Basketball boy, starting to shine from the slam dunk

The playoffs are coming.

The teams that enter the playoffs are actively preparing for the real test - yes, for them, entering the playoffs is just the beginning.

The Lakers here.

Coach Scott and three assistant coaches were locked in a conference room, discussing their first-round opponent, the Pelicans.

The Pelicans had a good record at the beginning of this season. The Lakers played a game with the Pelicans at the beginning of the season, and the Pelicans won.

Rondo's joining made up for the loss of Holiday's departure, and he had a good chemical reaction with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. The Pelicans should have had a good record, but as the game progressed, before the All-Star Weekend, DeMarcus Cousins ​​suffered a ligament tear and was ruled out for the season.

This caused the Pelicans' record to decline significantly.

You know, as the second-in-command of the Pelicans and an All-Star player, Cousins' role is unquestionable.

This season, Cousins ​​averaged 25.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. Compared with the team's top star Anthony Davis (28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game), he is only slightly inferior in scoring, but has more rebounds and assists than Davis.

If you combine the three statistics of points, rebounds and assists, Cousins' statistics are actually comparable to Davis'.

Therefore, Cousins' season-ending injury has a huge impact on the Pelicans.

If he can stay healthy, the Pelicans will definitely be more than just seventh in the West.

"Cousins ​​is out for the season. Now the Pelicans only have Anthony Davis. As long as we can limit Anthony Davis, the game is half won." Assistant coach Paul Pressey said. Injuries are always annoying and he doesn't want to see any player get injured, but Cousins' injury now seems to be good for the Lakers.

"Yeah." Assistant coach Jim Iron nodded with a smile, "Originally the Pelicans had the 'Kentucky Combination' of Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, and Rajon Rondo. They were still very strong, but now there are only Davis and Rondo, and scoring is not Rondo's strong point. As long as we can defend Anthony Davis, Rondo won't be able to play a big role."

Rondo's strengths are organizing offense and passing the ball, but if his teammates are not able to score and there is no one who can score, it will be useless no matter how well he passes the ball.

Before, with Davis and Cousins, Rondo's role could be best reflected, but now without Cousins, his strong scoring point, Rondo's role will be greatly reduced.

At this time, assistant coach Madsen said: "That's true, but it may not be that easy to defend Anthony Davis."

indeed.

The smiles on the two teaching assistants' faces faded.

Anthony Davis is indeed very strong. Although the Lakers have Lopez, can Lopez defend Anthony Davis?

I'm afraid it's a bit difficult, as it lacks speed and flexibility.

The reason why Anthony Davis is so strong is that he has both height and wingspan, as well as excellent athletic ability, speed, jumping and explosiveness, and outstanding skills. Not only can he score in the low post, but he also has the ability to attack with the ball, which is rare among big players.

In the Pelicans, Anthony Davis plays the No. 4 position and his style is also that of a No. 4 position. It is not appropriate to ask Lopez, who is at the No. 5 position, to defend him.

But apart from Lopez, it may be even more difficult for others to defend him.

Anderson, Nance Jr., Kuzma, Zubac... these young players are energetic and fighting, but their strength is far behind Davis.

Either not as tall as Davis, not as fast as Davis, or not as strong as Davis...so it is not easy to defend Davis.

Just then, Coach Scott spoke up.

He said: "We have to understand that it is unrealistic to completely defend a player like Anthony Davis. We must make trade-offs and conduct targeted defense. We can let him score some points when allowed, but we must never let him play efficiently."

The three assistant coaches nodded in unison.

They also have to admit that it is indeed unrealistic to completely defend Anthony Davis, after all, there is Rondo who feeds him the ball.

But if the Lakers just use targeted defense and try to reduce Davis' offensive efficiency, they can still do it.

Then, several people began to discuss carefully.

How to deploy the troops, who should defend Davis, whether to help and double-team, and what to do with the other players of the Pelicans...

......

houston.

A group of Rockets players gathered together and happily celebrated a milestone in the Rockets' history - advancing to the playoffs with first place in the Western Conference and first place in the league.

This is indeed something worth celebrating.

