The season is coming to an end, and the competition for the playoffs has entered a fierce stage.
Especially in the west, it can be described as hand-to-hand combat.
The Lakers are temporarily ranked first, but they are only 2 games ahead of the Nuggets behind them.
And that’s where the top nine teams in the Western Conference stand.
The Lakers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Rockets, Suns, Spurs, Trail Blazers, Jazz, and Thunder are ranked differently, but their records have never exceeded 2 wins, and even two teams with the same record are better.
This is unique even if we look at the entire NBA history. No one can analyze who will be squeezed out in the end, including what matchup will be in the end.
The situation in the east is relatively less intense, but the competition between the same echelon is still going back and forth.
The first is the Cavaliers and Magic, who are competing for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The two teams have formed a gap lead over other teams. They have at least 6 more wins than the third-placed Hawks, but they are only 1 win away from each other.
The Cavaliers' lineup is unprecedentedly strong, and the Magic are not far behind.
In addition to basically retaining the lineup that entered the Finals last season, the Magic also traded Turkoglu from the Nets for Vince Carter, plus Jameer Nelson, who was traded last season, and this season's performance Howard, who has the highest field goal percentage in his career, aims to complete a double play against the Cavaliers.
The second-tier Hawks, Celtics and Heat are also fighting for the top half (top four).
However, the most intense competition is in the lower half of the playoffs. The Bucks, Bobcats, Bulls, and Raptors are competing for the last three playoff spots.
Although the season is coming to an end, the competition is more intense than ever.
Unknowingly, the time has arrived in early April, when the season has come to a real end.
At this time, except for a few rankings that have not yet been determined, most of the rankings and even matchups have been determined.
Cleveland, Cavaliers locker room.
At this time, the Cavaliers are preparing for the last game at the end of the season, and their opponent is the Bobcats.
This is a very delicate game, because the Bobcats are now ranked eighth with 43 wins, only one less win than the seventh-place Bulls, but they have a head-to-head advantage.
Because the Cavaliers have already won two games against the Magic at this time and have confirmed their first place in the Eastern Conference, they can decide who to play in the first round in this game.
If they win this game, there is no doubt that they will play the Bobcats in the first round.
And if they lose, the Bobcats' record will be the same as the Bulls', and they can rise to seventh place by virtue of their head-to-head advantage.
In that case, their first-round opponent would change from the Bobcats to the Bulls.
At this time, team general manager Danny Ferry and head coach Mike Brown came to the locker room and called James out.
In a private office on the second floor, the three of them had a conversation.
The content of the conversation is naturally about the last game of the season tonight, or it can be understood as deciding who to play in the first round.
Originally, this kind of thing was a matter for discussion between the coaching staff and the management, but because of James' special status with the Cavaliers, the management gave him treatment beyond that of a player.
"This is the first time the Bobcats have entered the playoffs. They have no experience, and their inside line is very weak. The starting center is 37-year-old Ratliff. Choosing them is a no-brainer." Brown gave his own opinion the opinion of.
His idea is simple. Not only will such opponents not have much risk, but it will also reduce consumption, giving them enough time to prepare for the second round.
Because the Celtics are currently ranked fourth. Although they are older, their strength with the addition of Rasheed Wallace cannot be underestimated.
Ferry nodded, then looked at James.
Brown's opinion can only be used as a reference at best. What is more important is James' attitude.
This sounds ridiculous, but it seems reasonable when James may be out of his contract in the summer.
The Cavaliers have become a strong team in the league because of James, and they cannot afford to risk losing James.
Or to put it another way, realistically but not so pleasantly, the Cavaliers now don't dare to go against James's ideas at all.
"Bulls." James gave the answer almost without thinking.
The answer made Brown's eyelids jump.
"The Celtics are a difficult team to deal with. We must get out of shape before beating them." Then, James gave his reason.
A legitimate reason.
"LeBron is right, Mike, our main players need to rest tonight, we are going to lose this game." Ferry said directly.
