Chapter 40: Warriors Waiting for the Harvest
After cashing in the prize money at Blackburn's League Cup celebrations, Arthur chose to travel to the United States again, partly because of the Snapchat financing case and partly because the NBA regular season has come to an end. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info
The wheels of the times rumbled forward, and the NBA regular season was rushed to an end, so fast that it was dizzying. Some teams fell, some teams turned over; The old man sinks into the abyss, and the new man comes to the surface. The order is being reorganized, and the pattern is being subverted.
Reaching the finals 4 times in 4 years, although half of them have gone through defeats, the other half has reached the top of the mountain, which is very successful, right?
In that sense, James doesn't owe the Heat. Perhaps he joined with a speculative mentality of "taking shortcuts"; But the moment I left, I had completely returned.
James returned to the Cavaliers, the whole city of Cleveland reveled, and they were looking forward to the wanderer being the king; What about the Heat? There are different ideas, from the management to the players, and the thinking is extremely divergent.
Sun Wuzi has a cloud: those who want the same up and down win. The Heat can't do this, some people want to fight, some people want to mix, some people are confused, and some people see this place as a place to work and earn money, so they were shocked to find that this team, which was once invincible and almost established a dynasty, didn't even touch the edge of the playoffs.
Some people cry and some laugh, and the knights, who were once hailed as a waste of talent, have finally been regrouped. Maybe the process is a little bumpy, or someone is always "sent by God to you black pot". But in any case, it is an indisputable fact that the Cavaliers have made the playoffs for the second time since 2010.
Once upon a time, those glorious names were gradually withdrawing from the stage of history. And some new names are starting to make their way. Who are the most promising MVPs this season?
Curry, Harden, Westbrook, James, Davis......
In addition to James, the Mesozoic generation is beginning to carve up the territory of the league with unprecedented strength.
Arthur's Warriors finally ended with a terrifying record of 67 wins, and Curry, a baby-faced guy with a perverted quasi-unique skill, became the hottest candidate for MVP. Naturally, the Warriors, led by Curry, became one of the most promising teams to win the championship.
At first glance, this team is simply impeccable, and it is almost impossible to identify any weaknesses. They lead the league in offense, win by double digits per game, shoot from the field, shoot from three-point range, and even rank among the top five in the league when it comes to rebounding......
This series of factors adds up, so how do opponents play?
Curry is the heart of the team, and he's the biggest contributor to the Warriors' strength.
Curry has played in 80 games for the Warriors this season, including 80 starts, and has 23 double-doubles. He averaged 24 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. In the Warriors' Feb. 5 game against the Mavericks, Curry hit 10 3-pointers and scored 51 points, his highest single-game score of the season.
Curry had 15 assists against the Lakers on Nov. 17, 2014, and 15 assists against the Pacers on Jan. 8, 2015, both of which were his highest assists in a single game this season.
On October 30, 2014, Curry made six steals in a single game to help his team easily win over the Kings, and he also got the record for the most steals in a single game this season.
In addition, Curry's shooting points this season, his scoring area is mainly focused on offensive layups outside the three-point line and under the basket. And the mid-range position is obviously not as many shots as other positions.
From the perspective of Curry's offensive scoring, Curry's three-point shots this season were 646 and 286 hits, both of which ranked first in the league, which is also in line with his offensive characteristics this season.
Looking at the numbers, Curry has had an incredible season, he has a good balance between offense and playmaking, and he is just 1.8% short of shooting to make it to the 180 club. In addition, Curry's true shooting percentage of 63.9% ranks first among all MVP candidates, and his true plus/minus is a league-high 8.87, and the defense that has been criticized has improved a lot.
If judged by the standard of "the best player on the best team", then Curry should be the MVP. But there are also those who believe that Harden is not only indisputable in terms of individual performance, but his role in the Rockets is even more difficult to replace. Earlier, Rockets general manager Morey had said, "If it weren't for Harden, we don't know where we would be in the standings." ”
While the Warriors and Rockets have had such a great season and the two MVP favorites, another important factor in their success is the adjustment of the No. 4 position.
Third-year forward Draymond Green was transferred to the Warriors' starting lineup from the start of the season due to David Lee's injury, and the end result has been seen that the Warriors have what could be the best starting lineup in the league. From this point of view, Green's x-factor is crucial.
Green has a tough style of play and a tough defense, and this season, he has a true defensive plus/minus of 4.6, which ranks fourth in the league. Steve Kerr has said that he sees a shadow of his former Bulls teammate Dennis Rodman in Green. While Green is at a disadvantage in height at the No. 4 position, he fits well with the Warriors' defensive label of "diversity."
