The Pelicans and the Warriors were old rivals. They had met five times in the Playoffs, with wins and losses on both sides.
But when it came to the Spurs, the Pelicans were their nemesis.
Since Tang Tian had joined the Pelicans, the two teams had met twice in the Playoffs.
Once was in the 2014–2015 season. The Pelicans lost to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals that season, but the team they had eliminated in the Semifinals was the Spurs.
The other was in the recently concluded 2017–2018 season, the Pelicans' 80 Wins season, when they directly swept the Spurs.
For Spurs fans, this year was the best chance for revenge.
Whether in the Regular Season, the Playoffs, or even roster construction, the Spurs matched up very well against this Pelicans team.
Even in the Regular Season matchups between the two teams, the Spurs held an overwhelming 3–1 advantage.
In predictions made by various experts before the Playoffs began, the Spurs also had a noticeably higher chance of winning the championship than the Pelicans.
Even the odds offered by betting websites had the Pelicans as greater underdogs than the Spurs.
Yet Pelicans fans did not lose faith in their team because of that.
The main reason, naturally, was that they had Tang Tian.
With Tang Tian, they could do whatever they wanted.
With three days left before the second round began, the Pelicans were actively preparing for the next round.
They had won the first round easily, but Stevens used video analysis and motivational speeches to give the players an early warning.
Although the Pelicans had won both of their previous Playoff matchups against the Spurs, this Spurs team was S+-tier. No matter what, this series would be a hard-fought battle.
But Tang Tian missed the team's training