The date was April 26.
Only two games were scheduled today, and both were in the Western Conference.
They were the New Orleans Pelicans versus the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Oklahoma Thunder versus the Dallas Mavericks.
By comparison, the matchup between the Thunder and the Mavericks had a little less suspense.
Although both the Thunder and the Pelicans had already taken commanding 3–1 leads,
the Pelicans-Lakers series was clearly much more unpredictable~~
And that was exactly how it played out.
The Thunder, who tipped off first, faced some fierce resistance from the Mavericks.
But in the end, they still relied on their overwhelming talent to win the game.
Chen Xi capped off the thrilling series with an all-around performance of 39 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.
He led Oklahoma into the second round, where they would face the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Another matchup with an old rival...
Meanwhile, the Pelicans lost another game on their home court.
That was pretty interesting.
In the first five games between the Pelicans and the Lakers, New Orleans had lost two of its three home games, while Los Angeles had lost both of its home games~~
Both teams had actually been more successful on the road.
And their next matchup would take place in Los Angeles.
It would be exciting to see how it turned out.
Of course, that was the view from a neutral observer's perspective.
From the perspective of a Lakers fan, it was more like: "Damn Pelicans! Why are they so tough to crack? Their defense is suffocating!!"
And from the Pelicans fans' perspective... they must have been pretty sick of it.
After all, the mighty Western Conference first seed, a superteam that had claimed the crown over the powerful Thunder