NBA: I am the card dealer

The situation in the west is much clearer.

The last one is the Phoenix Suns, who sent Bledsoe away at the beginning of the season, obviously wanting to focus on training Booker.

Booker has also performed well, averaging 24.9 points per game, plus 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds. Judging from the statistics, he is already an excellent scorer, but is he capable of leading a team?

It's up for debate.

14th place, Memphis Grizzlies.

After Conley was injured, they immediately went for a slump, so no one was surprised by this result.

Thirteenth place, Dallas Mavericks.

Their main task this season is to train Harrison Barnes and give veteran driver Nowitzki a decent career. The record is not important.

Harrison Barnes averaged 18.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2 assists per game. His overall performance was okay, and his shooting percentage was 44.2%, which was not too shabby.

But as a cornerstone of the team, this performance is clearly unsatisfactory.

In addition, Harrison Barnes' influence on the court is very limited and does not reflect the ability or potential of a top star.

Therefore, if Barnes does not make sufficient progress next season, the Mavericks' reconstruction experiment will end in failure.

12th place, Sacramento Kings.

They have once again entered a rebuilding period, starting from scratch again, and it is no surprise that they are in this position.

Eleventh place, Los Angeles Lakers, record 33 wins and 49 losses.

This season's most disappointing team, bar none.

Logically speaking, their lineup is not bad, and there is no problem for them to fight for a playoff spot. Moreover, as the defending champions, they still have a rich financial foundation.

Look at their lineup before the start of the season: Randle, Clarkson, Vonleh, James Johnson, Courtney Lee, Joe Johnson, Glenn Robinson, Zubac, and Nance Jr. The main players who won the championship basically stayed. Each of them is capable and has both internal and external strengths, which is enough to ensure that they are competitive enough.

On this basis, they added top scorer Anthony. As a member of the 03 platinum generation, he is known as an offensive kaleidoscope. His offensive ability and means are unquestionable. He will replace George and become the team's star player.

Then they added the powerful player Pope, who made a name for himself during his time with the Pistons. He is a very practical first-class 3D player who can shoot three-pointers and has good defense.

Next is Nick Young. In view of the team's lack of ability to break through with the ball, they signed old player Nick Young back as a supplement.

Finally, there are Kuzma, Hart, and Caruso. These three rookies have proved themselves to be important rotation players for the team at the end of the season.

With this lineup, will it be a problem for us to qualify for the playoffs?

Definitely highly competitive.

result.

It was shocking that they were never on the playoff list from the beginning, always crawling at the bottom, and finally ran out of energy and just lay down.

Became the biggest laughing stock in the entire league.

Last season’s champions couldn’t even make it to the playoffs.

It's really sad and shameful!

But the Lakers' achievement is not without any benefits. In turn, it has lifted Xue Liancheng to the top, indirectly proving Xue Liancheng's unparalleled dominance.

10th place, Los Angeles Clippers.

In the sprint after the All-Star Weekend, the Clippers ultimately failed to keep up the pace, missing out on the playoffs with a record of 41 wins and 41 losses, and only ranked tenth in the Western Conference.

Ninth place, Denver Nuggets.

Although they made a crazy effort in the second half, the hole they dug in the early stage was too big. Even with a record of 44 wins and 38 losses, they still missed the playoffs.

It's a pity that Millsap, who was recruited during the offseason, was ultimately unable to help the team reach the playoffs.

of course.

The most regrettable thing is not this, but that they ruined this playoff ticket with their own hands.

Because on the last game day of the regular season, the Nuggets' opponent was the eighth-placed Timberwolves. After overtime, they ultimately lost to their opponent and gave up their playoff spot.

However, the Nuggets' framework has basically been built, and their future is still bright.

The frustration is only temporary and they will definitely make a comeback next season.

Eighth place, Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves were at the other extreme. Before the All-Stars, they threatened the fourth-placed Thunder. However, they fell into a slump after the All-Stars and almost failed to fall out of the playoffs. They decided their playoff spot in the last game and eventually won the game, barely beating the Nuggets with a record of 45 wins and 37 losses, and barely made it into the playoffs.

