The ball bounced off the front rim. Tang Tian accurately anticipated where it would land, turned around, and grabbed the long rebound.
His seventh rebound!
Whiteside slapped the bench in frustration from the sidelines. It would have been one thing if Tang Tian did not get a triple-double, but if he did, it would be a 50+ triple-double!
Not only had Whiteside been proven wrong, his face had been thoroughly slapped!
Tang Tian continued his Holding the Ball Breakthrough in the frontcourt. His layup was blocked by Smith and Tristan Thompson and failed to go in, but he reacted quickly, rose for a second jump, and Tipped the ball into the basket.
52 points, 8 rebounds, 12 assists!
Tang Tian was only two rebounds away from completing his sixth consecutive triple-double!
Whiteside could no longer sit still. At the start of this quarter, Tang Tian had once again grabbed rebounds in succession, just as he had after returning in the second half.
He took the initiative to get up, walked over to Lue, and asked to be put in.
Lue did not know what Whiteside was thinking, but after this stretch without rebounds, he did indeed need Whiteside.
"Don't worry about Tang. Protect the paint."
Lue gave Whiteside that specific instruction before sending him onto the court.
Even after that, he was still uneasy, so he turned and called James over.
The Cavaliers had worked hard to cut the gap to within five points. They could not let the Pelicans start extending the lead again.
After coming in, James Drove forcefully to the basket, powering through Jokic and Ariza for a tough shot and Drawing Fouls.
One thing he had in common with Tang Tian was that, as a star from the Early 2000s, although their methods differed, they shared