As the last regular season game came to an end, the war between the thirty teams in the National League ushered in a lull. Within four days, there will not be any NBA games.
But the operation of the alliance did not stop from then on, and even started to operate at a faster speed during this period of time.
Teams that are ranked in the top eight in the Eastern and Western Conferences and have qualified for the playoffs now know their opponents in the first round. Some of them feel headaches because their opponents are strong, and some feel uncomfortable because their opponents are weak.
, and those who feel lucky to have picked up a weak persimmon, of course, also have those minorities who are confident in their own strength and don't care who their opponent is.
Teams that have not qualified for the playoffs are beginning to think about next season's draft.
The Portland Trail Blazers are now interested in Greg Oden - he's our top choice.
After a while, the New York Knicks expressed their interest in Kevin Durant.
The media also followed suit. One moment, Greg Oden was the greatest player the league has seen in twenty years, and he was destined to be the No. 1 pick. The next moment, the Knicks took a fancy to Kevin Durant and would definitely choose him. The next moment, Michael Beasley was talented.
Unparalleled, he is the perfect candidate for the No. 1 pick.
The ‘genius players’, ‘prodigies of heaven’ and ‘geniuses of extraordinary talent’ who appear in college leagues have entered the eyes of fans across the United States one by one, and are bombarded with saturated information.
In addition to the draft, trade is also a hot topic. In the coming summer, which teams will undergo major changes and which teams will embark on the road of reconstruction. These are hot topics discussed by the media.
But the biggest theme is the upcoming nba playoffs!
In the Eastern Conference, compared to the competition for the last two rankings in the Western Conference at the end of the season, the strength gap between the top eight and the teams behind the top eight in the Eastern Conference is relatively large, and the qualifications and rankings have also surfaced early.
Although the Detroit Pistons lost their starting center Ben Wallace at the beginning of this season, the overall skeleton of the Pistons is still there. Rasheed Wallace is still there, Prince is still there, and Hamilton is still there.
Now, Billups is still there. With this competitive lineup, the Detroit Pistons finally ranked first in the Eastern Conference with 53 wins and 29 losses. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who have the little emperor LeBron James, won three games.
The gap fell to second place in the Eastern Conference.
The Toronto Raptors ranked third. Although the Miami Heat had a poor start, they faced Dwyane Wade's injury in the middle. But at the critical moment, the old guy who had to stand up and carry the team forward was the Shark.
'O'Neal proved that although he was old, his teeth were still sharp enough, and he brought the Heat to fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Although the Bulls had a better record than the Heat, they had to regret being ranked fifth due to division issues.
Both the Nets and Wizards have achieved 41 wins, because of the relationship between the two sides. The Nets are ranked ahead of the Wizards, ranking sixth and seventh. The Orlando Magic has caught the last train of the playoffs in eighth place with 40 wins.
.
The Eastern Conference playoff lineup will be.
No. 1 in the Eastern Conference (Detroit Pistons) vs. No. 8 in the Eastern Conference (Orlando Magic)
Fourth in the Eastern Conference (Miami Heat) vs. Fifth in the Eastern Conference (Chicago Bulls)
Second in the Eastern Conference (Cleveland Cavaliers) vs. Seventh in the Eastern Conference (Washington Wizards)
Third in the Eastern Conference (Toronto Raptors) vs. Sixth in the Eastern Conference (New Jersey Nets)
In the Western Conference, the Warriors finally relied on their superior record to successfully edge out their rivals in the same region, the Clippers, and get on the last train to the Western Conference playoffs. There were not many other changes.
The first round of the Western Conference playoffs will be:
No. 1 in the Western Conference (Dallas Mavericks) vs. No. 8 in the Western Conference (Golden State Warriors)
Fourth in the Western Conference (San Antonio Spurs) vs. Fifth in the Western Conference (Utah Jazz)
Second in the Western Conference (Los Angeles Lakers) vs. Seventh in the Western Conference (Denver Nuggets)
Third in the Western Conference (Phoenix Suns) vs. Sixth in the Western Conference (Houston Rockets)
For the Lakers, it doesn't matter what the situation in the Eastern Conference is. Unless the Lakers can make it all the way to the Finals, it means nothing who wins or loses in the Eastern Conference. There is no need to consider other things for the time being. The only opponents that the Los Angeles Lakers need to consider now are
One, Denver Nuggets!
Denver Nuggets!
This is not an easy target to deal with!
