231 The playoffs begin
The final performance of the Timberwolves and Lakers this season was a little disappointing, the Lakers were the first to disappoint, and then the Timberwolves, who did not have any pressure from the back, also began to consciously adjust the lineup.
But even so, the final record of the Timberwolves and Lakers was enough to shock many people, with the Timberwolves 71-11, second all-time, and the Lakers 69-13, tied for third all-time. What's even more terrifying is that these two records actually appeared in the same season, or even the same league.
"This season is the craziest season in NBA history, there is no season in the history of the NBA that can be compared to this season, in the first half of the season, the crazy performance of the Timberwolves and Lakers is still unforgettable, and the madness of the Vancouver Grizzlies in the second half of the schedule is also shocking, this is the first time in NBA history that three teams have played such a record, the Timberwolves 71-11, the Lakers 69-13, the Grizzlies 61-21, One team wins more than 70, two teams reach more than 60, no matter how you look at it, such a season is crazy, this season is a season that belongs to the Western Conference, at least on the surface, the Pacers, the first in the East, has a record of only 59 wins and 23 losses, which is not as good as the Grizzlies, who are third in the West, since Jordan retired, the balance of the entire NBA has begun to tilt, and the final score of the finals last season was 4-0, so what will this season be? In my opinion. Whether it's the Timberwolves, Lakers, or Grizzlies, all three teams can beat any team in the East if they reach the Finals, and maybe this season's NBA championship will stay in the West."
Perhaps it would be a shame for Phil Jackson that this was the third time he had a record of 69 wins or more, and he had the opportunity to break his all-time best record, but in the end he didn't succeed. The Lakers suddenly don't know how to play, and now the most important thing for Phil Jackson should be to find the team's optimal rhythm. A lot of people are talking about the coexistence of Kobe Bryant and O'Neal right now, as Coach Z often says, compared to O'Neal. Kobe Bryant is more suitable to be the core of the triangle offense, but it is clear that Phil has no intention of doing so, but in the face of the menacing Z coach, how long can Phil's 72-win record hold? The Timberwolves are now infinitely close to that record, and now Phil has to fix the problems with Kobe Bryant and O'Neal, and then expect himself to recreate a record that Coach Z will never be able to break, and I think the Lakers have that potential."
"Phil regrets that Coach Z should be a little more aggressive, although there is no threat from behind the Lakers. I think they should work hard for all the fans' expectations, and it's clear that Coach Z isn't aiming for that this season."
At the end of the regular season this season, for all NBA fans, what amazed them the most was the kind of record created by the Timberwolves and Lakers, which was terrifying. Originally when the bull was in ...... After the season to create an astonishing 72-10 record, everyone thought it was a miracle that no one could break in the future, but it was only less than five years later that two teams were able to break this record, and in everyone's opinion, the Timberwolves and the Lakers had a chance. And there are plenty of opportunities to come, and although this one was missed in the end this season, it's clear that that record will be in jeopardy next season, just as some Bulls fans and media are now fearing.
"At that time we lost to too many underdogs, we even lost to the Toronto Raptors, and now it looks like we didn't give our best at that time, and we should be able to create a record of more than 75 wins, so even if the Timberwolves or Lakers can really break our record now, I don't think the Lakers or the Timberwolves will be better than the Bulls at that time, which is the greatest NBA team in history." …,
Chicago fans and media are very unwilling, but it doesn't matter to other people, what matters now is that the NBA can once again create a historic topic, and it will be the stage for the Lakers and Timberwolves to compete for a long time in the future, of course, we can't forget that we also have the Grizzlies, and the Grizzlies are also growing, although they are not as strong as the Timberwolves and the Lakers now, but the Grizzlies have taken the initiative on another battlefield.
