Durant adjusted his breathing, and made both free throws despite the deafening distractions.

4 to 2.

The defensive intensity of both teams was high from the start, making every point hard-earned.

Regardless of the outcome, tonight would be a slugfest, a defensive battle with low scores.

Leonard continued to attack Ariza in the frontcourt, spinning past him beautifully, ready to dunk.

But Davis, the big man, anticipated the move and took his position early, drawing an offensive foul on Leonard!

Davis was knocked to the ground by the impact, and it took his teammates a while to help him up as he rubbed his chest.

Just like Barkley said, the Pelicans weren't just playing basketball tonight, they were fighting for their lives!

Tang Tian, watching from the stands, suddenly wondered if he should say what he was planning to say after seeing the opening minutes of the game.

Everyone on the Pelicans, at least the starting five, didn't want any regrets in this series.

But playing too hard could lead to injuries.

Like Durant in the previous possession, and Davis just now.

There needed to be a balance; nobody wanted someone to get hurt and affect their career.

Fortunately, Stevens also realized this and reminded his teammates from the sidelines after Davis was helped up.

Stevens' reminder worked. The Pelicans eased up on their desperate style of play, but their aggressiveness didn't diminish.

The Spurs were unknowingly drawn into the Pelicans' rhythm, and the slugfest on the court made the audience wince.

The first quarter was like that, the first half was like that, and the end of the third quarter was still like that.

After three quarters, the score was 67 to 66, with the Spurs leading by 1 point.

This was the lowest score of the series so far.

And realistically, after the starters had expended so much energy, both teams expanded their rotations almost simultaneously.

Even so, the stalemate continued until the final 20 seconds of the game.

The score was 87 to 86, with the Spurs leading by one point.

Durant's strong attack drew a foul on Aldridge, and despite the distracting noise, he made both free throws, putting the Pelicans ahead 88 to 87 with a one-point lead.

Popovich called the final timeout.

The fans in the arena felt like they couldn't breathe.

The Pelicans' performance tonight was truly admirable and impressive.

At this point, Tang Tian felt that the Pelicans had already done enough.

Whether the Spurs could score on their last possession or not, the Pelicans players had no regrets.

When the timeout ended, Leonard held the ball for the final possession.

With a series of crossovers and drives, he was swarmed by three defenders when he finally went up for the shot.

A superstar shot, a shot for life or death.

"Clang!"

Unfortunately, he missed.

This kind of high-difficulty shot really depended on individual ability.

Leonard was still a little short of Tang Tian.

88 to 87!

When the final buzzer sounded, the fans in the arena sighed.

The Pelicans' bench, on the other hand, erupted in celebration.

They did it!

After falling behind 1 to 3, they defeated the Spurs on the road, dragging the series to a Game 6!

At this moment, they deserved all the praise!

"They are a great team, they played a great game!"

After the game, O'Neal, who had been proven wrong, also showed grace and applauded the Pelicans.

"No matter what the final outcome of the series is, they have already earned respect."

Kenny Smith nodded in agreement.

Even without Tang Tian, the Pelicans' performance in this game had earned their respect.

After the game, Tang Tian went to the locker room and gave every player a hug, praise, and a pat on the head, encouraging them all the way.

The pressure on the players in this game was unimaginable, and it was really not easy to win.

"Guys, I'm proud of you."

Tang Tian said to all the players in the end.

The locker room erupted in cheers and shouts.

At this moment, they were happier than winning a championship.

With the win in Game 5, the Pelicans brought the series back to New Orleans.

Now they had a chance to fight their way to a Game 7, and then take it one step further, and make it to the NBA Finals!

In the Eastern Conference, the Bucks had already eliminated the Celtics 4 to 1, and this game became the only focus of the fans.

The focus of all attention.

At this time, there was no need to say anything more, or any words would be superfluous.

Both teams were bloodthirsty beasts, thrown from one cage to another.

The Pelicans still played hard, as hard as they did in the last game.

But the Spurs were the same.

Like the Pelicans' Game 6 against the Lakers before, the Spurs didn't want the series to be forced into a Game 7.

The Bucks were already waiting on the sidelines, and they didn't want to fight the Pelicans to the death, and go into the Finals battered and bruised.

But it seemed that they couldn't decide.

The Pelicans were playing with the idea of ​​fighting for their lives, and the Spurs had no way out.

This game was almost a replica of the previous one.

After the game started, the two teams were locked in a fierce battle.

And very similar to the last game, Davis made two free throws in the final moments, helping the Pelicans take a 91-90 lead.

With 10 seconds left, the Spurs had the last chance to attack.

The one holding the ball was still Leonard.

Even Leonard's way of attacking was the same as last time.

Going baseline, being double-teamed by three people, then turning around and fading away for a Kobe-style game-winning shot.

The breathing of the fans at the scene stopped instantly, and the huge arena was filled with only the "bang bang" sound of their own hearts.

"Clang!"

Leonard's shot still missed.

But there was no cheer at the scene, because after the ball bounced out, it fell a second time and hit the edge of the basket again.

Then the third time.

The ball bounced three times on the rim before falling into the net.

The last time he failed to get a game-winning shot, but this time Leonard seized the opportunity and got it, a game-winning shot against the Pelicans.

The fans at the scene couldn't believe it.

The Spurs players had already started celebrating wildly, and the Pelicans players were unwilling to accept it.

But Tang Tian was relatively calm at this time.

It was not easy for the Pelicans to get to this point.

Luck stood on their side last time, but it won't always stand on their side.

After all, Tang Tian wasn't in the Pelicans' lineup now.

The game was over, and the fans at the scene were unwilling to leave, and they were still cheering and applauding for the Pelicans.

Although they were eliminated, the Pelicans' performance in these two games was respectable and worthy of them.

Tang Tian went down to the court and hugged and talked to the Pelicans players one by one.

"Ad, you will have a great season next season, you have broken through yourself."

"Kevin, you have overcome your destiny, and this is only your first season here, you and Ad will be stronger next season."

"Jrue, I hope you continue to stay and continue to fight for the championship with them, your performance is really great."

…

After saying hello to the Pelicans players one by one, Tang Tian also went over to hug and greet Leonard.

"You've grown up, you deserve the MVP."

Tang Tian said from the bottom of his heart.

He missed the game-winning shot last time, but he still shot it this time, and he was able to make the shot.