Chapter 771: Touching the Head for the Last Time (Fourth Update!)

April 18th is the last day of the NBA regular season.

The game between the Pelicans and Spurs begins in San Antonio.

Because it was reported before the game that the core members of both teams could not play, there were not many fans at the scene, only about 60%.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of the two teams were introduced, which was also the same as previously rumored.

For the Spurs, GDP, Leonard, and Aldridge are all out, and only Green is playing in the starting lineup.

In addition to Green, the defenders are Mills and Belinelli, and the interior is Diaw and Baynes.

This rest rotation is thorough enough.

However, the Pelicans are similar. The two core players Tang Tian and Davis take turns, and Holiday and Ariza cannot play.

The starting lineup includes Dinwiddie and Bryn Forbes on the outside, Bojan and Aminu on the strikers, and Jokic on the center.

The outcome of this game is irrelevant, but because the Pelicans have already broken the record, outside fans hope that the Pelicans can add another game to the record.

But because it is the home court of the Spurs, the Spurs fans in the ATT Arena don't think so. If you can win the game, you must win it.

The game starts soon.

Jokic got the first opportunity for the Pelicans. Jokic held the ball in the high post to organize, while Forbes and Bojan ran a three-pointer.

The victory or defeat doesn't matter, but the game is not just a formality. When the two core players are not playing, Stevens trains through the game.

Bo Yang was taken care of and had no chance, but Forbes made a good move and got a chance.

Jokic's pass is quick.

Forbes was also very decisive after receiving the ball and took action without hesitation.

"Uh-huh!"

A very important aspect of shooting is confidence. As the record holder of three-pointers made in a single game in the NCAA Big Ten, Forbes is also very capable.

First time starting, made the first three-point shot.

Although Forbes has rarely had the opportunity to appear before, he performed well at the beginning today.

The Pelicans bench cheered.

Tang Tian and Davis both stood up and applauded the young man.

After Tang Tian sat back in his seat with a smile, he felt like he was in another world.

Four years ago, I was Forbes, and GDP cheered me on the sidelines.

He turned around and looked at GDP, who was chatting animatedly over there, feeling a little sad for no reason.

Next season, we will never see this scene again.

"Don, do you think we'll play the Spurs again?"

Davis turned to Tang Tian and asked.

Sitting in the VIP auditorium, the biggest feeling was that I was so idle that Davis had already started to find something to talk about.

Tang Tian smiled and glanced at Davis.

Davis has really changed a lot this year under Stevens' coaching, from being cute to being sullen and now the sunshine boy.

"It's hard."

It's difficult, was Tang Tian's answer, concise and clear.

The Spurs made it past the first round and will face the Warriors in the second round.

Although the Warriors spent a lot of money in the regular season, they still have a great advantage in the first round against the Spurs.

Speaking of which, this is one of the reasons why it is important for him to change his jersey in this game.

Because this is really likely to be the last time he plays against Duncan on the court.

"But anything is possible."

Tang Tian continued.

Last summer, when the Western Conference was preparing for the playoffs, everything was in chaos. No one knew what would happen.

"I hope to play against them again. I want to play against Tim again, just like you played against Kobe."

Davis continued.

Tang Tian laughed after hearing this. The implication of Davis's words was that he regarded Duncan as his role model and goal.

The game continues on the court.

With Bojan keeping the Spurs' defense in check, Forbes has a lot of opportunities tonight, and he feels hot in his hand.

In the first half alone, he scored 5 three-pointers and scored a team-high 15 points. His performance was very impressive.

There weren't many fans on the hotline, but when watching the game, they were all amazed at how strong the Pelicans were, and they could play so well with just anyone on the bench.

At halftime, the two teams were tied at 45, and both teams returned to the locker room to rest.

But Tang Tian didn't leave. He and Ginobili stayed to participate in the midfield activities.

This was something the arena had said hello to Tang Tian in advance. He and Ginobili were competing for three points at midfield, and the winner would donate $50,000 to a local charity.

Tang Tian and Ginobili went to the midfield to shake hands and slap each other's buttocks, as if they were old lovers.

Neither of them has super long range, so this competition is basically luck.

The two of them failed to score the first four goals until the fifth ball, when Tang Tian's super long shot into the net killed the game.

After making the super-long shot, Tang Tian yelled twice in excitement, and even smiled and made a bad gesture at Ginobili, which made Ginobili burst into laughter.

Speaking of which, this is the first time he has made a long three-pointer in front of so many people. This feeling is super cool.

He now understands Curry very well, and he has also included the ultra-long three-pointer in his gold-rich plan.

There were also constant cheers at the scene.

Since the knot was resolved, the fans' attitude towards Tang Tian has returned.

Duncan and Parker did not return to the locker room. After Tang Tian made the shot, they came up to congratulate him.

Tang Tian and GDP hugged each other in turn, just like they did when he was still with the Spurs.

It's a pity that Popovich has already returned to the locker room, otherwise I don't know if this bad old man would have red eyes.

After the halftime break, the Spurs increased their defensive intensity against Forbes, and Forbes had fewer opportunities.

But Bo Yang opened fire again.

The Pelicans were a poor man's version of the Splash Brothers tonight.

The two teams played extremely anxiously on the court, and there was no winner until the countdown period.

Diaw's continuous turning hook shots under the basket completed the victory and ignited the atmosphere of ATT Arena.

But in the next round, with 1 second left before the end, Forbes ran out of the opportunity and received a pass from Jokic and hit his seventh three-pointer of the game.

It is also the most critical three-pointer.

This three-pointer helped the Pelicans narrowly beat the Spurs by 1 point and win their 74th victory of the season.

When the final buzzer sounded, the entire Pelicans team celebrated around Forbes.

Today, the young player scored 23 points with 7 three-pointers, the highest score on the team, and was the number one contributor to the team's victory.

Moreover, his quasi-win helped the Pelicans win 74 games.

Stevens didn't want to break the record, but the Pelicans did it, and there were more than one game!

Little guy, big energy, tonight's Forbes really looks like Tang Tian during the Spurs era.

After celebrating for Forbes, Tang Tian found Duncan on the bench.

The two men started exchanging jerseys on the Spurs bench.

The on-site photographer quickly captured this scene and projected it on the on-site LED screen.

This stopped the Pelicans' celebration, and everyone turned their attention to Tang Tian and Duncan.

Tang Tian and Duncan completed the jersey exchange, and the two smiled and posed in front of the camera.

The scene burst into cheers.

Only when he was around Tang Tian could Duncan smile so openly.

After exchanging jerseys, Duncan reached out and touched Tang Tian's head.

"The future is yours now."

Tang Tian didn't refuse, he smiled and let Duncan touch him.

Everything is as before.