NBA: I am the god of basketball

In the first round of the 2017-18 playoffs, in addition to the Nuggets that eliminated the Lakers and the Rockets that defeated the Trail Blazers, the other two teams in the West faced off. The Warriors eliminated the Mavericks 4:1, and the Spurs 4:0. [-] swept the Thunder.

These two matchups are worth talking about. Although the Lone Ranger has Harden who can score against Wang Chao in the regular season and average 35+ points per game, the overall strength of the team is really poor. The reason why Barnes was given up was because of his technical characteristics and upper limit flaws, while Nowitzki was old and couldn't provide much help to Harden.

This is completely different from the Rockets in the 17-18 season. Although the Lone Ranger's tactical choice is exactly the same as that of the Rockets, using the pick-and-roll to let Harden single out the military training Curry, the overall strength gap makes the score gap between the two teams obvious. .

On the Spurs side, the situation was even more one-sided, and it was a 4:0 sweep.

The fans of the Thunder team were very disappointed. After all, they formed a super big three combination this season. Even if Anthony's performance collapsed, Westbrook and Paul George, who continued to average a triple-double, still have certain combat effectiveness.

This also makes them look forward to the playoffs a little bit.

However, after waiting for a long time, the result was that the team was defeated by the opponent for 4 games in a row, completely unable to fight back.

There is no way, the Spurs and the Thunder, the two teams are like two extremes. One is highly integrated, tacit cooperation and clear division of labor, the Spurs mainly play team basketball, and the other is a temporary Big Three lineup last summer. Lack of running-in and the team's tactics are vague. It is the Thunder who have won all the way to the playoffs by relying on superstars.

When the two teams faced each other head-on, the Thunder was like an assembled car that would break apart with a slight bump, making it vulnerable to a single blow.

This can't be helped. The Spurs trained by Mr. Popovich will definitely be among the top teams in the Western Conference as long as they have a few talents to create.

The combination of Butler + Howard, although it is quite difficult to win the championship, but there is still no problem in dealing with a makeshift giant team like the Thunder.

In the 4 games, the best statistical performance is Westbrook, who averaged 28 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5 assists per game. However, compared with his average triple-double data during the regular season, the data in the playoffs can truly reflect his His actual strength, especially in terms of scoring offense, although the average score of 28 points per game is very high, but referring to the shooting percentage of only 39%, it is definitely not efficient.

This is also because the Spurs currently do not have a suitable player at the point guard position. As a result, Westbrook, who is known for his speed and strength, can frequently hit the basket with the ball, otherwise his scoring and shooting percentage will only be lower.

George averaged 24.7 points and 6 rebounds per game, and his shooting percentage in the early 40s can only be regarded as quite satisfactory. However, this score can still be ranked second among the two teams, because the Spurs scored the highest with 23.6 points Butler, just different from Westbrook and George hovering around 40% shooting, Butler's shooting rate reached 46.3%.

In addition, 6 members of the Spurs team scored in double figures per game. Although Westbrook and George occupy the top two scoring points, they are all Spurs players from No.3 to No.7. Anthony, who averaged 11.8 points per game, can only rank eighth.

The regular season was bad, and the playoffs were even worse.

It took Anthony just one season to go from a Knicks superstar worth more than 2000 million to a poison contract that no one cares about.

The Thunder are desperate, because next year Anthony still has a one-year super contract worth 2553 million US dollars, plus Westbrook's 2853 million and Adams' 2247 million, not to mention Paul George who is considering renewing his contract. With a total salary of 1.3 million meters, they even have to pay a high luxury tax.

The result of paying such a high price is actually only the first round, which is no different from Westbrook's single-core leader last year. Such a result is enough to make the owner of the Thunder, who spent a lot of money, doubt his life.

No matter how rich you are, you can't be so bad.

Knocked out by the Spurs, the Thunder, who have already gone on vacation and fishing in advance, the next main task is to find a way to send Anthony away as a burden, and then re-sign Paul George, at least keep the current strong lineup, but this is all The end of the playoffs and the start of the free market.

After the Spurs eliminated the Thunder with their excellent strength, they will encounter the Warriors who have suffered in the past two years, and it is still unlikely that they can surpass the Warriors.

No matter how well Popovich strategizes, the gap in the team's hard power cannot be made up anyway. The head coach is of course a vital part of a team, but don't really rely on the coach for everything. The role in the game is more important. If it weren't for this, Popovich would not have encountered the dilemma of black eight in the past.

The two-group matchups in the second round of the conference semifinals in the Western Conference are Nuggets vs. Rockets, Warriors vs. Spurs, which is exactly in line with most media predictions.

In the East, the Nets with a luxurious lineup defeated the Wizards 4:1, the Raptors swept the Heat 4:0, and the Cavaliers eliminated the Bucks 4:2. The only game that was relatively stalemate was the Celtics vs. Hornets Contest.

