Chapter 1 The First Game in December

The Pelicans' first game in December was against the Spurs.

The two teams last played in October when Davis was out and Tang Tian's performance was limited by the Spurs' two-way wings.

This rematch was an opportunity for the Pelicans to get revenge.

However, achieving revenge wouldn't be easy.

The Spurs were getting into their groove, with a record of 21 wins and 2 losses, the same as the Lakers, but ranked second in the West due to the tiebreaker.

At this rate, Popovich might achieve 70+ regular season wins this season, something he couldn't even do during the GDP era.

Moreover, the game was in San Antonio, further increasing the difficulty for the Pelicans playing away.

The day before the game, the Pelicans team arrived in San Antonio.

For Tang Tian, this matchup with the Spurs was very different from the past.

First, the last game was at the Pelicans' home court; this was his first time playing in San Antonio after CCX became the Spurs' owner.

Second, this was the first official game where he planned to use the super long-range three-pointer.

Third, Ginobili would have his jersey retirement ceremony at this game.

That night, Ginobili took GDP, Tang Tian, and Green out to dinner.

The last time they had such a large gathering was during the 2016 Rio Olympics.

With Ginobili and Diaw retiring last season, all the players from that Spurs team were now playing for the Pelicans.

This was also a good thing, at least for their gatherings, they just had to wait for the Pelicans to play the Spurs.

"Tim, why don't you become an assistant coach for the Spurs in the future, so you can get a free meal even if the game is in New Orleans next time."

Tang Tian joked to Duncan.

Duncan smiled and nodded.

Not bad, that was a great idea.

Popovich had mooched so many meals from his car shop; this method could get all those meals back at once.

They ate and chatted, and such gatherings were truly precious to them.

Parker and Ginobili talked the most.

GDP had played together for more than ten years, and now that G and D had retired one after another, he must have had the most feelings.

"Tony, it's lucky for you to be able to play with Tang at the end."

Ginobili said with a hint of envy.

Among so many new players on the Spurs, Tang Tian had the best relationship with GDP, something that Leonard or others couldn't compare to.

"No, this guy seems to have learned from Tim, he always wants to touch my hair."

Parker immediately shook his head and said.

Tang Tian was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Duncan and Green also laughed along.

Ginobili laughed too.

He empathized the most and knew how Tang Tian's habit was "forced" out of him by Duncan step by step.

He was already bald; it would be more comforting if Parker went bald with him.

The next night, the game between the Pelicans and the Spurs began at the AT&T Center.

The arena was packed, and many Chinese fans were present.

There were very few Chinese people in San Antonio; these people came from Houston, Dallas, and even New Orleans to watch the game.

Because of CCX, the Spurs became the first team with a Chinese owner, and as a result, they had many more Chinese elements.

Not only on the scene, but also domestic fans paid unprecedented attention to this game.

The Pelicans lost last time because Davis was absent, which was reasonable.

Now that Davis had returned, it was time for the two teams to have a real contest!

One hour before the start of the game, Ginobili's jersey retirement ceremony was held on the scene.

CCX, Duncan, Parker, Tang Tian, Leonard, and Popovich were all seated in the center of the court, lined up on both sides.

The Spurs also attached great importance to this jersey retirement ceremony, and all five of the team's championship trophies were brought out.

After a brief opening speech by the host, it was followed by speeches.

Unlike Duncan's jersey retirement ceremony last year, Popovich was the first to start the speech this year.

"When Manu first joined the Spurs, I told Tim that he was a great guy, but Tim dismissed it. About a week later, Tim was given a slap in the face."

Popovich was still the same, and the first sentence he said made everyone laugh.

"Ginobili forced me to learn how to curse. Before I met him, my hair was dark brown, but after spending a year with him, my hair turned completely white."

"At first, I would be furious with Ginobili's unreasonable shots, but later he kept leading the team to win, so I could only shrug and shut up."

He continued to speak wittily.

"There are very few superstars in the league who sacrifice time and accept substitutes for the sake of team balance like Ginobili. Without him, we would not have won the championship. I love you, Manu!"

He also made a deep confession at the end, which drew a burst of whistles and cheers from the audience.

"I paid attention to the 1999 NBA draft. We selected Ginobili with the 57th pick. I was stunned at the time and called the coach to ask who the menu was."

(Note: Manu's English name is manu, and the Chinese meaning of menu is 菜单)

The second speaker was Duncan. He also became more mischievous after retiring for two years, and opened with an American humor.

Moreover, his speech lasted a full six minutes, longer than the time he spoke at his own jersey retirement ceremony last year.

After Duncan was Leonard, who thanked Ginobili for his guidance and help, followed by Parker.

"First of all, I must clarify to the Argentine media and fans that I remember when I first joined the Spurs, you always blamed me for not passing the ball to Manu. In fact, it was coach Popovich who arranged the tactics, and it was Tim who was shooting wildly. This has nothing to do with the point guard."

"Manu's passing usually has two results, one is a wonderful assist, and the other is to pass it to the audience."

"He always likes to test wildly on the edge of mistakes, and the fatal thing is that he succeeds every time, which is really enviable."

"I like Manu in 2005 the most. At that time, he had long flowing hair and was omnipotent. Now that you have lost your hair and magic, I can only barely love you."

It has to be said that being a showman is also a culture. Except for Leonard who hasn't reached the point, the showmanship of GDP is one after another.

After Parker was Tang Tian.

There was a draft pick connection between Duncan and Popovich, and Tang Tian also took over Parker's hair connection.

"I empathize with Manu. I felt like I lost a lot of hair after only spending two years on the Spurs. He stayed here for a full 16 years."

"This is all thanks to Tim, 101 head touches."

Tang Tian also showed off his American humor with the 101 tapping rock theory, which made everyone laugh.

"I am very lucky to have met Manu in my rookie season. He taught me a lot, and he was also the first person to call me 'Godfather' in public."

Tang Tian's last words also drew cheers from the audience.

He is now the number one player in the league, and these words really praised Ginobili very much.

After Tang Tian, the lights in the audience went out, and classic photos flashed back, including the Athens championship, tearing the Pistons, killing the Suns, dunking Bosh, and blocking Harden…

Ginobili gracefully took the stage in the passionate Manu song, wearing a suit, a high nose bridge, and a shiny bald head.

The protagonist of tonight made a shining appearance.

Compared with Duncan's jersey retirement ceremony, his spotlight effect was obviously "better".