NBA: I am the card dealer

The situation in the West is even clearer. As the Timberwolves fall behind, the echelons have become very distinct.

The first-place Warriors have 35 wins and 10 losses, with a winning rate of 77.7%.

In the past month, they have played very well and their winning streak has continued. They have quietly surpassed the Rockets to become the leader of the Western Conference.

This is well deserved. After all, being called the Warrior of the Universe is not a joke.

The second-place Rockets have 30 wins and 12 losses, with a winning rate of 71.4%.

Paul has missed a lot of games recently, and Harden has returned to the pattern of last season. The record has declined to a certain extent, which is a very severe challenge for them.

But as long as Paul returns, the Rockets will definitely take off, which is absolutely foreseeable.

The third-place Spurs have 31 wins and 15 losses, with a winning rate of 67.3%.

Although their recent record has declined, they showed the style of a top team in the game against the Nets. They are definitely a force that cannot be ignored in the Western Conference.

In terms of the probability of winning the championship, they are even higher than the Rockets, which is evident from this.

The fourth-place Thunder has 30 wins and 15 losses, with a winning rate of 66.6%.

There is no doubt that Westbrook is very strong. He is at his peak at this stage and his impact is also at a historical level. Once he starts to charge, he is truly unstoppable.

But the person who really keeps the Thunder in the first tier is Marc Gasol. His defense, rim protection, high-post support, and offensive deterrence have truly transformed the Thunder from a playoff team to a team that can compete with the Spurs, Rockets and Warriors.

The fifth-place Timberwolves have 28 wins and 18 losses, with a 60.8% winning rate.

They were originally entangled with the Thunder for the upper half of the conference, and the successful formation of the Big Four made Minnesota fans extremely excited.

But recently they have suddenly fallen behind, losing some games inexplicably, causing their record to decline rapidly and opening up a certain distance from the Thunder.

The sixth-place Trail Blazers have 23 wins and 21 losses, with a 52.2% winning rate.

Relying on the advantage in the head-to-head match, they barely sat in the sixth place, and the Trail Blazers' duo once again reached the playoffs.

However, it is really hard to say how far they can go. The combination of Lillard + CJ McCollum always gives people a sense of instability.

From here, the stratification becomes more obvious.

If the previous ones belong to the first tier, then this one is still in the fight for the playoffs.

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

Relying on the advantage in the battle, they are barely ranked in this position. The performance of the twin towers is definitely disappointing.

The combination of Davis and Cousins ​​failed to create a trend in the Western Conference and even has to worry about a playoff spot. This is a failing performance in any case.

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

The departure of Paul and JJ Redick has caused a huge decline in their strength, but they are still in the playoffs, and we have to say that it is the uniqueness of Rivers.

When leading a team of superstars, he always plays with trepidation, but if it is a team of civilians, he still has his own way.

The ninth-place Nuggets have 22 wins and 23 losses, with a 48.8% winning rate.

Jokic's growth gave them hope, but Millsap's performance made them despair.

Originally, they were just one step away from making the playoffs last season, and they signed Millsap just to make the playoffs.

result.

It's useless.

Millsap simply can't provide enough help, which is frustrating.

It seems like this All-Star was signed for nothing.

The tenth-placed Jazz have 21 wins and 23 losses, with a 47.7% winning rate.

Their momentum has slowed down recently, Mitchell has hit the rookie wall and his performance has been poor, and there has been no positive feedback on Gobert's injury.

But it's good enough that they can maintain this competitiveness.

After all, the departure of Hayward and George Hill has caused them great harm. It is no exaggeration to say that they have been shaken, but they can still fight for the playoffs. Mitchell's arrival has played a huge role.

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

Booker looks a bit like a cornerstone, but that's just an appearance.

They have basically no hope this season, and the road to the playoffs is nowhere in sight. They are still waiting for opportunities in the reconstruction.

And playing badly is the most likely way to achieve it.

The 15th-place Grizzlies have 28 wins and 34.8 losses, with a % winning rate.

The veteran team finally gave up resistance and entered a period of decline. They need a new core cornerstone.

Any team entering the rebuilding phase will experience a huge period of pain. Currently ranking 12th in the Western Conference, which is fourth from the bottom, this is the greatest pain.

