NBA: I am the card dealer

By comparing the two, we can find that Sabonis Jr. and Anunoby are still too immature. There is absolutely no problem with their combat effectiveness in regular games.

But under high-intensity confrontation, they easily lose the rhythm of the game and become very uncomfortable, especially when they are violated. They can no longer show their level on the offensive end and don't know how to fight back.

It feels like an elementary school student comes to a middle school to play boxing, and he is definitely going to get beaten.

Sabonis Jr. and Anunoby are both the main core of the Nets. Once they are contained, the Nets' offensive power will be basically wasted.

Wanting to win the game under such circumstances is really harder than climbing to the sky.

Unless the Spurs' own offense is extremely poor.

But the Spurs are not like other teams. In addition to teamwork, they also have two powerful weapons, Leonard and Aldridge, which is enough to ensure that they will not stall in a hard-to-hard collision.

That's the Spurs' advantage.

In this game, Aldridge made 24 of 13 shots and scored 34 points and 8 rebounds, once again showing his killer qualities. As the best big man in the league with mid-range shooting, when his touch is good, his shooting can almost make people despair. He is really a ruthless character who can kill people.

莱昂纳德18中8，三分8中4，也砍下25分12篮板的顶级数据，表现也可谓出色。

The two supported each other and scored a total of 59 points, accounting for more than half of the team's total points.

On the Nets side, only Xue Liancheng has the ability to attack strongly, which means that once he is surrounded and defended, no one can stand up to share the offensive pressure with him.

This is also why Atkinson mentioned the importance of the second stable scoring point, which is obviously very far-sighted.

It is really difficult for one person to break through the defensive encirclement alone. Once his teammates cannot provide effective support, he will not be able to break in at all. Simply shooting from the outside is not enough to kill people.

Last season, when Xue Liancheng led the team to the playoffs alone, they lost because their teammates continued to be weak and could not provide strong support.

As for the games in which the Lakers won, it was almost always because the teammates performed well and were able to provide corresponding support within a certain range, so that the Lakers could win the game.

of course.

There is also a prerequisite here. Xue Liancheng must maintain a scoring level of 40+. Only above this level can they retain the hope of winning.

If he misses, it's over.

Winning has almost become a pipe dream.

but.

The Lakers had another magic weapon to win last year, and that was Xue Liancheng's outburst.

Even in such a difficult environment, the Lakers won the championship. Xue Liancheng's greatness is beyond words.

Unexpectedly, in the new season, they still haven't changed on this point.

Worse.

Sabonis Jr. and Anunoby are even younger. They can play well when the situation is favorable, but once the intensity is increased and they have to fight hard, they become extremely sluggish.

The former is not very good at confrontation, and under more intense physical confrontation, he cannot even complete his shooting posture.

As for Anunoby, due to his lack of ball-handling ability, he may not have any problem pushing across half court under normal circumstances, but when breaking through with physical contact, it is difficult for him to maintain his center of gravity.

This is the biggest problem facing the Nets right now.

And it’s not easy to solve. We can only wait patiently for Sabonis Jr. and Anunoby to grow.

Not only does one need to grow in combat skills, but one also needs to grow psychologically.

This is the end.

The Nets' 12-game winning streak came to an end.

But even if they lose, they still have a record of 36 wins and 9 losses, firmly sitting in the first spot in the league.

Now that the season is more than halfway through, the level of each team can basically be determined. A dark horse like the Pistons once challenged the upper half of the Eastern Conference, but now is getting further and further away from a playoff spot.

For example, Digital Man was also very strong at the beginning, but its performance has declined now.

The current situation in the East is:

The first-place Nets have 36 wins and 9 losses, leading the way with an 80% winning rate, firmly sitting in the top spot.

Xue Liancheng's continued stable output, the growth of Sabonis Jr. and Anunoby, as well as the trade reinforcements of Covington, Vonleh, James Johnson and other strong players, have made their overall strength advance by leaps and bounds at a visible speed. Currently in the Eastern Conference, no team can threaten their top position.

The second-place Celtics have 33 wins and 13 losses, with a winning rate of 71.7%. With the injury of Isaiah Thomas, their offense is not as good as before. After being beaten badly by the Nets, their morale has also been low.