The Warriors are the league's most switch-oriented team, thanks to the fact that they have a lot of versatile players who can defend multiple different positions. For example, in a game against the Mavericks this season, in addition to Green, the Warriors players who have played against Dirk Nowitzki include: Barnes, Thompson and Livingston.
Harden's Rockets are inspirational enough. Last summer, Morey had a clever plan to settle the world, losing his wife and losing his troops. So much so that in the eyes of critics, Houston's prospects for this season are very bad, not to mention that after the start of this season, the Rockets have been injured, from Howard to Beverley, from Jones to Mortier, almost all over the world. However, Harden made something out of nothing, and promoted the space city into a strong division that can compete with the heroes. The team has 56 wins in the season, second in the West, and Harden is averaging 27.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game.
MVP-level masters, after all, don't rely on blowing.
Isn't that true of Westbrook and Davis?
Da Wei Shao has 11 triple-doubles and won the scoring champion of the season; Davis is the most efficient man in the entire NBA. From the perspective of individual performance, it is enough to compete with Curry Harden. The only weakness is probably the limited team's record. But after all, the Thunder disaster has been out of the game with hatred again and again, and the Pelicans have entered the playoffs on the final day, and they are finally embarrassed to compare with Curry Harden, who has a brilliant record on the team.
But in any case, it must be admitted that Westbrook and Davis, following in the footsteps of Curry and Harden, have also entered the arena and become the hottest ones in the league. To put it more intuitively, these four players are evolving rapidly on the road to superstardom.
Young, energetic, that's the label shared by Harden, Curry, Westbrook and Davis. No matter how Duncan flickered year after year, the future really was theirs.
Suddenly, James felt a little old.
When it comes to old age, we have to talk about Spurs.
Not just the biggest illusion in the Southwest, it can even be defined as the biggest illusion in the whole league. Every year, everyone thinks Spurs are getting old. However, the reality of each year is that the Spurs are still alive and kicking.
What is the reality that accompanies it?
Duncan, born in 1976, is 39 years old; Ginobili in 1977, approaching the age of 38; Even Parker, who was born in 1982, is about to turn 33 years old.
At the beginning, GDP was also the Big Three; And now, the 110-year-old group is already three old men. Theoretically, it has already reached the age of washing hands and retiring from the rivers and lakes. It's just that your uncle is still your uncle, and before the all-stars, the fight is plain and bland, like child's play; After the closing of the trade, there was a sudden force.
Praise the Spurs because they do have the capital and ability, an aging team, a team that does not rely on throwing money, a team that has always relied on self-production and self-sales, a team that has cultivated its own stars, a team that has been prosperous for a long time and has played 50 wins in 16 consecutive seasons, and deserves all honors and respect.
As Van Gundy exclaimed: "Oh my God, how many marriages don't last 16 years, but Spurs do." ”
And an even more terrifying number is that since Duncan entered the league in 1997, the Spurs have maintained a winning rate of more than 6 percent. This season, it is the 18th consecutive year that they have made the playoffs.
The head of the city changed the banner of the king, and for more than ten years, the fall of one power was accompanied by the rise of another. The end of one era means the beginning of another. Only the spurs have always stood proudly and always stood proudly at the top of the food chain.
Even if they lose in the last round and are squeezed into sixth place in the West by the Grizzlies, who would dare to underestimate them?
Kobe Bryant, missed the playoffs;
Anthony, missed the playoffs;
Durant, missed the playoffs;
Westbrook, missed the playoffs;
Wade, missed the playoffs;
Cousins, missed the playoffs.
With the Pacers losing, George is added to the roster...... not
A number of big names, countless romantic characters, were blocked by a ruthless threshold.
How horrific is this list?
This season's scoring champion Westbrook, last season's scoring champion Durant, last season's scoring champion Anthony, etc., were all swept away.
In fact, this also outlines the biggest theme of the season: disruption. Those who were once strong have been subverted, those former big names have been subverted, and even those scoring champions who stand at the top of the food chain have been subverted in an unprecedented situation. What kind of prince will Xiangning have? So he shook his arms, unveiled the rod, and carried out the seizure of power to the end.
It seems cruel, but this is probably the most addictive part of the NBA.
Arthur knew that this season was going to be a good season for the Warriors, and the more successful the Warriors were, the more they could reflect how underwhelming Blackburn was this season. (To be continued.) )