The overall strength of the Celtics is strong. Even without Tatum, they used the high draft pick of the same year to get a good immediate combat force. In addition, Irving and Hayward have not suffered major injuries. They are currently relatively healthy. Competitive state, the overall strength is quite good.

But the Hornets on the other side are not easy to mess with. The three heroes of Charlotte are getting stronger and stronger. Davis, the thick eyebrow brother, was selected for the first team and first defense at the same time for the second consecutive year. He averaged 28+11 large double-double data and 2.6 blocks per game. The defensive data of 1.5 steals demonstrates his dominance on both ends of the field.

And his right-hand men, Kemba Walker and Oladipo, can also contribute 20+ points in the regular season, especially Oladipo. The 17-18 season was the year of his rise. Oladipo of the Pacers should be selected for the best third team and best first defense with an average of 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

Beside Big Eyebrow and Walker, his scoring average was only a little over 20 points per game, and his defensive performance was also diluted by Big Eyebrow. As a result, not only was he not selected for the best team, but even the honor of the defensive first team was reduced to the defensive second team. .

But the reduction in honor did not affect his own strength.

The Hornets revolve around Big Eyebrows inside and Oladipo and Walker on the outside. Although they lack tactical changes and support from other teammates, their combat effectiveness is quite good, which caused considerable trouble for the Celtics.

The two teams staged a fierce battle in the first round of the game. You chased each other, and the game progressed to the tiebreaker.

The tiebreaker was another bloody battle between the two teams. In the end, the Celtics relied on Irving's scoring at the critical moment to make a thrilling pass, 114:112, and narrowly beat the Hornets by 2 points to advance to the second round.

As for the Charlotte Hornets, they were helplessly faced with being eliminated in the first round.

Unknowingly, it has been 5 years since the three heroes of Charlotte gathered. Hornets fans watched the three young heroes grow up little by little, hoping that they could make a difference in the playoffs, but the three In the past three years, the performance of the Hornets in the playoffs has always been unsatisfactory. One can't help but wonder whether the Big Three combination of Big Eyebrows, Oladipo and Walker will hardly have a chance to win the championship in his career. champion.

However, the owner of the team, Qiao Gang, didn't care too much about it. He, who has been promoted to a capitalist, smiled from ear to ear.

The Hornets have three All-Star players, including Big Eyebrow, the top superstar. In addition, the team changed its name to the Hornets and returned to Charlotte, which made the team's market value soar. Full.

Jordan, who became a capitalist, was naturally completely different from what he considered when he was a player. It would be great if the team could win the championship, but if they couldn’t win the championship, it’s not too bad, just make money.

The second-round matchup in the Eastern Conference is the Nets vs. Celtics, Raptors vs. Cavaliers, and the difference from the prediction is not that big.

Judging from this trend, the Eastern and Western finals are very likely to become the Eastern Nets vs. Cavaliers, and the Western Nuggets vs. Warriors.

If this is the case, then this season's East and West finals will also be a peak matchup.
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The first game of the second round between the Nuggets and the Rockets began on April 4, and the venue is still the Devil's home court in Denver.

Before the game, the media had a preliminary prediction for the series. Most media generally believed that the Nuggets could solve the game within 6 games.

No way, who made the strength gap between the two teams clear at a glance.

The core of the two teams, the comparison between Wang Chao and Leonard is needless to say, no matter how good Leonard plays, it is impossible to compare with Wang Chao.

And the comparison between other players is no better than the comparison, and the Rockets management will be pissed off by the comparison.

Not to mention anything else, just the inside defensive pillar, the comparison between Gobert and Whiteside, can make the Rockets general manager depressed for a long time.

This season, Gobert averaged 7+10+2 blocks per game during the regular season. Although the data performance is quite satisfactory, he is positioned as a blue-collar player. Very high, and more importantly, Gobert's contribution in protecting the basket is far from what the data can reflect.

This season, the Nuggets averaged the lowest points per game in the league. Gobert contributed a lot. Because of this, he squeezed out Howard and was selected as the best first defense list with Wang Chao.

By the way, the best defensive team and the best team were announced at the same time. The five players shortlisted for the best first defense this year are Wang Chao, Leonard, Zhu Holiday, Davis and Gobert. .

The five defensive second team players are Butler, Oladipo, Green, Horford and Howard.

The Rockets' inside defensive "gate" Whiteside averaged 14 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in the regular season, which can only be described as mediocre. If his contract of up to 2500 million US dollars is included, as a blue-collar player It's not as good as Jordan, who has an annual salary of 2200 million US dollars on the Clippers and averages 12 points and 15.2 rebounds per game, let alone Gobert, who has an annual salary of only 1500 million.

While Gobert is a full 1000 million cheaper than Whiteside, his inside defense and basket protection capabilities are not at the same level.

Thinking of last summer, they chose to let Gobert go for nothing just because of the 1500 million annual salary, making him Wang Chao's right-hand man.

What a loss, what a loss!

