The season is coming to an end, and the playoff race has entered a white-hot stage.

The west, in particular, can be described as hand-to-hand combat.

The Lakers are in first place for the time being, but they are only two wins ahead of the Nuggets behind them.

And that's where the top nine teams in the West are now.

Lakers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Rockets, Suns, Spurs, Trail Blazers, Jazz, Thunder, there are before and after, but the record has not exceeded 2 wins, and even the same record is better.

This is unique even in the entire history of the NBA, and no one can analyze who will be squeezed out in the end, including what the final matchup will be.

The situation in the east is relatively less intense, but the competition between the echelons is also back and forth.

First up are the Cavaliers and Magic, who are vying for the top spot in the East, with the two teams taking a gap lead over the rest of the team, with at least six wins more than the third-place Hawks, but only one win behind each other.

The Cavaliers' roster is unprecedentedly strong, and the Magic are not far behind.

In addition to basically retaining the lineup that entered the Finals last season, the Magic also traded Turkoglou for Vince Carter from the Nets, plus Jamil Nelson, who was traded last season, and Howard, who hit the highest shooting percentage of his career this season, aiming to complete a double kill against the Cavaliers.

And the second-tier Hawks, Celtics and Heat are also struggling to compete for the top half (top four).

However, the most fierce competition is in the second half of the playoffs, with the Bucks, Bobcats, Bulls, and Raptors, four teams vying for the last three playoff spots.

Although the season is nearing its end, the competition is more intense than ever.

Before you know it, it's early April, and the season is coming to a real end.

At this time, except for a few rankings that have not yet been determined, most of the rankings and even alignments have been determined.

Cleveland, the Cavaliers' locker room.

At this time, the Cavaliers were preparing for their final game of the season, and their opponent was the Bobcats.

It's a delicate game, as the Bobcats are now eighth with 43 wins, just one less win than the seventh-place Bulls, but have a head-to-head advantage.

Because the Cavaliers have already opened two wins with the Magic at this time and determined the first place in the East, they can decide who to play in the first round in this game.

If they win this game, then there is no doubt that they will play the Bobcats in the first round.

And if they lose, then the Bobcats will have the same record as the Bulls and can move up to seventh place by head-to-head advantage.

In that case, their first-round opponent would change from the Bobcats to the Bulls.

That's when the team's general manager, Danny Ferry, and head coach Mike Brown came to the locker room and called James out.

In a private office on the second floor, the three of them engaged in a conversation.

The content of the conversation is naturally about tonight's last game of the season, or it can be understood as deciding who to play in the first round.

Originally, this kind of thing was discussed between the coaching staff and the management, but because of James' special status with the Cavaliers, the management gave him the treatment of surpassing the players.

"It's the first time the Bobcats have made the playoffs, they have no experience, and they're weak on the inside, and the starting center is 37-year-old Ratliff, so it's not a matter of thinking about them." Brown gave his opinion.

His idea is simple, not only will such an opponent not be risky, but it will also reduce consumption and give them enough time to prepare for the second round.

Because the current fourth place is the Celtics, although they are older, but they complement Rashid Wallace, their strength should not be underestimated.

Ferry nodded, then looked at James.

Brown's opinion can only be used as a reference at best, and more importantly is James's attitude.

It sounds ridiculous, but it makes sense given that James could be out of contract in the summer.

The Cavaliers are a league powerhouse because of James, and they can't afford to risk losing James.

Or to put it another way, realistic but not so nice, the Cavaliers are completely afraid to go against James' ideas right now.

"The Bulls." James gave the answer almost without much thought.

The answer made Brown's eyelids jump.

'Celtic are a tough team to play against and we have to play before we play them. Immediately afterward, James gave his reasoning.

A valid reason.

"LeBron is right, Mike, our main team needs to be out tonight, and we're going to lose this game." Ferry said directly.

Brown didn't come back to his senses for a moment.

