Tang Tian glanced at Davis, smiled, and said nothing.
Davis had attended the Brothers of Hard Work Training Camp for several consecutive years, so he was naturally familiar with Walker.
And just as he had said, as an undersized player, Walker had gone on a scoring rampage and led his team to draw first blood despite being heavily underestimated. It looked remarkably like Iverson in the 2001 Finals.
But playing together would probably be difficult. The Pelicans' roster was stable, and they could remain championship contenders for the next three to five years. There was no need to make changes.
Still, the future was unpredictable. No one knew what tomorrow would bring, and it never hurt to prepare for the worst.
With the Pelicans' game against the Thunder imminent, Stevens reiterated the Game Plan in the locker room.
Over the past two days, Tang Tian had suggested to Stevens that he Reduce ball-handling and let his teammates adjust their form. The two had immediately agreed.
Their Training sessions over the past two days had revolved around that very idea.
Fortunately, that had been their style of play two years ago, so they adapted quickly.
And it was clear that once they had the ball more often, the teammates' form improved considerably.
Jokic in particular could once again make use of his organizational strengths. His confidence boost was significant, and his Shooting Percentage even rose during Full-court contact.
All those signs showed that Tang Tian and Stevens had made the right decision.
That night, the Pelicans and Thunder game opened at New Orleans Arena, and the Pelicans welcomed the Opening Game of their Playoffs campaign.
The arena was packed to capacity, with fans holding signs that read "Defend the Title" and "A Second Championship."
New Orleans's basketball market had developed rapidly