Fans on the hotline hoped Cole could enjoy the game and stop pushing himself so hard.
But obviously, Cole neither saw those comments nor intended to do that.
He did the same thing in the second half that he had done in the first half.
The 73 Wins Warriors owned the third quarter. Curry had performed this season much like he had during that 73-win peak season, so naturally, he hoped the Warriors could mount a comeback in the third quarter.
But reality did not go as he wished.
The Pelicans had the edge in overall strength, and with Tang Tian in Crucial moments, they would not fall into scoring droughts.
The key to cutting into the deficit was getting defensive stops, then launching a Fast break surge.
But they clearly could not do that.
Instead, late in the quarter, the Pelicans went on a scoring run and quickly pushed the lead beyond 25 points.
That effectively sealed the outcome.
The Pelicans had suppressed the Warriors from the opening tip all the way to the end of the game, cruising to a 121-96 win and claiming their first win of the Playoffs Opening Game.
Curry scored 28 points in three quarters, but he could only sit on the bench during the final quarter.
Tang Tian scored 30 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists in just three quarters. Davis had 18 points and 8 rebounds, Brogdon scored 15, while Kuzma and Harrell each added 13.
Once the Opening Game ended, postgame discussion among fans was inevitable.
Aside from sympathizing with Green's miserable ordeal, more fans were focused on the game itself.
Curry's Regular Season performance this year had carried the flavor of that 73-win campaign, and his 28 points through three quarters in this game had already been