Barkley swallowed the word "dunk" before it could leave his mouth.
Despair flashed in the eyes of the on-site fans.
Unable to open up the game, the Bucks went with the team's most effective and lethal one-star, four-shooters lineup.
Yet right from the start, the Pelicans drew an offensive foul.
That was truly like rubbing salt into the wound.
Antetokounmpo turned to explain himself to the referee, but the call stood.
Tang Tian had gotten into position in time, and his fall had been perfectly timed too.
Even setting everything else aside, you had knocked over the Number One Player in NBA History. It would have been inappropriate not to call it!
Tang Tian was pulled up by his teammates, then turned and headed to the baseline to receive the ball.
When they had first arrived in Milwaukee—the same time Davis had applied to play and been denied—Tang Tian and Stevens had discussed tactics for nearly an hour.
Naturally, countering the Bucks' style of play had been a major focus of their preparations.
That included how to break the Bucks' usual 2-1-2 zone on the offensive end.
It also included how to defend the Bucks' one-star, four-shooters lineup.
Antetokounmpo had the greatest impact force in the league, but his technical weaknesses were still too glaring.
He had worked on his shooting for two seasons, yet his improvement had been limited. He could only space the floor now, without posing enough of a threat.
His passing had not improved much either. Unless opponents trapped him early and allowed him to spot an open teammate immediately, it was difficult for him to get the ball out.
In other words, whenever he got the ball for an isolation, everyone knew he was going to charge inside.
So the Pelicans' defense on that possession