The thirteenth-placed Mavericks have 15 wins and 30 losses, with a 33.3% winning rate.

A while ago, Cuban felt that the name Mavericks did not fully reflect the true meaning of the team's translated name, so he publicly solicited new Chinese team names, and the Mavericks won.

The name Mavericks has officially become history.

The fourteenth-place Lakers have 14 wins and 30 losses, with a winning rate of 31.8%.

Here comes the biggest joke of the season.

Even after getting the traditional point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, they still couldn't reverse the trend and get on the road to winning.

there are many reasons.

The main reason is that there are too many players on the team who need the ball in offense. Anthony, Randle, Kuzma, Clarkson, Ronjo Jefferson, Nick Young and a group of others all need to have the ball in their hands.

Now here comes Dinwiddie.

There was only one ball in the game, how could that be enough to score?

The result is that their overall roster looks good, but they are diving all the way to the lottery zone.

Besides.

Another point is that the aging Anthony no longer has the majesty of an offensive kaleidoscope. Now his efficiency is extremely low, and his desire to attack is strong. He always thinks that he is the boss of the team and needs to carry the team on his shoulders.

But the reality is that he simply can't bear it.

He fights alone in various ways, causing even greater damage to the team.

Sometimes, even when there is a clear chance to win, Anthony just goes for it when he gets the ball, and ends up killing himself.

Kuzma and Ronho Jefferson quickly seized power and had a huge conflict with Randle and Clarkson.

Because Randle and Clarkson consider themselves championship members, they have proven their abilities and are definitely the future of the team.

As a result, Kuzma came and kept fighting for the ball.

But Kuzma is doing well!

Often able to perform well.

Isn't this where the conflict comes from?

In addition, the Lakers management is also divided into many factions and constant fighting, and the players are their bargaining chips.

For example, Aunt Jeanie and Magic Johnson support new forces such as Kuzma.

For example, Kupchak and Buss Jr. support the old guard like Randle and Clarkson.

They put pressure on Mike Brown and it almost drove him crazy.

There is definitely a reason why the Lakers are in the second-to-last place. They simply cannot unite as one, and are constantly fighting and in chaos.

The outside world doesn't care about you. As the defending champion, you can't even make it to the playoffs and are heading straight for the lottery. Such performance is simply unheard of and unseen.

no doubt.

The most disappointing team this season is undoubtedly the Lakers.

This raises another question: How could the Lakers be so bad after Xue Liancheng left?

Xue Liancheng led the Lakers, who were so bad, to win the championship and reach the top of the world.

The value of Xue Liancheng's championship with the Lakers is still increasing, and his greatness needs no further explanation.

The fifteenth-placed Kings have 13 wins and 31 losses, with a 29.5% winning rate.

Once again caught in the vicious cycle of reconstruction, the Kings are still the same Kings, leaving people with no hope at all.

This is the current situation of the teams in the East and West.

As the trade deadline approaches, sporadic trades have begun to appear.

But all this has nothing to do with the Nets.

After losing to the Spurs, Atkinson held an emergency meeting and watched a night of video games. They needed to find out the reasons for the defeat, summarize it, and make changes.

The next day.

They faced the challenge of the Miami Heat at home.

In this game, the Heat's lineup is relatively complete: Dragic, Wade, Richardson, Porzingis, and Whiteside.

Their morale is now high and they are at the stage of great momentum.

The Nets had just lost to the Spurs and were experiencing their lowest morale period.

Logically speaking, both sides still have the strength to fight.

but it is not the truth.

The Nets gave the Heat a beating, defeating them 123:95 and successfully stopping their decline.

The main reason for the clean loss was that Whiteside's defense and rim protection were overestimated. In addition, he was a standard big man whose speed could not keep up with the Nets' rhythm, and his defensive movements were a bit clumsy.

As a result, he was targeted by the Nets throughout the game and was beaten to the point of losing his temper.

Spoelstra also tried to replace Ellington and started to play with a small lineup.

But Wade is old and no longer has the explosiveness he once had. His finishing ability at the basket has dropped drastically, and his three-point shooting is very poor. He is also a huge burden in this regard.

