The arena was in an uproar.

This was already Durant's 12th point in this quarter.

His scoring explosion was a bit terrifying.

Tang Tian hadn't expected Durant to score even with such tight defense.

It seemed that his scoring run after entering the game in the fourth quarter had gotten Durant's touch back.

And after so long, Durant had finally found the key to playing against him.

In terms of physical talent alone, Durant was definitely historic, and much better than him.

It seemed he needed to find a way to bring Durant's touch down first.

The Pelicans' attack was defended, and Green secured the defensive rebound.

The Warriors had a chance to continue to close the gap.

Durant went to the frontcourt this time, ready to ask for the ball again. While his hand was hot, and while Tang Tian couldn't defend him, he had to score more points.

But as soon as he reached out, he noticed a change in Tang Tian's defense.

No longer the passive behind-the-back defense, but a front-court defense!

Tang Tian's height and wingspan weren't as good as Durant's, but he was stronger, which made it very uncomfortable for Durant to be pinned in front.

And wary of Tang Tian's steals, Curry didn't dare to pass directly.

Durant pushed Tang Tian hard but couldn't move him, then turned and ran off-ball.

But Tang Tian also turned and chased after him immediately.

No matter how many screens he ran, he couldn't get an easy chance to catch the ball.

Curry missed a three-pointer, and Davis grabbed the rebound.

Holiday dribbled to the frontcourt and passed the ball to Tang Tian.

Tang Tian's shot after breaking through the double-team drew a shooting foul from Thompson.

After making both free throws, the point difference returned to 9 points.

The Warriors had tried to break through the 10-point mark several times, but they seemed to be just brushing the edge, unable to go any further.

As the game time dwindled, the time left for the Warriors was also decreasing.

Kerr was a little anxious. If the four-star Warriors couldn't beat the Pelicans, he would really lose face.

The Warriors attacked the frontcourt. Durant ran frantically but still couldn't shake off Tang Tian, who seemed to be glued to him.

He was panting a little, and looked at Tang Tian with disgust.

This disgust was not only because he couldn't receive the ball, but also because this familiar scene reminded him of some very unpleasant experiences.

That experience had made him unable to let go for an entire season.

Fortunately, Curry stepped up this possession, faking a three-pointer to shake off Holiday, then scoring 2 points with a layup.

The Warriors started to close the gap again.

Tang Tian made a突分 (tu fen, sudden pass), but Davis' shot missed, and Durant grabbed the rebound.

Back in the frontcourt, Durant stopped running and directly leaned against Tang Tian at the three-point line to demand the ball.

Tang Tian couldn't defend him anymore. He wanted to continue scoring over Tang Tian, only in this way could he forget those unpleasant experiences.

Holding the ball, triple threat, a step-back pull-up jumper.

He knew that his advantage over Tang Tian was his physical advantage, so even when attacking with the ball, he tried to minimize dribbling.

"Pa!"

But he still couldn't avoid Tang Tian.

Another steal!

When Tang Tian entered the league, he joined the Spurs, and the Thunder Four were one of the Spurs' main opponents.

The two teams played against each other many times not only in the regular season, but also in the playoffs.

And Tang Tian's main task when the two teams played against each other was to defend Durant.

After leaving the Spurs and joining the Pelicans, their matchups never stopped.

This was also the reason for Durant's mental journey from looking down on Tang Tian, to treating Tang Tian as an opponent of the same level, and then to fearing Tang Tian.

Tang Tian couldn't be more familiar with Durant.

If Durant just shot over people, with a good touch, like before, he couldn't stop him.

This was also the most overpowered aspect of Durant.

But if he attacked with the ball like this, Tang Tian was really not afraid at all.

Moreover, under the new officiating standards, many physical contacts would no longer be called fouls, and Tang Tian was even more decisive in his steals.

Durant lost the ball, and when he turned around, Tang Tian was already far ahead, sprinting to the frontcourt and dunking with both hands to score.

The point difference returned to 9 points again!

The Warriors closed the gap a little, but were pushed back out again!

The arena erupted in cheers.

He's back!

They must have been seeing things earlier!

How could Durant break Tang Tian's defense!

Fake, it's all fake!

Tang Tian definitely wasn't using his full strength, now that he's using his full strength, the familiar steals are back!

Durant was unwilling.

He had finally broken through the mountain in his heart, finally awakened, he couldn't possibly go back!

Absolutely impossible!

He went to the frontcourt and continued to run off-ball, trying desperately to shake off Tang Tian.

But he just couldn't shake him off!

Tang Tian's technique for getting around screens was too good, if he said he was second, no one in the league would dare to say they were first.

Durant was panting but couldn't find a chance.

He felt an uncontrollable spasm in his stomach.

Obviously, this wasn't a reaction to excessive physical exertion.

After all, he hadn't played much in the first three quarters.

This was more of a psychological effect.

That unpleasant experience reappeared in his mind, and as the mountain he had just broken through reassembled, he felt immense pressure.

He ran to the three-point line, directly took the ball from Curry's hand, and then attacked Tang Tian fiercely.

Impossible, he wasn't afraid of Tang Tian, he wasn't afraid of Tang Tian anymore!

His heart was roaring, desperately breaking through Tang Tian's defense and pulling up for a shot.

Tang Tian didn't try to steal the ball, but he anticipated Durant's offensive intention, and jumped up first, covering his shooting space.

Durant felt a large dark cloud over his head.

He raised his shooting arc, and the ball barely passed Tang Tian's fingertips.

Then the arena erupted in boos.

Because of the excessively high arc, the ball fell directly in front of the rim.

Air ball!

It's back, it's all back!

This was the brand new version of Durant and Tang Tian's matchup!

Durant felt his stomach churning even more violently.

"Are you okay?"

Curry asked with concern during the retreat.

Durant just shook his head and signaled Iguodala to switch defense with him.

He felt that only by defending Tang Tian could he suppress the churning sensation from deep within his stomach.

Tang Tian received the ball in the frontcourt, and after seeing that the person defending him had become Durant, he was stunned for a moment before signaling to spread out.

Durant had scored 7 consecutive points against him earlier, which was not good news.

A rampaging Durant would make the entire series difficult.

So breaking Durant's psychological defense was what he had to do, not only on the defensive end, but also on the offensive end.

Continuous low dribbling, Durant's long arms covered the space, not giving Tang Tian an easy chance to break through.

Durant had previously defended Williams in the post, proving his defensive ability.

Tang Tian failed to break through Durant, but he didn't stop, accelerated forward a step and stuck to Durant, then performed his signature continuous turnaround fadeaway.

Durant desperately pounced to interfere.

Tang Tian shot in the air, his body at a forty-five degree angle to the floor.

The ball passed Durant's fingertips.

"Swish!"

Tang Tian scored a high-difficulty shot against Durant's defense!

Durant looked back, and the churning in his stomach reached a peak.

He looked back at Tang Tian's posture, still maintaining his shooting form, and finally couldn't control it.

"Blegh!"

He threw up again…