Chapter 1 We Won't Give Up

"We won't give up. The Pelicans played an incredibly high-level game, but they won't always be like that."

Despite the Pelicans' resounding victory in the opening game, Kerr was still relaxed and cheerful during the interview.

This coach, who led his team to 67 wins in his rookie season and 73 wins in his second season, was a member of the former Bulls dynasty, and his mental fortitude was definitely strong enough.

This was also reflected in the faces of the Warriors players.

They lost by a lot in the first game, but the truth was that anyone who watched the game knew that they were neck and neck with the Pelicans until the final seven minutes.

The final collapse was due to their own psychological fluctuations. In terms of strength, they were fully capable of competing.

That's what Kerr and the Warriors players thought.

It was against this backdrop that two days later, the second game of the Western Conference Finals between the Pelicans and the Warriors continued in New Orleans.

Kerr was right, the Pelicans' performance was noticeably lower compared to the first game, and Tang Tian's performance wasn't as explosive.

This was also expected.

Although the Pelicans didn't show it as prominently as the Warriors in the first game, the pent-up energy from a whole season erupting at once was terrifying.

Once that energy passed, it would naturally decline.

The Pelicans' performance declined, but so did the Warriors' performance, and even more so.

In other words, the Pelicans' decline was a normal phenomenon, but for the Warriors, it was a cliff-like decline after the breath they took following the 1-3 comeback.

Amidst the New Orleans fans' fervent cheers, the Warriors' outside shooting touch collectively disappeared.

Curry and Thompson combined for only 5 of 21 from beyond the arc.

The Pelicans led from start to finish, ultimately defeating the Warriors 106-88 again, taking a 2-0 lead in the series!

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west, a year ago the Pelicans were beaten down by the Warriors, and a year later, the Pelicans were beating down the Warriors.

After this game, the Pelicans fans were more excited than ever before.

Although the outside world was very optimistic about the Pelicans, they thought the game would be very intense, after all, the opponent was the 73-win Warriors led by Curry.

But the 2-0 score gave them ample confidence, and they increasingly believed that the Pelicans could win their first championship in team history this year!

"We will start the counterattack at home. 0-2 is nothing to us. We will beat them 4-2."

The next two games of the series were to be moved to Oakland, and upon returning to Oakland, Green made a bold statement in front of the media.

This was also his consistent style, using this method to boost the team's morale.

This was a very positive thing for the Warriors and Warriors fans, but for the Pelicans and their fans, this statement was very arrogant.

You're already down 0-2, and what you're saying means you're going to sweep the Pelicans 4-0 in reverse!

Tang Tian just smiled when he saw this comment.

Last year, Green said that the Warriors would sweep the Pelicans, and if they couldn't do it, he'd write his name backward.

In the end, it only caused a stir for a while, and not many fans remember that incident now.

Time can make people forget many things. In the end, people will only remember who won the championship, and no one will remember the process before that.

Tang Tian saw through it and didn't respond, but Stephenson was very direct.

His trash talk battle with Green wasn't over yet!

"No one will pay attention to what he says, because his words are like farts, and even he doesn't know how many he's let out."

Stephenson directly confronted him head-on.

"I won't waste too much trash talk with someone who's about to be eliminated from the league, there's no need."

Green's response was the same as before, focusing on Stephenson's league status to attack him.

"That's all he can say, man, I've been to the conference finals before him, and as for the championship, I'll have it this year."

Stephenson was really tough, not afraid to engage in a trash-talking battle with Green.

Before the trash talk battle was over, the third game of the Western Conference Finals had already started at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.

The Oracle Arena was packed, and the scene was no weaker than the New Orleans Arena.

The team's unfavorable situation, coupled with the trash talk battle before the game, caused all the Bay Area fans to pour into the arena to cheer for the Warriors.

According to previous media reports, Curry arrived at the arena an hour early before the game to warm up, attracting two or three thousand fans to watch from the sidelines.

He also showed off his excellent touch in front of the fans, hitting a half-court three-pointer, giving the fans great confidence.

During the opening ceremony, Curry shook his head and swaggered onto the court, bringing the atmosphere to its peak.

Kerr made an adjustment in this game, putting Bogut back in the starting lineup.

The Warriors used a small lineup for the past two games, and their average points allowed were as high as 120 points, so this adjustment was expected.

Bogut won the jump ball against Davis, officially kicking off the third game of the series.

"Go Warriors!"

The Bay Area fans were enthusiastic, cheering for their home team in unison from the start.

Amidst the fans' cheers, Curry hit a long three-pointer with a screen from Bogut.

He hit his first shot, showing the same excellent touch as before the game.

Moreover, in the next possession, Bogut also helped defend Tang Tian, successfully stopping the Pelicans' first attack.

Cheers erupted from the scene.

These two possessions fully demonstrated Bogut's importance to the Warriors now. The Warriors' loss in the past two games was likely due to this!

Now that Kerr has corrected it, the Warriors are no longer afraid of the Pelicans!

That's what the fans at the scene thought, but their thoughts didn't last long.

Because in the next possession, the Pelicans forced Thompson to stop the ball through a steal, and then Tang Tian directly stole the ball from Thompson's hands.

Thompson is a top shooter, but his ball-handling skills are really average now.

After Tang Tian stole the ball, he launched a fast break, accelerating past Curry, who was chasing back, and scoring with a two-handed dunk.

Curry's second three-point attempt missed, and Davis grabbed the defensive rebound, after which the Pelicans went to the frontcourt to play a set offense.

Tang Tian broke through and passed to the baseline, drawing a double-team and passing the ball to Jokic, who spun around and scored a layup.

In terms of finishing rate, Jokic is much higher than Biyombo and McGee.

Of course, the most important thing is that after the Warriors stopped using a small lineup, their defensive rotations became slower, and Tang Tian had more room to play.

Barnes' cut to the basket for a layup was blocked by Davis, and Bogut's tip-in for an offensive rebound was also interfered with by Jokic.

Jokic grabbed the defensive rebound, and the Pelicans directly switched to a defensive counterattack.

Without a small lineup, the Warriors' transition defense also slowed down.

Tang Tian caught the ball in the frontcourt and sprinted away, but he didn't go up himself, instead making a no-look behind-the-back pass, stuffing the ball under Thompson's armpit to Davis, who was following behind.

Davis slammed the ball fiercely into the basket with a one-handed overhead dunk.

4-3.

Although the score was close, the Pelicans, like in the first two games, quickly took the initiative on the court.

There was a commotion in the arena, and the fans realized that their previous judgment was an illusion.

In the end, from the core to the team configuration, the Pelicans had unknowingly surpassed the Warriors.