Chapter 2 The Prediction

Tang Tian's premonition was right. In the second quarter, when both teams' main players returned, the Trail Blazers' offense remained strong.

The two teams staged an offensive battle for the entire first half.

Lillard exploded for 30 points in the half.

Led by him, the Trail Blazers tied the Pelicans 65-65 at halftime.

The two teams combined for 130 points in the half, a terrifying score.

"This is the most exciting playoff half of the year."

At the end of the half, even the usually low-key Kenny Smith gave this half a very high-profile evaluation.

But what he said was absolutely correct.

More than halfway through the regular season, the teams in the league had reached a consensus.

To stalemate with the Pelicans, or even beat them, the only way was to play an offensive game with them.

You can't defend them. You can defend the other three Hard Training Brothers, but you can't defend Tang Tian.

How many points Tang Tian wants to score is now very close to the state of "how many points he scores depends entirely on his mood."

But there is only one ball in a basketball game, and as long as there are no mistakes, the offensive possessions are about the same.

So playing an offensive game is the only way.

Although this is difficult to do, it is still possible.

The Trail Blazers' performance in this half was textbook-like.

"Shaq, how long do you think the Trail Blazers can last?"

During the halftime break, the players from both teams returned to the locker room to rest. The live broadcast was doing halftime activities, and the three giants in the commentary booth were chatting idly.

Barkley threw a question to O'Neal at this time.

"The game will lose its suspense by the end of the third quarter."

O'Neal said firmly.

This answer was very O'Neal, and Barkley laughed out loud after hearing it.

"Charles, have you already forgotten the five minutes I talked about?"

O'Neal couldn't help but look at Barkley triumphantly when he saw his reaction.

Five minutes referred to the previous game between the Pelicans and the Spurs, where he said that the Spurs would not last five minutes, and in the end they really didn't.

Barkley nodded with a smile.

O'Neal often jinxes the Pelicans, but he was right last time.

The strength of this Pelicans team now is really not that easy to jinx.

"What do you think, Kenny?"

Barkley then looked at Smith, who was much more rigorous in comparison.

"I agree with what Shaq said."

But to Barkley's surprise, Smith's opinion this time was actually the same as O'Neal's.

It seems that the Pelicans' strength has deeply rooted itself in people's hearts.

In fact, it's not just Barkley and Smith, the fans on the hotline were also discussing how long the Trail Blazers could last at this time.

Lillard had 30 points in the first half, and the Trail Blazers' overall shooting percentage in the first half was close to 60%.

These are not normal performances.

But even so, they only managed to tie with the Pelicans.

It will be difficult for them to put on such a performance in the second half. It's impossible to win. The only question is how long they can last.

And their view is also very consistent with O'Neal's. After the third quarter, the game should be decided.

Halftime passed quickly, and after 15 minutes, the players from both teams returned to the court one after another.

The Pelicans attacked first, and Tang Tian changed direction to shake off McCollum, broke into the inside, and smashed the ball into the basket over Aminu.

This ball directly poured a bucket of cold water on the fans at the scene.

The fans also quickly understood a piece of information: the Trail Blazers' state may decline, but the Pelicans will not, because they have Tang Tian.

"Swish!"

However, in the next round, Lillard responded with a signature three-pointer.

He wore his watch for a bit long tonight, not just for one half, and judging from the posture, he will continue to wear it in the second half.

Tang Tian shook off McCollum in the frontcourt, and made another emergency stop jump shot.

The Pelicans once again took the lead!

Lillard turned around and wanted to return the favor with a step-back three-pointer, but Butler switched to defend him at this time, putting a lot of pressure on him.

The basketball hit the front of the rim and bounced out.

Tang Tian continued to break through in the frontcourt. The Trail Blazers shrank in advance. Tang Tian passed the ball to Butler, who cut in, and the latter flew up for a layup to get another 2 points.

The Pelicans took a 3-point lead.

Lillard also made a breakthrough and pass, but McCollum's shooting opportunity after receiving the ball was not good. His layup into the inside was also interfered with and did not go in.

Turning back, Tang Tian took the ball and continued to attack, faking a pass and then breaking through for a layup, drawing a foul from Nurkic.

The scene was agitated.

O'Neal in the commentary booth had a smug look on his face, and the fans on the hotline were also excited.

They said that the Pelicans would end the game in the third quarter, and sure enough, it was going according to this rhythm.

It is difficult for the Trail Blazers to attack like they did in the first half, but it is very easy for the Pelicans. Tang Tian is a bug when he plays seriously!

Tang Tian made two free throws.

He scored 6 points and 1 assist in a row, and the Pelicans widened their lead to 5 points in the blink of an eye.

If they continue to play according to this trend, it is only a matter of time before the Pelicans widen the gap.

"Come on! Trail Blazers!"

Seeing that the situation was not right, the fans at the scene began to cheer for the home team in unison.

Lillard was double-teamed as soon as he took a step with the ball.

Stevens also knew that this was an opportunity for the team to widen the gap, and he would not give Lillard an easy chance to attack.

Lillard was forced to pass the ball to McCollum.

But he didn't stop the ball, but took the initiative to run off the ball.

Nurkic and Aminu had an elevator door tactic at a 45-degree angle on the right, letting go of Lillard and blocking Butler, who was chasing the defense.

McCollum passed the ball immediately, and Lillard caught the ball, turned around, and shot another three-pointer.

The breathing of the fans at the scene stopped for a moment.

There is a big difference between this ball going in and not going in.

"Swish!"

With a crisp sound, Lillard's key three-pointer went in!

It's still Lillard Time!

Including these two three-pointers, his personal score in this game has reached 36 points! The highest in the audience!

It seems that Lillard is not only wearing a watch tonight, but also wearing a mechanical watch, which is durable enough!

This three-pointer ignited the atmosphere of the Moda Center, and the Trail Blazers' defensive enthusiasm also came up.

Tang Tian encountered a double-team and passed the ball to Butler, but Aminu returned to the defense and interfered with it.

The Trail Blazers directly launched a counterattack. McCollum fast-breaked to the frontcourt and scored a reverse layup against Walker's defense!

The Trail Blazers managed to narrow the point difference back to 1 point!

The cheers at the scene couldn't stop. The team's performance tonight was too unexpected!

O'Neal and Smith coughed for a while in the commentary booth.

The Pelicans are too strong to jinx, but the two of them, plus countless fans on social media, are jinxing together.

This huge jinxing power, although it still didn't overturn the Pelicans, it made the Trail Blazers fly!

If they continue to play according to this rhythm, this game is no longer about whether the Pelicans can end the game within three quarters, but is likely to head towards the decisive moment!

In other words, although without the help of the referee, the entire Trail Blazers team, from Lillard to Collins, are performing beyond their normal level tonight, and they have a chance to break the Pelicans' undefeated playoff record!