From March to April, the situation in the league gradually became clearer.
The competition in the Eastern Conference is mainly reflected in the battle for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Cavaliers, Celtics, Bulls, Heat, the four teams are basically neck and neck.
In the past two seasons, the Cavaliers have been making great strides in the regular season.
After defeating the Clippers to reach first place in the Eastern Conference, the brakes were suddenly applied.
Several generals in the team have taken a break "due to injuries."
New players like Danny Green are getting more playing time.
James' average playing time per game has shrunk, from 39 minutes last season to 38 minutes this season. After entering April, it dropped to 35 minutes a game.
The Cavaliers are preparing for the playoffs, and James doesn't want to win the meaningless first place in the league and three consecutive MVPs.
His only goal is a championship.
If he cannot win the championship this season, then three consecutive MVP awards in the regular season will not only be not an honor, but a burden for him.
Just like Nowitzki's regular season MVP in 2007, if you don't get the ultimate honor, accumulating too many other honors will create an impression of being a "brush" and "strong on the outside but dry on the inside".
James listened to Min Chongda's advice, and he and the whole team stepped on the brakes to recuperate and prepare for the playoffs.
The Celtics, who were very successful in pretending to be dead last season, were unstoppable in the Eastern Conference, but they lost in the finals because they lacked a home court advantage.
Therefore, the Celtics did not easily stay in the regular season this season, but played steadily and strive for good regular season results.
Otherwise, it would be a pity to lose in a high-level game because there is no home field advantage.
As new strong teams, the Heat and Bulls must compete for a higher ranking to occupy a good position in the playoffs.
Under the leadership of Rose, the Bulls began to sprint in March, first winning an eight-game winning streak, and then losing to the Pacers in overtime.
Then from the end of March to April, there was another wave of four consecutive victories and nine consecutive victories, pushing their number of wins to 62 wins in one fell swoop.
They are firmly in control of first place in the Eastern Conference and even first place in the league.
In a wave of winning streak in April, the Bulls defeated the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Magic one after another, making a great reputation.
Derrick Rose scored 30 and 39 points in succession.
His violent breakthrough play captured the attention of all fans at the end of the season and became the most dazzling star.
And this is only Derrick Rose's third season.
On the contrary, the Heat, who formed the Bosh-Wade-Gay iron triangle, encountered problems in the late-season sprint.
Gay was on and off due to a shoulder injury, and Riley had to spend a draft pick to acquire Shane Battier from the Rockets.
The combination of Bosh and Wade has a very strong offensive power, but because of Bosh's defensive problems, it is always almost meaningless.
After Battier arrived, the team's lineup depth improved to a higher level, but the team's firepower was not enough.
The third point of attack, Gay, could not be fully integrated into the team's offense, and the Heat's offensive and defensive system was never perfect enough.
They gradually fell behind in the competition for first place in the Eastern Conference, falling to fourth place.
However, the cunning Riley caused the team to drop to fourth place, and he obviously wanted to meet the Bulls in the semifinals in advance.
Although the Bulls dominated the regular season, finishing with 9 consecutive victories, their morale was high.
But the NBA playoffs and regular season have always been two worlds.
The Bulls' single-core system on offense can easily be targeted in the playoffs.
The Heat's dual-core lineup has a higher fault tolerance rate, and Wade has more playoff experience.
The Heat did not want to encounter the Celtics in the semifinals early, so they lost the last few games and gave up the third position to the Cavaliers.
In this way, the top four in the Eastern Conference are the Bulls with 62 wins, the Celtics with 56 wins, the Cavaliers with 55 wins and the Miami Heat with 54 wins.
Of course, the Heat's losing operation means that they will face the Orlando Magic in the first round.
The Magic had a turbulent season. After Carter proved to be unsuitable for Howard's system, the Magic traded Turkoglu back to the Magic, hoping to recreate the glory of 2009.
But after just two seasons, it is difficult to recreate the once perfect chemical reaction.
Moreover, Howard had conflicts with the team due to contract renewal issues.
Against the backdrop of the Celtics and Cavaliers remaining stable, and the rise of the Bulls and Heat.
It’s unclear how much of the Magic’s championship aspirations remain.
From this point of view, it might not be a bad choice for the Heat to play the Magic in the first round.
Because the third-placed Cavaliers have to face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.
Those with Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Jeff Teague are not so easy to deal with in the playoffs.
As for the seventh and eighth Knicks and 76ers, they are basically just here to make soy sauce, and it is difficult to pose a sufficient threat to the Celtics and Bulls.
But the situation in the West is different. Just the opposite of the East, the top four rankings in the West have already been determined.
The Spurs, who have changed their style of play, have gradually widened the gap with the teams behind them since the middle of the season.
With a very stable performance, he achieved a record of 60 wins and 22 losses.
This is the third time since Duncan came to the Spurs that he has led the team to 60 wins in the regular season.
Also following the 2006 season, it returned to the first place in the Western Conference in the regular season.
However, the playoff results of the Spurs, who won first place in the Western Conference in 2006, were not very good.
They were defeated by the Mavericks in the semifinals and failed to defend their title. I wonder if the top spot in the Western Conference can bring them a breakthrough this time.
Second in the Western Conference is the Los Angeles Lakers. Their record is the same as last year, 57 wins and 25 losses, and they are aiming to defend their title.
The Lakers' opponent in the first round was the Memphis Grizzlies.
The battle for seventh and eighth place in the Western Conference didn't come to fruition until the final round of the playoffs.
In the final round, the Clippers' record was 46 wins and 35 losses, the Grizzlies' record was 45 wins and 36 losses, and the Hornets' record was also 45 wins and 36 losses.
If the Clippers win the last game, they will definitely enter the top eight and rank seventh.
The Clippers' last opponent happened to be the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies and Hornets have the same record, but in terms of victory and defeat, the Grizzlies have the advantage.
Therefore, with the same record, the Grizzlies rank higher.
However, the Clippers trail the Grizzlies and Hornets in terms of wins and losses.
In other words, with the same record, the Clippers are worse than the Grizzlies and Hornets.
If the Clippers lose to the Grizzlies in the last game and the Hornets win, the three teams will all have a record of 46 wins and 36 losses.
Then, the Clippers will be ranked ninth and miss the playoffs.
If the Clippers defeat the Grizzlies in the last game and the Hornets win, the Clippers and Hornets will rank seventh and eighth in the Western Conference.
If the Clippers lose to the Grizzlies in the last game and the Hornets lose, the Grizzlies and Clippers will rank seventh and eighth in the Western Conference.
Of these three situations, the first two are more likely to occur.
Because in normal people's perception, in order to enter the playoffs, the Clippers must take the initiative in their own hands.
Therefore, we must win the last game against the Grizzlies to ensure we enter the top eight in the Western Conference.
Once they lose, the initiative is given to the Hornets. You have to bet on the Hornets losing to get into the top eight.
As a result, before the game started, the Clippers' roster was surprising.
They all came on the bench, obviously they just didn't want to win this game.
(End of chapter)
