Carlisle raised a hand and called a timeout.
A nine-point gap was a dangerous margin.
"I take back what I said earlier."
Barkley said with a laugh from the Commentary Booth.
"The Mavericks and the Pelicans aren't teams on the same level."
He had changed his tune remarkably quickly.
O'Neal and Smith could not help but burst out laughing.
Barkley's skin was thicker than a city wall now; he was completely unafraid of being mocked.
"Because there is only one Tang Tian, and the Mavericks don't even have a superstar."
But what he said next was logical and convincing.
Kenny Smith kept nodding beside him.
Tang Tian's improved ball handling had made up for his only weakness. He was already unstoppable.
And while the Mavericks' starters were strong, they lacked a superstar who could settle the game with one blow.
At this point, Butler had to be mentioned again...
Well, they had once had him, at least!
After the timeout, the Mavericks ran a beautiful set play in the frontcourt.
Using Holiday's cut to draw attention, Harris came free off consecutive screens from Jokic and Embiid.
That play displayed both Carlisle's tactical level and the Mavericks' execution.
Harris was usually a sure thing on shots like that.
Conley fired off a pass.
But just then, a figure lunged out from the side and knocked the Mavericks' certain basket out of bounds!
Butler!
Butler had made three straight brilliant defensive plays on the defensive end.
The arena erupted into a commotion.
They had seen Butler's toughness in last season's Playoffs. He was genuinely formidable!
And now they were seeing it again. Only, the former sweetheart had now become a stranger's wife!
With little Offensive Time remaining, Embiid's forceful attack inside was stopped by Davis.
The Mavericks' offense after the timeout still