Obviously.

The eighth-place finish did not meet the Timberwolves' expectations.

You should know that during the offseason, they spent a lot of money to get two All-Star players, Butler and Teague, to form a Big Four combination with Towns and Wiggins.

Their goal is to fight against the Golden State Warriors, but at the very least they will be in the first tier.

As a result, they had to fight until the last game and win in overtime to just barely make it into the playoffs, which was definitely far from the set goal.

but.

Reaching the playoffs again after fourteen years gave the fans some comfort. The last time they reached the playoffs was during the Garnett era. They have waited for this day for too long.

So, this is not a failed season.

Seventh place, New Orleans Pelicans, record 46 wins and 36 losses.

They also secured this position by defeating the Spurs on the last game day. The twin tower combination of Cousins ​​and Davis, as well as Rondo and Jrue Holiday, are only ranked seventh in the Western Conference.

This obviously did not meet the public's expectations of them.

Before the start of the season, many media and fans believed that the biggest spoiler in the Western Conference was the Pelicans.

result.

They barely made it to the playoffs, but never showed any real dominance.

Sixth place, Utah Jazz, record 46 wins and 36 losses.

The record is exactly the same as the Pelicans, but because of their better division win rate, they are ranked ahead.

On the last day of the competition, they had a chance to improve their ranking, but they lost to their rivals, the Trail Blazers, which resulted in them being ranked in this position.

but.

People's praises for them came like snowflakes.

Because before the start of the season, the general prediction of the media was that the Jazz would head for the lottery zone, but after the season ended, they rushed to the sixth position.

There is no doubt that the Jazz are the biggest dark horse this season, and their performance is eye-catching.

The offensive and defensive combination of Mitchell + Gobert has officially entered the public eye.

Fifth place, Portland Trail Blazers, record 47 wins and 35 losses.

The backcourt duo of Lillard and CJ McCollum showed their strength again and teamed up to send the Trail Blazers into the playoffs again, which was also somewhat unexpected.

Because the Trail Blazers, who were favored by many last season, did not make the playoffs as they had hoped, people are generally not optimistic about them in the predictions for the new season.

However, they performed well and made it to the playoffs again, ranking fifth and becoming a very competitive team in the Western Conference.

Lillard has been very aggressive this season, averaging 26.9 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. His overall shooting percentage is only 44%, and his three-point shooting percentage is not too high, only 36.1%, but he can make 3.1 three-pointers per game, and his shooting deterrence is still very strong.

His efficiency doesn't look very good, but his offensive ability is still impeccable. He can shoot three-pointers, break into the basket and cause damage. He is also good at swiping the ball. He averages 7.4 free throws per game and makes 6.8 of them, which is almost equal to a fraction of his total score.

CJ McCollum is also good, averaging 21.4 points, 4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. His overall shooting percentage is not high, only 44.3%, but his three-point shooting is excellent, with a three-point shooting percentage of 39.7%, and he can make 2.3 three-pointers per game.

It is precisely because of the top performance of the backcourt duo that the Trail Blazers have achieved such impressive results.

Fourth place, Oklahoma City Thunder, with a record of 53 wins and 29 losses.

It is really unexpected that they can firmly occupy the upper half of the Western Conference. After all, their main change is just replacing Whiteside with Gasol Jr. and Will Barton.

No one expected that this offseason deal would help the Thunder, liberate Westbrook, and directly bring about a qualitative leap in their strength.

Westbrook's scoring dropped a bit in the second half, but he is still very strong this season, averaging 29.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game, a super triple-double, and the team's record has been brought to a new height.

Logically, he would be extremely competitive this season, but as luck would have it, he met the even more violent Xue Liancheng, which made his road to MVP full of twists and turns.

of course.

His two teammates also played very well, with Gasol Jr. and Will Barton providing great help. One freed him up to organize and initiate offense, while the other could take over and hold the ball for singles. At the same time, both of them had good three-point shooting, which perfectly made up for his shortcomings.

It was the arrival of these two people that brought about this new Thunder.

Third place, San Antonio Spurs, with a record of 54 wins and 28 losses.