Even now they can't help but fantasize that if in the summer of 17, they can be a little courageous, match Gobert's contract, and at the same time find a way to trade out Whiteside's big contract, even with a few first-round picks, from If other teams exchange for an All-Star player with considerable strength on the perimeter, such as Paul George or Hayward, the Rockets won't take off?
With Gobert on the inside and Leonard on the outside, the Rockets can completely dominate the entire league with defense like the Nuggets!

It's a pity that there is no regret medicine in this world, and they didn't expect that Whiteside, who got a big contract, started to play so fast. Obviously, two seasons ago, he was still able to contribute 14+12 per game. He can block shots up to 3.7 times in the inside defensive gate. After a while, his inside defense ability has declined rapidly, and the average number of blocks per game is only 1.7 times. He is not yet 30 years old!

Whiteside's decline in level is actually related to injuries to a certain extent.

In the original 17-18 season, the Heat's attendance rate was actually not high during the Heat period. He only played 54 games in the regular season.

In the 19-20 season, Whiteside, who joined the Trail Blazers, rejuvenated his second career. After playing 61 games in the regular season, he averaged 15.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.

It’s just that although the data is gorgeous, Whiteside’s problem still exists. His ability to protect the rim is not as good as the data looks. Center players’ defense at the basket is definitely not simply measured by the number of blocks and rebounds. .

No matter how good Whiteside is in blocking shots, his ability to defend the inside and protect the rim cannot be stronger than Gobert, which is beyond doubt.

On the Rockets side, apart from Leonard, Whiteside is the most powerful player. As a result, he still has no advantage compared with Gobert. Even if the score is slightly higher, it is only the result of the difference in tactical status. .

So this game was never an even game at all from the start.

In the first match between the two teams, the Nuggets won with a score of 105:91.

怀特塞德出战27分钟6犯犯满离场，数据定格在6分8篮板2封盖上。

Leonard performed well during the game, scoring 44 points on 27% shooting, the highest scoring player on the Rockets team.

He faced the Nuggets' defensive champion PJ Tucker throughout the game. Although it caused him some trouble, Leonard was still able to play with his strong personal ability.

But besides him on the Rockets side, Gordon is the only one who scored in double figures.

On the other hand, for the Nuggets, Wang Chao under Leonard's full-time marking, lightly scored a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists.

The Nuggets scored in double figures with five players, and the whole game was played very easily, not much different from when they played against the Lakers in the first round.

The strength of the Nuggets is really beyond people's expectations, but it is in Wang Chao's plan.

After all, on the surface, the Nuggets do only have an All-Star player, Wang Chao, but in fact they are not.

The advantages of Gobert have been mentioned many times before, and now I want to talk about the two guards of the Nuggets, Mitchell and Murray.

Using the performance of the same period as a comparison, Murray failed to enter the playoffs with the Nuggets in the 17-18 season, so it has no reference value.

But Mitchell is different. Mitchell, who entered the playoffs with the Nuggets and Gobert's partner, was the Nuggets' first main scoring point during the playoffs. In the 6 games that eliminated the Thunder in the first round , Mitchell averaged 28.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and his 46.2% field goal percentage was definitely above the average level of guards. His super performance was surprising.

In the second round, the Nuggets met the Rockets, who had won 67 games in the regular season.

Mitchell is facing up against Chris Paul, who has the title of God of Point Guard and has been selected to the best team seven times in his career. At the same time, the Rockets also have Capela who can run, jump, and has a good ability to protect the basket. , This hindered Mitchell's offensive efficiency, and his shooting percentage in the series dropped to 36%. When the whole team's offense is restricted, the only point where you can attack with the ball by yourself.

To put it bluntly, in the 17-18 season, Mitchell's own offensive ability is enough to be counted as an All-Star or even the best team. He is the main contributor to the Jazz's ability to enter the playoffs and even reach the second round. It's just that his status as a rookie made him less conspicuous.

So now the problem is coming. I came to the Nuggets. In the past whole season, I have enjoyed the bonus of Wang Chao's training potion. When the training effect has improved a lot, Mitchell's strength has improved compared to the same period. how much?

Wang Chao reckons that even if it is not as good as the 2020 playoffs with Murray, he scored 50+ explosive scoring performances twice in a series, but he is definitely stronger than himself in the 18-19 season .

And that's just freshman Mitchell.

Murray's performance is worse than Mitchell's, mainly because of the style of play of the two, but Murray has an advantage over Mitchell, that is, Murray who entered the league in the 16-17 season With a little more experience, plus the addition of Wang Chao's training potion, the real strength is not much worse than Mitchell.

So on the surface, it seems that the Nuggets are supported by Wang Chao alone, but in fact, counting Gobert, Mitchell and Murray, these are three players who have fully reached the level of the All-Stars. Rose, Kuzma and Tucker are three outstanding role players, and Wang Chao is the No. 1 in league history. The Nuggets are reasonable in lineup compared with the Nets, Cavaliers, and Warriors. .

If not, where does Wang Chao have the confidence to lead this new team to the NBA championship in just one season after coming to the Nuggets? (end of this chapter)