Chapter 1 The Clippers' opening strategy cultivated Tang Tian's touch.

The result was that, under the intensity of the playoffs, as long as there was no double-teaming, or even a slow double-team, Tang Tian could find an opportunity and throw the ball into the basket.

By the end of the first half, the score on the court was 60 to 46, with the Pelicans leading.

If it weren't for the Clippers being in good form themselves, the game would have already been decided.

Tang Tian had 23 points and 5 assists in the first half.

After half a game, Rivers fully understood one thing.

If they focused on defending Tang Tian, no matter how well Davis played, they would at least have a 50-50 chance against the Pelicans.

But if they didn't pay attention to Tang Tian, even in the playoffs, Tang Tian could win the game single-handedly.

During the halftime break, Rivers completely overturned the pre-game tactics formulated by the coaching staff and placed Tang Tian as the primary defensive target.

Back in the second half, after Tang Tian scored two goals, the Clippers began to resolutely double-team.

The Pelicans had a good momentum at the start, and the whole team was in excellent form, but after a halftime break, that momentum weakened a lot.

Morrow missed an opportunity on the outside, Davis' mid-range shots were also off twice, and Evans had butterfingers under the basket.

These didn't seem like much, but they added up.

At the end of the third quarter, the Clippers erased a 14-point deficit and tied the score with the Pelicans at 80.

Tang Tian only had 7 points and 3 assists in this quarter.

Rivers can become a championship coach, so he definitely has something in his belly.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Tang Tian and Davis were both on the bench resting.

At this time, Tang Tian was not only thinking about the game in front of him, but also about strengthening the team in the summer.

The four major point guards at the beginning of the century each had their own strengths, but Kobe was the undisputed number one.

A player's strength isn't just about shooting percentage.

Kobe's ability to attack in key moments was unmatched by the other three.

In other words, the other three's skills were all top-notch in one area, but Kobe had more than just one, so he basically couldn't be completely defended.

Kobe even learned low-post footwork from Hakeem Olajuwon in the summer and was able to use it in games immediately, which was the scariest thing about him.

The path he was going to take next was actually very similar to Kobe's.

This isn't the whistle era where three-axe players can dominate the league. James Harden would at most be who he is now here, and he's easily targeted.

Therefore, in order to strengthen his ability to attack in the playoffs, he must continue to enrich his offensive skills in the summer, and he must improve significantly before he can do it.

Otherwise, he would really have a long way to go to his next championship.

Just as his mind was racing, the situation on the court suddenly changed.

Crawford didn't explode on the court this time, but Redick became a surprise weapon.

He made three consecutive three-pointers, leading the team to a 9-2 run and forcing the Pelicans to call a timeout directly.

After making the third three-pointer, Redick rarely looked up and roared, which showed that he was still brooding over being knocked off the court by Tang Tian before.

During the timeout, Williams called Tang Tian and Davis, who had been resting for less than three minutes, back to the court.

After Tang Tian got up, he put his thoughts back and whispered something to Williams.

The timeout ended, and the players from both sides returned to the court one after another.

Rivers' state at this time looked much better than in the first half. He chased back a 14-point difference and was now leading by 7 points, which meant he won 21 points inside and out.

With the Clippers in this state in the second half, the hope of winning the game was great.

And as long as they win this game, the 2-2 score is equal to returning to the starting point, and they are still the more likely side to win with their home court advantage back.

"Swish!"

Just as he was thinking, Davis caught a pass from Tang Tian near the free throw line and made a mid-range shot.

The Pelicans' state seemed to be much better than in the third quarter.

He got up and walked to the sidelines, reminding his players to speed up their defensive rotation.

"Beep!"

However, as soon as the Clippers passed the ball from the backcourt, the whistle sounded.

DeAndre Jordan was fouled by Gordon.

Because the confrontation in the previous few minutes was very intense, the Pelicans' accumulated fouls had reached 3 times, and this foul brought the number up to 4 times.

The Clippers continued to inbound from the baseline.

After the ball was passed out, DeAndre Jordan was fouled by Aminu again.

Obviously, the Pelicans were using the hack-a-shaq tactic invented by Popovich.

Old Nelson invented the hack-a-shaq tactic, and Popovich carried it forward, hacking O'Neal just 5 seconds after the start on his birthday, becoming a classic scene in the NBA.

That's what Tang Tian and Williams were talking about.

He didn't drink with Popovich in San Antonio for nothing.

Because the Pelicans' accumulated fouls had reached 5 times, DeAndre Jordan went directly to the free throw line.

DeAndre Jordan's free throw percentage was barely over 50%, which was his biggest weakness.

The boos at the scene were overwhelming, and DeAndre Jordan missed both free throws, and Whiteside protected the defensive rebound.

This hack was quite successful.

The Pelicans attacked to the frontcourt, Tang Tian passed the ball to Whiteside again in the double-team, and the latter quickly jumped up and dunked under the basket to score.

Rivers' feeling before was right. Although the Clippers had a 2-9 run at the beginning of the fourth quarter, their state was indeed better than in the third quarter.

The Clippers passed the ball from the backcourt, and DeAndre Jordan was fouled by Holiday again.

This was a problem for Rivers. If he didn't replace DeAndre Jordan, he would be hacked all the time, but if he replaced DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers' interior defense would be reduced by one level.

DeAndre Jordan continued to go to the free throw line. This time, he was quite competitive and made one of two free throws.

The Pelicans went to the frontcourt to play a positional battle again. At this time, the Clippers didn't dare to double-team casually.

Tang Tian went one-on-one against Barnes and directly made a three-pointer after a feint outside the three-point line.

"Swish!"

At the critical moment, Tang Tian didn't hesitate, and the three-pointer went in cleanly.

89 to 90, relying on this wave of hack-a-shaq tactics, the Pelicans gave the Clippers a 7-1 run and narrowed the point difference to 1 point.

Rivers had no choice but to replace DeAndre Jordan with Glen Davis.

Davis is now fat like a ball, far from the short and strong monster he was during his time with the Celtics. With this substitution, the Clippers' interior defensive strength went down.

With two minutes left in the game, the Pelicans led 103-99.

From being 7 points behind to leading by 4 points, the Pelicans' wave of hack-a-shaq tactics couldn't have been more successful.

This is the playoffs, and players with obvious weaknesses will be targeted to death.

It wasn't until the last 2 minutes that DeAndre Jordan was replaced.

According to NBA rules, hack-a-shaq tactics cannot be used within the last 2 minutes, otherwise the fouled party will get a one-shot-one-throw opportunity.

Based on this rule, Rivers dared to replace DeAndre Jordan again.

DeAndre Jordan's eyes were on fire when he came on the court, and he was really uncomfortable with this hacking.

The Pelicans had the ball, and Tang Tian was holding the ball on the outside at this time.

He has already scored 9 points in this quarter. If he scores another goal, he will get the first 40+ of his career in the playoffs.