X-factor, i.e., unknowns.

The NBA playoffs are undoubtedly a contest between the stars of the game.

Every team has its own core, and those who can become the core of the team must have the ability that other players do not have.

So, as the defensive intensity of the playoffs increases, many of the open spots will no longer appear, and many opportunities to score easily will no longer be available.

In this case, the key to the team's success depends on the performance of the star player.

This is why many experts have repeatedly emphasized that stars are the key to the playoffs; is also the reason why many civilian teams can still make waves in the regular season and wilt directly in the playoffs.

It's just that the playoffs don't stop there.

The game between the head coaches, the tacit understanding between the teams, etc., and so on, are also very interesting, and so on.

Of course, the existence of the X-factor is also a good thing to look at in the playoffs.

No one knows if a particular player will suddenly become a key factor in the team's comeback at some point.

It's the curiosity that comes with the unknown, and when it does happen – Where Amazing Happens!

It's like the NBA's promotional slogan!

Tyronn Lue in '01, J.R. Smith in '15, and Danny Green in '13, they looked like ordinary main players in the regular season, even role players, but on the stage of the playoffs, they once became the protagonists.

The shock of that little person is no less than the game itself.

For example, Danny Green, if it weren't for Ray Allen's three-point rebelliousness, I'm afraid that the FMVP of that year would have been his.

That year, Danny Green's annual salary was only about four million......

This is the big bang show of the X-factor on the playoff stage, and there are all kinds of ways to detonate, but as long as it is detonated, it will inevitably change the situation of the game.

Tonight, in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, in the first half between the Bucks and the Magic, Desmond Mason became such a presence, using his breakthrough to greatly affect Van Gundy's lineup in the second quarter, and even led the team to tie the score behind.

"Wow, Desmond, it's amazing that you saved today's game!"

"A few more of them in the second half, trust you!"

"Hahaha, that's great, Desmond, the Magic team should be worried about you now!"

In the visiting team's locker room, the Bucks' players praised Mason one after another, making him inexplicably shy when he usually could only eat farts behind Michael Reed and Yi Jianlian.

"Okay, let's celebrate and wait until we win, if they still target Mo and Yi in the second half, Desmond, you still play according to the second quarter, if they don't defend like this, you cover Michael and Mo more, and Yi you will do more breakthroughs with the ball!"

At the end of the second quarter, the Bucks' outside shooting space has been much larger, but it is still not what Xiao K expected, so Xiao K still let Yi Jianlian make more breakthroughs and further shrink the Magic team's defense, only in this way can Mo Williams and Michael Reed really shoot away!

***

The second half of the game begins.

The Bucks attack first.

Mo Williams got the ball up front and Nelson Jr. didn't come up close to defend it, which made him relieved that Van Gundy wouldn't be using his previous defensive tactics again.

Yi Jianlian made a block for Mo Williams, who got rid of Nelson Jr. and hit a direct shot against Lewis.

59-57！

came up with the first goal, and the Bucks started the second half quite smoothly.

The Magic also quickly returned one in the next round, and Nelson Jr.'s pick-and-roll with Howard also hit a mid-range jumper.

The point difference is back on the same line again.

Yi Jianlian played one by himself, the Magic team had no bag and no defense, Lewis couldn't stop him at all, and he easily dunked it.

"It's ......"

Xiao K can see that the Magic's defense is very lax, not at all like their defensive strength in the first half.

"Huh!"

Lewis hit a three-pointer at the moment to take the deficit by one point.

"Is this all focused on the offensive end?"

Little K didn't understand it too much, but soon the Magic team used the faster and faster offensive speed to tell him, you guessed it!

In the first half, the defense was called a struggle, Van Gundy simply didn't bother on the defensive end, just single-handedly marking, can you prevent casually, anyway, you can't prevent us!

Suddenly, the attacks on both sides played very smoothly and coherently, and the scene suddenly looked a lot better......

***

"If NBA games are like this in the future, the audience will probably like it, right?"

In the league president's office, Stern and his assistant Xiao Hua are also paying attention to this game - David Stern is definitely most concerned about his Chinese market, and it is impossible for Yi Jianlian not to watch the first playoff game of his career.

As his assistant, Xiao Hua's focus is on other aspects.

"If we can be more strict and protect the impact of the outside players, I think maybe the scene will be a little different!"

"Like WWE, we can't control the game, but we can get players to show more, think about it, if a big guy can shoot from beyond the three-point line or hit the basket with the ball, OMG, there must be such an exclamation, right?"

His proposal attracted Stern's attention, turned his head to look at the young man he brought out by himself, thought slightly, and said: "The essence of the NBA is still basketball, you can't blindly pursue the good looks on the court and ignore other factors!" ”

"But only when the game is good-looking, is the ratings guaranteed!" Xiao Hua was a little incomprehensible, "If the NBA's regular season can be like the All-Star Game, every player on the court is well-known, and at the same time the scene is good-looking, are you afraid that no one will watch it?" ”

"Hehe, if you really want to say that, if a player in the league is like a star, and a star can be called a superstar, then who can respect the history of the NBA?"

"Although we have a star-making plan, after so many years of experimentation, you still can't understand it? The real star is not something we can create, the focus on the basketball court, you need to rely on yourself to fight, just blindly reduce the defensive strength, maybe every player does look like a star, but the game may have changed! ”

Stern glanced at Xiao Hua after speaking, and the latter seemed to understand, but he didn't seem to understand.

***

In the final three minutes of the third quarter, Stan Van Gundy showed his sophistication as a head coach under Pakleli.

The sudden increase in defensive intensity caught the Bucks players a little off guard, and they failed to score several consecutive offenses.

Yi Jianlian only played more than 7 minutes in the third quarter, and still didn't have a good scoring performance, even during the time when the two teams played against Biao, except for the first goal, the Magic team would rather put an empty space at other times and force him to stop the ball.

Yi Jianlian will count the ball at the beginning and pass the ball to the vacant position, but the first few balls in those vacant positions can still be thrown, but with the gradual acceleration of the pace of the game, the shooting rhythm has also been greatly affected, and the vacant positions have all become the sound of "clang" iron.

At the end of the third quarter, the Bucks trailed by six points, 73-79.