This season's NBA has heralded something extraordinary starting from the regular season. In previous years, the dark horses lasted for at most half a season before slowly declining. However, this season, the two teams , Timberwolves, and , Thunder , occupied the first place in the Western Conference for almost 90% of the time, especially the Timberwolves, Twin Towers Downs + Gobert. The offense and defense dominate the basket, Edwards' dominance, and the Timberwolves' perfect defensive framework system, the team can't find any obvious shortcomings. The same is basically true for the Thunder. After Alexander grew into a super first-line superstar, two young men, Jaywe and Holmgren, played dominance that was inconsistent with their age. Except for the rim protection, the Thunder had no obvious shortcomings. The rise of the new generation means that there are always veterans to serve as stepping stones. Perhaps starting from the second round, the Western Conference will not be able to see several legendary stars who have been with us for more than ten years: James, Durant, Curry, and even Harden.
I remember before the start of the season, espn listed the competitive teams in the Western Conference, Suns + Warriors + Clippers + Lakers , which are on the same level as Nuggets . Of course, the Nuggets are on the same level as these four. Compared with the mainstream and wealthy teams, the popularity and attention are definitely the worst. But due to the rapid rise of young teams, several wealthy teams have their own problems. In fact, the Lakers and Warriors dug a big hole for themselves in the first half of the season! The underlying reason why the Warriors were eliminated in the play-offs is that in the past two years, they have never made a choice between young people vs. team merit. Poole was just a victim when he was sent away, but this season, young people like Kuminga + Moody + Podger + Davis quickly rose to the position and couldn't hold it down. Even if Cole gave Clay more time, Moody's The balance of offense and defense is better than Klay. Will everyone be sent away?
The Suns are the most pitiful. To put it bluntly, coach Vogel is a puppet, and Durant has been playing for more than ten years, and he doesn't know how to succeed. Vogel has always wanted to introduce a point guard this season, but after Durant and Booker jointly recruited Bill, and the management's immense trust in Durant and Booker, he believed that the team did not need another point guard. . As a result, in the playoffs, they were swept out by the Timberwolves 4-0. The four losses were exactly the same. From the second half of the third quarter, the opponent's rhythm was taken away, and the Suns did not have anyone who could control the ball stably. The Suns' net rating, point differential, and defensive efficiency at the end of this season were basically at the bottom of the league. Durant also thought that personal heroism could save the team, but he didn't know that he reaped the dividends of standing on the shoulders of giants. It was the Warriors who made him successful.
In contrast, the Lakers had the most tragic fate, because James and Big Eyebrow averaged 56 points per game. Facing the defending champion Nuggets, it was not enough and lacked a stable third scoring point. Despite his thick eyebrows and shoulder injury, he persisted in playing. James refused to leave the game with his sprained foot. However, he was afraid of his young strength. The Lakers could not limit Jokic's finishing support, and they were helpless against Murray's big heart! The Lakers deserve respect because they tried their best and have no regrets! In the absence of Leonard, Harden can guarantee the regular season performance of the Clippers. In the playoffs, the team is still ranked first in playing time + points + assists + blocks + true shooting percentage, but it cannot let him. With Xiao Ka back, George cannot support the contribution and output of the second boss! To put it bluntly, Harden doesn't owe the Clippers anything, but the Card and Pepper combination once again disappoints. The Clippers are waiting to be eliminated!
The three giants are sadly out, and one is waiting to be eliminated! Who is the biggest winner in the Western Conference? To be honest, the clues can be found in the last 10 games of the regular season. The Lakers and Warriors started in the play-offs, including the Nuggets' final anchoring of the second position, which gave the Lakers a difficult choice, including letting the Timberwolves, the biggest dark horse in the Western Conference's regular season, go against the Suns' Big Three, the strongest on paper, and the Clippers themselves. Unable to live up to expectations, he took the initiative to lie in fourth, waiting for and the Lone Ranger . An example will make it clear: in the last three games of the defending champion Nuggets, after defeating the Timberwolves, they pushed the Timberwolves behind themselves, and then were upset by the Spurs , allowing the three teams to return to the same starting line for the final game. When the dust settled on the rankings of the Timberwolves and Thunder, the Nuggets quickly won and the Grizzlies . The result is already obvious: the Nuggets have clearly arranged the four giants in the West.
If they want to advance, the Lakers need to pass my level. The other so-called giants must first let a few young new-generation super giants test. Even if they are lucky enough to pass, the physical tank will probably only be half full. The three key teams have left, and the Clippers have basically lost their competitiveness. The Nuggets are left with only a few young teams. They will face the Timberwolves in the second round, and may encounter the winner of the Thunder and Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Judging from the regular season, the Nuggets do not have the upper hand whether they face the Thunder or the Timberwolves. But one thing is easily overlooked. When the Nuggets reached the playoffs, Murray scored 7.4 more points in the playoffs than in the regular season in his career, ranking first in NBA history! Jokic scored 7.0 points more in the playoffs than in the regular season in his career, second in NBA history! These two are both super giants of the file-raising type!
As mentioned earlier, the Thunder and Timberwolves have no obvious shortcomings, but that does not mean they are perfect. In fact, the biggest flaw of the young team must be playoff experience. To put it simply, you either beat your opponent or you are beaten by your opponent. There is a lack of experience in close games. Sometimes one round or even one rebound can determine the fate of a team for a season. Are these dark horses easier to beat, or are the experienced giants easier to beat? In fact, it is the same for the Nuggets, but they chose an easier path. The mantis stalked the cicada and the oriole was behind, and the biggest winner in the Western Conference emerged.
