Chapter 1028 Tang Tian, Throwing Magnesium Powder (Third Update!)
The night's ratings hit a new high before the game, and the New Orleans Arena was packed inside and outside.
Above the arena, the Pelicans have put up a new poster, showing the domineering figures of the Big Four.
Entering the arena, Walker and Butler also appeared on the wall next to Tang Tian and Davis.
Walker had a murderous look in his eyes, while Butler opened his hands to lock everything in motion.
The aura inside and outside is destined to be a carnival season for the Pelicans.
Fans were screaming when they entered the stadium.
Perhaps for them, being a Pelicans fan is the happiest thing in their fan career!
Before the entrance ceremony, a championship ring awarding ceremony was held on site.
Gale Benson replaced Tom Benson to present the Pelicans with a championship ring the following year.
Compared with the first year, this year's rings are not as creative, but they are more substantial and of higher value.
League President Xiao Hua also appeared at the awards ceremony.
A very interesting thing is that because of the grievances with Xiao Hua, the Pelicans players since Tang Tian have all looked at Xiao Hua provocatively after receiving the ring.
Xiao Hua was so angry that he had murderous intentions in his heart, but he still forced a smile on the surface.
His inspection period this year is very critical, and he does not dare to openly break up with the Pelicans.
After the awards ceremony, the Pelicans' second championship banner was hung over the arena.
The words 2016~2017 are next to 2015~2016.
Having won the championship for two consecutive seasons, the Pelicans have become one of the most dominant teams in the new century!
The cheers of the fans were overwhelming and endless.
They know that this is far from the limit of the Pelicans. The current four-star lineup is at the bottom of the dynasty!
Xiao Hua stood there, heartbroken.
He already knew about the live broadcast ratings, and he had previously received calls from several team owners who were playing the opening game at the same time.
Those bosses have threatened him that if this situation does not improve, they will not be able to vote for him next year.
In other words, if this trend continues, Tatum's fate will be his fate, and his fate may be even worse.
It's just that he can't do anything now. He can only silently curse the Pelicans for their poor performance.
After the ring awarding ceremony, the scene entered into the entrance ceremony.
The starters from both sides are coming on stage one after another.
On the Thunder side, Westbrook and Oladipo are on the outside, Robertson and Griffin are on the forward line, and Adams is on the center line.
The biggest change in this lineup compared to last season is the addition of Griffin, who is also their biggest reinforcement.
For the Pelicans, Walker, Tang Tian, Butler, Davis, Dedmon!
All four stars came out, with Walker starting and Tang Tian last.
The cheers of the fans at the scene were wave after wave, and they were extremely excited.
After waiting for a summer since the Pelicans formed Brothers Basketball, fans finally welcomed their official game!
The game starts immediately, and the players appear one after another.
Tang Tian was the last one to play.
At this moment, something that no one expected happened.
After Tang Tian wiped his hands with magnesium powder, he did not go directly to the stage as usual. Instead, he grabbed a handful in his hand, faced the audience, and threw it into the air.
There was a flash of lights on the sidelines. Although this scene happened suddenly, it was still captured by many media reporters.
"What is he doing?!"
In the commentary box, Kenny Smith was stunned.
Throwing magnesium powder, this is James' exclusive action!
Although at the beginning of last season, James has stated that he will not continue to use this action until he wins again.
But what does Tang Tian mean by doing this now? !
Steal James' move?
This is causing trouble!
Tang Tian was calm, and after throwing it, he turned around and went on stage.
That’s right, he’s the one causing trouble!
He just wants the Pelicans to capture all the attention and topics in the new season!
The NBA is like a big pot of delicious food, and the Pelicans are going to eat it all in the new season!
Other teams, if you want something to drink, go and drink it! There's nothing to drink, it's cool and it consumes less energy, so just stay here!
Fans at the scene whistled continuously after reacting.
Cool!
It’s this feeling of crushing everything and possessing everything!
On the Thunder team, the players had a somewhat helpless look on their faces.
The Pelicans' crushing performance in the preseason made them feel like they were losing before they even fought.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Pelicans are like a mountain standing in their hearts, unable to climb and weighing them down.
"beep!"
As the referee's whistle blew, Davis moved the ball back to the Pelicans half, officially kicking off the new season.
Walker held the ball and advanced to the frontcourt organization.
The Thunder's defensive intensity is very high. The characteristic of this team is defense, and what they are best at is defensive counterattacks.
But for the first ball, Tang Tian broke through Robertson and scored in a one-on-one emergency stop.
Walker, Butler and Davis all have strong defensive capabilities. Compared with last season, Tang Tian has a rare one-on-one opportunity.
And such an opportunity is equivalent to an opportunity for him to give away points.
Looking back, the Pelicans still set up a 2-3 zone defense just like in the preseason.
The Thunder's outside ability is the same as the Lakers they encountered before, which is not very good.
Robertson's three-point shot that was left open was a miss, and the rebound was directly taken by Dedmon.
The pressure given by the Pelicans at the beginning naturally affected their performance!
In the Pelicans' offense, Dedmon stood at the three-point line and pulled Adams out.
Dedmon's three-point shooting percentage in the preseason was close to 40%. The Thunder also knew this, and Adams didn't dare to let it go.
Walker picked and rolled with Davis on the right side. After removing the ball, he accelerated towards Griffin and hit the board with his trademark drifting low hand.
Griffin's short hand couldn't cover it and hit Walker's hand directly.
The referee's whistle sounded, indicating Griffin's defensive foul.
The ball bounced off the board and fell into the net!
Walker's 2+1 score!
There were constant cheers.
Walker has been playing in the East before, and they are not very familiar with it, but from the preseason to now, they have a new understanding.
This is definitely a scoring guard with explosive offensive ability!
Walker's extra free throw was a solid hit, and the Pelicans started 5-0!
"Defend! Defend!"
In just two rounds, the fans' emotions had been completely aroused, and the spontaneous cheers and cheers were overwhelming.
The Thunder still didn't have much to do against the 2-3 zone defense. Robertson didn't dare to shoot if he was left open again, and gave the ball to Oladipo.
Oladipo used Adams' pick-and-roll to break through.
Dedmon didn't come out, so Butler directly helped defend.
Oladipo broke into the three-second zone one-on-one, but was blocked by Butler and had no chance to make a move. Finally, he tried to turn around and pass the ball, but Davis cut him off!
Terrible defensive pressure!
Fortunately, the Thunder retreated in time and did not give the Pelicans a chance to play a fast break.
Entering the position battle, Walker continued to hold the ball and play pick-and-roll with Davis. This time the Thunder chose to double-team Walker.
Walker jumped up in the air and stuffed the ball from Griffin's armpit to the middle. Davis took the ball and followed up in the middle. After receiving the ball, he dunked with both hands and scored!
7 to 0!
Following the Bucks, the Thunder were also rubbed on the floor by the Pelicans!
The difference is that they are in the regular season!