But the paper strength of their overall lineup is still at the forefront of the Eastern Conference. Hayward, Horford, Jaylen Brown and Tatum, the two top picks, are enough for them to stabilize the situation.

The third-place Knicks have 31 wins and 14 losses, with a winning rate of 68.8%.

Lopez's form has been up and down this season, and his defensive effect has also declined sharply. He has to rely on James alone to fight. It is not easy for him to maintain the third position under such circumstances.

But the outside world doesn't think so.

No matter what, Lopez averaged 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, so he is still capable. With the support of a large group of strong players such as Tyler Johnson, Crowder, Hardaway Jr., Darren Collison, Jeff Green, Ilyavaso, Rooney, etc., it is not surprising that the Knicks are ranked in this position.

However, James expressed in an interview that he is still very dissatisfied with the current situation.

After all, once they fall to fourth place, even if they pass the first round, they will have to go head-to-head with the Nets, which is definitely not the result James wants.

If possible, it would be best to avoid the Nets throughout the Eastern Conference Finals, and then fight Xue Liancheng in the Eastern Conference Finals after defeating all opponents.

For the Knicks, the Eastern Conference Finals was finally a mission accomplished.

But unfortunately, the teams behind them, and even the Celtics, thought the same way.

The fourth-placed Raptors have 29 wins and 14 losses, with a 67.4% winning rate. They are only one win away from the third-placed Knicks. They also have the same idea as the Knicks, wanting to avoid the fourth or fifth position, so that they can go further.

The Raptors have become increasingly powerful this season, and the offensive power of their substitutes has been continuously demonstrated since the arrival of Jeremy Lin.

Using a potential new star like Anunoby to get a super sixth man, I finally feel a little comforted and not so heartbroken.

The fifth-placed Pacers have 26 wins and 18 losses, with a 59% winning rate. They are three and a half games behind the Raptors, and it seems a bit powerless for them to make it to the upper half.

But if it falls, it seems a bit unwilling.

After all, they have finally completed the reconstruction since George left, so naturally they need to give the fans a brilliant result.

Let’s not talk about the playoffs for now, we must achieve good results in the regular season.

After all, even if they rank fifth, their playoff spot is not as secure as imagined.

In this situation, they can only go all out, make it to the playoffs, and secure a playoff spot before considering other things.

The most important thing is that Oladipo urgently needs to prove himself, both in terms of statistics and results. He cannot prepare for a rainy day and consider avoiding the Nets now.

What's more...

It's not necessary either.

So far in the regular season, they have already defeated the Nets three times, so there is no need to hide.

The sixth-place Heat have 25 wins and 19 losses, with a 56.8% winning rate. With the return of Porzingis and Wade, their record is finally slowly improving.

Last season, they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals as a team of the Big Three, which demonstrated their overall strength. Although the Big Three have been dismantled this season, their strength should not be underestimated.

Excluding George who is lying in the hospital bed, let's look at their lineup: the old but powerful Wade, the Heat's new star Porzingis, Dragic who is close to All-Star strength, Whiteside who is a shot-blocking maniac, and a large group of high-quality role players, including LeVert, Olynyk, Richardson, Ellington, Winslow, Adebayo and others, which are enough to build an extremely strong fighting force.

Their recent comeback was actually expected.

The seventh-place digital man has 23 wins and 18 losses, with a 56% winning rate. As the playing characteristics of Embiid and Ben Simmons have been figured out, and Carroll's occasional poor performance, their record has also fluctuated greatly.

But their overall lineup is well matched and their fighting power is also there.

In addition, young people have strong impact, good physical fitness and vitality, and they have huge advantages in competing for playoff tickets.

The eighth-place Cavaliers have 24 wins and 20 losses, with a winning rate of 54.5%. Their record is lower than expected, but it is not surprising. After several losses in the playoffs, veteran players such as Shumpert, JR Smith, TT Thompson, and Frye have shown signs of fatigue.

If Irving and Love just work hard, they may only be able to fight for a playoff spot. After all, the competition in the Eastern Conference is really fierce.

Although they are ranked eighth, the last spot in the playoffs, they are only two wins away from fifth place, and a series of consecutive wins will help them move forward.

So they are still very competitive overall.

But they are still chased by three extremely violent pursuers. If they suffer a series of defeats, they will be quickly left behind.

This shows how fierce the competition in the East is.

