After the All-Star Game, the NBA returned to an intense rhythm. Two-thirds of the regular season has passed, and in the limited time left, each club needs to start preparing for the next stage of the plan.
The top teams in the regular season are of course trying to stabilize their rankings and prepare for the upcoming playoffs. Those teams that are hovering on the edge of the playoffs also have to make a choice. If the difference in games is not big, they can consider making an impact. If the difference is too big, they can just continue to choose to fail.
I can't beat him anyway, so it's better to focus more on the draft.
For the Cleveland Cavaliers, stabilizing their ranking is their top priority. LeBron James made a successful comeback in the All-Star Game. Judging from his performance, there is certainly no problem.
However, the Cavaliers were ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference at this time. Even with Zhao Feiyang leading the team to stabilize the record before, the team still failed to make up for the previous losses.
The problem facing the Cavaliers is actually obvious, that is, the team's lineup is not useful. Under such circumstances, it is indeed difficult to reach the Eastern Conference Finals or perform in the Finals.
The team management also held a meeting after the All-Star Game. After collective deliberations by the management, the team decided to maintain the current state and prepare for the playoffs on the basis of stabilizing the ranking.
So, the rest of the time, the Cavaliers began to reduce LeBron's playing time.
He dropped from the previous average of 36 minutes per game to an average of 26 minutes per game. During the playing time, LeBron also handed control of the team to Zhao Feiyang, who organized and led the team. , to reduce your own consumption.
With LeBron like this, Zhao Feiyang cannot play for too long. His previous playing time averaged about 27 minutes per game. Considering that the team needs him to stabilize the overall situation, Zhao Feiyang will limit his playing time to about 30 minutes.
With this arrangement, the Cavaliers began their sprint journey in the second half.
What surprised many Cleveland fans was that under the leadership of Zhao Feiyang, the Cavaliers defeated their opponents one after another, winning 6 of 7 games in the Eastern Conference. Except for one loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, almost all other games were defeated. It was successfully won without much effort.
This record also improved their ranking by one spot, successfully reaching third place in the Eastern Conference.
Although there is still a big gap between the results that the Cavaliers hoped for, it is enough for the Cavaliers! After all, this season they are not in the same state as before. Most of the time before, they could rush to the first place in the Eastern Conference. Now it is good to be able to maintain this situation!
In the final stage of the Cavaliers' push for the playoffs, the league's predictions about the situation in the East and West also began.
Many industry insiders in the West are most optimistic about the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The former is a championship-level team, and the team's starting lineup is all-star players. Needless to say, such strength goes without saying.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently ranked second in the Western Conference. Their record is not far behind the Warriors. Although they lost some due to a slight disturbance in the later period, the team soon recovered the lost games and secured their ranking. Stay firmly in second place.
In the eyes of many people, the Timberwolves are very likely to rush into the Western Conference Finals and compete with the Warriors.
In addition to these two teams, the Houston Rockets led by James Harden are also very exciting. The team has veterans like Chris Paul, as well as players such as Eric Gordon and Clint Capelin. It can be said that the lineup is also quite good.
In addition to the Rockets, the Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder are also eye-catching, but they do not have the same support rate as the first three teams. Even some celebrities are not optimistic about the Trail Blazers. I also have reservations about the Thunder.
In the East, the most attention-grabbing team is of course the Cleveland Cavaliers.
However, ahead of the Cavaliers are the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics.
The Raptors have performed well this season and have been playing very steadily since the start. The team has a backcourt combination of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, and at least its financial strength doesn't look bad.
However, compared to the Raptors, more people in the industry are more optimistic about the Celtics. The Celtics have made considerable progress after this season's transactions. Not to mention top scorers like Kyrie Irving, there are also a number of talented young people in the team.
Players such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward are the reasons why the Celtics finished second in the Eastern Conference.
The only thing that worries people in the industry is that there is disharmony within the Celtics.
Ever since Irving was traded to the Celtics, he has not wanted to be the boss every day, but his character is too willful and will sometimes say things that make the team less united, so naturally he cannot get other players. people’s recognition.
The young players were unconvinced, and Irving's relationship with them was not much better. Over time, even if the Celtics' record looks good, in fact the players within the team have become inseparable.
The team's internal conflicts even became public in the later stages. This is simply a time bomb for a team that wants to perform in the playoffs. No one knows when this bomb will explode, but once it explodes, the Celtics The human team is completely finished!
Because of this, the outside world has become more skeptical about Irving.
In particular, there are not too many discussions about whether he can become the boss of the team, and the comparison between him and Zhao Feiyang.
If the above two teams are not so trusted by people in the industry, then the Cavaliers are not much better than them!
The shortcomings in the team's lineup have disappointed many fans, and even some fans in Cleveland believe that this team will never reach the finals again.
Although LeBron is still the same LeBron, the Cavaliers' Big Three lineup has changed. In the eyes of many industry insiders, the Cavaliers' golden era has passed, and today's Big Three are just temporarily stitched together.
"I think whether the Cavaliers can win the championship this season, LeBron will definitely leave! This is his character! He will not continue to waste his time on a team with no future!"
"At the same time, I think Zhao Feiyang cannot help the team truly transform. He has performed well, but now his physical explosiveness has declined. This will definitely become a serious problem in the playoffs! When LeBron is Can he step up and share the pressure when the opponent is marking him?"
"He can rely on three-pointers! But the Cavaliers are not the Warriors. I don't think his three-pointers can solve all problems..."
In the ESPN program, the famous host Stephen Smith said this.
At the same time, after a game, Zhao Feiyang's system prompt sounded in his mind again.
"Ding! Warm reminder, the host's points have accumulated 3991."
After hearing the system prompt, Zhao Feiyang's face finally showed a smile he hadn't seen for a long time.
"Nine points left!"
"In other words, I will be able to return to my peak condition soon..."
