he was too unlucky, but that he was really lacking as a head coach!

McHale had no way to deal with Tang Tian. The Celtics' roster couldn't produce anything without a top coach.

After three quarters, the score on the court was 80-55, with the Pelicans leading by 25 points. It was really like Popovich had said, they were getting their asses kicked.

Many fans left early during the quarter break. Even the most loyal fans didn't want to watch their team get slaughtered.

The ones who were suffering at this time were the players on the court and those fans still in the arena.

And of course, Ainge. He had been shown on camera before the game, and he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.

Stevens was still being considerate, and with such a large point difference, he started putting in the bench players at the start of the fourth quarter.

A game had 12 active roster spots, and for this game, the Pelicans' bench players Harrell and McGee, who were on the active roster, had already entered the game.

The lineup on the court was Dinwiddie, Morrow, Bojan, Harrell, and McGee.

The Celtics still had their regular rotation, with Rozier and Smart on the outside, Turner and David Lee at forward, and Olynyk at center.

Although their chances of winning were slim, the Green Team's tradition was to never give up until the last moment.

The Pelicans attacked first, and the players ran their plays very seriously on the court.

Tang Tian was a privileged player who could do his own thing, but the others strictly followed Stevens's plays.

Morrow's three-pointer bounced off the rim. His form hadn't been very good this season.

But Harrell fought hard to grab the offensive rebound, drawing a foul on Lee.

Although he was young and not very tall, he was very aggressive and tough.

He made one of two free throws. The second free throw bounced out, and he actually ran up and dunked the ball through Lee!

The 3 points were so impressive that the fans in the arena were stunned. Stevens had already held back, but the Pelicans' players didn't seem to have stopped!

The facts also proved that their judgment was correct. After Turner scored two points in the frontcourt, Bojan turned around and ruthlessly hit a three-pointer.

After defending a Celtics possession, Dinwiddie assisted McGee on a flying alley-oop dunk, and the point difference directly soared past 30 points!

ps: Four chapters are finished. I will try to update five chapters tomorrow. I didn’t keep up with the updates these two days because I went to Qingming. I will work harder later. Commanders, please give some rewards and monthly tickets to support me! Love you guys (づ￣3￣)づ╭❤～