Brown didn't come to his senses for a while.
"Mike?" Ferry called Brown again.
Brown finally came to his senses and nodded.
The decision was made, James left the office and returned to the locker room.
After James left, Brown shook his head slightly bitterly.
James' reason sounds reasonable, but upon analysis it is simply nonsense.
What kind of team is this Celtics team now? It was the team that played two rounds of tiebreakers before reaching the Eastern Conference finals and finally defeated the Lakers to win the championship.
Rich experience and toughness are their labels. Although they are two years older than that, this season they added Rasheed Wallace, a guy who also has that label.
Facing a team like this, your best option is to preserve your fitness as much as possible and then be prepared to play them for seven games.
Of course, he actually understands why James made this choice.
Because James lost face in the season opener, and he lost face even more in the previous dunk contest, he needs a chance to regain his place. Is there any better opportunity than the playoffs now?
But doing so is risking the future of the team, because the Bulls are only young and not bad in terms of configuration, especially compared with the Bobcats.
"Relax, relax." After seeing Brown's reaction, Ferry walked closer to him and said.
"Didn't we just beat the Bulls by a big margin? Our record this season is also 3 wins and 1 loss. As long as we are serious, there is no difference between us whether it is the Bobcats or the Bulls." Ferry continued to explain.
"I hope you're right." Brown smiled helplessly.
The decision has been made, and there is no point in opposing it anymore.
Upon seeing this, Ferry reached out and patted Brown on the shoulder and said something meaningful: "Think about how to win."
In fact, everyone knows that if the Cavaliers fail to win the championship this year, James will probably leave the Cavaliers.
This is the reason why they have smashed their lineup like crazy this season.
And once James leaves, neither he nor Brown will be unemployed immediately.
With the Cavaliers missing their main players and losing to the Bobcats on the bench, the 2009~2010 regular season officially came to an end, and all the Eastern and Western Conference rankings were released.
In the West, the Lakers won 56 games and were ranked first. Although they did not perform well at the beginning of the season, with the return of Gasol, they quickly entered the state, and it is worth mentioning that, Kobe not only showed improvement in footwork skills, he also contributed 6 buzzer beaters in a single season;
The Mavericks ranked second with 55 wins. The addition of Caron Butler and Haywood made the Mavericks' front and backcourt look very solid. Since 2006, they once again looked like a championship-level team. Team;
The Rockets are ranked third with 54 wins. The addition of Hamilton has brought the Rockets to a higher level. It is incredible to say, but they seem to be stronger than the Yao Mai era;
The Suns ranked fourth with 53 wins. Selling away O'Neal allowed fans to once again see the strength of this running and gun team. The addition of Channing Frye seemed to be just the right time. The only thing worth assuming is that if the Suns got Without Xu Yong, what heights can they reach;
The Nuggets, Jazz, Spurs and Thunder ranked 5th to 8th, and the Trail Blazers became the last team to be squeezed out of the playoffs.
In the East, the Cavaliers top the list with a record of 60 wins. Although they have won 6 fewer games than last season after continuously adding O'Neal and Jamison, this does not affect their strength.
The Magic are second with 59 wins;
The Hawks, Celtics, Heat, and Bucks ranked third to sixth respectively.
The Bobcats and Bulls both ended up with 44 wins, but because the Bulls had a record of 1 win and 2 losses against the Bobcats, the Bulls ended up in eighth place.
…
Chicago, United Center training facility.
"Who would have thought that we would actually face off against the Cavaliers in the first round." After the training, Noah said while wiping his sweat.
"They chose us." Xu Yong reminded.
"Yes, they chose us." Noah nodded, looking eager to try.
He has worked twice as hard in the past two months, and what he has gained is not only a stronger body, but also stronger self-confidence.
"Do we have a chance?" At this moment, Brown on the side asked.
Although it took a month of hard work to find a rotation position in the Bulls, it is still unrealistic for a guy who has lost his confidence for ten years to regain his confidence all at once.
