Competitive sports are undoubtedly brutal!

For teams that don't make the playoffs, that means all the hard work is in vain and everything has to start over.

For the players, it means a long break and they need to 'recuperate' and get ready for next season.

But for the playoff teams, it means a new battle is about to begin, and they have to work hard for better results, especially championships.

From the first round of the playoffs to the final championship, it will take four rounds to get the Larry O'Brien Trophy and championship ring.

There are a total of sixteen playoff teams, and there is only one winner.

This night is destined to keep many Nuggets fans awake, and after four years, they have become a playoff team again!

Last season, the Nuggets came close to breaking the NBA's record for the most games won in a single season, winning just 11 games all season.

Unexpectedly, in the first year of rebuilding the team, they entered the playoffs again, and they won many times against the league's strongest teams.

There's no doubt that the Nuggets have done a great job of rebuilding.

Before the playoffs began, due to the playoff limit of twelve players, all teams held a meeting to discuss which players to remove from the playoff roster.

Among them, naturally, the Nuggets are also included.

During the regular season, the Nuggets expanded to 15 players, many of whom were non-draft players.

Soon, the discussion ended, and the final roster for the Nuggets was as follows: Ji Liang, McDyce, Van Exel, Billups, Fortson, Alexander, Stich, Williams, Taylor, Herrera, Clarke and Washington.

Poor Lavrenz was originally able to occupy a spot with his strength, but his injury has not yet recovered, so naturally there is no playoff spot.

After the quota was determined, the team began to gather the players, and the meeting was not as grand and serious as expected, the main purpose was to unify everyone's minds and hope to go further.

Ranked seventh in the West, the Nuggets will face the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs, while the other Western Conference teams will face the Spurs vs. the Kings, the Trail Blazers vs. the Suns, and the Lakers vs. the Rockets.

Before the playoffs began, experts began to predict that they were all optimistic that the Spurs would win the first round, with many predicting the Spurs to cross the Kings and the rest of the experts also believing that 3-1 was reasonable.

There is no way, they have a clear gap, and the Spurs are extremely stable, no one thinks that the Kings can put on a 'Black Eight Miracle'.

In addition, Chris Webber's injury has not yet healed, and even if he plays with an injury, it will be difficult to stop the Spurs.

However, compared to the Kings, who are not favored at all, the Nuggets are different, and they are facing an aging Jazz team.

Although the Jazz team is also strong, their roster is seriously aging, and the Nuggets players are very young, coupled with good strength, many experts believe that there is suspense, and the Nuggets may not be able to defeat the Jazz.

In the remaining matchups, the Trail Blazers' prediction against the Suns is again one-sided, although the Suns have Jason Kidd, the Suns' lineup is obviously weak, resulting in no experts being optimistic about the Suns, but thinking that the Suns are very likely to be swept.

However, the most controversial is the Lakers vs. the Rockets, the former has O'Neal, Kobe and Glen Rice, and the latter is the aging Big Three, plus the two records are not much different, both teams have the possibility of winning, and may play Game 5.

With the end of the regular season, the awards began to be gradually revealed, and there was no dispute about the best rookie, even if Carter and Pierce performed well, but they did not pose a threat to Ji Liang.

In addition, Chi Liang also beat Kidd to win the assist title, and set a new record for the average assists per game of a rookie in a single season with an average of 11.2 assists per game, which was originally Mark Jackson and has been maintained for more than ten years, which shows how difficult it is.

The rookie averaged 11.2 assists per game, a record that will stand for a long time if nothing else.

In addition to the assist king, Chi Liang also averaged 2.9 steals per game, beating Kendall Gill's 2.7 steals to get the steal king.

It has to be said that Ji Liang once again broke a rookie record, that is, the rookie record for the number of steals per game in a single season, which was originally held by Dudley Bradley, and has been maintained for nearly two decades.

In addition, because the number of substitute appearances is greater than the number of starts, Ji Liang is also the biggest favorite for the best sixth man.

Many experts believe that Chi Liang is too bullying and thinks that this is very unfair to other substitute players, not only the playing time, but also related to Chi Liang's strength.

In the Nuggets, due to the lack of scoring in the next two games, Ji Liang averaged 20.9 points per game, close to the top ten in the league, but he ranked first in the league in assists, steals, and three-point shooting percentage.

It's really unfair for other substitutes to compete for the best sixth man with such a good player.

But the rules of the league are like this, and with Ji Liang's performance, he has almost locked in the best sixth man.

Such data can be called the strongest sixth man in history, and if he can't get the best sixth man award, the credibility of the league is bound to be questioned.

In addition, if Ji Liang wins the Best Rookie and Best Sixth Man awards, then he can also become the first player in the league to win both awards.

There's no way, every year's best rookie is the team's starter, and there are almost no 'like' substitutes like Ji Liang.

In addition, with Ji Liang's performance in the regular season, there is a good chance of entering the best team and the best defensive team.

However, although there are few excellent small forwards in the league, there are many big forwards, such as Duncan, Malone, Garnett, Webb, McDyce, etc., plus excellent small forwards such as Grant Hill and Scottie Pippen, and there is a lot of competition pressure.

The NBA is also a place where seniority is discussed, even if Chi Liang obtains good data, but his qualifications are too low after all, and it is not easy to enter the best team.

For these awards, Nike attaches great importance to it, and has already prepared a marketing plan, ready to launch Chi Liang's second signed sneaker.

Of course, Ji Liang received a sample of sneakers in advance.

Like most NBA stars, Chi Liang's first signature sneaker was naturally named Chi Liang's generation.

Due to the eagerness, the design of the first generation was not sufficient, it could only be considered decent, but in general, it was not outstanding.

Compared with the Storm Generation, the Storm II was designed to combine Chi Liang's character and image, while adding a lot of high-tech elements. For example, the forefoot is equipped with an R air cushion, the rear foot is equipped with RS technology, the midsole is equipped with a carbon brazing plate, which has quite excellent cushioning performance, and the shoe body uses SP memory to make the sneaker have good breathability. It is also equipped with an air cushion at the front and back, which has an extraordinary foot feel.

Judging from the appearance, the second generation of Chi Liang is white and red, with sharp edges and corners, and smooth lines. At first glance, it gives people a sense of power, as if it indicates that the alliance is about to usher in an era of power.

After the sample came out, Chi Liang tried it on, and the feeling of his feet was more felt than the first generation, which was more suitable for his play.