After the All-Star Game, the annual trading deadline is always particularly eye-catching.

In the past, because of the emergence of the Warriors, each team tried hard to strengthen it in order to compete with the Warriors, especially when the Warriors formed 4.

This year, the reinforcement of each team is still for this purpose. The difference is that the team they need to compete with this time is no longer the Warriors, but the Lakers.

There are two largest deals in this offseason, and these two transactions are connected.

The Spurs, Bucks and Warriors reached a three-party deal.

The Spurs sent out Faried and the second round draft pick they signed last year, and got the inside of the Bucks, and they were also Monroe whom they had always coveted.

The Warriors gave Bogut and next year's first-round draft pick, and got Faried from the Spurs.

The Bucks have been in the playoffs for three consecutive years but failed. The team's boss fired Kidd and now sent out Monroe to get a draft pick and Bogut, officially announcing a new round of reconstruction.

The biggest significance of this deal is that the powerful Spurs and Warriors have been substantially enhanced, and it is obviously not so easy for the Lakers to break out of the West.

This round of reinforcement has also brought the league to a polarization point. The strong teams are getting stronger and stronger, while the weak teams are getting weaker, which has caused the expectation of most games to plummet. Although the league has not yet introduced relevant restrictions, it has really affected the league's revenue. I believe that there will definitely be some changes in the near future.

Of course, this is the future trend of the alliance and has no impact on the current powerful forces, or they will not pay attention to this.

The reinforced teams worked hard to improve their respective performances in the second half of the season. When the regular season ended on April 18, the league's record also surprised everyone, which is a unique scene in history.

In the West, the Lakers, Warriors and Spurs won 77 wins, 68 wins and 65 wins respectively. Three teams in one division won the game and exceeded 65 wins at the same time, creating a unique scene in history.

The number of games in the league is fixed. If a team wins super high games, it means that other teammates have extremely poor records. For example, the Nuggets in the West have only won 6 games in the whole season, which is even worse than the original 76ers.

In comparison, the Eastern Conference is much better. The Cavaliers' 62-win record is also very impressive in the division, but the Celtics, Pacers and subsequent playoff teams are not much different than last year.

When the top eight in the east and west were confirmed, the playoffs were also released.

The Lakers' first round opponent is the Clippers.

The Clippers' record has further weakened as Paul grows older, especially Randall, which has not achieved the expected progress and cannot achieve core replacement. The team's record has declined further.

Faced with such a team that has been declining, the Lakers easily swept their opponents 4-0.

The game itself is not suspense, but Tang Shuai was a little sad.

It’s not that he performed well by himself, but that last year, his team has eliminated the Clippers for two consecutive years. Whether it is for Paul or the Clippers, he feels uncomfortable.

So much so that after the two sides' series ended, Tang Shuai found Paul, hoping that he would join the Lakers if his contract expires next offseason.

But Paul finally politely refused.

Every player has his personality and his paranoia.

Think about it, this offseason, Paul signed a 1+1 contract. He had the opportunity to go to the Cavaliers and really achieved the goal of playing together with the Four Heroes. In fact, James and Anthony also tried it, but Paul gave up in the end, which shows that he is a warrior in his heart and disdainful of doing that kind of group behavior.

Tang Shuai respected Paul's choices. Everyone has their own choices. He can do it, and all he can choose to do is blessing.

After eliminating the Clippers, the Lakers' opponent in the next round is the Trail Blazers.

Speaking of the opponents in the second round, the twists and turns here are really funny.

After the regular season, the Rockets won 58 wins, ranking fourth in the Western Conference. Like last year, they had the home advantage, and had the chance to meet the Lakers again in the second round, but the situation was extremely similar to last year that they were eliminated by the fifth Clippers last year. They were eventually eliminated by the Trail Blazers this year by 2-4 times. They proved one thing with iron-like facts that they could win the regular season by just offense, but they could never go too far in the playoffs.

At the beginning of this season, Lillard once stated in public that he would never join a super strong team in his career, which is also his belief. He has proved with his performance for a season that what he wants to do is to turn the Trail Blazers into a super strong team.

After eliminating the Rockets, he did do it.

Lillard's story is inspiring and touching, and even if it is summarized together, it can be made into a realistic version of the movie.

However, unfortunately, he and his Trail Blazers met Tang Shuai and the Lakers in the second round.

4 to 0.

Without any suspense, the Lakers easily swept the opponent.

Lillard led the team to the Western Conference semi-finals with averaging 38.6 points and 6.8 assists per game, which was amazing. However, when he and Tang Shuai were on the way, the data dropped to 21.6 points in a cliff-like manner, and the shooting percentage dropped from 56% to 32%. It is conceivable how terrifying it is for Tang Shuai to defend seriously.

The Trail Blazers really have no chance at all after losing the explosive spell.

The Lakers swept two consecutive times, which was completely expected. They ended the two rounds ahead of schedule, and now they can easily and happily wait for the next round of opponents.

However, their opponents are not that comfortable.

As expected, the Spurs and the Warriors both eliminated their opponents in the first round, and both swept 4-0. However, when the two teams met in the semi-finals, there was an unprecedented intense situation.

The Warriors won two home games first. Soon, the Spurs stubbornly won two consecutive games at home. Monroe completely beat the Warriors' inside line on both ends of offense and defense, and got Po Povic's strength greatly increased, making Faried, a physical man, also a former Spurs player.

After the two sides tied 2-2, they entered the key battle of Tianwang Mountain, with the game location being the Warriors' home court, Oakland.

Warriors fans were looking forward to winning the match point at home, but the Spurs had the last laugh. Monroe's last-minute tip-off made Warriors fans feel a little angina pectoris. Not to mention the finals, they may make progress this year.
Chapter completed!