That sentence sounded like an elder commenting on a junior.

But the reporters didn't find anything wrong with it.

They even thought Giannis receiving the evaluation of being the greatest player in NBA history, especially after playing such a terrible game, was a very good assessment.

In reality, it was also what Tang Tian truly thought.

Back when Jokic was still with the Pelicans, he was the first person Tang Tian saw sleeping in the training facility.

But he knew about the story of someone sleeping in the training facility from Giannis in his previous life.

Including sending his first month's salary to his parents, leaving himself with nothing, and running back to the training facility.

All of this showed that Giannis was a positive and extremely hardworking person.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to transform from a skinny kid when he entered the league into the Greek Freak he is today.

To achieve that, it definitely wasn't possible by just eating egg pancakes.

So Tang Tian had high expectations for him, just like Duncan or Kobe had for him back then.

Even as an opponent.

"Giannis reveals his true form in one game, he's just a pseudo-superstar!"

"The gap between the Bucks and Pelicans is too big, my feeling after watching the first game is that they don't have even a single chance!"

"Now you all know how strong the Lakers and Spurs are, the East is the weakest this year, whoever makes it to the Finals will get crushed!"

"This year's Bucks remind me of the 2007 Cavaliers, who continuously defeated the Nets and Pistons in the East, but were vulnerable in front of the Spurs..."

"Giannis is also very similar to LeBron that year, his lack of outside shooting was targeted to death, and he played the worst Finals of his career."

"Giannis = LeBron, Pelicans = Spurs?"

"One side is a one-star with four shooters, the other is a Spurs-system team, history is always surprisingly similar!"

"The West is strong and the East is weak, this year is not much different from the past, look closely, in the past decade only LeBron's Heat won once."

"Sweep is already a certainty, congratulations to the Pelicans for completing a four-peat!"

…

Unlike what Tang Tian said, the fans and external media on social media had already given up hope for the Bucks after the first game.

Giannis' problem couldn't be solved in a day, and the Pelicans' form wasn't something that could disappear just like that.

Two days later, Game 2 of the Finals continued in Milwaukee.

Despite the widespread pessimism, the Bucks' performance tonight was a pleasant surprise, especially for the home fans who regained their confidence.

This change stemmed from the adjustment made by head coach Budenholzer.

He no longer let Giannis be the primary attacker, but simply used him as a defensive anchor, adding the roles of pick-and-roll screen and fast-break finisher in positional warfare.

The team's offense was basically initiated by Irving and Hayward through pick-and-roll plays.

This style of play was equivalent to benching Giannis at his own expense, but the effect was really good.

Giannis had the talent and strength, but with obvious weaknesses, not letting him be the primary attacker concealed his shortcomings.

In addition, Irving and Hayward were both pick-and-roll masters, and the Bucks played with a completely different effect than in the first game.

At the end of the first half, the score was 50 to 55, with the Bucks trailing the Pelicans by only 5 points.

It must be said that Budenholzer was really an elite-level head coach, and the adjustments he made were outstanding.

In the second half, the Pelicans changed their style of play, and Stevens began to increase Tang Tian's shot attempts.

Budenholzer had forced out the true strength of the Pelicans.

This was the Pelicans that the Spurs and Lakers faced.

The Spurs had George Leonard, and the Lakers had Middleton, Durant, and James, all of whom had excellent defensive abilities on the wings.

But for the Bucks, Irving and Redick couldn't be counted on, and Hayward's defense was limited by his physical qualities, so he could only be considered average.

The Bucks relied on Giannis to help defend, and they didn't have many other options.

But many of Tang Tian's offenses were initiated from the outside, and Giannis couldn't even help defend.

As a result, Tang Tian scored 40 points alone in the second half, and the Pelicans outscored the Bucks 60 to 40 in the half, directly crushing the Bucks.

115 to 90.

Another 25-point惨败 (canbai, crushing defeat).

For Bucks fans, the only consolation was that the team played a first half that was evenly matched with the Pelicans.

And they had forced out the strongest Pelicans.

After the first two games of the Finals, the two teams would move to New Orleans for the next two games of the Finals.

With a 2-0 lead, they were playing as stress-free as the 2007 Spurs.

For Pelicans fans, this was definitely the happiest Finals.

They had a good chance to witness the team lift the four-peat trophy at home, and the scene was exciting just thinking about it.

Of course, that wasn't the happiest thing, the happiest thing was that Davis was coming back!

According to the original plan, Davis would need at least three more days to fully recover.

But like Murphy's Law, the thing you fear is likely to happen, and the thing you hope for is also likely to happen.

Davis was determined to return, and he really could return!

However, this difference of three days could only be considered a recovery exceeding expectations in medical terms, although it wasn't the norm, it wasn't uncommon either.

Anyway, Davis could finally play.

During training, the way he ran back and forth, jumping up and down, really looked like a wolf that had been hungry for a month.

Fortunately, this was a closed-door team training session, if it were seen by reporters and then reported to the Bucks fans, their mood would probably be extremely desperate.

They were already playing without much spirit, and if Davis came back, it would really be summed up in four words, "what's the point of playing?"

That night, Game 3 of the Finals began at the New Orleans Arena.

The arena was packed, and the bars within a ten-mile radius outside the arena were also packed.

The Pelicans' influence in New Orleans and the surrounding area had indeed reached an unprecedented level.

No one likes to be abused, but everyone likes to abuse others!

Before the game, Budenholzer used an impassioned speech to re-ignite the players' fighting spirit.

When he entered the court to warm up, he observed the Pelicans' half of the court as he had done in the past.

And it was at this glance that he was stunned in place.

Davis wasn't wearing a suit and leather shoes like in the past, he was wearing training clothes and warming up with the Pelicans' players.

And he looked very excited, dunking whenever he could during the warm-up, never settling for a layup.

He really looked like a man who hadn't touched a woman in a month, a wolf that had been hungry for a month.

His heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly felt an indescribable chill.

After the warm-up, the opening ceremony began.

The starting lineups of both teams were gradually revealed.

The Bucks' side still had the same starting lineup as the previous two games.

The Pelicans' side had a relatively large change, with Carter and Siakam, who had started in the previous two games, returning to the bench.

The starters for this game were Brogdon and Tang Tian in the backcourt, Green and Davis on the front line, and Gasol at center!

After this lineup came out, not only Budenholzer, but also the Bucks' players felt a chill in their hearts.