"Vince Carter surprised everyone when he entered the league last season, leading a new team to the playoffs? This is simply shocking, and his scoring title in his rookie season made him the fifth player in history to score in his rookie season, and he also tied Jordan's record for 40+ in five consecutive playoff games last season, it can be said that he was perfect in his first season in the NBA, and he even did better than Jordan, in fact, after last season, everyone was wondering if Carter could continue to perform like Jordan, In the history of the NBA, there are a lot of players who will calm down after a crazy season, I personally worry that Carter will do the same, but in fact we are too worried, Vince is not in such a situation at all, he has done better this season than last season, this season the Grizzlies actually got 61 wins, which is unbelievable, they didn't start the season well, but the closing sprint was like the Timberwolves last season, and the Timberwolves last season were also because of the poor performance at the beginning of the season, Coach Z almost became a public enemy of Minnesota"
"Some people say Carter hasn't made much of a breakthrough in his individual performances this season, and I'll admit that. Carter's stats last season were 27.5 points, 7.2 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game, and this season his stats are only 27.5 points, 8.4 assists and 7.1 rebounds, and he really didn't break through in scoring, that's because Artest's arrival allowed him to organize the team's offense with confidence, Artest can share his scoring pressure, and even defensive pressure, maybe in the future, Carter will not become a player like Jordan who can contribute an average of 30+8+8 per game, But now that he's done great enough, he's also managed to take the Grizzlies to the next level, and he's now a qualified leader. ”
"So I'm going to vote for Carter for MVP this season, and I voted for Duncan last season."
"Of course, although I am more optimistic about Carter getting the MVP, but O'Neal and Garnett are also shocking, for these two players, such a performance can easily win the MVP trophy in any season, especially O'Neal, he is now the scoring champion of the season, but it is just when they meet Carter, which will make them extremely difficult, although the final result is difficult to predict, but I know that the gap between the three will definitely be small, and there may even be a tie"
"But it doesn't matter, the MVP of the regular season has never been the most important honor of a season, for a player and a team, the championship will be everything, this is the sign of greatness, now the Timberwolves first, the Lakers second, the Grizzlies third, this year's Western Conference semifinals will be the Lakers and Grizzlies? Will the finals be the Timberwolves and Lakers? Or the Timberwolves and Grizzlies? ”
"I said last season that the post-NBA Jordan era has entered the Wake Forest era, and the final result is the same as I predicted, so can Coach Z and Carter hold on to this glory this season? Let's wait and see...... Mike, it seems that we can be much easier at this time of the season" Zhuang Fei sat in his office and said with a smile, while D'Antoni on the side also nodded, and the faces of the two showed a look of reminiscence, obviously both of them remembered the embarrassment of the Timberwolves at this time last season.
At the end of the regular season, the outside world is particularly noisy, last season the Timberwolves had no experience in dealing with such sounds, but in this season, the Timberwolves players have enough experience and a mature enough mind, Zhuang Fei's requirements have not changed, the Timberwolves players are still waiting for the arrival of the king according to the usual training, the opponent in the first round of the Timberwolves playoffs this season has not changed from last season, the Timberwolves were second last season, the king was seventh, and now the Timberwolves are first, and the king is eighth.
The final standings in the Western Conference regular season this season are the Timberwolves first, the Lakers second, the Grizzlies third, the Trail Blazers fourth, the Jazz fifth, the Spurs sixth, the Suns seventh, the Kings eighth, and the teams from ninth to fourteenth are the Seattle SuperSonics, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers.
So the first round of the Western Conference playoffs this season is the Timberwolves vs. the Kings, the Lakers vs. the Suns, the Grizzlies vs. the Spurs, and the Trail Blazers vs. the Jazz.
In the East, the Pacers are in first place, the Miami Heat are second, the New York Knicks are third, the Charlotte Hornets are fourth, the Philadelphia 76ers are fifth, the Detroit Pistons are sixth, the Milwaukee Bucks are seventh, the Orlando Magic are eighth, the Boston Celtics are ninth, the Cleveland Cavaliers are tenth, the New Jersey Nets are eleventh, the Washington Wizards are twelfth, the Toronto Raptors are thirteenth, and the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls are the last two.
The first round of the Eastern Conference playoff matchups are Pacers vs. Magic, Heat vs. Bucks, Knicks vs. Pistons, and Hornets vs. 76ers.
The first day of this season's playoffs is April 22, but the first game between the Timberwolves and Kings is on April 23. (To be continued) RQ