That shot was sudden; if it went in, it would kill the game outright.

The arena suddenly fell silent.

The ball spun towards the basket.

The ball's trajectory was perfect.

The ball's force was just right.

This was a shot that had a very high chance of going in!

"Clang!"

But tonight, the rim really wasn't giving the Pelicans any face, and the ball slammed against the front of the rim and bounced high.

Tang Tian's game-winning three-pointer didn't go in!

This had nothing to do with personal ability; it was purely the Pelicans' bad luck tonight!

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

With about 20 seconds left in the game, missing that shot was like giving the Rockets a chance for a game-winner!

But at a crucial moment, Harrell stepped up.

Harrell had improved tremendously in his two years with the Pelicans, but because he was short for an inside player, Stevens couldn't start him.

But Harrell always brought surprises whenever he was on the court.

This time, he squeezed past Capela and fought to grab the rebound!

A priceless offensive rebound!

He reacted quickly after grabbing it, turning around and slinging the ball back out to Tang Tian on the perimeter.

Tang Tian caught the ball and shot again.

Same action, same spot.

Harden scrambled to help defend and block.

But Tang Tian's three-pointer was a pull-up, and his release was too quick; Harden didn't get a hand in his face.

The ball spun through the air, arcing through the sky. Compared to his last shot, this one had a truer trajectory and just enough power!

"Swish!"

With a crisp sound, the basketball went cleanly through the net!

Tang Tian's second three-point attempt went in!

"Beep!"

And the referee on the sideline blew his whistle, indicating that Harden had infringed on Tang Tian's cylinder; it was a foul!

It was a 3+1!

Harden had tricked the refs into a key foul in the previous possession, but this time he committed a fatal foul himself!

The decibels in the arena had plummeted a second ago, but in this second, they surged to their peak again.

This shot would directly kill the game!

And more importantly, with that three-pointer, Tang Tian's personal score had reached 72 points!

He had tied his personal career single-game scoring record, set four years ago!

Now, he had one free throw opportunity.

If he made it, he would break that record.

Tang Tian had been improving year after year, and breaking this record was only a matter of time.

But no one expected him to break it in the first game of the new season!

The arena quickly quieted down.

The outcome was no longer in much doubt, but this free throw was critical.

Tang Tian adjusted his breathing.

"Swish!"

Without any suspense, Tang Tian steadily made the free throw.

73 points!

Tang Tian had broken his personal single-game scoring record!

The cheers in the arena erupted instantly, lasting for a long time.

Four years later, this moment of joy could only be felt by the most dedicated Pelicans fans!

They even hoped that the Rockets could pull off some miraculous play to drag the game into overtime, so they could even hope for Tang Tian to break Kobe's 81 points.

But unfortunately, the 6-point lead was enough to kill the game.

Although Capela made amends and grabbed an offensive rebound, Harden and Paul missed consecutive three-pointers.

The score on the court was finally fixed at 114 to 108.

The Pelicans defeated the Rockets at home, taking the victory in the new season's opening game!

As the game ended, confetti rained down and the fans' cheers were deafening.

It was just a regular season game, but it gave them the feeling of winning another championship.

The Pelicans players also rushed to Tang Tian's side, shouting and yelling at him.

Tonight was another night for Tang Tian's career!

The 73-point scoring record would rank fourth in NBA history, behind Chamberlain (100 points and 78 points) and Kobe (81 points).

The game had just ended, but social media was already buzzing with discussion.

"73 points! The highest score in the NBA right now! Tang has taken another step towards greatness!"

"I've personally witnessed someone challenge Kobe's 81 points, truly witnessing history!"

"What Shaq said during the commentary was so on point: Walker and Butler's departure might allow us to witness a season where Tang goes on a scoring spree!"

"Yes, Kobe's 81 points, Chamberlain's 100 points, for the first time I feel like it's really not impossible!"

"No, you're too optimistic. There were too many external factors in this game. The entire Pelicans team was sluggish, Davis was injured, the Rockets' defense was terrible..."

"Yes, Tang isn't the kind of scorer who is only focused on scoring. He needs a lot of conditions before he'll frantically shoot to score, like today."

"Speaking of which, after this game, the Pelicans' offseason moves have been proven to be so terrible. The Green trade is the worst deal of Demp's career!"

"Yes, I think signing Ariza back would be more reliable than getting Green, who's already past his prime!"

"Even worse, Kuzma, who performed well in the preseason, is proving to be useless in the regular season, and Brogdon and Dedmon are also clearly not in as good shape as they were last season."

"We still don't know how Davis's injury is. I think the Pelicans are really in trouble this season!"

"What goes around comes around. It's normal for dynasty teams to break up. Weren't the OK duo broken up in the past?"

……

At the post-match press conference, Tang Tian and Stevens appeared together.

Tonight, Tang Tian was the focus of all media attention.

73 points, turning the tide with his own strength. This was one of the most classic games of Tang Tian's career to date.

Perhaps only slightly inferior to his 62 points in three quarters of Game 7 to lead the team to the championship.

Questions about the 73 points were also endless.

How he felt after scoring 73 points, whether he had thought about scoring more points, what he thought of Kobe's 81 points, etc.

But besides these questions, there was another question that was inevitably raised.

The Pelicans players' condition.

Despite Walker and Butler's departure, ESPN still ranked the Pelicans third in the power rankings.

But after the first game, the Pelicans' overall performance really didn't match that ranking.

After all, Tang Tian couldn't score 70+ points every night.

The reporter also quoted comments that fans had used on social media.

The Pelicans slapped ESPN in the face last year, and they're going to slap ESPN in the face again this year.

It's just that this time the slap in the face was clearly not a good thing.

"No, one game doesn't prove anything. I believe in my teammates, they will find their form soon."

Tang Tian's answer to this question was simple.

Green and the others' poor shooting in the opening game was completely abnormal.

Although the preseason isn't the regular season, Green and the others had good shooting touch in six consecutive games.

This was telling, so he had every reason to believe that this was just a temporary slump.

In fact, while Tang Tian was being interviewed, Green and Brogdon, including Kuzma, were all in the gym doing extra practice.

The Pelicans' fighting spirit was completely fine, and the players weren't wallowing in self-pity because of their poor performance in one game.

On the contrary, this game's slump motivated them to put on a better performance in the next game.

Tang Tian had already set an example, and now it was their turn to show their performance.

They weren't just the defending champions, but also a dynasty team!