Tang Tian's premonition was right. Once both teams' starters returned in the second quarter, the Trail Blazers' firepower remained relentless.
The two teams engaged in a scoring duel throughout the entire first half.
Lillard dropped 30 points in the first half, delivering an explosive performance.
Led by him, the Trail Blazers were tied 65-65 with the Pelicans at half-time.
The two teams combined for 130 points in the first half, an absolutely terrifying total.
"This is the most exciting Playoffs half of the year."
When the half ended, Kenny Smith, who was usually low-key, gave the half an unusually high-profile appraisal.
But there was nothing wrong with what he said.
By the midpoint of the Regular Season, every team in the league had reached a consensus.
If they wanted to keep pace with the Pelicans, or even beat them, the only way was to engage them in a scoring duel.
You simply could not stop them defensively. Even if you could contain the other three Brothers of Hard Work, there was no way you could contain Tang Tian.
Tang Tian was now close to the kind of state where however many points he wanted to score depended entirely on his mood.
But there was only one basketball in a game, and as long as no one made mistakes, the number of offensive possessions was roughly the same.
So trading offense was the only way.
Although it was hard to pull off, it was still possible.
The Trail Blazers' performance in the first half had been textbook.
"Shaq, how much longer do you think the Trail Blazers can hold on?"
During the half-time break, both teams' players had returned to the locker rooms while the arena held halftime activities. At the Commentary Booth, the Big Three idly chatted.
Barkley tossed the