After taking Mount Tenryu, the Pelicans had secured Match Point in the series.
All they needed to do was keep playing like this at home in the next game and ride the momentum into the Finals.
Having cleared the Lakers, their toughest hurdle, the championship was within reach.
But with the Lakers backed to the edge of the cliff, they certainly would not surrender easily.
The Spurs had exploded when pushed to the brink in the previous round. The Lakers would be even less likely to fold.
That was precisely why this game had drawn even more attention than Mount Tenryu.
If Tang Tian could beat the James-and-Durant Lakers despite being shorthanded, his claim to being the Number One Player in History would gain another level of weight.
Perhaps then he could truly say, I'm not targeting anyone. I'm saying everyone in the league is trash.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two days had passed. Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals was about to begin in New Orleans.
With a full two hours still remaining before tipoff, huge numbers of fans were already pouring into the arena.
They could not wait any longer.
The players also began arriving at the arena one after another.
After the Lakers' bus entered the arena, assistant coach Kidd led the players straight to the locker room.
Vogel had not arrived yet, so Kidd delivered a highly aggressive speech to the players as they changed into their uniforms.
"Tonight could be our final game of the season if we don't give 120 percent.
"But I know that won't happen. I know tonight won't be like that. We're taking this game back to Los Angeles!
"Our opponents beat the hell out of us last game. We have to respond!
"No