After Towns' fever subsided, Tang Tian returned to the team.

Family is life, but basketball is a profession, and players need professional ethics.

The Pelicans' next game is against the Trail Blazers.

The Trail Blazers fell apart this past summer, with four of last season's five starters gone.

Aldridge, Matthews, Batum, and Lopez went to four different teams, leaving only Lillard to hold the fort.

Such a change would theoretically turn them from a playoff team into a rebuilding team.

But the result was completely different from what was expected. With the strong rise of second-year player C.J. McCollum, the Trail Blazers directly entered the era of the "Double Guns."

Moreover, the Double Guns have been on fire recently, winning four straight games and reaching seventh in the West.

The Pelicans had a sweet schedule at the beginning of the season, winning every game by a large margin, but as they entered late December, the schedule began to become difficult.

The Pelicans aim for a 26-game winning streak, but in addition to that, the players are also working hard to help Tang Tian continue to break records.

Although Tang Tian missed the last game, if he continues to get a triple-double in this game, the streak of consecutive triple-doubles will still be extended.

This game is being played in Portland, and the Moda Center, like Madison Square Garden before it, is packed. Now every team is vying to end the Pelicans' winning streak.

At the beginning of the game, the Pelicans, like in the previous games, tried their best to create opportunities for Tang Tian to get stats.

Tang Tian had been worried about his son a few days ago and had poor sleep, so his condition was average, while the Trail Blazers' Double Guns were in hot form, scoring consecutive shots.

This approach put them at a disadvantage from the start.

After the first quarter, the Pelicans trailed the Trail Blazers by 8 points, 22-30.

During the timeout between quarters, Stevens reminded the players to focus on the game, and Tang Tian also told the players not to deliberately screen for him or let him get rebounds anymore.

In the second and third quarters, the Pelicans players adjusted their mentality, and the Pelicans' state improved.

However, the opposing Double Guns were like they had activated cheats tonight, combining for 60+ points in three quarters, and the Trail Blazers still held a 10-point lead.

In the last quarter, Tang Tian finally recovered and scored consecutive points to help the Pelicans chase points.

Against the firepower of the Double Guns, he finally tied the score with 30 seconds left in the game.

The other Pelicans players also did their best. Ariza basically didn't rest and played until his leg cramped.

But at the critical moment, habit became second nature. After McCollum's floater missed, Jokic and Aminu both instinctively let Tang Tian get the rebound.

As a result, Harkless grabbed the offensive rebound and threw it to Lillard on the outside.

Lillard made a strong three-pointer over Holiday, and the ball went in, drawing a foul on Holiday and completing a four-point play.

This clutch shot also helped the Trail Blazers win the game.

The Pelicans' winning streak was frozen at 25 games.

After the game, the cheers of the fans in the arena shook the sky, and Lillard waved his hands with great momentum.

The Double Guns combined for 70+ points in this game, with a shooting percentage of up to 60%, as if they had activated cheats, but this is their recent state.

On the Pelicans' side, Tang Tian had a triple-double of 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, extending his streak of consecutive triple-doubles to five games.

But as he said at the post-match press conference, the loss made that not mean much.

The next day's training session, before Stevens arrived, Tang Tian gathered the players together in the locker room.

"Guys, I know you've been trying to help me get the MVP lately, but stop doing that, winning is more important."

Tang Tian said to all the players.

The others were helping him, and the team had been winning, so it was hard for him to say anything.

But now that the team had lost, it was an opportunity to say these words.

The Peak Westbrook experience card looked good, but he didn't really want to keep experiencing it.

Triple-doubles, or stats, will come naturally if you have the strength. It's meaningless to deliberately try to get them.

On the contrary, this approach will definitely hurt the team in the end.

And like in the game against the Trail Blazers, habit becomes second nature, and this habit will become very fatal in the playoffs.

So before it becomes a trend, it must be changed back.

Tang Tian spoke, and the players nodded one after another.

They were originally helping Tang Tian.

It was a bit of a pity that the winning streak was ended, but they couldn't keep winning forever. Judging from the players' reactions, losing this game was actually a good thing.

There was bad news and good news. After the game against the Trail Blazers, Davis recovered completely from his injury.

After participating in a full-court scrimmage, he was ready to return.

The Pelicans' next game is at home against the Pacers.

Before the game, a reporter asked about Davis's return.

"The team's winning streak was ended in the last game against the Trail Blazers, should the coaching staff consider letting Davis return early?"

The reporter asked a question that was an afterthought, but it was indeed a question worth discussing.

Davis's injury had recovered seven or eight days in a week, and he could have played. Moreover, the game against the Trail Blazers was only two days ago.

The Pelicans only lost by 4 points. If Davis had played, they would most likely have been able to continue their winning streak.

"No, we won't do that. Compared to the winning streak, Ad's health is more important to us. We need to consider the entire season and the playoffs after that."

To the reporter's surprise, Stevens answered very decisively.

You could feel that this was his most honest thought.

"But that was a 25-game winning streak. You originally had a chance to tie or even surpass the Heat's 27-game winning streak and create the second-longest winning streak in history."

The reporter reminded him.

Stevens smiled.

"That sounds great, but I think that's too long. The players will do their best for that record, even at the risk of getting injured (referring to Ariza). If that's the case, the winning streak may not be a good thing. On the contrary, now, there's no need to consider the issue of the winning streak anymore, and they won't have so much psychological pressure."

Stevens's words made the reporter nod.

What he said was indeed correct.

Although he didn't have the foresight to know how badly the Warriors in history would fight for 73 wins and end up being exhausted in the playoffs, the Rockets were an example.

Back then, in order to get a 22-game winning streak, Yao Ming even played with an injury, and McGrady played with an injury, which directly ruined him in the next season.

So winning streaks are magnificent and inspiring, but blindly pursuing records may not be a good thing.

Also, like Tang Tian's idea, when the Pelicans' offense is well-integrated, there will naturally be another chance for such a winning streak, and it may even be more fierce.

Perhaps to verify what Stevens said, the Pelicans basically didn't give their opponents a chance in the game against the Pacers that night.

They led by 10 points in the first quarter, directly turned it into 20 points in the first half, and were heading for 30 points by the end of the third quarter.

The Pelicans' starters directly checked out of the game in the third quarter, and they ultimately beat the Pacers 112-90.

After Hibbert and West left one after another, George experienced the feeling of being alone and unsupported. The Pacers were really not good tonight.

And after unfortunately losing to the Trail Blazers in the last game, the Pelicans immediately used a big win to prove themselves.