It is not surprising that they achieved this result. After all, they are seen as a part of the league's championship race. It goes without saying how strong the team was in last season's Western Conference Finals.

Leonard has become more mature this season and his offensive feel has become more stable. He leads the team on both offense and defense and fulfills the responsibilities of a leader.

Aldridge has played more offensive roles this season and has improved his offensive efficiency both in the mid-range and back-to-the-basket. The tactical shift has also allowed him to return to his peak form.

In addition to the two core players, the Spurs also have a strong lineup depth, including Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol, Ginobili, Parker, Mills, Danny Green, Slam Anderson, Forbes, and Bertans, which allows them to condense a strong fighting force.

This is also one of the Spurs' confidence.

but.

They are not completely without flaws.

They failed to make it out of the West last season, and many of them are a year older this season. For example, Aldridge is 33 years old, Rudy Gay is 32 years old, Gasol is 38 years old, Parker is 36 years old, Ginobili is 41 years old, and even Danny Green is 31 years old.

That's right.

Their aging problem has become increasingly serious, which is a huge hidden danger. Facing the impact of those young players, it is a question whether these old guys can withstand it.

Even if you can hold on, can you physically keep up with these energetic young people?

This is the biggest challenge facing the Spurs.

Second place, Golden State Warriors, with a record of 58 wins and 24 losses.

They played a little casually in the second half and lost a lot of games, but it was no big deal because their control over the court was still the strongest in the league.

In other words, even if you are trailing by ten points in the fourth quarter, you dare not slack off at all.

On the other hand, if they are ahead by ten points, it is basically a death sentence for you.

This dominance on the court is obvious.

This is entirely due to the fact that Curry, Durant and Thompson are still performing at a top level and are among the strongest scorers in the league.

The defensive effect of their small lineup is becoming more and more mature, using the characteristics of unlimited replacement and quick defense to prevent you from launching an offense.

The depth of the lineup is also among the best in the league. Iguodala, Livingston, Pachulia, McGee, McCaw, Cook, Casspi, Bell and others can all become important rotation players for the team.

There is no doubt that the Warriors are still the biggest favorites to win the championship this season. Even if the Nets and Rockets have better records than them, they cannot shake their dominance and strength in the hearts of the public.

First place, Houston Rockets, with a record of 65 wins and 27 losses.

With the arrival of Paul, Harden finally led the team to the top of the Western Conference and became the most threatening team to the Warriors in the West, without a doubt.

The combination of the two can be considered a match made in heaven.

Harden began to focus on scoring, while breaking through and passing became auxiliary. Paul avoided the problem of his insufficient scoring ability and insufficient scoring explosiveness. The two formed a double-organizing and double-initiating offensive tactic, which maximized the power of the magic ball tactics.

of course.

Both of them made sacrifices. Harden's data shrunk a lot compared to last season, but he still averaged 30.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. His overall shooting percentage was 44.9%, and his three-point shooting percentage was 36.7%. He could make 3.7 three-pointers per game, which is still very scary.

After Paul lacked the ball, his statistics also shrank significantly, averaging only 18.6 points, 7.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. His overall shooting percentage was 46%, his three-point shooting percentage was 38%, and he averaged 2.5 three-pointers per game.

His outside shooting ability has improved, but his overall data does not look like that of a superstar at all. After all, Paul's data has remained at the 20+10 level for many years.

Now it's 18+8, which is a significant reduction.

But they had no complaints, because they could vaguely see the two championship trophies standing there shining brightly, which inspired them.

In addition to the two of them, the Rockets also have many high-quality role players, including Eric Gordon, Capela, Ariza, Ryan Anderson, Gerald Green, PJ Tucker, Nene and other strong players, all of whom have good strength and can support the light bulb combination to move forward.

Uh...there is also the mascot, the big devil Zhou Qi.

This talented center, who was selected 16th in the second round of the 13 draft, joined the Rockets this season and played in 18 games, averaging 6.8 minutes per game, averaging top stats of 1.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. His overall shooting percentage was 18.8% and his three-point shooting percentage was 10.5%. He performed very well and showed first-class potential.

The future is immeasurable.