When Anthony scored, Stevens sat back down on the bench from the sideline, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth as he quietly took credit.
The on-site camera crew mischievously gave Gayle Benson a shot in the stands.
There was a difference in cost between rings with names and rings without them. Benson was going to have to pay quite a bit more.
But Benson was all smiles. With the team winning four consecutive championships, this little bit of money was hardly worth mentioning.
Budenholzer did not give up. In the Fourth Quarter, he sent his starters back in to try and cut the deficit.
But the gap between the two sides was simply too large. Tang Tian and Davis checked back in to settle things down and preserve the lead.
With two minutes left before the end of the game, the difference was still close to 20 points.
Budenholzer finally announced that he was giving up and gradually substituted his starters out.
By then, there was not a single fan sitting in the arena. Even the wealthy fans in the front rows had all risen to their feet.
There were only two minutes left before the Pelicans completed four consecutive championships!
Two minutes, 60 seconds.
It was a short time, but to everyone in the arena, every second felt as long as a century.
If they could, they wanted the final buzzer to sound right then.
Fortunately, the players on the court understood how the fans felt and did not commit too many fouls.
When Delly's final three-point attempt missed and Anthony grabbed the Defensive Rebound, there were less than ten seconds remaining.
Neither side played any longer, and Anthony dribbled the ball across half court.
The cheers in the arena had already erupted ahead of time.