Legend of Tomorrow

The other series have already decided the winner. The Spurs eliminated the Kings 4-1, and the SuperSonics eliminated the Mavericks 4-2. The two teams will meet in the second round.

The Spurs are lucky, the SuperSonics are actually easier to deal with than the Grizzlies.

The Mavericks didn't beat the Sonics because of their defensive flaws. They failed to make it past the first round for two consecutive years. Nelson resigned before the playoffs even started, leaving a mess for Little General Johnson.

At this time, the Rockets management also began to consider firing Jeff Van Gundy. Owner Alexander was already very dissatisfied with Van Gundy. He and manager Dawson discussed asking Nelson to replace Van Gundy in the summer, and now he has left the Mavericks.

Alexander would like to see more of a fast-paced, Suns-style style of play, and that's not possible with Van Gundy. They talked about it last season, Van Gundy insisted on playing half-court and defense first.

So the question is, who can the Rockets guard if Sura and David Wesley start together?

Van Gundy's stubborn, rigid and boring play made many fans hate him. None of the players who left the Rockets had anything good to say about him. They all had conflicts with him. Only a few people still praise him, those who like to say offense wins fans, defense wins championships. They may not watch the game at all.

Since the outcome of a basketball game is determined by who scores more points, does defense win the championship? !

Alexander's only reason not to lay off Van Gundy is that his contract does not expire until 2008, and 2007 is the last year of the guaranteed contract. If we fire him now, we have to give him two years of salary to buy him out.

In any case, Alexander does hope to have an excellent offensive master to replace Van Gundy next season, and Nelson seems to be the most suitable candidate, although he has never led a team to win a championship.

In the Eastern Conference matchup, the Pacers eliminated the Cavaliers 4-1.

The Pacers' starting point guard Jamal Tinsley is a key figure. He is in excellent condition. He has performed at a super level in the series and scored 15+6, disrupting the Cavaliers' defense with pick-and-roll breakthroughs time and time again.

The Cavaliers' starting point guard Jeff McGinnis is getting slower and slower. This is the Cavaliers' biggest weakness this year, a defensive black hole. Substitute Eric Snow can hardly regain his former courage. He has almost no scoring ability and can only defend.

The Cavaliers had the advantage in the inside competition, and Boozer had the upper hand against O'Neal.

In terms of data, the two of them are evenly matched, both are 20+10.

But O'Neal's shooting percentage was only 38.7%, and Boozer's shooting percentage was as high as 49.4%. The result of this matchup is surprising.

Of course, Ou is not bad. He plays a much greater role on the defensive end than Boozer. He can defend alone and help block shots. Boozer is not very good at guarding the pick-and-roll or the paint.

Artest and Stephen Jackson fought and struggled with each other. LeBron James's shooting percentage in the series was only 40%, and he averaged 21 points and 6 assists per game. At this time, the little emperor was still not sure about the three-point shot and had not practiced the post-up play well. He hated Artest's style of defense the most.

The points difference between the two teams was not big every time. The Pacers won by 12 points at most. But under the guidance of Rick Carlisle, the Pacers' defensive system was very strong, using zone defense to limit the Cavaliers' offense, and they had the last laugh.

James' first playoff game exposed a lot of problems. He was always invisible at critical moments. He didn't dare to play in the final quarter when he couldn't guarantee his shooting percentage. He passed the ball to his teammates again and again, neither breaking through nor shooting.

In the final quarter, Boozer seemed more reliable than James. The rebellious guy didn't jump to the Jazz last summer, and he gained a very high reputation. People recognized that he was the Cavaliers' second in command, a general who assisted the little emperor, and his offensive ability was super high. powerful.

It's a pity that the Cavaliers don't have a good substitute at the 4th position. Boozer is finished as soon as the offense comes off the court.

The team is missing Varejao and has a backup center Biedrins. Biedrins' defense is okay, but his offense is so speechless. Not only does he have no shooting range, his free throws are worse than O'Neal, and he is on the same level as Ben Wallace.

The Pacers' guards can also guard Biedrins and just give him a free throw for a foul. His shooting posture is very weird. He pushes the ball slowly and doesn't look like he can score.

The Heat swept the Bucks 4-0.

Ratliff is recognized as a good blue-collar player. He is good at assisting in blocking shots and guarding pick-and-rolls. It is very difficult to face a type like O'Neal because he is not heavy enough.

Wade also had the upper hand in the matchup with Reed. It was difficult for Reed to defend him from shooting three-pointers. In turn, it was difficult for Reed to prevent Wade's breakthrough.

Bucks guard TJ Ford's performance in the playoffs was not very good even if he was not injured. He was trapped in a zone defense and had difficulty breaking into the basket to score. He was often left open on the outside and had no three-point ability. Although the Heat's starting guard Damon Jones has poor breakthrough skills and poor organizational skills, he can throw three-pointers after catching the ball and is a good partner in the Shark Cheeks combination.

Wade's performance is the most eye-catching, averaging 27+5+7 per game. It seems that O'Neal is indeed assisting him in this series.

The Wizards eliminated the Celtics 4-2 in the first round and completed a counterattack from the bottom up. Arenas, Larry Hughes, and Jamison's trident offense was excellent.

In the middle of the season, the Celtics sent the team's sixth man Jamal Crawford and a second-round pick to the Hawks in exchange for Fat Head Antoine Walker. This is a win-win deal. Walker is familiar with the Green Army's system and performed well on the offensive end, but third place in the regular season was just a matter of luck.

Walker is a hole on the defensive end. He has no height, bounces, and is poor at defending pick-and-rolls and the penalty area.

Therefore, the Hawks management looked down on Walker, thinking that he was short and slow, so he only knew how to shoot three-pointers, and it also affected the development of Josh Smith.

After replacing Crawford, the Hawks brought someone off the bench to attack in the second quarter, and Josh could also start. He runs very well, but he is not good at positional warfare and has no confidence in mid- and long-range shooting. He can be regarded as a weakened version of Marion.

The Eagles' weakest position is the center, they can only play small-ball tactics, and they only have Jason Kohler as a human shield inside.

After the trade, the Hawks' offense became stronger and they eliminated the Pistons 4-2 in the first round. Their style of play is similar to that of the Suns in last year's finals, with run-and-gun, pick-and-roll and shark-killing tactics.

Larry Brown's tactics are the same as last season. I feel uncomfortable without using my big book...

Brown will definitely be fired this summer. The Pistons boss has had enough with him and feels that he is not a famous coach at all, but an old man with a mental problem. Brown will receive a buyout, but it will be difficult for him to find another job in the future.

Nash ranked third in the regular season MVP predictions this year and was known as the second point guard in the league. He made the Mavericks owner regret his youth and made fans criticize the management for being mentally retarded.

Previously, the first point guard was traded for Tyronn Lue, and now the second point guard was let go for nothing. What kind of operation is this?

However, Guo Xu's only competitor is O'Neal. It is impossible for Nash to win the MVP, because he is too similar to Guo Xu, but his data and record are quite different. They are weakened versions. What's the point of letting him become the MVP?

Nash's strength has been affirmed. The Hawks he led can both play pick-and-roll and can also get into position. The Eagles faced off against the Pacers in the second round, and it was still unclear who would win. This was a contest between the offensive team and the defensive team.

Experts predict that the Pacers have a greater chance of advancing. Whether the Hawks can be upset mainly depends on Nash's performance.

With the strong rise of the Hawks, teams that have not reached the playoffs and are preparing to rebuild are beginning to consider imitating the Hawks and Suns and using run-and-gun tactics next season.

On May 9, the first game of the Suns VS Grizzlies started in Phoenix...