Chapter 12 The First Five Days of December

In the first five days of December, both the Warriors and the Pelicans each had two games, and both successfully defeated their opponents.

After finishing their respective games, the two teams will meet for the first time this season on the 6th.

In May of this year, boxing champion Mayweather and Pacquiao fought a championship match at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.

The match lasted only 36 minutes, but the accumulated revenue from tickets and broadcasts exceeded 400 million, hence the name "Fight of the Century."

Now, the Warriors have an 18-game winning streak, while the Pelicans have a 19-game winning streak. The two teams, undefeated since the start of the season, will face off at the New Orleans Arena.

The strength of both teams this season, coupled with their grudges from last season, makes this game the NBA version of the "Fight of the Century."

Tickets for this game have been scalped for several times their original price.

The game will be broadcast live by ESPN, but TNT, FOX, and other media outlets, after negotiating with ESPN, will also broadcast the game simultaneously.

The attention this game is receiving is comparable to the NBA Finals.

The huge attention has also made the betting companies restless, and they have successively opened betting lines.

The lines show that the Warriors are favored to win by 1.5 points over the Pelicans.

Although the point spread is small, the betting companies still favor the Warriors to win this game.

The day before the game, players from both teams successively held open training sessions at the training center.

Both the Warriors and the Pelicans attracted a large number of reporters to watch.

"I won't pay attention to the outside world. What I have to do is focus on the game and then help the team win. The Pelicans have become much stronger this season, and so have we. I will do my best in the game."

Curry remained as low-key as ever in front of the media.

However, his teammate Green had a completely different tone.

"We eliminated them last season. They've won some games before, but we'll still win the game like we did last season."

Green's big mouth is really bigger than Barkley's.

"The Pelicans have one more winning streak than you guys."

The reporter reminded him.

"That has to do with the schedule, man. We've already played against the Cavaliers, Grizzlies, and Mavericks before. We also beat the Rockets, twice, so what you said doesn't make sense. I'm already waiting to go to the bar to celebrate after the game."

Green didn't care.

"Bar?"

The reporter asked curiously.

"Yes, I told them that we're going to the bar if we win the game, and the coach allowed it. I'll pay for everything."

Green said with a smile, showing that he had already thought about how to celebrate.

But that's just Green, high-profile and with a big mouth, but he knows how to get along with his teammates.

Curry was not far away, and couldn't help but shake his head when he heard Green's extremely arrogant words, but he didn't say anything.

Tonight's game has very high stakes. The Warriors can't lose.

On another court, Tang Tian also accepted an interview with reporters.

"Our opponents are very strong. They are stronger than they were last season, but so are we. We have enough confidence to beat them."

Tang Tian expressed his confidence in the game in front of reporters.

"And we also have a secret weapon. I believe they will like it."

Moreover, in the interview, Tang Tian also pretended to be mysterious and kept it a secret.

This made the reporters extremely curious, but Tang Tian just wouldn't reveal what it was.

"That's a very powerful weapon. You will definitely get excited during the game!"

Bojan happened to be passing by at this time, approached the microphone and said with a big laugh, and then ran away.

Tang Tian shook his head helplessly as he watched Bojan's back. Bojan is now the Pelicans' big treasure.

"We know that the referee's calls had a great impact on the game when the two teams played against each other last season. Are you worried about this?"

A TNT reporter asked a more sensitive question.

This season, the league's sensitivity to referee comments is much greater than before, and many people have been heavily fined for commenting on referee issues.

So this reporter's question could easily bring a fine to Tang Tian.

"I'm not worried. This game is receiving unprecedented attention worldwide. This is about the NBA's image. I believe the referees will definitely be able to enforce the law fairly in this kind of game."

Tang Tian's answer was very smart. He was indirectly putting pressure on the league.

However, this method and strength were just right.

Now, Xiao Hua's desire to control the game hasn't reached its peak yet, and he will definitely take it into consideration.

The next day, the New Orleans Arena was packed, and the aisles on the second floor were full of fans.

If the venue allowed, this game could be held in a football stadium and still be full.

During the pre-game warm-up, Curry directly threw a super long three-pointer from the backcourt, and it went in.

This also showed his super hot state this season. He is creating his personal peak season.

After the warm-up, the scene entered the opening ceremony.

Kerr started with a small lineup, with the Splash Brothers on the outside and Barnes and Green on the inside, as well as Iguodala at small forward.

This lineup also expressed Kerr's determination to win.

The Pelicans still have their regular lineup.

After the opening ceremony, there were three minutes of preparation time. The commentary booth also began to warm up in advance.

This game is being broadcast live by ESPN.

In addition to the ace commentator Breen, the other two guest commentators are the old partner Reggie Miller and Jeff Van Gundy.

"Reggie, Jeff, who do you think has a better chance of winning this game? Is it the home team Pelicans or the visiting Warriors?"

Breen said, looking at the two guests. This is a must-ask question.

"The Warriors. They have defeated many strong opponents in the past, but the Pelicans' winning streak has a lot to do with their schedule."

Miller's analysis coincided with what Green said, which is what many people can think of and see.

Breen nodded, then turned his attention to Van Gundy.

"The Pelicans."

His thoughts were different from Miller's.

"The Pelicans have played historical-level defense this season. The last team to do this was the 2008 Celtics. Defense determines the outcome, especially in high-level games."

Van Gundy is a defense-first player, and his analysis has a lot of his personal style.

"But Curry's offense this season can ignore defense at certain times, such as in the final moments of the game."

Miller has been a bit subdued by Curry's performance this season, and he retorted at this time.

"Tang is the same. He is the player with the most points in the fourth quarter this season. He and Curry are players with the same level of performance this season.

And you just said that the Pelicans' winning streak has something to do with their schedule, but their average point differential is also much higher than the Warriors."

Van Gundy is a bit at odds with Miller.

Breen couldn't help but laugh as he looked at the serious pair. Just like what the two said, in addition to winning or losing, there is also the Tang-Curry showdown, which is definitely full of highlights.

Just as the commentary booth was talking eloquently, the two sides completed their final preparations, and the starting players took to the court one after another.

This fight of the century is about to begin.