The Pelicans' first game of December was against the Spurs.
The two teams had last faced each other in October. Davis had been absent then, and Tang Tian had been contained by the Spurs' twin wings, putting up an average performance.
This rematch was a chance for the Pelicans to get revenge.
But pulling off that revenge would not be easy.
The Spurs had hit their stride, sitting at 21 wins and 2 losses, tied with the Lakers but ranked second in the West due to the head-to-head record.
If they kept up this pace, Popovich might actually achieve the 70-plus Regular Season wins that he had never managed even during the GDP era.
And this game was in San Antonio, making the Pelicans' road challenge even tougher.
The day before the game, the entire Pelicans team arrived in San Antonio.
For Tang Tian, this matchup against the Spurs felt very different from the previous ones.
First, their last game had been at the Pelicans' home court. This was his first time returning to San Antonio to play since ccx became the Spurs' owner.
Second, this would be the first official game in which he planned to unveil his Deep Three-Pointer.
Third, Ginobili's Jersey Retirement Ceremony would be held during this game.
That night, Ginobili took GDP, Tang Tian, and Green out for dinner.
The last time such a large group of them had gathered was during the 2016 Rio Olympics.
With Ginobili and Diop retiring one after another last season, everyone from that old Spurs team who was still playing was now on the Pelicans.
That was a good thing too. At least whenever they wanted to get together, they just had to wait for a Pelicans-Spurs game.
"Tim, you should become an assistant coach for the Spurs someday.