Chapter 764 We Just Play Ball (First Update!)

Winning the Thunder was a great morale boost for the Pelicans, and it also proved that their previous loss to the Clippers was an accident.

Over the next week or so, they resumed their winning streak.

After a wave of five consecutive victories, their record has reached 63 wins and 5 losses, and the possibility of breaking the regular season win record is increasing little by little.

It was at this time that they ushered in Ariza's comeback.

Stevens is a coach who attaches great importance to defense, which is specifically reflected in his trust in Ariza.

In Ariza's first game back, Stevens put him in the starting lineup.

The opponent in this game is the Grizzlies, and this is also the last meeting between the two sides of the season.

Ariza didn't feel good in his first game back, shooting 1 of 9 from the field, 0 of 4 from three-point range, and only scored 4 points.

And the Grizzlies' Conley broke out this time, scoring a season-high 38 points.

The Pelicans unexpectedly lost to the Grizzlies 103-107.

After the game against the Grizzlies, the Pelicans faced off against the Jazz for the last time of the season.

Tang Tian missed this game due to the flu.

Ariza continued to be appointed as the starter by Stevens.

As a result, he still felt cold, making 2 of 10 shots, 0 of 3 three-pointers, only 5 points, and 3 turnovers.

The Pelicans lost to the Jazz 95-103 and suffered their first losing streak of the season.

After this wave of losing streak, the Warriors once again narrowed the victory to 1.5 games.

If the Pelicans continue in this state, it is not impossible to be surpassed by the Warriors.

After the game, fans on social media questioned Stevens a lot.

"Although Stevens is right to focus on defense, Bojan was directly placed on the bench even though he was in such good shape. This decision is really bad!"

"Yes, Ariza has just recovered from injury. It is the wisest choice to let him find his condition on the bench!"

"Especially in the second game, Tang can't play. He needs scoring points in the starting lineup, so Bo Yang should be allowed to start!"

"This is really worrying. Now that we are trying to hit the regular season record, there is no need to be so desperate!"

…

Despite the strong doubts from the outside world, Stevens still revealed in front of the media that Ariza will continue to start in the next game against the Clippers.

"We're not hitting the regular season record."

In front of reporters, Stevens first made one thing clear.

"We didn't let AD come back early, and we didn't let Trevor come back early. If Don has the flu, he should take a good rest. What we do in the regular season is to keep everyone in shape, just like I am doing now."

Fans of other teams will be a little harsh when Stevens' words are heard, because this kind of statement similar to "we just play basketball" sounds very pretentious.

But in fact this is the truth.

Stevens never mentioned hitting the regular season record within the team from beginning to end, and the Pelicans never shouted the slogan of breaking the record.

"Trevor has just come back and needs time to find his form. We don't have much time. That's why I made the decision to start. It's as simple as that."

Stevens is really direct.

Focus on offense in the regular season and defense in the playoffs.

Although he has only played in the playoffs once, he is very clear about this. He also knows that Ariza's role in the playoffs is unmatched by Bojan.

Stevens has given his explanation, and the outside world is still talking about it.

However, the Pelicans team supports Stevens as always.

Breaking records is a good thing, but a championship is more tempting. Adjusting the state before the playoffs is more important than anything else.

The good news is that the team has a rare three-day rest after the last game, which allows them to adjust.

Just as the Pelicans were adjusting their state, the Warriors began a fierce pursuit of the Pelicans.

Curry played through injury and led the team to win against the Spurs, while Green struggled with leg cramps.

The Warriors' record after winning this game is 61 wins and 8 losses. Not only do they retain the hope of overtaking the Pelicans, but they also have a chance to win 72 games in the regular season.

"We need this kind of victory, and being able to hit the best regular season record in team history is a very big opportunity for us."

Green said directly at the post-game press conference.

The Pelicans don’t want to hit the record books, the Warriors do.

And there’s something Green hasn’t said publicly.

Curry is in excellent form this season. Previously, he and Tang Tian were close in terms of data content.

But with Tang Tian's sudden surge in assists some time ago, Curry has been pulled away.

For Curry to retain the MVP title, the Warriors' only chance is to surpass the Pelicans in record.

Green's remarks also made fans very concerned about the next games of the season.

Let’s not talk about who will eventually become the league’s No. 1 player, the Pelicans or the Warriors. With only 12 or 3 games left in the regular season, they are likely to witness the first time in history that a team will have 70+ wins at the same time.

Just thinking about this scene is enough to excite them.

The Warriors were chasing after them, and the fans were extremely excited. However, the Pelicans still trained step by step and prepared for the next game after the game.

Ariza practices extremely hard. He has practiced extra after the past two games, including the training sessions in the past few days. He is always the first one to leave and the last one to leave.

The words that it takes time to come back from injury are Stevens' understanding of him, but not his request for himself.

He knew he couldn't betray Stevens' trust or let his teammates down.

Of course, he is also very aware of the cruelty of the NBA. If he cannot adjust his condition before the playoffs, Stevens will not use him later.

The Pelicans' next opponent is the Clippers.

The Clippers had defeated the Pelicans once before and had a quarrel after the game.

Ariza was still one of the protagonists in that war of words. If he continues in this state, he will be slapping himself in the face.

And if the Clippers win again, they will become the only team to double-kill the Pelicans this season.

Not to mention that the Pelicans have lost three games in a row.

But the good news is that after a long enough off-season, Tang Tian recovered from the flu and can play in the next game against the Clippers.

Nothing boosts morale more than having the core back.

If nothing else, the enthusiasm of the players at the training ground was high.

The day before the game, the Pelicans flew to Los Angeles.

The Clippers are currently ranked seventh in the Western Conference, but they are very close to the sixth-place Trail Blazers and fifth-place Thunder.

There are not many games left in the season, and they must go all out in every subsequent game to strive for a higher ranking.

On the game day, the Clippers held a training session open to the public.

The players' spirits seemed to be high.

"If we win once, we can win a second time."

Because of the previous spat, Reeves became the focus of media attention this time.

And he did not disappoint the reporters and made bold remarks directly before the game.

But this is the current state of the Clippers. The last win gave them enough confidence.

Playing at home tonight, they have only one goal, to double defeat the Pelicans!

Thanks to Perseverance to Stars and 1025 Dragon 1025 for the reward.