Chapter 149 Ejection

This happened very suddenly. Even Dinwiddie was ready to cheer for the play.

But Tang Tian reacted quickly, rushing directly in front of Pachulia, and without saying a word, threw a punch.

Pachulia, who was spreading his hands in innocence just a moment before, was hit squarely in the face by Tang Tian's punch, his front teeth flying out on the spot.

The force of the impact sent him staggering backward and falling to the ground.

It all happened so fast that others only reacted after Tang Tian had thrown the punch and retreated.

Players from both sides immediately began pushing and shoving each other, and the referees joined in to try and break it up.

Embiid was unusually emotional on the sidelines, and Butler had to hold him back to prevent him from going onto the court.

No matter what happens on the court, players who aren't playing will be immediately ejected if they go out there.

After holding Embiid back, he turned and looked at Tang Tian with a puzzled expression.

Tang Tian was his role model and close friend, and in his understanding, he was never an impulsive person.

Even when he fought Martin back in San Antonio, there was a good reason for it, but what just happened was too sudden.

The referees on the court had already separated the players from both sides, and Ariza and Pachulia were being helped off the court by their respective team doctors.

"Eject him! Eject him!"

The fans in the arena were now shouting for Tang Tian to be ejected.

Tang Tian's punch just now was really excessive, and the Dallas fans couldn't tolerate their player being treated like that.

Even if Tang Tian was a hot commodity right now, a leading candidate for MVP.

The arena was filled with boos, but the Pelicans players were relatively calm. They knew that Tang Tian must have had a good reason for doing what he did, and they were more concerned about Ariza's injury.

The referees went to the scorer's table to review the replay, and before long, the replay of the play appeared on the LED screen.

From the moment Ariza shot the ball to the moment Tang Tian threw the punch.

As the first slow-motion replay came out, a stir went through the crowd.

The slow motion showed that after Ariza shot the ball, he was looking for a place to land, but Pachulia made a very obvious move to extend his leg and undercut him.

Then Ariza stepped on his foot and twisted his ankle on the way down.

Tang Tian had rushed over and thrown the punch after seeing Ariza's foot being undercut.

The replay was shown several times, and the situation was basically confirmed, but the sound of calls for ejection rang out again.

Although the sound was much smaller than before, it was still there.

After discussing the situation, the referees called the two head coaches together and announced the final ruling.

Pachulia was given a Flagrant Foul Penalty 1.

Tang Tian was given a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 and was ejected from the game.

Cheers rang out in the arena.

Tang Tian and the team doctor escorted Ariza back to the player tunnel.

They were sent off with a chorus of boos.

"Thank you."

Ariza said with a painful expression. He had twisted his ankle pretty badly.

"That's not important, I hope your foot injury isn't serious."

Tang Tian said.

Ariza's role on the Pelicans was irreplaceable, and his absence would have a major impact on the team.

If the injury was serious enough to end his season, then the Pelicans' championship aspirations for this season would be shrouded in shadow.

Ariza went to get checked out with the team doctor, and Tang Tian went back to the locker room. He didn't leave; after taking a shower, he turned on the TV and started watching the live broadcast.

Cuban was willing to invest in the team, and the Mavericks' locker room was the most luxurious in the league, without exception. The visiting team also had a large-screen TV.

But he wasn't envious.

Benson wasn't any worse than Cuban. After the Pelicans achieved consecutive outstanding results, he said that he would carry out a new round of renovations to the arena.

The upgrade of the locker room was one of them.

With Ariza injured and Tang Tian ejected, the Pelicans were suddenly without two starters, and the situation became extremely unfavorable.

But at the critical moment, Stevens showed his coaching ability. He put Bojan and Aminu on the court and started to play inside-out, with Davis as the core.

Although the situation on the court was tense, the Pelicans managed to stabilize the game.

The Pelicans finished the first half with a 51-46 lead.

During the halftime break, the players returned to the locker room one after another.

Seeing that Tang Tian was still there, the players were talking about Pachulia undercutting Ariza.

And as players, they really understood Tang Tian's decision to throw a punch.

Undercutting is the most malicious act in basketball, even worse than Green's kick to the groin.

Unless you really want to kill someone, you'll at least control the force of a kick to the groin, but undercutting can ruin someone's career if you're not careful.

Because ankles and knees are the most vulnerable parts of a basketball player, and undercutting is the most likely way to cause devastating injuries to these two areas.

This is also an important reason why defensive star Bowen was despised in the past. He was also very good at undercutting.

"Brothers, you need to win this game."

After the players had finished discussing the situation, Tang Tian said to the others very seriously.

The players stared at him blankly, and then they all understood what he meant by what he said.

Ariza was injured, and no matter how good or bad the final examination results were, winning the game at this time was the best consolation for him.

"We'll do it."

Bojan said.

Tang Tian nodded.

"I'll be watching you in the locker room, I believe in you."

He then said.

When the second half returned, the Pelicans' mental state was completely different from the first half.

They played with great dedication, in a state that didn't feel like a regular season game, but rather like a playoff game, or even a final game.

And Bojan was in surprisingly good form as a starter in the second half, hitting shots from the outside non-stop.

His shooting skills weren't just for women; they were also very effective on the court.

Bojan's outside threat gave Davis and Jokic a lot of room to maneuver inside.

Although they were missing two starters, the Pelicans were actually pressing the Mavericks in the second half.

By the end of the third quarter, they had even extended their lead to 15 points.

This is the effect of having the right mentality.

The Mavericks launched a desperate counterattack in the final quarter led by Butler, but in the end, Davis and Jokic's steady play made them fail.

The Pelicans eventually won the game 107-99.

Davis had a team-high 27 points and 11 rebounds, Jokic also contributed 21 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, and Bojan scored 20 points on 6 three-pointers.

After the game, Tang Tian, who had been ejected, attended the post-game press conference.

The question of punching someone in the game was mentioned countless times by reporters.

Although Pachulia's behavior was egregious, Tang Tian's punch could cost him media support, especially with the MVP vote coming up.

The league and the media have always had very strict standards for dealing with violence.

"I admit that my actions in the game were impulsive. That's not supposed to be part of the game. I apologize to the fans in the arena and to both teams. I'm willing to accept any punishment from the league."

Tang Tian's first sentence drew a stir from the reporters below the stage. They had rarely seen Tang Tian publicly apologize in front of reporters.

"But if I had to choose again, I would still choose to strike. From Green to Pachulia, our opponents are using non-sportsmanlike ways to deal with us. I can only do that because that's the only way to make them understand that this is not a team that will allow them to do that."

But after apologizing, Tang Tian changed the subject and said in a firm tone.