naaapseattle Chapter 409 The playoffs begin!
Chapter 409 The playoffs begin!
Chapter 409 The playoffs begin!
On April 4th, the Pelicans played against the Timberwolves. This is also the last game of the regular season. Although the opponent is not strong in this game, it still attracts many fans to watch the game. The reason is that if the Pelicans win this game, it will create a new history!
During the game, although the Timberwolves resisted desperately and did not want to be the background board, but the strength gap was too large, and the Pelicans clocked in again in the third quarter!In the end, the Pelicans beat the Timberwolves 123:102, and the final record was fixed at 76 wins and 6 losses!
Basketball fans all over the world were shocked, but when Presti led the team to 73 wins and created the best record, everyone thought that this was the limit, and the Pelicans lost Whiteside, Jimmy Butler and other outstanding players later, so they will never reach such a terrifying record again.
As a result, in just one season, the rookies of the Pelicans have grown up, and they are much more terrifying than before. Antetokounmpo, Middleton and even Saric, who was just selected, can all make great contributions to the Pelicans. They are still crushing the opponent's substitute when David West is reimbursed for the season!Presti's coaching ability has undoubtedly conquered everyone!
Just like Jimmy Butler said when the Timberwolves asked his teammates to become stronger and showed his championship ring: "This is evidence that he is better than you!" O'Neill and Barkley sneered at Jimmy Butler's behavior, and mocked: "My grandma can win the championship with Presti!"
No. 2 in the West is the Thunder, with 58 wins, the third-ranked Clippers with 56 wins, and the Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, Spurs, and Mavericks in 4-8.
The most surprising ranking in the Western Conference is undoubtedly the Spurs. As the team that tied the tiebreaker with the Pelicans last season, it was barely in the playoffs next season. In fact, this season is a painful period for the Spurs’ transformation. After the core became Leonard, many tactics changed accordingly. Presti remembers that after the Spurs won the championship in the 13-14 season in the previous life, they ranked 14th in the 15-6 season, and then they were defeated by the Clippers 4:3 in the playoffs.And the next year, the Spurs finished running and won 67 wins directly!
10-15 are the Rockets, Jazz, Kings, Timberwolves, Suns, Hornets.
The Rockets have not entered the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. If they want to enter the playoffs in the Western Conference, it is impossible to rely on Howard alone. In the previous life, the Rockets could only enter the playoffs after trading for Harden. Now they did not trade for Harden and went directly to GG.Shouting for Morey and McHale to leave get out of class and get out!
The Eastern Eagles ranked first in the East with 60 wins, ranked second with 53 wins, and the Bulls ranked third with 50 wins.
4-8 are the Raptors, Wizards, Bucks, Celtics, and Nets.
9-15 are Pacers, Heat, Hornets, Pistons, Magic, 76ers, Knicks.
The Eagles this season are the same as their previous lives. They played very well in the regular season and achieved the No. [-] record in the Eastern Conference. However, when they entered the playoffs, the Eagles were far from enough. They lacked the final star!
In the 14-15 season in the previous life, the Eagles and the Cavaliers played in the Eastern Conference finals, and the Cavaliers swept the Eagles 4:0!
Of course, the most surprising thing here is the Celtics. Many people didn't expect the Celtics to reach the Eastern Conference playoffs with a bunch of rookies!
DeAndre Jordan of the Thunder still won the rebounding title, averaging 15.1 per game.
The assist leader is Chris Paul of the Clippers, with an average of 10.7 per game. Paul this season is much better than his previous life. Presti's trade made him a little embarrassed, so he spent a lot of time training hard!
The block leader is Ibaka of the Thunder, with an average of 2.8 per game. This season, the block leader is still Ibaka, but many people think that Gobert of the Pelicans can surpass it, because Gobert played 8 minutes less than Ibaka, and the number of blocks did reach 2.5!
Paul George of the Pelicans has become the king of steals, averaging 2.7 times per game. This season, Paul George's improvement on the defensive end is more obvious. He can often wipe Curry's ass, and can interfere with the opponent's passing route.