"Of course there is a chance! You forgot that we beat them hard in the opening game!" Noah waved his fist as big as a sandbag.
Xu Yong also nodded affirmatively, and then said with a smile: "The last team to make this selection was the Mavericks three years ago."
When he said this, Noah immediately nodded "yeah", and the dead memory in Brown's mind also resurfaced.
He was still playing for the Lakers at that time, and the Lakers also made the playoffs. He should have the deepest impression.
And really speaking, the Mavericks were even more outrageous at that time, because if the Mavericks beat the Warriors in the penultimate game, the Warriors wouldn't even make it to the playoffs.
As a result, the Mavericks also came on the bench in that game, sending the Warriors into the playoffs.
Then there is the "Warriors Black Eight" that fans are familiar with.
Baron Davis took his Golden State Gang and sent the Mavericks directly to their hometown in the playoffs. Not only did the Mavericks lose the chance of revenge (reversed by the Heat in the 2006 Finals), but it also cost Nowitz After being eliminated, Key received the regular season MVP trophy, which almost represented a shame.
After that, Nowitzki almost became synonymous with being a softie, and there was no doubt about it.
"Do they really not know how to study history?" Brown asked puzzledly. Just like Xu Yong said, that was only three years ago.
"They just underestimate us." Noah sneered.
"Okay, let's go back and rest early." Xu Yong said and stood up.
Noah and Brown both nodded when they heard it, then packed up and left the training hall.
After they all left, Xu Yong turned back and practiced an extra round of shooting.
Others may not be able to imagine why he would not have thought of the reason why James chose the Bulls.
Most of the reason is because of him.
Although psychologically speaking, because of the Warriors' defeat, they will not lose confidence.
But Black Eight is a small probability event.
In terms of strength, the Bulls are just not as good as the Cavaliers.
So this is an opportunity for the Bulls, but it is very difficult to do it. Giving your best is just basic.
Just when Xu Yong was practicing extra late at night, social media was already abuzz again.
The moment the two teams are confirmed in the playoffs, it will be a carnival night for the Jamies!
You must know that the last slam dunk contest caused them to suffer internal injuries alive, and now they finally got a chance.
"Some people think they are awesome just because they win a dunk contest. Can winning the dunk contest help them win even a playoff game?!"
"It was 3-1 in the regular season, and they were defeated in the last match. Do the Bulls have even the slightest chance?"
"Sweep and gentleman sweep are impossible. I said, even if God comes, it will be useless!"
…
But just like in the past, the user named "KBforever" staged a long slope again, killing him seven times in and seven out with the group of Zhan Mi.
"How much do you care about the slam dunk contest champion? He won't leave you without mentioning him once?"
"Well, that's what people in Dallas were thinking three years ago, and next thing you know."
"You are really good fans. You put pressure on the Cavaliers in advance. What will happen if we lose a game?"
…
Oklahoma, Durant's mansion.
He was puffing away in the room, looking at the screen of his phone and laughing.
Harden is enlightened so quickly.
This level of insulting people has almost caught up with half of his skill.
Moreover, this feeling of a master bringing out a disciple gave him a great sense of accomplishment.
Of course, it also made him interested.
He put aside the Mosaic cigarette in his hand, then cut numbers one after another and started his performance.
"Some people win and never mention it once, and some people lose, and it's like they have a lifelong scar." Comment from "KBfnas".
"After all, I was dunked and defeated by others, and then I was thrown into the slam dunk contest." A comment from a "loyal Lakers fan".
"Why are you showing the facts, you bunch of scumbags." Comment from "Cleveland Kingdom Guard"
"Big courage, bullying my young James again, and stabbing Orlando!" A comment from "KBfnas".
"God may not hear your prayers, but he can certainly sense your arrogance." Comment from "Los Angeles Nation".
…
It was late at night, but the sound of typing on the keyboard was becoming more and more intensive.
I ask for votes for my daily cuteness and rolling, please subscribe~~
(End of chapter)