The playoffs are just around the corner, and even Zen Master, who has always been indifferent, has become serious. The Nuggets are not bad. They will fall to seventh place in the Western Conference at the end of this season. The reason to a large extent is
Because of Carmelo Anthony's suspension and Allen Iverson's injury, he fell to seventh place in the Western Conference. However, at the end of the season, Carmelo Anthony had long been free of suspension, and Allen Iverson was
Ferson has also recovered from his injury. Judging from his performance in the last few games, his condition is not bad in any case. What's more, there is a crazy knife like Jr. Smith sitting on the bench. I don't know.
When will it suddenly go crazy?
However, the Nuggets are not without shortcomings. Compared with their luxurious outside lineup, the Nuggets' inside lineup is quite thin, and they are strong defensively and weak in attack. Compared with the Nuggets' outside line, their inside threat is not as strong.
Not big. It's just that this shortcoming also exists in the Lakers.
Kwame Brown performed extremely well this season. In the middle and late stages of the season, Phil Jackson tried to make Kwame the starting center and achieved good results. He averaged close to a double-double per game. Especially Kwame.
May Brown's defensive ability, he is good at top defense, powerful inside players generally have no way to deal with him. Turiaf also performed extremely well, but Andrew Bynum, who the Lakers have high hopes for, performed as disappointing as ever
.
No wonder the Lakers rejected the proposal to trade Bynum for Kidd, which made Kobe furious!
"How about letting Lamar play power forward?" As soon as this idea came up, Phil Jackson thought it was worth a try. Lamar Odom's height is more than enough to play power forward, but compared to his height
Due to his height, his body is relatively thin and it is difficult to withstand the impact in the penalty area.
Allowing Odom to appear at the power forward position means that the Lakers' interior defense will become weaker, which will leave more offensive space for Anthony and Iverson, the two breakthrough madmen.
But letting Odom serve as a power forward can indeed significantly enhance the Lakers' offensive power on the court. Phil Jackson thought about it for a few times and thought it would be better to practice it in the team first. If the effect is good, then he might as well let this player
The position changed and he became a surprise force for the team in the playoffs.
But this will have to wait until tomorrow at least!
After the game against the Sonics, Phil Jackson simply gave all the players a day off, and the Lakers players went to fulfill the free consumption promised by Adrian as a matter of course.
I haven't woken up yet. I just hope it won't affect the training effect tomorrow.
However, although he attaches great importance to the series with the Nuggets, this emphasis has not risen to the level that makes Phil Jackson afraid. The Nuggets' lineup still has great weaknesses. Although their outside attack power
Strong, but his defense is very average. Carmelo Anthony cannot be called a good defender. With his physical condition, his individual defense ability is passable, but his overall defensive ability is really average. Allen
-Iverson, no one will take his defense seriously. Within the league, he is qualified to compete with Steve Nash and Mike Bibby for the worst defensive player.
Although Iverson has always had a lot of steals due to his own fighting spirit. However, the statistics of steals are very deceptive. In fact, having more steals has nothing to do with good defense.
Looking at the Lakers' perimeter, Adrian is now the best defender on the Lakers' perimeter. This season, there was even a call to compete for the best defensive player. Kobe is also a frequent visitor to the best defensive team, although this is somewhat
It's a bit intentional on the part of the league, but it also shows that Kobe's defensive ability is at least first-class. Luke Walton, as the starting point guard, is much worse than the previous two, but he wins in terms of offensive and defensive balance, and
He also has certain organizational skills, which can be said to be a versatile all-rounder. In addition, although Luke Walton is not very capable, he is very smart and is good at using group defense to make up for his own personal defense deficiencies.
He also works very hard. Although his strength is not very strong, he is a useful supplement to the Lakers' perimeter, which can just make up for the areas that Adrian and Kobe cannot take care of. This is why Luke Walton, although his statistics are not obvious,
But as long as he stays healthy, he can be active in the Lakers' main lineup.
Phil Jackson was naturally full of confidence after thinking carefully. In terms of offensive power, the Lakers' perimeter defense is almost the same as that of the Nuggets. In terms of defense, the Lakers' perimeter defense is much better than that of the Nuggets.
As for the insides of the two teams. Whether it is the Lakers or the Nuggets, the insides of both teams are good at defense but lack offensive power. It can be regarded as a tie.
Generally speaking, the Lakers have a greater advantage!
Coupled with entering the playoffs, the Lakers' lineup is also complete. Except for Radmanovic who is still on the injury list and will have to wait until at least the end of the first round before he can come back, whether he is the main player or the main force
The substitutes maintained their health very well.
In this case, Phil Jackson certainly does not need to worry too much. (To be continued.)
ps: The power was out for a day and a half, and the internet was cut off for half a day. Hefei also followed Wuhan’s footsteps, and it also has a great view of the sea.