"Mike?" Ferry called Brown again.

Brown came to his senses and nodded.

Having made up his mind, James left the office first and went back to the locker room.

After James left, Brown shook his head a little bitterly.

James' reasoning sounds plausible, but it's simply nonsense when analyzed.

What kind of team is this Celtic team now? It was the team that played two rounds of tie-breaks to reach the Eastern Conference finals and finally defeated the Lakers to win the championship.

Experience, resilience are their labels, and although they are two years older than then, this season they have added Rasheed Wallace, a guy who also has that label.

Against a team like this, your best bet is to stay as fit as possible and be ready to play a full seven games against them.

Of course, he actually understands why James chose this way.

Because James lost face in the season opener, and the previous slam dunk contest made him lose face, he needs a chance to get back on the court, is there a better chance than the playoffs now?

But to do so is to risk the future of the team, because the Bulls are only young and not bad in terms of configuration, especially compared to the Bobcats.

"Relax, relax." Ferry said as he approached Brown after seeing Brown's reaction.

"Didn't we just beat the Bulls? Our record this season is also 3-1, and as long as we are serious, it makes no difference whether it is the Bobcats or the Bulls. Ferry continued.

"I hope you're right." Brown smiled helplessly.

The decision has already been made, and there is no point in opposing it.

Seeing this, Ferry reached out and patted Brown on the shoulder, and said something meaningful: "Think about how to win." ”

In fact, everyone knows that if the Cavaliers can't win the championship this year, then James is likely to leave the Cavaliers.

That's why they've been smashing their roster like crazy this season.

And once James leaves, he or Brown will immediately lose his job.

With the Cavaliers not playing the main team and losing to the Bobcats off the bench, the regular season of the 2009~2010 season officially came to an end, and the rankings of the East and West were all released.

In the West, the Lakers are in first place with 56 wins, although they did not perform well at the beginning of the season, but with the return of Gasol, they quickly entered the state, and it is worth mentioning that Kobe Bryant not only showed the improvement of his footwork and skills, he also contributed 6 kills in a single season;

The Mavericks are second in second place with 55 wins, and the addition of Caron Butler and Haywood has made the Mavericks look very thick in the front and backcourt, and they look like a championship-level team for the first time since 2006;

The Rockets are in third place with 54 wins, and the addition of Hamilton has taken the Rockets to the next level, which is a bit unbelievable to say, but they seem to be stronger than they were during the Yao Mai period;

The Suns are fourth in fourth place with 53 wins, and sending off O'Neal has given fans another glimpse of the strength of this run-and-gun team, and the addition of Channing Frye also looks just right, the only thing worth assuming is what heights they can reach if the Suns had gotten Xu Yong in the first place;

The Nuggets, Jazz, Spurs and Thunder are ranked 5~8, and the Trail Blazers have become the last team to be squeezed out of the playoffs.

In the East, the Cavaliers are at the top of the table with a 60-win record, and although they have won six fewer games than last season after adding O'Neal and Jamison in a row, this does not affect their strength.

The Magic are second with 59 wins;

The Hawks, Celtics, Heat, and Bucks are in third to sixth place, respectively.

Both the Bobcats and the Bulls finished with 44 wins, but because the Bulls had a 1-2 record against the Bobcats, the Bulls ended up in eighth place.

……

Chicago, United Center Training Facility.

"Who would have thought that we would actually face the Cavaliers in the first round." After finishing the training, Noah said while wiping his sweat.

"They chose us." Xu Yong reminded.

"Yes, they chose us." Noah nodded, his face eager to try.

In the past two months, he has worked exponentially harder, and what he has gained is not only a stronger body, but also stronger self-confidence.

"Do we have a chance?" At this moment, Brown on the side spoke.

Although it took a month of hard work to find a rotation spot with the Bulls, it was unrealistic for a guy who had lost his confidence for ten years to regain his confidence all at once.

