Chapter 41: The Wizards' Preparation for the Playoffs
After the game with the Lakers, the resentful Kwame sprinkled all his grievances on the next day against the Bucks, and beat another famous center 'Big Dog' Robinson, which made the words that some media were just about to say directly swallowed into the stomach, but it also made Kwame's enemy one more.
Of course, a certain Chinese American who helped Kwame abuse the Bucks is also hated.
On April 5th, the Wizards who were playing away lost to the Charlotte Hornets who were all in order, and Davis did not rely on his body to bully the Wizards, but relied on his own assists to blow up Gerrard.
Jamal Marshburn, who did not appear in the All-Star Game because of injury, broke out in this game, and David Wesley taught Gong Feng a good lesson, what is called a small shooting guard.
"We should avoid the Hornets in the playoffs, this is a team that really restrains us to some extent, this game is a good illustration of all this, Gong Feng, Kwame's statistics are all new lows, the guard line, the front line defense is a mess!"
"In terms of strength alone, Gongfeng and Kwamei have a lot of ways to go, and it is impossible for the current physical fitness to improve in the short term, which is the problem we have to solve so far." Collins spoke to his coaching staff very seriously after the game.
"The Hornets are strong, but they are not without weaknesses!"
"For us, they have a lot of strong points, but against other teams, the Hornets are not necessarily very strong, the current Hornets are in fifth place in the East, the early main injury ruined the glory that the Hornets should have, this position is the most beneficial for us, we will not meet the Hornets at least in the second round!"
"Now the standings are first with us, the Nets are second, the Pistons are third, the Celtics are fourth, the Magic are fifth, the Hornets are sixth, the 76ers are seventh, and the eighth spot is the most fiercely contested, with the Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers both battling for the eighth spot!"
"Both of them have the same wins, the same losses, and the same wins and losses for us and the Nets, and it's the biggest mystery right now, who is the first and who is the eighth! The fourth and fifth games are the biggest attraction of this round of playoffs, and the two are now also competing for home advantage, and the home court still has a certain advantage in a five-three game. ”
"So you mean to give up a few games?"
"Yes, we can play better in the playoffs as the second pick, the two teams in eighth place, I am optimistic about the Pacers, and the Pacers are the kind of team that has no obvious shortcomings, it is the Nets, the third team we don't want to meet after the Hornets, although we are not afraid of them, but in the face of those who are in their prime, our rookie-dominated team is really a bit worrying!"
"That's right! The Pacers are the best team on the inside, and if I want to say, I'd rather collide with the Nets than the Pacers, who are now very strong on the outside and inside, and the second round will be against the Celtics and the winner of the Magic, which will be even more difficult! ”
"I'm willing to collide with the current 76ers, the current 76ers are not the team that can challenge the OK combination back then, and the strength of the team has dropped too much except for Iverson! Although Iverson has now invested in rest, we also have absolute strengths! ”
"I agree, second place is second place, there are too many hard battles to fight in the future, there are other benefits for us to give up some games appropriately, we can also consider the physical condition of the players!"
"Hamilton's rookie contract still has two years to expire, the rookie rankings of the two rookies, the best draft, even if we win the regular season first, it is impossible to get the regular season MVP, so it is better to compete for the honor we can compete for, so that the rookies and rookies can have a sense of trust in us."
"I agree! I suggest that the current Lightner go straight to the rotation, and Jordan doesn't need to go on the court to find a feeling! ”
"Leitner has to rest now, ready to play the playoffs, except for Gong Feng, Kwamay, Hamilton, all of them have to be rotated, those who have injuries have to be treated, those who don't have injuries have to make sure that the hidden danger of injuries is minimized, and our fringe players also have to get a chance to play, except for the game against the Grizzlies, we have to give up the other five games!"
So the visiting Grizzlies lost to the combination of Gong Feng and Kwame, once again confirming the Rookie of the Year spot to some extent, and then the Wizards lost four in a row, losing to the Nets, the 76ers twice, and the Pacers.
Until the final game, the Wizards defeated the New York Knicks, who are now extremely lacking in the inside, and also pushed the Knicks' record to the worst step!
Of course, this is not without benefits, and the biggest benefit is obtained by three people, Bow Peak, Kwame and Hamilton.
Gong Feng's final stats in the regular season in the first season were 11.1 points, 12.2 assists, 3 rebounds and 3.4 turnovers, and he has been confirmed to be the assist king of the season, and the second place is Stockton, who averages about 10 assists per game.
Kwamei's last stats were 16 points, 19 rebounds and 2 blocks, and in the last 10 regular season games, Kwamei averaged 23 rebounds per game.
Hamilton finally averaged 20 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists per game, which is very satisfactory to him!
And in the end, the very 'shameless' Wizards really finished second in the East, with a final overall score of 51 wins and 31 losses.
The final standings are as expected by the Wizards, the 76ers are seventh, the Pacers are eighth, and even if the Wizards lose to the Raptors, there is no way to stop the Pacers, who have already formed.
The rest of the rankings remained unchanged in the end!
……
At the end of the regular season, the NBA has to take a two-day collective rest, which is also the final adjustment of all playoff teams, of course, all kinds of scolding battles and arguments are also concentrated in these days, and the Wizards are no exception.
And the Wizards are recognized as a team that is completely likely to be black seven by the 76ers, and there are many reasons for this, mainly because of the composition of the main force of the 76ers, Iverson has only played 60 games this year, but Iverson, who is still in his prime, can still average 31 points per game this season, occupying the top three positions in the scoring list.
Eric Snow, as the most important guard next to Iverson, is by far Iverson's best backcourt partner, and no one will underestimate Eric's role with the 76ers, a role that reassures both Iverson and the coach.
Halplin is the 76ers' defensive stalwart on the outside right now, and an excellent component with a lot of tools on the scoring end. Derrick Coleman, as the No. 1 pick in the '90s, although the form of the Athletic has declined significantly in recent years, no one thinks that the Wizards have anyone who can defend him.
The last person is Uncle Mu, although the age of the uncle is an unknown topic, but as long as the uncle stays in the center position, there is absolutely no basketball player who can underestimate him.
Sitting on the 76ers bench is Aaron McGee, who was named Sixth Man of the Year last year, and his points per game average has continued to improve this season.
And what about the Wizards? How can such a team be recognized by everyone after facing all three playoff teams in the East in the final stage of the season and losing all of them?
What's more important is that last year's 76ers just won the Eastern Conference championship, and now that the important members have not changed this year, how can they be defeated by a rookie team dominated by rookies?
The team's head coach, Larry Brown, is a reliable factor who has brought the 76ers' defensive system to completely free up Iverson's individual offensive power.
Iverson, as the most unpredictable and powerful scorer in the league, is the most dangerous factor in the league.
Although in the regular season, the 76ers suffered a significant decline in the team's results due to injuries, because of the integration of new players, and because of the absence of Iverson. But no one wants to run into Larry Brown's team in the playoffs, because in the playoffs it is the defense that wins, not the Wizards, who rely on playful aerial relays and unrealistic offense to win!
After talking about the 76ers, who can the current Wizards rely on to win?