Chapter 1367 Tang Tian Predicts the Championship
2 to 4, in the end the Pelicans still fell in the Western Conference Finals.
The Pelicans missed their fifth consecutive championship, and Durant missed his first NBA championship.
Facts have proved that it is not that simple to break out of the encirclement in the west where there are many strong people.
Without Tang Tian, the Pelicans are a championship team, but they are still far from the championship.
And a very cruel reality is that Leonard and Antetokounmpo have reached the peak one after another. Their overall strength is stronger than Durant, but they are younger.
There are not many time and opportunities left for Durant.
The even crueler reality is that Davis' previous contract extension with the Pelicans was 3+1, if the Pelicans still fail to win in the next two years.
In Tang Tian's absence, no one can guarantee whether Davis will continue to stay.
The NBA is a commercial league, and the reality is like this. Tang Tian can lead the team to win championships continuously, so the atmosphere of the team is harmonious and united as one.
But when the champions no longer belong to the city, everyone will have their own ideas.
All the nights when the Pelicans were eliminated, the most consistent voice on social media was: We need Tang Tian.
"Durant has done well enough, but we need Don. It turns out that only Tang can lead the Pelicans to the championship."
"Just like when Jordan retired and the Bulls couldn't win, it's the same now. We really need Don."
"One year's rest time is enough, Tang come back soon! We need you x-on:宝爸唐天."
"Although this year's playoffs are fierce, the ratings have dropped significantly compared to previous years. Not only the Pelicans fans, but the entire league needs you, Don!"
"Don't be self-willed, Tang, come back quickly, you are only 26 years old! If you take a rest, you are wasting your career, come back quickly!"
...
Under Tang Tian's Twitter, the voices of fans have reached a peak.
Although the Pelicans' performance is respectable enough, the fans who are used to winning and championships still want Tang Tian to come back at first.
Moreover, many Pelicans players' contracts expire next year. If Tang Tian wants to come back, the team can easily clear the space for the maximum salary.
Tang Tian, Durant and Davis' Big Three lineup, no matter how cruel the West is, they can break through and aspire to success with a team of old ladies.
There are also many fans looking forward to seeing Tang Tian and Durant playing together.
Facing the endless calls from the fans, Tang Tian's reaction was no response.
His plan is not to come back next year, and even if he wants to come back, he will announce it in a surprise way instead of being forced to come back.
It's not his style.
The Pelicans are out, and the coaching staff and management of the Pelicans have also begun their respective offseasons.
The team members began to welcome the long draft period. Some wanted to practice hard to improve after losing, some began to plan for the next contract, and some began to enjoy this rare and comfortable life.
The coaching staff, together with the management, began to prepare for the next season's draft and the free market began to be busy.
Tang Tian also has his own summer plans, especially since this summer is the Olympic year.
In his schedule, he must play in the Tokyo Olympics.
For this game, he also has to start training in advance and prepare for getting back in shape.
But until then, his focus is on the NBA championship.
Anyway, watching the ball will not delay his training.
The two sides in this year's NBA Finals are the Bucks and the Spurs.
Both teams have been strong in the playoffs.
The Bucks are unbeatable in the East, and the most surprising thing is that they won against the rival Celtics 4-1 cleanly.
Antetokounmpo whose projection has stabilized, Irving and Hayward who are online, and a tacit understanding that has been further improved.
For the Bucks, they already have a championship appearance this year.
Compared with the Bucks, the Spurs' promotion journey in the West is more difficult.
They played 6 games with the Clippers in the semifinals, and were once tied with a big score by the Clippers. After that, playing the Pelicans was also dangerous.
However, the Spurs finally returned to the Finals after 6 years.
Being able to break out from the powerful west is enough to prove their strength.
No one knows who will win the championship until the game actually starts.
Of course, predicting the championship is something that is done every year.
This year, TNT specially invited Tang Tian as a guest, and made a wave of popularity predictions.
When Tang Tian appeared on the show, the show's ratings immediately exploded, and even set a record for TNT's ratings.
Not long after the show started, Barkley couldn't help expressing emotion.
"Tang, why don't you come to be our special guest, I promise the boss will pay you ten times the price."
Barkley's words caused everyone in the live broadcast room to laugh.
Tang Tian also laughed.
But everyone knew that Barkley's words were a joke. With Tang Tian's worth, unless he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to impress him a hundred times.
"Let's go back to the topic, who do you think will be the NBA champion this year?"
"Wow, I found this interesting for the first time, because Don is no longer with the Pelicans, he is sitting next to me now, and we are finally discussing a suspenseful issue."
Barkley deserves to be TNT's top card. It was a very common question, but he made everyone laugh continuously.
"So Don, what do you think about this question, who do you think will be the guy who will help the team win the championship and win the MVP after you, is Giannis A... de... Tokunbo.
Sorry, the name is too hard to pronounce, I'm still called Antetokounmpo, or Kawhi Leonard. "
Tang Tian was the special guest, and he was also the biggest name in the live broadcast room. Barkley didn't have any finale, so he was the first one to ask him.
"Kawhi Leonard."
Tang Tian didn't hesitate too much, and directly gave his answer.
"You don't think about it?!"
Tang Tian's answer was too blunt and had no program effect at all, which made Barkley amazed.
"You won't be the same as me before, you think it's just that the name is easier to spell?!"
Barkley also made a serious joke.
"I think Don's more because the Spurs eliminated the Pelicans, and I know he was on the sidelines the entire series."
Kenny Smith took the conversation, and his reason was much more reliable than Barkley's.
"What you said is wrong. Leonard was Don's younger brother when he was in the Spurs, and they had a lot of contact after that. Let me give you an example. If I choose a historical shooting guard, I will definitely put Wade before Kobe."
O'Neill's black Kobe every day caused a burst of laughter from others.
However, this wave is the most likely reason. Leonard's success today has a lot to do with Tang Tian.
Not only the guidance and help during the rookie period, but also the factor that he persuaded Leonard to stay in the Spurs later.
"So, Tang, what is your real thought? Why do you think Leonard can do it?"
The Big Three all shared their guesses, and Barkley also asked about Tang Tian, the rightful owner.
"Kenny's guess is right. If the Bucks win the championship, wouldn't my team lose face?"
No one expected that Tang Tian was very serious in front of him, but now he immediately got angry.