Chapter 869 Pelicans’ Championship Ring (Third Update!)

The officiating issue between the Warriors and Spurs was a hot topic after the game, but the fans' attention was attracted by another game the next day.

The Pelicans and Cavaliers, opponents in last season's Finals, will usher in their respective season openers at the Pelicans' home court.

The scene of last season's 3-1 forced 3-3 is still vivid in my mind, and Tang Tian's performance of 62 in the third quarter of the tiebreaker seems like yesterday.

Now that the two teams have encountered each other at the beginning of the season, the league has become very familiar with shaping old enemies.

And this season, the Cavaliers also signed Whiteside, the only old player who has fallen out with the Pelicans.

At the beginning of the season, the league gave fans a feast.

On game day, the Cavaliers held an open training session in the training hall.

There is training on the field, and reporters are standing around the field.

In such a topical and focused game, they tried their best to get something out before the game.

The mentality of the Cavaliers players seems to be very good. The players are talking and laughing, and James is also practicing one-on-one offense and defense with Whiteside with a relaxed look.

It can be seen from this that the Cavaliers are determined to win the championship in the new season and are confident in the upcoming games.

After the training, reporters swarmed in, and a large number of fans gathered around head coach Tyronn Lue and team core James.

But besides them, there was another person who was also surrounded by reporters. It was not Irving or Love, but Whiteside.

Everyone knows that Whiteside has a grudge against the Pelicans, but he is very capable, and his performance with the Heat last season was at a quasi-All-Star level.

The contract he signed when he joined the Cavaliers was also the salary of the fourth giant.

Moreover, his not-so-brainy character has become known to others as his exposure increases.

If a reporter wants to trap something, it is easiest for him to do so.

"What do you think of tonight's opponent, the Pelicans? We all know you played for the Pelicans for two seasons."

The reporter's first question was very straightforward.

"They are paper tigers."

Whiteside did not disappoint the reporter. He was eager to cause trouble as soon as he opened his mouth.

"It's like their starting center, white and soft, I don't know when a center will be able to play like that."

The center he mentioned was Jokic. Even though he had left the Pelicans for more than a year, he was still unhappy with the competition with Jokic.

"Do you think the team can win tonight?"

the reporter asked next.

"certainly!"

Whiteside replied without hesitation.

"Before I came here, this team had already reached the tiebreaker with them, and now that I'm here, we're going to win, and we're going to win easily."

Whiteside's confidence is overflowing.

If you are not a fan who has watched the finals, you will really think what he said makes sense.

Whiteside's interview was reported, and Cavaliers fans were excited.

The Cavaliers are already strong enough. They always felt that something was missing before, but now they realize that it is this kind of domineering power.

James is domineering on the court, but low-key and humble in front of the media. Irving and Love are also like this. Now that Whiteside is here, he just makes up for this!

Pelicans fans were quite angry after seeing it.

Why did the Cavaliers reach the tiebreaker last season without any reason to press? Moreover, Whiteside made trouble on his own and later attacked Jokic.

This is really bad!

And the hatred value is completely filled up!

It's not a big deal for other fans to watch the excitement. Whiteside's remarks only make the game that has already attracted much attention become more anticipated.

On game night, the New Orleans Arena was packed.

Not only because the opponent in the opening game is the Cavaliers, but also because as the defending champion, the championship ring award ceremony will be held in the season opening game at home.

The ring belongs to the team, but the honor belongs to the fans, who will also witness the team's first championship flag hanging in the arena.

No Pelicans fan will miss such an occasion.

With one hour left before the game, players from both teams entered the venue early for warm-up training.

Tang Tian practiced for a while and then sat on the sidelines to rest.

Soon a reporter came to him.

"What do you think of Whiteside's comments?"

Whiteside's words became a hot topic after they were reported, and they are now known to everyone.

"that's not important."

Tang Tian answered casually, with an expression of indifference.

The reporter was stunned for a moment. He obviously didn't expect Tang Tian to answer like this.

But looking at Tang Tian's expression, he was definitely not pretending. He really didn't take Whiteside's words or Whiteside seriously.

After the reporter came to his senses, he also understood that Whiteside was taught by Tang Tian, ​​and he had no problem with his attitude towards his younger brother.

After the warm-up of both sides ended, the on-site staff quickly began to set up the stage, and the players of both teams returned to the half court to wait for the championship ring award ceremony.

Except for Tang Tian and Ariza, the other members of the Pelicans looked very excited.

This is the first championship ring of their career.

At this time, Deron and West had very special expressions. They looked at the sparkling championship ring that was placed in the center of the court, and their eyes were full of envy.

The two veterans were also All-Stars in the league at their peak, but they have been in traffic and have not been able to win a championship ring so far.

Tang Tian saw it and went over to pat them on the shoulders.

The meaning is very clear. It is not available now, but it will be available soon.

Kenny Smith hosted the ceremony, which was attended by league commissioner Adam Silver and Pelicans owner's wife Gayle Benson.

Tom Benson is unwell and can no longer leave the house, and now the Pelicans' affairs have been handed over to his wife to take care of.

"Hello, New Orleans championship fans!"

Smith is a professional commentator who knows how to shape the atmosphere of the scene. He set off the mood in the New Orleans Arena as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Charles envies you because you, like me, will have championship rings soon."

He then looked in the direction of the Pelicans bench and said, clearly showing his plastic friendship with Barkley.

There were cheers and whistles at the scene, and the atmosphere was completely lifted.

Xiao Hua smiled, no one knew what he was thinking.

But just like at the end of last season's Game 7, the championship ring is there waiting to be awarded to him, whether he wants it or not, and regardless of whether he is in a good mood or not.

When Smith finished the warm-up and announced the start of the championship ring awarding ceremony, the lights and cameras were focused on the ring in the center of the stage.

The top of the ring is the player's jersey number, surrounded by 74 sapphires, representing the Pelicans' record-breaking 74 wins last season!

There are 14 diamonds on both sides of the ring, representing the 14-year history of the team (including the predecessor Hornets).

The player's name is engraved on the side of the ring, with the words 4-0 and 4-3 below the name, representing the scores of their Western Conference Finals and Finals respectively.

This ring is full of honor and history. Not only does it have a large number of platinum and diamond combinations, but each ring is unique!

According to news before the game, the cost of this ring is only 1 million US dollars!

The Pelicans' first championship ring, the team's top management really spent a lot of money!