The Pelicans' locker room was a bit somber during halftime.
Before the playoffs started, they were confident and aiming for the championship, but they didn't expect to be in this situation after just one half of the first game.
This was the first seed versus the eighth seed. If they were struggling this much, how could they compete for the championship?
Davis especially kept his head down, as if he had transformed from a sunny boy back into a dazed one.
Stevens arrived in the locker room shortly after.
Seeing the players' condition, he smiled and began to speak.
"Guys, don't look so down. The playoffs are a long, long journey. We've only taken the first step. It's a little crooked, but if we adjust our pace, we can still walk it well."
Stevens knew that the first half wasn't the Pelicans' normal level, and that this performance was due to being overly excited.
But instead of blaming them, he used other methods to soothe and motivate the players.
This approach had some effect.
After calming them down, Stevens then laid out the tactics for the second half.
Tang Tian's offensive workload was significantly increased.
Stevens wanted to use the earlier part of the game to get the other players in rhythm, but things hadn't gone as planned. Now that the situation was unfavorable, he needed Tang Tian to step up.
The opening game was important, and the Pelicans couldn't afford to lose this game.
Stevens returned to the coach's office after arranging the tactics.
Tang Tian saw that Davis was still not in a good mood, so he reached out and patted him, then pointed to the tattoo on his arm.
Davis looked at the championship trophy, paused for a moment, then nodded, his eyes regaining their determination.
Both teams didn't adjust their lineups when they returned for the second half.
The Mavericks attacked first to start the second half.
"Defense! Defense!"
At the start of the second half, the fans in the arena cheered for the Pelicans in unison.
The situation in the first half was unexpected, but the fans were still full of confidence in the team.
Nowitzki called for the ball in the low post. Davis didn't blindly defend him, but instead chose to play a semi-fronting defense.
His wingspan was very long, and Deron on the outside didn't dare to lob the ball inside.
Nowitzki tried several times to get around the semi-front, but failed. Deron saw this and passed the ball directly to Butler.
Butler dribbled the ball, and Embiid came up to set a high pick-and-roll. After Butler switched onto Jokic, he accelerated and tossed the ball towards the basket from close range.
"Bang!"
Butler's attention was entirely on Jokic, and he didn't notice the help defense on the weak side.
Davis showcased his defensive coverage, helping over and swatting the ball out of bounds with a single swat.
He roared excitedly after the block.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
No one knew what had happened at halftime, but Davis's performance in the second half was obviously better than in the first half.
The Mavericks inbounded the ball, but there was little time left on the shot clock. Harris quickly took a three-pointer from outside the arc, but missed.
Davis turned and grabbed the defensive rebound.
The Mavericks retreated quickly, not giving the Pelicans a chance to run a fast break.
Holiday dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and passed it to Tang Tian, signaling play number one.
The other players spread out, and Tang Tian faced Butler after receiving the ball.
These hard-training brothers were old acquaintances, very familiar with each other.
Tang Tian knew that Butler's defense was among the best in the league, but Butler's short wingspan limited his defensive ceiling and was also a breakthrough point.
A probing step followed by a fake breakthrough, then a direct pull-up jumper.
Butler tried his best to interfere, but his short arms limited the interference he could provide.
"Swish!"
Tang Tian's three-pointer went in cleanly.
The crowd cheered again.
Tang Tian didn't score much in the first half, only 10 points, but the low score wasn't because he was out of form, but because Stevens's tactics required him to shoot less.
He was 4-for-6 in the first half, so his touch wasn't bad at all.
On the Mavericks' attack, Harris took a pass from Deron after setting an off-ball screen for Nowitzki.
His off-ball movement was truly something.
But Davis was very quick, lunging forward to provide enough interference, and his shot bounced off the rim after being disturbed.
Davis grabbed another defensive rebound.
He was starting with defense in the second half, and his form was slowly returning.
The Mavericks' consecutive unsuccessful attacks in the second half made Carlisle a little anxious, and he got up and walked to the sideline to remind his players of their defensive positioning.
After his teammates spread out, Tang Tian continued to use play number one to attack Butler.
This time, after a probing step, he accelerated directly to the right.
Butler wasn't fooled by the triple threat, and his defense was well in place.
However, Tang Tian chose to pull up for a fadeaway jumper.
Butler leaped forward to interfere, judging correctly, but unfortunately his arms were still too short, and he hit Tang Tian's hand directly.
After the referee's whistle, Tang Tian still completed the shot, and the ball hit the front of the rim, bounced twice, and then went in.
It was still a 2+1!
The crowd cheered non-stop, and Butler held his head in his hands.
His defense was already good enough on this play, but Tang Tian's personal ability was just too strong.
After steadily making the free throw, Tang Tian scored 6 consecutive points to start the second half, helping the Pelicans narrow the deficit to 2 points.
Embiid's shot in the low post against Jokic was interfered with by Ariza's help defense and went wide.
The Pelicans had clearly increased their defensive intensity after returning for the second half, and the Mavericks' offense was stagnating somewhat.
Embiid was a little frustrated after missing his shot, and he was a little slow in retreating. The Pelicans immediately launched a fast break.
In a 4-on-3 situation in the frontcourt for the Pelicans, Tang Tian received a pass from Holiday and put the ball in the basket directly over Deron's defense.
The score was tied!
On the Mavericks' attack, Deron's layup at the basket was blocked by Tang Tian from behind.
Jokic secured the defensive rebound, and the Mavericks still didn't score!
The Pelicans didn't have a chance for a fast break and transitioned into a set offense.
Tang Tian was double-teamed while holding the ball.
Carlisle knew Tang Tian's passing ability now, but Tang Tian's hand was too hot at the moment, and they had to double-team him.
Tang Tian didn't pass the ball immediately. He chose to change direction to the right and break through, going through the middle.
Embiid at the free throw line saw this and immediately helped defend, forming a three-man trap pocket.
Tang Tian sent the ball to Jokic with a behind-the-back bounce pass.
Embiid retreated.
But Jokic didn't hold onto the ball, and the next second he threw the ball directly above the basket.
Tang Tian followed the ball, leaping up and catching it with his right hand, scoring with a one-handed alley-oop dunk.
The Pelicans took the lead!
The entire New Orleans Arena was ignited.
This teamwork, this dunk, the Pelicans they were familiar with had returned in the second half!
Carlisle reached out and called a timeout.
The Pelicans started the second half with a 10-0 run against the Mavericks, and all 10 points were scored by Tang Tian alone!
This scene was very similar to a famous scene in *Naruto*.
In the midst of a fierce battle between the two sides, a figure suddenly looked down on everyone and then recited his lines.
"How many floors does a bag of rice need to be carried to..."
Then, the situation was instantly reversed.
ps: Everyone go to bed early, good night.
Lin Hai Ting Tao