Lu was thinking when James broke through and sent a brilliant pass, Whiteside caught the ball, squeezed past Jokic, and slammed the ball in with both hands for another score.

5 to 10!

Whiteside accounted for all of the Cavaliers' points after the opening!

In terms of scoring ability, he is much stronger than Mozgov and Tristan Thompson!

These 98 million were worth it after all!

But back on the other end, Tang Tian continued to exploit Whiteside's weakness of slow lateral movement, breaking through to the inside and assisting Davis for another 2 points with a mid-range shot.

Compared to the offensive end, Whiteside's inability to defend out to the perimeter was even more fatal.

James continued to drive and dish, still passing to Whiteside!

He had figured it out; if Whiteside was going to play a role on the court, he had to let him attack more in the paint.

Whiteside caught the ball and continued to post up, but Jokic stood his ground with his hands up.

His offensive moves were limited; no hook shots, no footwork, just a strong take after a physical contest.

"Clang!"

The basketball bounced off the rim.

But he had a quick first step, and he jumped up again for the offensive rebound.

Just then, a figure flew in before him, snatching the rebound in mid-air.

Tang Tian!

Jokic was slow and Davis was boxed out by James, the Pelicans, like in the previous possessions, had a hard time securing defensive rebounds.

But the Cavaliers left Tang Tian open!

Tang Tian, who needed a power forward to get rebounds last season, had clearly improved his judgment of rebound landing points and ability to grab defensive rebounds after acquiring the Rebound Master skill.

Plus his height and jumping ability, he grabbed the ball before Whiteside!

A cheer went up from the crowd.

Whiteside had grabbed several offensive rebounds in a row, and Tang Tian's rebound was a timely save!

Tang Tian grabbed the rebound and immediately launched a fast break. Bojan and Holiday had already taken off, and even Davis squeezed past James and sped forward.

The Pelicans' fast break speed was noticeably faster than last season.

Whiteside was still unable to retreat in time, and the Pelicans had a 3-on-2 advantage in the frontcourt. Tang Tian made a between-the-legs pass in the double team, and Holiday caught the ball and scored a layup.

12 to 5, the Pelicans continued to extend their lead!

Lu stood on the sidelines with his hands on his hips, his brow furrowed.

He was incredibly conflicted inside.

After playing for more than five minutes, Whiteside's advantages and disadvantages for the Cavaliers were obvious.

His offensive rebounds and frontcourt advantage over Jokic were plain to see, but his defense became a liability when targeted.

He couldn't defend in the half-court, and couldn't get back on defense during fast breaks; this wasn't just a one-off.

Whiteside made a name for himself with the Pelicans, which meant the Pelicans knew his strengths and weaknesses inside and out!

And it was obvious that the Pelicans were exploiting this from the start!

It felt as if they were saying, your 98 million went down the drain, your 98 million really went down the drain!

This seemed to echo Tang Tian's attitude before the game; the Pelicans really didn't see Whiteside as a threat.

Because he really wasn't a threat, but rather their breakthrough point!

This was the point of Lu's struggle, whether to keep Whiteside on the court.

Keeping him on the court meant continuing to be targeted by the Pelicans, but taking him off meant admitting that their biggest acquisition of the summer was a failure!

And this wasn't just about one game; if the two teams met again in the Finals, Whiteside might not even be able to play for a minute!

Fortunately, the substitution time for this quarter was coming soon, so he didn't have to struggle. He brought J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson onto the court, replacing Shumpert and Whiteside.

Whiteside gave Lu a displeased look as he walked off the court; he hadn't had enough dunks yet!

Lu went over to comfort him for a while, then continued to turn his attention to the court.

22 to 11, the Pelicans had unknowingly stretched the lead to double digits.

During the bench rotation, Deron continued to be in poor form for the Pelicans, with two three-point attempts that were way off, allowing the Cavaliers to score consecutive fast breaks.

James didn't rest on the Cavaliers' side. After the first quarter, the score on the court was 28 to 20, and the Cavaliers narrowed the gap somewhat.

Stevens reacted quickly, and when he saw that Deron couldn't play, he substituted Holiday at the start of the second quarter.

This substitution worked successfully, and at this time, another veteran of the Pelicans, David West, stepped up.

Taking advantage of Davis's gravity in the paint, he repeatedly received passes and hit mid-range jump shots, helping the Pelicans re-establish a double-digit lead.

Seeing this, Lu was forced to bring James back onto the court after only a minute of rest, but Stevens immediately brought Tang Tian back onto the court as well!

You have your brilliant plans, and I have my ways to counter them!

In the opening game, Stevens didn't hold back at all!

The starters on both sides gradually came on early, and this quarter became an offensive battle between the two sides.

James broke through and scored a layup, and Tang Tian immediately stopped and made a jump shot in response.

Davis received the ball and scored a layup, drawing a foul and getting 2 points, and Irving immediately responded with the same breakthrough and drawing a foul.

In the back-and-forth attack, the defense of both sides was particularly important.

Whiteside didn't play much in the second quarter, and the Cavaliers' defense was still as bad as last season.

And although the Pelicans sped up, the system was still in place. The Cavaliers' offense in this quarter was good, but their efficiency was clearly not as good as the Pelicans.

At the end of the first half, the score on the court was 60 to 46, and the Pelicans had a 14-point lead!

"Alvin Gentry's impact on the Pelicans is huge."

As the game entered halftime, Kenny Smith continued his professional analysis.

The Pelicans scored 60 points in the first half, which is a very high score.

The Pelicans' games last season gave people the feeling of offensive and defensive balance, pursuing offensive and defensive efficiency, much like the Spurs.

But watching the first half of this season, the half-court offense is simplified, and the speed and frequency of defensive counterattacks are increased.

Although not as extreme as the Suns were in the beginning, the team's offense has obviously gone up.

The person who made this change happen is obviously the Pelicans' new first assistant coach, Alvin Gentry.

And this change has been quite successful from the first half.

In last season's Finals, the Pelicans used the Cavaliers' best offense to win three games in a row, and now it looks easier than that.

Before the game, Whiteside said that his addition would make the game easier.

Now it seems that he was only half right.

Because the team that won more easily was not the Cavaliers, but the Pelicans!

After the halftime break, Lu continued to put Whiteside in the starting lineup, and the Pelicans continued to follow the strategy of the first half, focusing on attacking Whiteside.

The playing styles of both sides were the same as in the first half, but the difference was that the Pelicans' outside shooting touch exploded in this quarter!

Tang Tian, Bojan, Holiday, Jokic, and even Davis all scored three-pointers!

Seeing that the situation was not right, Lu replaced Whiteside early, but it was too late!

In this quarter alone, the Pelicans hit 8 three-pointers!

After three quarters, they also led the Cavaliers by as much as 24 points, with a score of 95 to 71!

The Pelicans were a flood of fierce beasts!

This was Kenny Smith's evaluation of the Pelicans' new season style of play after watching this quarter!

Whiteside was extremely depressed on the sidelines; he had a body of strength, but no place to use it!

And Lu didn't trust him!