This caused all sorts of problems for their offense.

On the defensive end, it was full of holes.

Porzingis was busy running around alone and was unable to form an effective defensive system.

This is the main reason why they lost so badly.

Or to be more precise, their traditional style of play has been destroyed by the small ball era, but their current lineup is also unable to play a fast-paced offense.

Once the aging Wade loses his speed and explosiveness and is unable to create space for three-point shooting, he is doomed to lose his position as a scoring leader.

Whiteside is even more thorough. He simply does not have the ability to play with a small lineup. He can't keep up with the rhythm, the speed, or the offensive style of play.

Besides.

Dragic also prefers traditional playing style.

You ask him to play at a fast pace, counterattack on defense, and attack the basket, which is simply unrealistic because his physical condition does not allow it. His speed and explosiveness cannot keep up, and his passing vision has not reached the historical level.

That's it?

How can you lead the Heat in fast breaks and defensive counterattacks?

Spoelstra may also understand this truth, but the cards in his hand are not enough to support him to implement his own tactics.

In addition, the Nets were in very good shape in this game, playing at a crazy offensive rhythm and almost defeating the Heat in three quarters.

They could neither fight as hard as the Spurs on defense, nor respond on offense.

Failure is an obvious thing.

But the Nets did not stop there. After defeating the Miami Heat, they faced the challenge of a five-game road trip.

The first stop is the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons are currently in dire straits and face the crisis of withdrawing from the playoff race. Meeting the Nets at this time would be like adding insult to injury.

The results of the game speak for themselves.

The Nets defeated the Pistons 119:100 and resumed their winning streak.

There was nothing special about the Nets' victory in this game.

For the Pistons, this defeat was equivalent to pushing them into an endless abyss.

Originally there was a possibility of competing for the playoffs, but with the loss in this game, their record dropped to 22 wins and 23 losses, and their winning rate officially fell below %. They watched themselves get further and further away from the playoffs.

That kind of loss cannot be described in words.

Especially since they have always been in the playoffs, they believe in their hearts that they are a strong playoff-level team. Now they are kicked out of the playoffs and are getting further and further away. It is really a huge blow!

After the game.

Countless media outlets began to criticize the Pistons, which was a complete reversal from the praises they had been singing a month ago. The contrast was enormous.

Drummond and Reggie Jackson have been subjected to countless doubts, criticisms, and even ridicule.

"These two useless guys want to make it to the playoffs?"

"I've said it before, the Pistons will definitely be the first to fall behind. Reggie Jackson and Drummond are two pseudo-stars, not cornerstone players at all."

"The star's quality is fully demonstrated at this moment."

"They didn't have playoff potential to begin with, and they just got back to where they belonged."

"Reggie Jackson still dreams of making the All-Star team. Do you deserve it?"

"Drummond is the biggest statistician."

The reality is so cruel.

A month ago, countless people were praising the Pistons' dark horse potential and praising Reggie Jackson and Drummond for being underestimated.

A month later.

They were trampled straight into hell.

The world of sports competition is so bloody.

Xue Liancheng saw all this and felt a wave of melancholy in his heart.

Even though he looks so majestic now and fans worship him as a god, if he fails to lead the Nets to perform as expected, he may also face such a storm.

Even more terrifying than a storm of this magnitude, what he was facing was a tsunami that could instantly drown him in saliva.

And it was this cautiousness that made him understand an idiom more and more: It’s lonely at the top.

The higher he stands, the farther he can see, and the more he is worshipped by the world, as if he is the top of the world.

But the consequence is that when you fall, it's easy to be smashed to pieces.

He knows this truth very well, so he rarely shows off his talents now.

The Nets' expectation this season is undoubtedly to win the championship.

No matter what ESPN predicted before the start of the season and how it looked down on the Nets, it did not prevent people's expectations for the Nets from rising step by step.

That's the trouble with being a superstar.

You have the right to enjoy the cheers of the whole world, but you also have the obligation to accept the supervision of the fans.

The bottom line for completing the mission is to break out of the East, which is the most basic.

But even if this most basic task is accomplished, it could be seen as a failure by some fans.

this is the truth.