Morale was a very important part of competitive sports.
Basketball was no exception.
Tang Tian's Almighty Push-like dunk sent the Pelicans' morale soaring while completely crushing the Magic's spirit.
Just over five minutes into the quarter, the score difference was already heading toward 35+.
Stevens took out the starters and put in the bench at that point.
In the end, the Pelicans massacred the Magic 117-77, extending their winning streak to thirteen games.
Walker had 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists; Bojan scored 17; Siakam had 13; Rose had 11 points and 3 assists.
Tang Tian scored a Game High 21 points.
His scoring was still not especially high in limited minutes, but his several Dunked Over Opponent plays excited the fans more than an extra 30+ points would have.
In a very telling development, the day's media Top 5 Plays were entirely claimed by Tang Tian and Gordon—three for Tang Tian and two for Gordon.
And sitting at the top, without question, was Tang Tian's Almighty Push dunk.
Discussion of those dunks on social media also reached a peak.
"Stop dunking already! My mom saw me today and asked whether I'd made my wife mad again!"
"Before this, I thought LaVine was the best dunker since Carter. Even though Tang had won the Dunk King before, I now admit that Tang is the strongest dunker!"
"Can someone tell me what Tang can't do? I've got this damn illusion now that there's nothing Tang can't do!"
"No, you're wrong. He can't shoot a Deep Three-Pointer." —A comment from a Jokic fan.
"I think he just doesn't take them. Maybe he'll develop that next season..."
"I feel the same way. Tang evolves every summer, and it feels like there's never any end to it."
"You might not believe this, but