Chapter 29 If One Great Victory Isn't Enough

If one great victory isn't enough to prove something, then let's have two more.

In the week that followed, the Pelicans consecutively thrashed the Suns and Nuggets by 30 points each.

After their 25-game winning streak was ended, they ushered in a new three-game winning streak.

Although the opponents in these three games weren't particularly strong, such dominant victories demonstrated the Pelicans' current state and fighting spirit.

Nearly two months into the season, the Pelicans finally found their rhythm on the offensive end, and their offensive and defensive state was at its peak since the start of the season.

After this winning streak, their record before Christmas reached 28 wins and 1 loss, surpassing the Warriors' 26 wins and 2 losses, and ranking first in the league.

Time passed imperceptibly, and Christmas arrived, bringing the annual Christmas showdown.

This year's Christmas showdown was full of highlights.

Adam Silver's understanding of basketball wasn't as good as Stern's, but his sensitivity to the market, especially the domestic American market, was better than Stern's.

The Warriors flew to Cleveland to challenge the Cavaliers, the Pelicans hosted the Rockets at home, the Thunder visited San Antonio to challenge the Spurs, the Mavericks and Knicks faced off at Madison Square Garden, and the Heat and Nets kicked off their rivalry at the Barclays Center.

Each of the five games was full of highlights, making it definitely the most anticipated Christmas showdown in recent years.

This year's Christmas Eve was more lively for Tang Tian than ever before. His parents hadn't returned yet, and were joined by Olsen's parents and their two sons.

They had a very lively first Christmas at the new manor.

Tang Tian gave Olsen a Ferrari F12berlinetta worth 500,000 as a Christmas gift.

Olsen didn't have high demands for cars, but as the luxury cars in the garage continued to increase, she was able to return to the days of driving luxury cars.

The only difference from before was that the previous cars belonged to her two older sisters, but now they were her own.

Before the training session on Christmas Day, the teammates exchanged gifts.

Bojan's gift was interesting. He gave each team member a high-end home dehumidifier.

New Orleans is a port city with very high humidity, making this gift quite practical.

It seemed that besides being optimistic and talkative, this guy was also very thoughtful.

But what excited the team the most was Tang Tian's gift.

Before the playoffs last year, Tang Tian had said that if the team won the championship, he would have a week-long yacht party on "Project Mars."

The Pelicans missed out on the championship last season, and the reward ultimately didn't materialize.

But now, Tang Tian's Christmas gift was a two-day yacht party in the Mississippi River Bay!

He would also invite well-known local models and car models to participate in the party!

This was directly a streamlined version of the previous championship reward.

He had also communicated with Stevens, and the league would have a four-day or so break after the Christmas showdown, and the team would arrange two days of vacation to cooperate.

An NBA season with 82 games is very long. There must be a balance between work and rest in order for the players to perform at their best.

When they heard about this gift, the locker room erupted in whistles and cheers.

The Pelicans were a young team, and many of them were still single. This kind of party was their favorite.

After giving the party gift, the Pelicans were greatly encouraged, and they were ready for the upcoming Christmas showdown.

On the day of the game, both teams arranged open training sessions. Tang Tian even met an old acquaintance, Zhang Weiping, at the training site.

White hair had already covered the top of Zhang Weiping's head, and he was over 65 years old.

The Pelicans and Rockets were the two most popular teams in China, as could be seen from the previous China Games.

This Christmas showdown was the first game between the two teams this season, and the domestic attention was unprecedented.

The two talked a lot, and in addition to this game, the basketball school and the draft were also mentioned a lot.

As an older generation basketball player, Zhang Weiping, like Yao Ming, paid close attention to Chinese basketball.

He had waited decades, and finally waited for the scene he wanted to see. He held respect and gratitude for both Yao Ming and Tang Tian.

If he was Weiping "Bryant" before, then with Kobe's impending retirement, his main identity now was Weiping "Tang."

On another court, Yang Yi's figure also appeared, and he even did an exclusive interview with Harden, talking about Harden's love for Chinese fans.

Yao Ming made the Rockets a household name in China, and the Rockets had to do things like this to maintain the Chinese market.

Especially before playing against Tang Tian's Pelicans, this could help them a lot.

While Harden was doing an exclusive interview, on the other side, Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni was also being interviewed by an ESPN reporter.

"We've meshed well, and they're no longer unbeatable. We can definitely win tonight's game."

D'Antoni's face was full of confidence, and his small beard turned up.

His words weren't without reason.

Because the two teams had played twice in the China Games and lost both times, they naturally became the underdogs in this game.

Including the fact that they had gone through a period of roster and tactical integration before, their record was far from what fans expected.

But after entering December, they found the right lineup, and Moreyball finally began to show its power.

They had just achieved their longest winning streak of the season with 7 consecutive wins, and the whole team was in hot form.

And the Pelicans had already lost to the Trail Blazers, proving that, just as D'Antoni said, they weren't unbeatable.

Just like he revealed in his words, the Rockets were determined to win this game.

Of course, there was also a very important point.

D'Antoni had basically confirmed to coach the Pelicans, but ultimately chose to go to the Rockets.

Now, under Stevens' leadership, the Pelicans had achieved unprecedented results, while the Rockets' Big Three had gone through a long period of integration at the start of the season.

In such a comparison, fans were secretly rejoicing that the Pelicans were fortunate not to have signed D'Antoni back then.

The Christmas showdown was highly anticipated, and this was D'Antoni's battle to prove himself.

That night, the New Orleans Arena was bustling with activity.

The arena had recently put up a new poster. Tang Tian stood in the C position, with Jokic and Davis on either side, the three cores full of momentum.

Fans wearing various Christmas decorations entered the arena holding signs supporting Tang Tian and the Pelicans, and many people even took photos under the poster as a souvenir.

The Rockets' current record was second only to the Pelicans, Warriors, and Spurs, ranking fourth in the West.

The Pelicans-Rockets game was another highly anticipated game after the Pelicans-Warriors game, and fans were naturally excited about such a game.

Moreover, the Rockets were a Super Big Three with dazzling star power, and their attention was no less than that of the Warriors and Pelicans.

The New Orleans Arena was even more full of Christmas atmosphere, and even next to the broadcast seats of various countries, there were Christmas hats full of festive atmosphere.