The news of Tang Tian and Davis's championship trophy was quickly exposed by the media.

This has also sparked heated discussions among fans on social media.

"This is the determination, Don and AD are in a hurry, and the Pelicans will definitely win the championship this year!"

"74 wins, this is already a proof of strength, the Pelicans are the strongest team in the league this season, and the championship is already in hand! (pun intended)"

"Looking forward to the moment when the Pelicans win the championship, looking forward to the moment Don proposes, looking forward to the moment when New Orleans history is born!"

……

"Tattoo a championship trophy before you win the championship? That's too flamboyant, isn't it? ”

"Although the Pelicans have 74 wins this season, the Warriors have also won 73 wins, and this approach will irritate the Warriors and other opponents, and lose character!"

"I'm really looking forward to the moment when the Pelicans are eliminated, and I really want to see the expressions on Don and Anthony Davis at that time, it must be very interesting!"

……

The views of the fans are clearly divided, and they are divided into two camps: support and ridicule.

In the midst of this chatter, the door to the playoffs has quietly opened.

The Pelicans and Mavericks and Spurs Thunder in the West, and the Cavaliers Nets and Heat Hawks in the East are the first to start in the four groups.

Dallas was so close to New Orleans that they arrived on game day.

And after arriving in New Orleans, they only had an hour or two of acclimatization training that was open to the public.

The Mavericks seemed to be in a good mood.

Although they played first as eighth, this did not seem to affect their morale.

"We all know the quality of the Pelicans, they're not easy to play against, but we're the same, we played well in the second half of the season, which shows that we're getting better and better, we're scoring a lot of points, and we're going to have a chance to win the series."

Jimmy Butler, one of the team's cores, also showed confidence in front of reporters.

"We know you have a very good relationship with Don, will this affect your match?"

The reporter then asked.

'No, our relationship off the pitch doesn't affect the performance on the pitch, on the contrary, because I know him well and that will help me defend him better.

Butler replied bluntly.

There are already many fans who have hopes for the Mavericks' Black Eight, and Butler's remarks in the interview are well-founded, making them even more convinced of this.

An hour before the game, fans began to enter the arena in droves.

The faces of the fans were full of confidence, and many fans shouted their slogans when they saw reporters carrying cameras and running over.

"Pelican Championship!"

The tattoos of Tang Tian and Davis have fans arguing on social media, and the side that supports them has gradually begun to unify their voices.

And that's their slogan.

And not only verbally, but also on the KT board held high by many fans, such slogans are also written.

It's a catchy slogan that will surely accompany the Pelicans throughout the playoffs this year!

Half an hour before the game, the New Orleans arena was already full, and fans couldn't wait for the playoffs of the new season.

Players from both sides make final preparations in the dressing room.

"Keep a normal mentality, don't get too excited, all we have to do is play normally."

Stevens' pre-match speech was calm, and instead of stirring up the emotions of the players, he asked the players to try to be as calm as possible.

He is well aware of the difference in quality between the two teams, and as long as the Pelicans play properly, they have a big chance of winning.

Fifteen minutes before the start of the game, players from both sides entered the stadium one after another to start warming up.

Tang Tian and Butler said hello in the midfield, but it was just a greeting.

The two have a good relationship in private, but now as opponents, it is not suitable to have too much communication.

After the warm-up, the scene entered the opening ceremony, and the starters of the two teams were released one after another.

The Mavericks played with all the players, Delon and Butler on the outside, Harris and Nowitzki on the front, and Embiid on the center.

It's the same with the Pelicans on the side, with Holiday and Tang Tian on the outside, Ariza and Davis on the front, and Jokic at center.

Davis looked a little excited, jumping up the moment the whistle blew to bring the ball back to half court to give the Pelicans the chance to take the lead.

The regular season is long, and the playoffs are also long.

Now playing the first game of the first round, the Pelicans did not attack Tang Tian as soon as they came up, but Jokic organized it in the frontcourt.

Stevens' purpose is also clear, he doesn't want Tang Tian to be consumed too early, but wants to get others to adjust to the intensity of the playoffs through the previous games.

In this way, when you play to the back, the Western Finals and even the finals, everyone's state can come out.

Davis's air cut was beautiful, and Jokic gave the ball in a timely manner, and Davis jumped up and dunked with the ball.

"Bang!"

But maybe he was really excited, and the goal he was determined to win was actually dunked away.

Embiid defends the defensive rebound.

The Pelicans were quick to retreat, the Mavericks went to the frontcourt, and Nowitzki played with the ball in the low post.

Nowitzki has limited playing time since he got older, and Carlisle will play him as much as he can while he's around.

And when Nowitzki plays back, the Mavericks have a three-point and air-cut combination on the weak side of the game.

As a master tactician, Carlisle is no weaker than Stevens.

Nowitzki leaned back after a few hits, and the iconic golden rooster shot independently.

Davis's defense covers a lot, but he can't cover it in the face of this kind of shot, so he can only interfere as much as he can.

"Huh!"

Nowitzki is a veteran driver even in the playoffs, and this opening shot was there.

In the Pelicans' positional battle, Tang Tian played the No. 1 tactic, breaking through the attraction package and giving it to Ariza.

Ariza received the ball and shook Harris, flew inside with the ball, and drew a foul on Embiid's shot.

Unfortunately, both of his free throws were a bit too big, and the ball bounced off the back edge of the basket.

The Mavericks countered but couldn't get off the ground, and Nowitzki continued to hold the ball in positional battles.

This time he turned and fed the ball to Harris, who made a quick stop in the middle of the range.

Harris is a rookie in the same class as Tang Tian, with a low draft pick, and he didn't get many opportunities in the first two years.

But he has enriched his offensive skills one step at a time, and now he is also a player with super starting strength, plus that pull-up jumper, which is a bit of a poor man's version of Anthony.

The opening rounds have become a microcosm of the first half of the game between the two teams.

Although Stevens had told him before the game, the Pelicans were a little too excited in the first game of the playoffs.

It's good to be excited, but too much excitement, like Davis' dunk, Ariza's free throws, becomes not normal.

The Mavericks, on the other hand, were playing steadily with the excellent play of Nowitzki and Harris.

At halftime, the Mavericks dominated the game and led the Pelicans by eight points at 50-42.

Such a score makes the fans who support the Mavericks on the hotline excited, and the Black Eight is hopeful!

ps: Today the little eggplant has a fever and comes back very late in the afternoon, and the fourth is likely to be later, I will write as soon as possible.

。 m.