Chapter 1 The New Orleans Pelicans vs. The Houston Rockets

That night, the Pelicans and Rockets game tipped off at the New Orleans Arena.

Somewhat unusually, the home arena, which was always packed, had some empty seats.

It was clear that Durant and the team's recent slump had left some fans extremely disappointed.

However, Tang Tian and Olsen still came to support the team.

When they appeared on the LED screen, a burst of cheers erupted from the crowd.

Although retired and a legend, Tang Tian's influence in this city was unmatched.

In an inappropriate analogy, if Tang Tian were to run for mayor of New Orleans, his election would be a certainty.

The starting lineups for both teams were announced as the pregame ceremony began.

For the Rockets, the backcourt consisted of Westbrook and Harden, with Danuel House and Tucker on the front line, and Capela at center.

The partnership between Westbrook and Harden had been impressive; although not as strong as the Spurs, they were still ranked third in the West.

Both their record and recent performance were much better than the Pelicans'.

For the Pelicans, Stevens had made some adjustments to the lineup, with Gasol not in the starting five.

The backcourt consisted of Alexander and Brogdon, with Durant and Siakam on the front line, and Davis at center.

This was clearly aimed at the Rockets' lineup.

It also showed Stevens' mindset; this game was crucial for the Pelicans.

The Pelicans had already suffered two consecutive losses, and if they lost this game, their morale would be low, and they would likely lose the next game against the Spurs, resulting in a five-game losing streak.

So, the Pelicans had to win this game.

The game was about to begin, and the starters from both teams took the court one after another.

Stevens glanced at Durant's back, then turned to look at Tang Tian in the stands.

Tang Tian had told him that he had talked to Durant, and whether it would work or not depended on tonight.

Tang Tian and Stevens exchanged a knowing look, smiled slightly, and then focused their attention on Durant on the court.

He also wanted to know if Durant was simply not performing, or if he just had a masochistic personality.

Amid the cheers of the fans, Davis tipped the ball back to the Pelicans' half, officially kicking off the new Pelicans-Rockets showdown.

Durant came up and ran to catch the ball, shooting a mid-range jumper.

However, the shot was obviously a bit off, hitting the front of the rim and bouncing out.

Touch was something that had been lost for some time, and it couldn't be regained just by wanting it back.

There was a commotion on the sidelines.

Their disappointment in Durant increased by another degree.

However, Stevens' eyes lit up at this moment.

Because he noticed that after the missed shot, Durant didn't get frustrated as he had in the past few games, but quickly retreated to defend, preventing the Rockets from launching a fast break.

Westbrook went one-on-one against Alexander, and his violent layup after the breakthrough drew a foul on the latter.

Stepping onto the free-throw line, he made both shots despite the interference.

The Rockets took the lead.

Davis answered with a low-post backdown on the other end.

The Rockets advanced to the frontcourt, and Westbrook passed the ball to Harden. Harden's breakthrough drew a defensive foul on Brogdon, also giving him two free throws.

The Rockets' backcourt duo was one of the most lethal in the league.

Harden made both free throws, giving the Rockets 4 consecutive points to start the game.

Back on the other end, Davis tried to post up again but was double-teamed. His turnaround shot from the baseline was interfered with and went wide.

Tucker secured the defensive rebound, and the Rockets immediately launched a fast break. Westbrook scored with a flying dunk.

6 to 2!

The Rockets' superstar backcourt scored 6 consecutive points to start the game, helping the Rockets establish a lead from the outset.

There was a commotion on the sidelines.

Westbrook, Harden, and Durant were the original Oklahoma City Thunder trio.

Now, the second and third brothers were performing heroically, but the eldest brother remained silent.

This scenario really made them feel a headache!

Some people even felt that if they had known it would be like this, the team would have been better off pursuing Westbrook back then.

At least with one inside and one outside player, the lineup wouldn't look as top-heavy as it does now!

Davis tried to post up again but was fronted, making it impossible to pass the ball in.

The commotion on the sidelines intensified.

Just then, Durant reached out for the ball again.

He didn't catch and shoot, but instead chose to attack with the ball.

House, who was guarding him, was sticking close.

He knew that after Durant lost weight, his offense leaned more towards shooting, so his defense was mainly focused on preventing shots.

However, Durant suddenly swung the ball in a big circle to the right, then used his strength to break through directly from the right.

This breakthrough came somewhat unexpectedly, and House didn't have time to react.

Durant broke into the paint, and his elegant shot, facing Capela's help defense, drew a foul on the latter.

Scattered cheers rang out in the arena; Durant's play was finally a bit tougher.

Durant adjusted his breathing at the free-throw line and made both shots.

And after retreating to his own half, he directly shouted at Alexander to remind him that his defensive stance was wrong.

The fans on the sidelines wouldn't pay attention to these details, but Stevens nodded frequently as he watched.

Durant's performance on both offense and defense, although he didn't know what Tang Tian had said, seemed to be working for now.

Durant's reminder was timely, and the Rockets' tactical play didn't come together. Harden's final step-back, one-legged three-pointer missed, and Davis secured the defensive rebound.

Alexander dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, and Durant took the initiative to ask for the ball again.

House was still sticking relatively close.

This time, Durant went into a triple threat position and then chose to cross over.

This was also one of Durant's talents: being able to dribble and cross over despite his height.

This move wasn't very effective against defenders like Tang Tian and Leonard, but it was very effective against defenders of House's caliber.

House lunged forward and missed, and Durant cleanly got past him.

Capela was slow to come out, and Durant took a step and directly went for a pull-up jumper at the free-throw line.

Unlike the catch-and-shoot before, he was wide open after getting past his defender.

"Swish!"

With a crisp sound, he made his first field goal.

A burst of cheers rang out in the arena.

Durant scored 4 consecutive points; the "Tang Tian successor" they had been expecting was finally back!

Harden passed out, and Tucker's three-pointer from the corner missed. Siakam grabbed the defensive rebound.

The Pelicans advanced to the frontcourt and played position offense again.

"Go! Pelicans!"

The fans in the arena got excited and began to actively cheer for the Pelicans.

Durant continued to isolate against House.

This time, before Durant could get past House, Harden on the weak side came over to help defend.

The Rockets had been using help defense when Durant was in poor form, but now that Durant had scored consecutive points, they were using the defensive treatment they should have been using.

And D'Antoni also knew that Durant's passing wasn't very good.

But unfortunately, he misjudged this time. Durant had already observed his teammates' positioning before the double-team formed.

When the double-team formed, he flicked the ball to Brogdon, who was wide open.

Brogdon was also decisive, catching the ball and shooting a wide-open three-pointer directly.

"Swish!"

With a crisp sound, the ball fell into the net!

The cheers in the arena exploded.

The Pelicans had just unleashed a 7-0 run, taking a 9-6 lead!

D'Antoni reached out and called a timeout.

The cheers from the fans in the arena were even louder.

Tang Tian smiled at this moment.