“This news isn't surprising. When James went from the Cavaliers to the Heat, he definitely got some say with the management. This just confirms it.”

“I wonder if LeBron has been feeling bad these past few years? He could have created an unprecedented dynasty with Tang.”

“That's just fate, I guess. But are you sure Tang would have become a superstar playing alongside LeBron?”

“True, all the players around LeBron either go from superstar to role player, or they never go from rookie to superstar…”

“It's really interesting that this came out now. The Pelicans and Cavaliers game is going to explode. Tang Tian and the Pelicans definitely won't let this slide!”

“Isn't this a good thing? Some juicy news for you! Besides, if the Pelicans want to win the championship, they have to get past the Warriors and the Cavaliers anyway!”

……

Fans on social media were blowing up with discussion, but most people were enjoying the drama.

Tang Tian rose step by step from a role player to a superstar, and repeatedly defeated James in the Finals.

Now that this news has broken, the only one who's really upset is James.

And like they said, the most direct effect of this explosive news is that it makes the upcoming Pelicans-Cavaliers battle incredibly exciting.

What will Tang Tian's reaction be? What will James' mood be? What state will the two teams be in? These are all things to watch.

Tang Tian saw the news in the locker room after training.

His eyes widened for a moment when he first saw it.

He definitely didn't know some of the behind-the-scenes stuff from the draft that year. This was the first time he'd heard about it.

But like Holt letting him go, these things can't be kept secret forever, and it was bound to leak out sooner or later.

He didn't realize that James was also involved in him not going to the Heat, in addition to Riley.

So many years had passed, and he had long since moved on from the past, but seeing this still made him a little annoyed.

He actually really wanted to go to the Heat back then, but being abandoned by both the team president and the team's core player, that feeling really sucked.

But thinking about it, James has definitely been the one feeling worse these past few years, just like the fans were saying.

Moreover, if this gets exposed, and the Pelicans actually win the championship in the end, James might become even more withdrawn.

But all of that is still a long way off. The Pelicans have just gone through the turmoil of an assistant coach change, and their recent performance has been poor.

Winning tonight's game is both a matter of urgency and the best response to these off-court events.

This game is highly anticipated, and the TNT Big Three have all shown up at the commentary booth.

The New Orleans arena is packed to the rafters. The Cavaliers are the strongest team in the East, and they could very well be the Pelicans' opponent in the Finals.

Plus, with all the off-court drama, fans definitely don't want to miss this game.

And they're also looking forward to seeing the Pelicans defeat the Cavaliers, because James' expression after that will definitely be interesting.

Actually, let alone after the game, even before the game, when the players from both teams entered the court, the photographers on the sidelines were constantly cutting between shots of Tang Tian and James.

The two of them are definitely the focus of attention in this game.

Tang Tian's expression hasn't changed much from his usual self, so it seems Woj's report hasn't affected him.

On the other hand, James looks serious. After entering the league, he set surpassing Jordan as his goal, and he cares a lot about what outsiders think of him.

Woj's report has damaged his image a lot, and he's clearly feeling the pressure.

The opening ceremony begins, and the starting lineups of the two teams are introduced one after another.

The Cavaliers have their usual lineup: Irving and Shumpert in the backcourt, James and Love on the front line, and Mozgov at center.

The Pelicans also have their usual lineup, with Bojan continuing to replace the injured Ariza as the starting small forward.

Davis wins the jump ball against Mozgov, opening the prelude to the Pelicans-Cavaliers battle.

The Pelicans start with a No. 2 play, with Tang Tian cutting to the basket and catching the ball for a one-handed dunk.

The New Orleans arena is ignited right from the start.

The Cavaliers' average score this season ranks second in the league, behind only the Warriors, but their average points allowed only ranks fifteenth, which is a big difference.

“Ooh! Tang looks a little excited!”

Barkley exclaimed in the commentary booth.

Although the Cavaliers' defense is average, Tang Tian dunking the ball when he could have laid it up shows something.

On the Cavaliers' offense, the Pelicans are using mismatched defense, with Davis guarding James and Bojan guarding Love.

Love is posting up Bojan in the low post, which is a mismatch advantage.

However, he's lost weight year after year since joining the Cavaliers, so the mismatch advantage isn't as obvious as one might think.

After several bumps, he finally created some space to shoot.

But Davis then showed off his wide defensive range, rotating back to help and blocking Love's shot against the backboard.

The cheers from the crowd rose again.

A dunk from Tang Tian at the start, a block from Davis, the Pelicans' competitive state tonight is completely different from the past week!

It seems they've recovered from the Williams incident, and they're going to use the Cavaliers as a sacrifice tonight!

Tang Tian is holding the ball in the frontcourt. He doesn't attack directly, but signals for Davis to get into position, then passes the ball inside to run the No. 4 play.

The Pelicans have mismatched defense, but the Cavaliers are matched up, so Love is guarding Davis right now.

Davis sees that the Cavaliers aren't helping, and starts backing down hard.

James collapses to help, and Davis flicks the ball to Bojan, who catches it and shoots a three-pointer.

"Swish!"

The basketball goes into the net cleanly. Although his defense is a level below Ariza, his three-pointer is much more consistent than Ariza's.

The Pelicans start with a 5-0 lead!

James organizes from the arc in the frontcourt, then flicks the ball to Irving cutting in, who throws off Holiday and goes for a layup.

However, Jokic helps out on this play, and after a little adjustment in the air, he fails to make the shot.

Irving had an ankle injury before, and he still needs time to get back into shape after just returning, which is a big reason why he wasn't selected as an All-Star starter this year.

Jokic grabs the defensive rebound, and the Pelicans immediately launch a counterattack. Tang Tian catches a pass from Holiday and powers through Shumpert for a 2+1.

After making the free throw, the score on the court is already 8-0.

The whistles from the crowd are constant. The Cavaliers' record isn't much different from the Pelicans' and Warriors', but that's because they're in the East. Their strength is clearly not on the same level!

James powers through Davis for a basket, putting the Cavaliers on the board.

The Cavaliers are a bit overrated, but James' strength is that of the league's top small forward.

Davis continues to post up, and Love can't hold him down, but Davis' shot is interfered with by Mozgov's help defense.

The Cavaliers launch a counterattack, and James throws a long pass to Shumpert in the backcourt, but Shumpert bobbles the catch, and the ball goes out of bounds, a turnover.

James frowns, puts his hands on his hips, and looks helpless.

Love can't defend, Irving can't score, and Shumpert has butterfingers. He really can't carry these teammates.