"Of course there is a chance! You forgot that our opener hurt them! Noah waved his punching bag-sized fist.

Xu Yong also nodded affirmatively, and then said with a smile: "The last time I chose the team in this way was the Mavericks three years ago. ”

When he said this, Noah immediately nodded "yes", and the dead memories in Brown's mind resurfaced.

At that time, he was still playing for the Lakers, and the Lakers also made the playoffs, and he should be the most impressive.

And it was even more outrageous for the Mavericks at that time, because in the penultimate game at that time, if the Mavericks won against the Warriors, the Warriors would not even be able to enter the playoffs.

As a result, the Mavericks also came off the bench that game, sending the Warriors into the playoffs.

Then there is the well-known "Warriors Black Eight" for fans.

Baron Davis and his Golden State gang sent the Mavericks home straight to their hometown in the playoffs, not only depriving the Mavericks of a chance for revenge (they were reversed by the Heat in the 2006 Finals), but also allowing Nowitzki to receive the regular season MVP trophy that almost represented disgrace after being eliminated.

It was after that that Nowitzki almost became synonymous with soft, and there was no longer any question.

"Aren't they really going to study history?" Brown asked, puzzled, as Xu Yong said, it was only three years ago.

"They just look down on us." Noah sneered.

"Alright, let's go back and rest early." Xu Yong said and got up.

Noah and Brown both nodded, then packed up and left the training gym.

After they were all gone, Xu Yong turned back and practiced an extra wave of shooting.

No one else may have imagined how he couldn't have imagined the reason why James picked the Bulls.

That's mostly because of him.

Although psychologically, because of the occurrence of the Warrior Black Eight, they will not lose confidence.

But this kind of thing is a small probability event.

In terms of strength, the Bulls are just not as good as the Cavaliers.

So it's an opportunity for the Bulls, but it's very difficult to do it, and giving it your all is just basic.

Just when Xu Yong was practicing late at night, social media was already lively again.

The moment the playoffs are confirmed by both sides, it's night of Jammy's party!

You must know that the last slam dunk contest suffocated them out of internal injuries, and now they finally have the opportunity.

"Some people think how good they are when they win a slam dunk contest, can the slam dunk contest champion help him win even one playoffs?!"

"The regular season is 3-1, and the last time we met we lost big, do the Bulls have even the slightest chance?"

"A sweep, a gentleman's sweep is impossible, I said, it's useless for God to come!"

……

But as in the past, the user called "KBforever" staged another Nagasaka slope, and this group of James killed him seven times in and seven out.

"How much do you care about that slam dunk contest winner? Xu: He didn't mention it once, and you didn't leave a word? ”

"Well, that's what the Dallas people thought three years ago, and then you know that."

"You're really good fans, put pressure on the Cavaliers in advance, what if you lose a game?"

……

Oklahoma, Durant's mansion.

He laughed as he sat in the room while looking at the screen of his phone.

Harden was so quick.

At this level of intimidation, he has almost caught up with half of his skills.

Moreover, this feeling of a master bringing out an apprentice gives him a sense of accomplishment.

Of course, it also made him interested.

He put aside the mosaic cigarette in his hand, and then cut the number one after another and began his own performance.

"Some people win, they don't mention it once, and some people lose, it's like an extra scar for a lifetime." From the comment of "KBfnas".

"After all, being dunked and killed, and then being dunked in the dunk contest tulle." From the comments of "Lakers Loyal Fans".

"Why are you showing the facts, a bunch of sunspots." Comment from "Guardian of the Kingdom of Cleveland".

"Big guts, bullying my young Zhan again, stabbing Orlando!" From the comment of "KBfnas".

"God may not hear your prayers, but he can sense your arrogance." Comments from "Los Angeles Nation".

……

It's late at night, but the sound of keyboard tapping is getting more and more intense.

Daily selling cute rolls for tickets, begging for subscription~~

(End of chapter)