Fortunately, there were security guards at the entrance of the players' tunnel. Although they also disapproved of the Clippers' actions tonight, they were still responsible for holding Metta World Peace back.

If Griffin was really beaten to a pulp on the floor, they would lose their jobs the next day if they didn't intervene.

The security guards' intervention ended this "farce."

During the technical timeout, both teams' players returned to their respective halves.

The referees were watching the replay.

The final ruling came out.

Griffin was only called for an offensive foul.

Because Griffin had already been called for a technical foul, another one would have resulted in his ejection.

Moreover, according to the rules, stepping over someone wasn't explicitly covered, leaving it to the referees' discretion.

The referees definitely didn't want Griffin ejected, as that would basically mean the Clippers losing the game early.

Metta World Peace, however, received a flagrant foul and was ejected.

The ruling was met with boos from the crowd.

The bias in the ruling was too strong; the referees didn't even try to create a semblance of balance.

Williams was at the scorer's table, talking with the referees.

The Pelicans' players were very agitated.

Davis held a significant position in the team, and Metta World Peace was well-liked.

To have one player stepped over without consequence and the other ejected was completely unacceptable.

If Williams gave the word, they might have just refused to play.

Tang Tian was also angry, but he knew he needed to stay calm at this moment, or else this great situation would be ruined.

Williams and Borrego were still negotiating with the referees, while he gathered the players together.

"Guys, we're still leading by 10 points. We need to calm down. Winning the game is the best response to all this. They're just trying to provoke us."

Tang Tian was the team leader, and what he said made sense.

A strike now would result in a rematch at best, and at worst, they could be penalized by the league. Neither outcome was favorable.

His words temporarily calmed the players down.

After persuading the players to calm down, Tang Tian pulled Davis aside to talk.

"Are you still angry?" Tang Tian asked.

Davis nodded. Although he was a bit slow, it was impossible not to be angry about being stepped over on the court.

"That's right," Tang Tian nodded.

If you weren't angry after being stepped over, you were a coward.

"No matter what the final ruling is, you need to respond," Tang Tian continued.

Davis nodded, then waved his hand, looking like he was ready to fight.

"No, not that," Tang Tian immediately stopped him when he saw Davis's action.

He almost forgot about Davis's personality. If he had spoken slower, Davis might have actually been incited to go out and fight.

"You need to respond with your performance on the court. Griffin is still on the court. Continue to suppress him, and then win the game. That's the best response," Tang Tian continued.

Williams and the others had gone to communicate, and regardless of the final result, it was predictable that the referees' rulings would become fairer.

This was still the Pelicans' home court, and even home-court advantage had its limits. If things got really out of hand, these referees would lose their jobs.

The Clippers liked to stir things up, did they?

Then let them stir, and they'd still win in the end. That way, they'd lose the game and lose face.

Davis nodded; he understood after Tang Tian had put it that way.

The strongest response was to resolve things on the court, with their performance.

Williams came back from the discussion. The referees hadn't changed the ruling, but they explained the reasons for it.

Metta World Peace was ejected. Before leaving, he grabbed Tang Tian's hand.

"Fuck them up."

It was a short sentence, but it revealed his fierce determination.

Tang Tian nodded.

The Clippers deserved to be fucked up for their performance tonight.

Metta World Peace left the court through the players' tunnel under the escort of security guards.

The audience gave him applause and cheers.

The Artest that countless people once hated had now become Metta World Peace, who was deeply loved by New Orleans fans.

With Metta World Peace's departure, the conflict that had lasted for more than ten minutes finally ended, and the players from both sides returned to the court.

The Pelicans sent Morrow back onto the court.

Griffin was called for an offensive foul, and possession went to the Pelicans.

On the attack, Tang Tian called for Davis to set a pick-and-roll.

Just then, the referee blew his whistle, calling Barnes for a defensive foul while navigating the screen.

Barnes didn't make a big move on that play; he shook his head helplessly after being called for the foul.

It was obvious that this was a makeup call from the referee.

This foul also confirmed what Tang Tian had said earlier: after the Pelicans' strong protest, the referees wouldn't be so obviously biased towards the Clippers anymore.

The Pelicans inbounded the ball from the sideline. Tang Tian passed it back to Davis after the pick-and-roll, and Davis faced Barnes for a mid-range jumper.

"Swish!"

The basketball went into the net!

The crowd erupted in cheers and whistles.

Davis's response was strong, scoring as soon as he came back from the conflict!

On the Clippers' offensive end, Griffin set a screen for Redick and then turned to cut to the basket.

Paul passed the ball, and Griffin took the ball and went up for a layup.

But Davis stayed with him, using his long arms to swat the ball away from behind without mercy.

"Bang!"

Griffin got blocked by Davis for the fourth time in this game!

Davis roared excitedly after the block and high-fived Tang Tian, who came over.

He had learned from Tang Tian's on-site teaching!

The cheers from the crowd instantly exploded!

The Clippers wanted to stir things up?

The referees were biased?

He'd still score!

He'd still block you!

Davis's offense and defense after coming back were incredibly strong!

The Clippers inbounded the ball from the sideline. Paul showed his clutch ability, hitting a signature mid-range pull-up after a screen.

This ball was crucial; Paul's strength as the league's top point guard was still there.

"Let's go! Pelicans!"

On the Pelicans' offensive possession, the fans poured all their emotions into their cheers, and the roar from the crowd was deafening.

Tang Tian once again ran a pick-and-roll with Davis in the frontcourt, except this time he moved outwards, and Davis cut towards the basket after setting the screen.

Griffin lunged at Tang Tian.

Tang Tian made a precise through pass to Davis.

Davis had already started moving when he received the ball, and after switching onto Barnes, he jumped up and dunked the ball over Barnes.

Barnes was tough, but it depended on who he was up against. He was a small forward, and Davis caught the ball comfortably and jumped right away.

He couldn't stop him at all.

Davis put all his strength into it.

"Boom!"

In the astonished eyes of the crowd, Davis, like a beast released from its cage, dunked the ball directly over Barnes!

A poster dunk!

The cheers in the arena exploded the next second.

Davis's shot and block after coming back had been strong enough, but this dunk was proof to everyone that he could be even tougher!

Tang Tian ran over and jumped up to chest-bump Davis.

A promising student!