Basketball boy, starting to shine from the slam dunk

"The Lakers lost again."

"What a pity! After losing this game, we will drop to third in the Western Conference."

"What does it matter? We'll be second or third anyway, and we'll face the Warriors in the second round of the playoffs."

"Do you think there is a possibility that the Lakers just want to drop down a bit so as not to face the Warriors in the second round of the playoffs? For example, if they fall to fourth in the Western Conference, they should face the Rockets, who are ranked first, in the second round, so..."

"This possibility should not be high. I think this is just a normal rest for the Lakers. Don't make it sound like the Lakers are afraid of facing the Warriors. Didn't the Lakers win the previous meeting between the two teams?"

"It's just a win. Didn't we lose the next one?"

A game came to an end.

This was the Lakers' home game against the Bucks, and the Lakers lost to the Bucks 110:114, and their record is now tied with the Warriors.

During this period, the Lakers lost some games due to player injuries and rest, including one loss to the Warriors, and their record declined.

However, the Warriors also gave up some games, so so far, the records of both sides are just tied.

It is already April, the regular season is coming to an end, and the Eastern and Western Conference rankings are about to be decided.

At this time, the Lakers are not the focus. The real focus is on those teams that are hovering on the edge of the playoffs.

For example, the Timberwolves, Pelicans and Spurs in the West.

Previously, the Pelicans were ranked sixth, the Jazz were ranked seventh, and the Timberwolves were ranked eighth.

At this time, the Jazz rushed to sixth place, the Timberwolves rushed to seventh place, and the Pelicans fell to eighth place. The Spurs were still ranked ninth, but the Spurs had only one win less than the Timberwolves and two wins less than the Jazz, while the Pelicans' record was comparable to that of the Jazz.

In other words, the ninth-placed Spurs have only two fewer wins than the seventh-placed Jazz. Theoretically, the Spurs even have a chance to reach seventh in the Western Conference by the end of the regular season.

The situation in the East is equally delicate.

At this time, the Heat are ranked sixth, the Bucks are ranked seventh, and the Wizards are ranked eighth, and the records of these three teams are the same at this time.

Furthermore, the ninth-placed Pistons are only two games behind them.

......

Los Angeles, training center.

A group of players sat together and talked about the situation in the East and West.

Of course, the Lakers players are most concerned about the Western Conference, especially which team they will face in the first round of the playoffs.

"We still have four games left. Assistant coach Madsen said that Coach Scott doesn't plan to let us rest in these games. We've been taking it easy for a while, and the playoffs are coming soon, so it's time to tighten up."

"You didn't tell me which team we'll face in the first round of the playoffs?"

"It's hard to say right now, the situation is too tense. But I think it will be easier to play against the Jazz. The Jazz mainly rely on their back line. We have Zhuang Yu and Holiday, so we can definitely control the Jazz."

"It's either the Jazz, the Pelicans, or the Timberwolves. As for the Spurs, it's probably going to be hard for them to make the playoffs."

With the Lakers' current record, although it is hard to say who will be second or third in the end because they have the same record as the Warriors, in any case the Lakers will either be second or third, and it is unlikely that they will slip to fourth.

They don't have such an idea and have no intention of avoiding the Warriors at all. Since they are aiming for the championship, why should they avoid them?

Just then, the coaching staff arrived.

Coach Scott gathered the players and announced that there would be no rest periods for the next few games.

However, there will definitely be some control on playing time. It is not to allow the players to have more time to rest. After all, the players have had enough rest during the rest period. The purpose of controlling playing time is to avoid risks. If a player gets injured at this time when the playoffs are approaching, it would be too uneconomical.

......

Soon, the Lakers ushered in the next game.

In this game, the Lakers' opponent was the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves were in an awkward position at the time and naturally had to do their best to win. However, the Lakers did not rest their players and all of them played. They had already established an 18-point lead in three quarters.

In the last quarter, the Timberwolves were still trying to fight back, but ultimately failed and the Lakers won another game.

On the other side, the Warriors' game also ended.

Their opponent is the Nuggets.

Fans thought the Warriors would definitely win the game, but in the end it was the Nuggets who won.

The Warriors' Big Three only played for three quarters. At the end of the three quarters, the Warriors were still leading by a few points. However, they were overturned by the Nuggets in the fourth quarter and lost the game.

As a result, the Lakers are one win ahead of the Warriors.

In the next three games, the Lakers' opponents were the Jazz, Rockets and Clippers respectively. The Lakers won two of three, beating the Jazz and Clippers and losing to the Rockets.

At this point, the Lakers' regular season games are all over.

Throughout the 2017-18 regular season, the Lakers had a record of 57 wins and 25 losses.

Just two days later, the games of other teams also ended one after another. The 2017-18 NBA regular season games were all over, and the Eastern and Western Conference playoff spots were officially announced.

The teams entering the Eastern Conference playoffs are the Raptors, Celtics, 76ers, Cavaliers, Pacers, Heat, Bucks, and Wizards.

In the Western Conference, the Rockets are still ranked first.

This season, the Rockets have an excellent record of 65 wins and 17 losses, not only ranking first in the Western Conference, but also first in the league, with 6 more wins than the Raptors, who are first in the Eastern Conference.

Without a doubt, this is the Rockets' best season yet.

In the 51-year history of the Rockets, they have never won the first place in the Western Conference, not even in the season when they won the championship under Olajuwon's leadership.

The Rockets' best record in history is 58 wins and 24 losses, and this result has been buried in the history of the Rockets for more than years.

Now, not only have they broken the team's best record of 58 wins and 24 losses early on, but they have also ended the regular season with the first place in the Western Conference and the league.

This is the first time in fifty years!

So it is not difficult to understand why the Rockets did not rest their players when the Lakers and Warriors chose to rest their players.

Breaking the team's best record, creating the first regular season and league record in team history, this is a milestone, who would be willing to miss it?

Fortunately, they succeeded.

The second in the Western Conference is still the Lakers, the third is the Warriors, the fourth is the Trail Blazers, the fifth is the Thunder, the sixth is the Jazz, the seventh is the Pelicans, and the eighth is actually the Spurs.

This was somewhat surprising. I didn't expect the Spurs to make it into the top eight in the Western Conference in the final stage.

In fact, the Spurs' record is not better than the Timberwolves'. The two teams have the same record of 47 wins and 35 losses. In the end, the Spurs ranked eighth in the Western Conference and advanced to the playoffs. The Timberwolves were unlucky. They worked hard for a season, but were eliminated in the end.

The Eastern and Western Conference playoff rosters are released, which means the playoffs are coming!