After two days of rest, the Pelicans' 13-man roster for the playoffs was confirmed, but Saric was not included in the roster.
Center: Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert.
Power forwards: Draymond Green, Antetokounmpo, .
Small forwards: Paul George, Middleton.
Shooting guards: Thompson, Bradley, Carter.
Point guards: Barea, Stephen Curry, Bassabo.
Presti has sufficient confidence in the team, and he didn't even say any encouraging words to the team, because he knew that the players were also full of confidence at this time. As for where the information came from, there was no doubt that the three or two championships and the record-breaking 76 wins!
The Clippers' opponent in the first round is the Dallas Mavericks. In Presti's opinion, the Mavericks this season are not as good as last season, because Nowitzki and others are one year older, and there is no new force to supplement. Therefore, Presti decided to use running and bombing to kill the opponent on the offensive end before the game!
On April 4, the first battle between the two sides was held at the New Orleans Arena.
Before the game, almost all the media predicted that the Pelicans would win big, as did the fans. The situation was basically one-sided.
The Lone Ranger starts with five players: Rondo, Ellis, Parsons, Nowitzki, Chandler.
The Pelicans started the game with full firepower. After Curry led the frontcourt with the help of Davis' cover to block Rondo, he pulled up and hit a three-pointer.
The Mavericks opened the game with Nowitzki's three-pointer at the top of the arc in the first 4 minutes, but the Pelicans have already led the point difference to double digits!
The Mavericks' starting lineup is definitely too obvious. Monta Ellis' three-point shooting rate this season is only 28%, and his long-term two-point shooting rate is only 36.1%. The average efficiency of 16.9 points per game is indeed not high.
Not to mention, Rondo has a 35.2% shooting rate from the three-point line, but he only takes 1.2 shots a game.
Presti's defense against Rondo was even more ruthless, and he was completely empty!Mavericks center Chandler's defense, rebounding, and screen quality are OK, but he can't attack. He can only rely on eating cakes and picking up leaks at the basket. He has no independent offensive ability, so the Mavericks' space is directly crushed to death!
You can only rely on Nowitzki to dig a little bit, but the problem is that Presti decisively double-teams and makes you point outside, and you can't get in anyway!
If Parsons is allowed to play singles, the Pelicans are also not afraid. It would be good to not lose the ball against Paul George one-on-one. Even if it passes, Green and Davis' supplementary defense will make Parsons return without success!
The Mavericks' offense was completely at a standstill, and it was very difficult to score every point. They could only rely on Ellis. Parsons rushed inside desperately, and Nowitzki gave up directly in the low post, because as long as Nowitzki got the ball in the low post, Presti decisively let the team double-team, and completely emptied Rondo and even Monta Ellis.
Nowitzki's three-pointers are actually not very effective when he hits the top man. They are usually open shots, so Nowitzki took four three-pointers and only hit one!
On the other hand, the Pelicans' offense was extremely smooth. Curry passed the ball to the frontcourt. Green organized the striker in the middle. Davis attracted the defense inside and gave the guard no ball to cover.
The Pelicans took a 40-20 lead in the first quarter, which stumped the Mavericks. The Mavericks couldn't defend against the Pelicans' style of play at all. Not to mention the mobility of the players, the tactical coordination is far stronger than the Mavericks.
And the Pelicans have too much space. Only Green's shooting is average among the starting five, but now few teams dare to let it go. After entering March, Green's three-point control is getting better and better, and the three-point shooting rate of the open space can reach 35%!
After entering the rotation lineup, it was a disaster for the Mavericks. The Mavericks had five substitutes: Devin Harris, Monta Ellis, Al-Farouq Aminu, Charlie Villanueva, Amare Stoudemire, and Monta Ellis was responsible for bringing the bench.
And Presti replaced the full bench lineup, Barea, Bradley, Middleton, Antetokounmpo, Gorbe.
The Mavericks were immediately at a disadvantage in the rotating lineup. This time, Monta Ellis managed to pass Bradley, but Gobert easily refused under the Pelicans basket. Aminu also rushed inside and was also slapped by Gobert!Even Stoudemire's mid-range shot was missed by Gobert's interference!
