Embiid and Holiday played a pick-and-roll in the frontcourt. After the pick, Embiid received a pass back from Holiday at the high post and hit a long two-pointer.

He’s got the low post game, can shoot from the paint to the three-point line, has playmaking ability, and on top of that, he’s an excellent defender.

After the NBA entered the small-ball era, centers, especially all-around centers, have basically become extinct.

Embiid can be said to be one of the few and best in the league right now.

22 to 14, the Mavericks still held an 8-point lead.

"Defense! Defense!"

The cheers of the Dallas fans echoed through the arena once again.

The Pelicans looked like they were about to gain momentum, and Embiid's mid-range shot was crucial.

Amidst the cheers of the fans, the Mavericks put up an iron-clad defense.

With more than half of the shot clock gone, the Pelicans' continuous tactical plays hadn't worked.

Tang Tian, holding the ball at the arc, signaled Gasol to come up to the free throw line for a pick-and-roll.

Gasol was big enough. After the pick, Tang Tian accelerated past Embiid.

The Mavericks collapsed inside, and Embiid blocked from behind.

Tang Tian broke into the three-second area and was heavily surrounded, with no chance to shoot at all.

But when he broke through, he noticed Gasol.

After setting the pick, Gasol saw Embiid's defensive movements and didn't wait at the three-point line, but also cut inside.

He made a beautiful no-look behind-the-back pass, and the ball went to Gasol, who had just reached the free throw line.

That was Gasol's attack range.

A perfect collaboration.

But the Mavericks' defensive ability and awareness were really strong. Powell even helped defend against Gasol!

The opportunity was fleeting. Gasol didn't force a shot or a single play, but instead directly passed the ball to the right.

In a play similar to the previous one, Davis was open again!

But Embiid helped defend against Davis again!

The Mavericks played top-level defense this possession!

Not to mention offense, their core lineup had been playing together for two years, and their chemistry on the defensive end was maxed out!

Davis didn't have a good shooting opportunity either, but he passed the ball towards the middle.

Gasol continued to move after passing the ball, and at this moment he cut to the basket!

Embiid didn't have time to get back on defense, and Powell chose to foul to stop him, but he couldn't hold him!

"Beep!"

The referee blew the whistle.

Gasol made the shot at the buzzer, and also drew a foul on Powell!

2+1!

A beautiful goal!

Gasol waved his fist after scoring.

It was his first goal in his Pelicans career!

The Pelicans' bench erupted.

From the assist to Davis earlier, to this 2+1, Gasol perfectly showed his playing style.

Although he was a 2.16-meter tall guy, he was really agile and liked to play with movement.

Cutting in, passing, and cutting in again, this kind of play was really rare among centers.

He hadn't really familiarized himself with the Pelicans' tactics yet, and was completely playing on instinct, but that instinct was very imba! (imbalanced)

Tang Tian also raised his hand and patted Gasol's head to encourage him.

Embiid was the best in the league right now, but not the only one.

The last best all-around center was Gasol.

Gasol made the free throw, helping the Pelicans narrow the point difference to 5 points.

Embiid also cut in the frontcourt, but his shot was interfered with by Gasol, and his turnaround shot missed.

Compared to Harrell, Gasol brought Embiid much more trouble. It was impossible for Embiid to play as comfortably as he had before.

The Mavericks were able to take the lead entirely because of Embiid's advantage in the paint, or rather, his dominance.

But now that that dominance was gone, the Pelicans quickly caught up and surpassed the score little by little.

In the end, the Pelicans won after losing, defeating the Mavericks 103-93 on the road, their third win of the season.

For the Mavericks, Holiday had 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, Conley had 17 points and 10 assists, and Harris had 14 points.

Embiid had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks, but he only made 6 of 18 shots, and both his stats and efficiency were far worse than his previous performances.

Gasol's defense was indispensable.

For the Pelicans, Tang Tian only had 43 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists, Davis had 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Siakam had 13 points and 4 rebounds.

Gasol came off the bench for 28 minutes in his first game for the Pelicans, scoring 7 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block on 2-of-7 shooting.

Although the data didn't look very eye-catching, both coach Stevens and Tang Tian praised him at the post-match press conference.

"His defense on Embiid was the key to our win tonight. He changed the situation on the court."

Stevens knew his basketball after all, otherwise he wouldn't have given Gasol so much playing time in his first game.

"He's the smartest player I've ever seen."

Tang Tian was even more generous with his praise.

"The data doesn't show his contribution to the team. His off-ball movement is very aggressive. He can always stand in the best attacking position on the court. He's constantly reading the game and then making the best choice."

Tang Tian really gave Gasol a good puff piece.

"Yes, this is only his first game, and he's only been with the team for two days. We're looking forward to his performance later on."

Stevens also echoed.

After the game, the evaluation of Gasol on social media was quite polarized.

Half of the fans felt that Gasol was no longer the player he used to be, and no matter what Stevens and Tang Tian said after the game, the data said it all.

It was really hard to justify his $20 million contract with a center who played nearly 30 minutes and scored single-digit points and rebounds.

The other half of the fans thought that Stevens and Tang Tian were right on the money. They had also watched the game, and Gasol's role was not just those stats.

Because defense has no other statistical records besides blocks, and the same goes for off-ball movement.

Neither side was able to convince the other.

Two days later, the Pelicans flew to Boston to challenge the Celtics.

This year's All-Star Game was in Boston, and this game was also for the Pelicans players to experience the All-Star atmosphere in advance.

The Celtics had finally ushered in a revival after welcoming Walker last summer.

They were now third in the East, second only to the Bucks and Raptors.

But compared to the Pelicans, their strength was still a bit lacking.

After four quarters of fierce fighting, the Pelicans easily defeated the Celtics 112-96.

Walker scored 37 points in vain.

Tang Tian still only had 44 points for the Pelicans.

Gasol was given the start by Stevens in this game, playing 31 minutes, scoring 12 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks on 4-of-12 shooting.

Although his touch was still not very good, as Stevens said, he was becoming more and more integrated into the team, and his condition was starting to recover.

After finishing the game against the Celtics, the Pelicans then played against the Knicks and 76ers.

Both teams were tanking this season, and the Pelicans won easily.

Gasol's performance was getting better and better.

Against the Knicks, he had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Playing the 76ers, Tang Tian was rested, and he had the first 20+ game of his Pelicans career, 21 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.

As the game deepened, the comments on social media began to lean towards supporting Gasol.

And naturally, Gasol was compared to his brother Pau Gasol.

Then they found that history was always surprisingly similar.

Gasol's addition was likely to be the most important piece for the Pelicans to complete a four-peat.

Just like Pau Gasol was to the Lakers back then.