Chapter 5 Calm

Calm. Tang Tian said these words calmly, and the team members' feelings after listening were also calm.

But calm wasn't indifference.

On the contrary, at this moment, they resonated strongly with what Tang Tian said.

This was actually an extremely philosophical passage.

There was no chance to start over in life, not even for a small matter, a choice, or even a decision.

Just like what Tang Tian said, looking back on this matter in the future would bring different feelings, and those feelings were determined by their own decisions.

Either they could give up in their hearts in advance, go through the motions, and feel regret in the future, after all, this was an opportunity for a five-peat.

Or they could go all out and give it their all, even if they failed, they would at least know that they had given everything for the five-peat.

No one shouted slogans, but from the eyes of the team members, it could be felt that their hearts were extremely firm at this moment.

Stevens turned his head at this time and gave Tang Tian a look of high praise.

He now felt that Tang Tian's motivational speech level had entered a realm that others could not reach.

Not decibels, not emotions, just resonating with you, making you believe that it was the truth.

That afternoon, the Pelicans set off for San Antonio.

Down 1-3 and playing on the road, all external conditions were the most unfavorable for them.

In the pre-match odds given by the betting websites, they were also giving up a full 10+ points.

No one thought they could win Game 5.

Except for themselves.

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

The arena was packed, and the fans' faces were full of excitement.

Their thoughts were the same as the outside world, preparing to welcome the team into the glorious moment of entering the Finals.

Leonard's rise and the successive additions of Aldridge and George had made the Spurs a championship-contending team even after the GDP era.

However, the Western Conference had been a chaotic battleground in recent years, and their last appearance in the Finals dated back to 2014.

That was Tang Tian's first season after leaving, and after just completing their dynasty, they lost to LeBron James' Heat in the Finals.

They hadn't been there since.

Tonight, they could relive that glory.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of the two teams were announced.

The Spurs still had the same "one star and four shooters" lineup as the previous game, with Forbes and Belinelli on the outside, George and Leonard on the wings, and Aldridge at center.

Stevens changed his lineup again for this game, with Brogdon and Holiday on the outside, Durant and Ariza on the wings, and Davis at center.

Stevens' frequent lineup changes also showed that the Pelicans were at a disadvantage, and the constant changes were to look for opportunities.

"Shaq, how big do you think the Pelicans' chances of winning tonight are?"

Before the game started, Barkley began to warm up the atmosphere.

"30%, less than 30%."

O'Neal was very realistic, Tang Tian was not there, and his view of the Pelicans had completely changed.

Barkley couldn't help but laugh, then turned to look at Smith.

"40%, the Pelicans won in Game 3, they deserve that percentage."

Kenny Smith was relatively objective.

However, judging from the attitudes of the two, including Barkley's reaction, the "Big Three" also, like the outside world, favored the Spurs to enter the Finals tonight.

Just like what was said before, no one was optimistic about them except the Pelicans themselves.

The game started quickly, and Davis won the tip-off for the Pelicans.

However, Durant's opening offense was interfered with by Leonard and went wide.

Stevens changed this lineup to increase the offensive flexibility on both ends, but the fact proved that Durant's efficiency at the small forward position wasn't high against the Spurs.

However, after a scramble under the basket, Davis was in a bad position and couldn't grab the rebound, so he directly slapped the ball out.

The angle of this ball wasn't good, and Holiday didn't catch it. Seeing that the ball was about to go out of bounds, he flew to save it.

He rushed into the Spurs' bench, but unfortunately, he didn't save the ball.

The Pelicans' first offense was unsuccessful.

Back on the Spurs' frontcourt, Leonard isolated Ariza, and Durant helped with the defense.

Leonard passed the ball in advance, and George prepared to shoot a three-pointer on the outside.

Holiday on the weak side flew to help defend.

George shook Holiday with a pump fake and shot again.

However, at the moment he shot, a hand interfered again.

It was Holiday!

After being shaken away, he didn't give up, but pounced again.

The shot wasn't blocked, but George's shot was affected, and the three-pointer missed.

"The Pelicans' aggressiveness is very good tonight."

Kenny Smith gave his evaluation.

"Yes, but that's not enough for them to win."

O'Neal shook his head with a smile.

Before he could finish his words, Durant ran a pick-and-roll with Davis in the frontcourt. Durant was double-teamed and passed the ball out, but it was directly stolen by Leonard.

The Spurs were also very excited tonight. After so many years of not entering the Finals, everyone's faces were filled with desire.

However, Leonard didn't hold the ball and was stolen back by Davis from behind!

The Pelicans' aggressiveness tonight wasn't very good, it was very high!

After the steal, Davis turned around and dunked directly to score.

With the back and forth, Davis scored the first points for the Pelicans.

However, Leonard immediately responded with a turnaround fadeaway over Ariza.

You score on me, and I'll immediately score on you. Tonight, the two teams were like beasts in a cage, baring their fangs and fighting.

In the Pelicans' frontcourt, Durant held the ball and isolated George. George quickly slapped the ball out.

However, George didn't control the ball either. After the ball left, it was caught by Leonard's big hand, but Ariza quickly grabbed the ball as well.

The two fell to the ground while fighting for the ball, and Holiday also pounced on it, followed by Brogdon and Forbes.

The court was full of sweaty bodies for a while.

The referee's whistle sounded, calling a jump ball.

"What..."

Barkley and O'Neal looked at each other.

Under normal circumstances, if Leonard got the ball, he could basically secure possession with his hands, but the Pelicans' aggressiveness was too high.

And it wasn't just one person, it was the entire team.

Leonard and Ariza's jump ball, Leonard tapped the ball to the Spurs' half.

At this moment, Durant completely ignored his body and sprinted directly like a high jumper, jumping diagonally to grab the ball.

Most of Durant's body was on George's, which was quite dangerous, and scared the commentators Barkley and the others into a cold sweat.

Fortunately, George was an experienced player and hugged Durant in advance, using a foul to prevent him from falling.

The crowd applauded George's actions.

"I see it now, they're not here to play ball tonight."

On the commentary booth, Barkley said after recovering.

Smith and O'Neal both turned to look at him.

"They're here to fight."

Barkley used the simplest words to give the most accurate summary.

Smith and O'Neal both nodded one after another.

This game was the Spurs' series point, and it was also the Pelicans' last stand.

In desperation, the Pelicans' players were really like the Han army forced to the Zhi River, fighting to the death!