The on-site commentator at the Pelicans' home court exclaimed: "Golbert's frame protection is great! This season has shown that Gobert can limit the opponent's shooting percentage in the penalty area to 49.5%, the first in the league! Gobert will also be the future of the Pelicans penalty area!"
At the end of halftime, the Pelicans have opened the point difference to 21 points!
As soon as the second half came up, Presti did not start. Instead, he let Curry, Paul George, Davis, and Green rest. Only Thompson was on the starting lineup.
Thompson and Middleton are two shooters who run without the ball, making Monta Ellis and Aminu miserable, and they can't defend at all. Needless to say, Ellis, the off-ball end is like air. Thompson can get a chance without even using a screen.
蒙塔埃利斯被防成了铁匠，16投5中，三分球7中2，罚球4中3，得到15分4篮板3助攻。
Nowitzki's shooting rate is also average, the reason is that the double-teaming of the Pelicans forced Nowitzki to use the least efficient scoring method to score, 14 of 4 shots, 10 of 2 three-pointers, 3 of 3 free throws, scored 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists!
帕森斯则是直接被保罗乔治防成了铁匠，15投5中，三分球4中0，罚球3中3，砍下了13分5篮板。
反观保罗乔治则是砍下了22分8篮板2助攻3抢断，14中9，三分球3中2，罚球2中2！
Curry scored 19 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Tonight, Curry rarely took 11 shots, but everyone knows Curry's contribution to the team after watching the game. He attracted the Mavericks' defense off the ball and created a lot of opportunities for his teammates.
Antetokounmpo continued to perform strongly off the bench and scored 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. Among them, he chased Parsons in the third quarter and cheered the entire arena!
Eight of the Pelicans scored in double figures, and what surprised Presti the most was that Gorbey scored 8 points in this game. He was supplemented by consecutive offensive boards, and he robbed the Mavericks' penalty area alone.
After watching this game, the fans have no interest in watching it anymore, because everyone knows that the Mavericks will be taken away by 4:0, the gap is too big.
In the second battle between the two sides, Presti did not change his tactics, and it was still the same as the previous game. However, the Mavericks slightly changed their lineup and got Jefferson as the starter, but this was obviously in vain.
What the Mavericks meant was probably to put Parsons on the bench and add a scoring point to the bench, so as not to be blown out like in the previous game. After all, the Pelicans' bench does not have an outside gate like Paul George!
But after Parsons left the starting lineup, the scoring efficiency of the starting lineup has dropped again. The defense method against Jefferson is different from that against Parsons. Paul George's defense method against Jefferson is close to him, preventing him from taking easy three-pointers.
The same Mavericks' offense is still extremely sluggish. Putting Rondo and Monta Ellis, two guards who are not good at shooting, together is tantamount to compressing space for themselves.
The Pelicans' tactics are very simple. This time they played pick-and-rolls, while the Mavericks also played the pick-and-rolls of Ellis and Chandler. The effect is completely different.
When Ellis and Chandler pick and roll, the Pelicans are going to pinch Ellis and force Ellis to split the ball. If Chandler is distributed down, Davis' speed can be quickly replayed, because Chandler really has no offensive ability, so even in the depths, Davis' arms can cover it, and the Mavericks still find it difficult to score!
And when Curry and Davis play a pick-and-roll, the Mavericks can't guard against it. When Curry is flanked, Davis is exposed, and the mid-range shot may end up down!Flanking Davis, there is no doubt that he will die faster. As for switching defenses, Curry also likes it very much.
In the second quarter, it was an organization forward tactic again, with Green supporting in the center, Thompson attracting the defense on one side, Davis covering Curry without the ball, and then moving laterally to attract the defense!In this way, the Mavericks don't know how to change their defenses. The Mavericks gritted their teeth and let Green go. As a result, Green aimed for a three-pointer and threw it in!
Soon after the rotation lineup, the Parsons expected by the Mavericks was restricted again. The Pelicans adopted a mixed defense this time and used Antetokounmpo to defend Parsons.
(End of this chapter)