The ninth-placed Wizards have 24 wins and 21 losses, with a 53.3% winning rate. They are only two and a half wins away from the fifth-placed Pacers and half a win away from the eighth-placed Cavaliers.

They are just one step away from reaching the playoffs.

There is no doubt that they are the team with the most pressure. The backcourt duo of Wall and Beal are highly expected. Before the start of the season, many media predicted that they would be around fourth or fifth in the Eastern Conference.

ESPN even sees them as spoilers in the Eastern Conference.

result.

Now they have dropped to ninth place and don't even have a playoff spot.

For Wall, who is determined to prove himself, and Beal, who is aiming to be an All-Star, they are determined to win the playoffs.

But here's the thing.

Who can they push out among those in front?

Pacers?

Oladipo is no pushover. As one of the top guards in the league, he has completed a transformation this season, averaging nearly 7 points more per game and stabilizing his stats at 27+6+5. He is also very eager to prove himself, and with a large group of helpers around him, he is also determined to make the playoffs.

Heat?

After Wade and Porzingis returned, their lineup depth is one of the strongest in the Eastern Conference and should not be underestimated. It is not easy to squeeze them out.

Digital human?

Embiid and Ben Simmons have been called the Great Emperor and the Western Emperor by fans. It may have been a joke at the beginning, but their strength has definitely been verified and recognized.

They have been waiting for so many years in this process, it's time to get the results. If they can't make it to the playoffs, you can imagine how disappointed the fans will be.

So they have no way out.

The Wizards want to squeeze out the younger, better-lineup, more energetic digital players, but I'm afraid it's not that easy.

The knight who finally finished eighth?

Irving + Love are the strongest guarantee for a playoff spot. Although the Cavaliers' lineup is not that good, it is not bad either. You can't squeeze in just because you want to. The Cavaliers themselves still want to squeeze forward!

so.

The Wizards' challenge for a playoff spot is much more difficult than imagined.

Because there are two teams eyeing us from behind.

The tenth-place Bucks have 23 wins and 21 losses, with a 52.2% winning rate.

Since trading for Bledsoe, their record has not improved, but has declined.

They were making a strong push some time ago, but have been losing games intermittently recently. The situation is extremely difficult for them.

However, their lineup is also very deep.

Super star Antetokounmpo, Bledsoe, Middleton, Jabari Parker, and last year's best rookie Brogdon all look good, but they just can't fit together.

There is no way for them to fully exert their fighting power.

Bledsoe was originally traded for in the hopes of breaking out of the Eastern Conference, but now it seems that they are still struggling for the playoffs.

but.

They are only three wins away from the fifth-placed Pacers in the Eastern Conference. This gap is nothing, just a win streak.

and so.

The Pacers are under tremendous pressure, and for good reason.

If they relax a little and lose some games, they will most likely dive to tenth or even eleventh place.

Because the 22th-placed Pistons have 21 wins and 51.1 losses, with a % winning rate, they are only three and a half wins away from the Pacers, and the gap is just that small.

but.

The Pistons have been falling from fifth in the Eastern Conference. Their slump is apparent and their morale has been severely diminished. Under such circumstances, it would be harder than climbing to the sky for them to continue their charge toward the playoffs.

The most important thing is that there are a large group of competitors fighting for the playoffs in front of them, all of them are fat and fat, and are eyeing the playoff spots. As the weakest team on paper, it is difficult for people to have confidence in them.

The potential of being a dark horse may end here.

The 16th-place Hornets have 27 wins and 37.2 losses, with a winning rate of %.

From here on, the team has completely fallen behind. Kemba Walker's dream of making the All-Star Game was shattered, which dragged down the team's performance, and Batum is no longer magical.

The 16th-placed Bulls have 29 wins and 35.5 losses, with a % winning rate.

Without Butler, they have already lost their playoff spot, and LaVine is very fragile, so they can only wait until next season.

The fourteenth-place Magic have 12 wins and 32 losses, with a winning rate of 27.2%.

Without any surprises, we continued to rush forward on the road of reconstruction.

The fifteenth-placed Hawks have 11 wins and 33 losses, with a 25% winning rate.

The last-place ranking is well-deserved, and Atlanta is also aiming to be in a slump, so the Hawks' appearance in this position is very much in line with expectations.