Without Rondo, Ray Allen leaving, and Garnett aging seriously, the Celtics will definitely have a hard time playing.
Of course, the Knicks' strong strength is also a reason.
The Knicks have superstar Anthony in the starting lineup, Tyson Chandler, the best defensive player in the league, on the inside, and Jr. Smith, Kenyon Martin and Jason Kidd on the bench. Overall, they are very strong.
Especially in the Eastern Conference where the Heat are outstanding.
The Knicks' defense is not bad and their offensive firepower is not weak, so it is not surprising to beat the Celtics.
…
In another game, the Pacers, ranked third in the Eastern Conference, defeated the Hawks, ranked sixth, 107:90, and won the first victory of the series.
The Hawks and Pacers are both civilian teams with no obvious stars, and both teams are known for their defense and their playing styles are very similar.
The difference between the two teams is that the Pacers' Paul George has risen rapidly in the past two seasons and is excellent on both offense and defense. However, it is difficult for the Hawks to find a player who can match him.
In addition, the Pacers' defense is much better than the Hawks.
In this game, four players from the Hawks scored in double figures, with Jeff Teague scoring the most with 21 points, while six players from the Pacers scored in double figures, with Paul George scoring the most with 23 points. He also got 11 rebounds and sent out 13 assists!
…
The game between the fourth-placed Nets and fifth-placed Bulls in the Eastern Conference had no suspense. The Nets won 106:89.
Before the playoffs last season, Rose was injured for the season. After the playoffs started, the Bulls found Deng Fang, who cured Rose's illness. However, Rose was injured again in the seventh decisive battle, and the Bulls narrowly lost to the 76ers.
After Rose was injured, he immediately found Deng Fang, but Deng Fang refused.
Because the Bulls had already been eliminated at that time, if Rose's injury was cured, it would affect next season's ranking, which is not allowed by the system.
During the regular season, the Warriors' own players must be treated for injuries. There is nothing they can do about it, but other teams' players cannot.
For this reason, Rose has not played in a game this season and has been recuperating.
After a season of rest, Rose's body has almost recovered, but he is still far from ready to play.
After a player is seriously injured, he must first go through a recovery period. During the recovery period, he can do some simple exercises, such as swimming. Only when the body has fully recovered can he gradually increase the amount of exercise.
After the amount of exercise is large enough, you can try training with the ball, and then move to confrontational training.
Confrontational training usually starts with three-on-three, and ends with a full-court game.
Even after reaching this point, it will take quite some time before the game can officially take place.
Even if you can play in the game, there will be strict playing time restrictions initially, and this also refers to the regular season!
It is impossible to directly participate in the playoffs if your body recovers!
You know, the intensity of the playoffs is more than one level higher than that of the regular season. No player will directly participate in the playoffs without playing a game in the regular season!
Players who want to recover after a serious injury generally have to go through these stages, and every link is indispensable.
Unless it's a role player, the team doesn't care, the player is in a hurry.
Star players have long career plans, and no one will come back just for one or two games or a series.
Of course, minor injuries do not count, except in special circumstances.
A sprained foot, a bloody nose, or a punch in the eye are nothing to worry about.
Even if it has an impact, it's not a big deal.
As for special circumstances, such as the last game of the finals when a star player is injured, if they can persist, many people will choose to stay and give it a try.
Opportunities for the finals are rare, and for many people it may only be once in a lifetime!
It’s already the finals, what are you going to do if you don’t work hard?
Even if you are injured, as long as you win the championship, it will be worth it!
Most teams will treat this kind of players kindly who continue to play despite injuries.
Players get injured for the team, and they all deserve credit for their hard work, but in the end they are kicked out. Who wouldn't be chilled by such a thing?
How many free agents dare to come to this chilling team?
Of course, this is a special situation.
Under normal circumstances, if it is not a minor injury, star players will consider their own future and money.
Rose's body has almost recovered. He can live a normal life without problems, train without the ball, and train with the ball normally. However, he has not yet conducted confrontation training, let alone a formal game.
Wouldn’t it be a fantasy to not play a single game in the regular season and directly participate in the much more intense playoffs?
Looking for Deng Fang?
That's no use either.
Rose's injury has completely healed. What he needs is to adapt to the rhythm and intensity of the game. This has nothing to do with the injury.
Deng Fang can only treat the disease and cannot directly restore Rose to his peak full health state.
This is different from Kobe and Gallinari before, and it is also different from Curry's injury in last year's finals.
Kobe was injured in the third to last game of the regular season, and it only took three or four days until the playoffs started.
Resting for three or four days is not a problem for an athlete's condition. As long as the injury is cured, resting for three or four days is actually better!
There won't be any problems with the rhythm of the game, one's own condition, and the players' feelings about the game in three or four days.
The adaptation of various parts of the body to the competition will not deteriorate after three or four days of rest.
So there is no problem for Kobe Bryant to treat his illness.
Gallinari was injured with six games left, only a week or two before the start of the playoffs.
A week or two is not a big problem. At most, it will take more time to train before the game.
It was even different when Curry was injured in last year's finals. Deng Fang treated Curry immediately after he was injured. As long as the injury is cured, Curry's condition will not be affected.
Since he has sufficient physical strength, the fully-blooded Curry hero will be in better condition when he returns!
But Rose can't.
Therefore, the Bulls did not seek treatment from Deng Fang because Rose was not ill, and it was useless to seek treatment from Deng Fang regarding Rose's condition.
Without Rose, the Bulls can only play defense. This is the consistent style of Thibodeau's team.
The strength of the Nets is not bad. With Deron Williams, Lopez, Joe Johnson, and Gerald Wallace, the Nets can be considered a highly imitated version of the Big Four team.
In this game, 6 Nets players scored in double figures, while only 4 Bulls players scored in double figures.
Without Rose's breakthrough points, the Bulls could only rely on Boozer to score in isolation. Boozer's efficiency was relatively low, it was difficult to attract double attacks, and his passing ability was not good, so the Bulls' offense was in a mess.
The most obvious gap between the two teams is reflected in the shooting percentage. The Nets shot 55.8% while the Bulls shot 47.4%. The Nets shot 42.9% on three-pointers while the Bulls shot 25%.
That's why there are no stars on the team.
In the end, the Bulls had no choice but to lose on the road by 15 points.
