But there was nothing he could do about that. He had not asked the Lakers management to acquire Anthony.
Anthony's current performance was only natural.
Other than biting his nails, he could do nothing.
Fortunately, Vogel was not Tyronn Lue.
He reacted quickly, walking to the sideline and making a tactical gesture at Wade.
On the Lakers' next possession, they went to Anthony.
Stephenson drove past Anthony for a layup and two points.
Anthony's defense right now was like an empty road at dawn.
Stevens immediately called Danny Green over.
Before he could devise a dedicated defensive scheme for Anthony, the Lakers had already targeted that weakness, leaving him no choice but to substitute Anthony out.
"Good job."
As Anthony came off the court, Stevens praised him.
Five points in one minute—given that scoring efficiency, no Head Coach would have taken him out if not for his defense.
Anthony had been somewhat unhappy about being substituted out, but Stevens' words improved his mood considerably.
If Stevens could even temporarily soothe Crowder, then his ability to handle relationships with players was S-Class.
The game continued. Tang Tian was feeling it now; he dribbled twice in the frontcourt, shook Pope free, and rose directly for a three-pointer.
Swish!
And it went in as soon as he pulled up!
Tang Tian had scored 20 points in the third quarter, yet the Pelicans still trailed by 10. He was ready to turn it up another notch this quarter.
After a small test of skill in the third quarter, he had already confirmed that after Self-touch, his touch had returned.
And with the Lakers frantically double-teaming him inside, now that his touch was on, he launched more of his attacks from the perimeter.
91-93!
Tang Tian's three-pointer cut the Pelicans' deficit back to two.
In