Another thing happened inside the arena.

During the game, a heated argument broke out between Mavericks' star Jimmy Butler and head coach Rick Carlisle.

This wasn't like the friendly banter between Butler and Tang Tian during the All-Star Game, but a real conflict.

The Mavericks' performance had been average since the All-Star break, and the conflict between their star player and coach was one of the reasons, casting a huge shadow over their championship aspirations.

After finishing the game against the Mavericks, the Pelicans returned home to face the Lakers.

The Lakers had been in decline since Kobe Bryant's retirement, and even drafting Simmons hadn't changed that.

Tang Tian's earlier prediction had been accurate; Simmons had been constantly involved in off-court scandals since arriving in Los Angeles, frequenting nightclubs and even dating Blake Griffin's ex-girlfriend, Kendall Jenner.

With constant off-court scandals and no improvement in his on-court skills, he still couldn't shoot at all, and didn't even seem to want to practice.

Fans and the media had initially hoped he would become the next LeBron James, but they eventually realized how unrealistic that idea was.

And the worst part was, he was ruled out for the season after playing only twenty-odd games due to a foot injury.

Against such an opponent, the Pelicans didn't break much of a sweat, leading by 20+ points after three quarters, and the game quickly became garbage time.

Tang Tian checked out after three quarters, contributing 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.

His streak of consecutive triple-doubles was broken because the Lakers were too weak.

The NBA record for consecutive triple-doubles was set at 11 games.

Fans had previously criticized Tang Tian for using "Spurs-style deception," but in the end, they realized that Tang Tian hadn't been deceiving them.

It wasn't that he didn't want to continue the triple-double streak, but the Lakers were really too weak...

Tang Tian's streak of consecutive triple-doubles was broken, but the fans' attention to the games didn't diminish.

Because it was now the final stage of the season.

In addition to the fierce competition for the final playoff spots in the East and West, the more important thing was the long-awaited playoffs were just around the corner.

Warriors, Pelicans, Cavaliers, Rockets, Mavericks, Spurs, Knicks...

The clashes between these super teams had already left fans hungry for more.

Half a month passed quickly, the gates of the playoffs were about to open, and the competition for the playoffs had become white-hot.

In the East, besides the Cavaliers, Knicks, and Raptors, the remaining Hornets, Heat, Pacers, Pistons, Bucks, Hawks, and Celtics were separated by no more than one game in the standings, and anything could happen with the final rankings.

The situation was similar in the West, but the difference was that with those five super teams, there were only 3 playoff spots left.

The Trail Blazers, Clippers, Thunder, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Nuggets were in a 6-for-3 battle at the last moment.

These teams all had games in the last two days, and fans were watching them all, something rarely seen at the end of the season.

The style of play from the beginning of the century, the fierce battle at the last moment, reminded many older fans of Allen Iverson and the 76ers from the 2005-2006 season.

Iverson averaged 33 points per game, but lost the scoring title to Kobe Bryant and the 76ers missed the playoffs at the last moment.

After two days of intense battles, the final standings for the East and West were released.

In the East, the Cavaliers finished with 60 wins, standing alone at the top.

Although they experienced a disastrous opening game, Whiteside lost weight afterwards, and LeBron James and Kyrie Irving's form improved, they were still considered the favorites to win the championship.

The Knicks followed closely with 53 wins.

Compared to the Cavaliers, the Knicks' performance had been more volatile this season. The aging of Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard had at one point pushed them out of championship contention, but the trade that brought John Wall at the trade deadline played a crucial role.

The Raptors were third with 51 wins.

Adding Serge Ibaka, along with the existing "trash brothers" Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors' chances of winning a championship were slim, but they were a formidable force in the East.

After the Raptors, the Hawks, Bucks, Hornets, Pacers, and Heat were ranked 5th to 8th.

All of these teams had records below 50 wins.

The trend of forming super teams in the league was intensifying, with strong teams in the West rising together, and Eastern teams rarely winning against Western teams. The imbalance of power between the West and East had reached an extreme.

It was foreseeable that if this pattern continued, the league would eventually be left with only a few super teams.

In the West, the Pelicans' performance this season wasn't as eye-catching as last season, but they still finished with 70 wins.

They were also the only team in the league with 70 wins.

Tang Tian finished his sixth year in the NBA.

He also played his most statistically brilliant season.

He averaged 35.6 minutes per game, 32.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 3.2 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 3.3 turnovers, with a 51.1% field goal percentage and a 43.6% three-point percentage.

He led the league in scoring, assists, and steals, and ranked fifth in the league in rebounds.

He won the scoring title, assist title, and steal title in a single season!

More importantly, he became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for the season!

Last season, fans said that the Pelicans and Tang Tian had reached their peak.

But now it seemed that was just one peak, especially for Tang Tian, who could continuously break through his limits and had no ceiling.

After the Pelicans, the Warriors finished with 65 wins, ranking second in the West.

Although they experienced a slump in the middle of the season, their strength remained among the top teams after fully integrating, and they were in a league of their own with the Pelicans.

The Spurs finished third with 61 wins.

The Rockets and Mavericks had strong momentum in the middle of the season, but in the end, they found that experience still mattered. Gregg Popovich quietly led the team to third place in the West.

The Rockets finished fourth with 60 wins.

The "Big Three" of James Harden, Chris Paul, and DeMarcus Cousins ​​performed well under the new officiating standards.

Although they eventually ranked fourth in the West, the playoffs are a stage for superstars, and they were still considered favorites to win the championship.

The Mavericks finished fifth with a 55-win record.

They were ranked higher at the beginning of the season, but the conflict between Butler and Carlisle became increasingly apparent, which became their biggest hidden danger.

Besides these five super teams, the remaining 6th-8th place teams didn't even reach 50 wins.

The Trail Blazers finished sixth with 45 wins.

The Clippers finished seventh with 43 wins.

The Thunder and Jazz both finished with 41 wins, but the Thunder successfully secured the eighth seed based on their head-to-head record.

It's worth mentioning that, like Tang Tian, Russell Westbrook also successfully averaged a triple-double for the season.

Averaging 31.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.3 assists, with a 42.5% field goal percentage and a 35.6% three-point percentage.

Although his statistics were a bit worse than Tang Tian's, he also averaged a triple-double.

Even if it weren't for Tang Tian's existence, he would have entered the MVP discussion.

This was also the first time in league history that two players averaged a triple-double in the same season!