But the regular season is just over, there are still playoffs to come.

Looking at the happy faces of the players, Coach D'Antoni felt embarrassed to pour cold water on them.

In the 93-94 season, the Rockets won 58 games under the leadership of Olajuwon. Although the record was not as good as the current Rockets, the Rockets eventually won the championship under his leadership.

This time the Rockets had the best record in team history, but can they win the championship?

Coach D'Antoni is a little worried.

The Warriors had previously won 73 games, the best record in NBA history, but in the end they failed to win the championship and became a laughing stock. How similar are the current Rockets to the Warriors back then? Will they end up becoming a laughing stock like the Warriors?

"Will not."

Coach D'Antoni clenched his hands and shouted in his heart: "No, we will not be like the Warriors. With our strength, we have every hope of competing for the championship. As long as we play well in every game, we will definitely succeed."

Immediately, Coach D'Antoni called together his assistants to study their first playoff opponent, the Spurs.

......

San Francisco.

The atmosphere on the Warriors team is very relaxed. For them, the regular season is really just the beginning. They haven’t even given it their best effort yet. The playoffs are their stage.

"It's finally almost the playoffs, and I can't wait."

"It's time to let those people know our true strength, otherwise they will think we can only be third in the West. Humph, if we want, there is no problem in being first in the West, but there is no need for it."

"What does being first in the Western Conference mean? The championship is the most important thing."

"Rockets, Lakers...haha, next we will let them know that the regular season is the regular season, and the playoffs are the playoffs."

A group of Warriors players were filled with excitement and no anxiety.

The regular season is meaningless to them, and being first in the Western Conference is meaningless. They have already won 73 games, so why do they care about that?

There is only one thing that can attract them, and that is the championship!

......

cleveland.

A group of Cavaliers players were also talking about the playoffs, but unlike previous years, this time they were no longer calm, but became nervous instead.

Because they no longer have the "Big Three".

They once had the Big Three of James + Irving + Love. The playoffs were not difficult for them. The only difficult part was the finals because they could win the Eastern Conference championship every year.

But now without Irving, Isaiah Thomas is still out indefinitely, and Kevin Love is also plagued by injuries and has been playing on and off.

Derrick Rose performed well. Although he only played more than 50 games this season, his attendance rate and performance were better than in the past two seasons.

But after all, Rose is no longer the Rose of his peak period. His health is a problem, and his condition is also a problem.

How much help can he still provide when the playoffs come?

Now the entire Cavaliers can rely on only LeBron James. His strength is beyond doubt. He has made it to the finals in the past few years, but this time is different. When he was with the Heat, he had Bosh and Wade by his side. When he returned to the Cavaliers, he had Love and Irving by his side. If he relied on himself alone, could they still make it to the finals?

"Shh!"

With a slight sound, the basketball flew out from James' fingertips and went through the net.

Compared to his teammates' anxiety, he was very calm. He had played in too many playoffs, especially in the Eastern Conference, and he knew all the teams there very well. He had strong strength and great confidence. At least in the Eastern Conference, he was confident that he could beat any team.

"What if there's no Owen?"

James shot the ball again, another three-pointer, and the basketball went in steadily. He whispered to himself: "Even without the Big Three, I can still make it to the finals."

Do you think I can only play as a team and that without the support of the Big Three there is no way I can make it to the finals? Is that really the case?

I will prove it to you...

......

On the other side, Boston.

Irving was left alone in the training hall. All the other players had left, and only he stayed to continue training.

The playoffs are coming soon.

James wants to prove that he can make it to the finals without Irving and the Big Three, while Irving wants to prove that he can make it to the finals and win the championship even without James.

He wants to prove to everyone that he is not born to be a boss, he can also be a boss and a true leader.

"Shh..."

There was a soft sound, and the basketball hit the net.

Irving returned to the three-point line, dribbled the ball between his legs continuously, then suddenly accelerated, broke into the three-second zone and made a jelly layup. His movements were still as beautiful as ever.

At the end, he even did a two-handed dunk, which made a loud "bang" sound, and then he roared: "Playoffs, here I come!"

This time, there is no James.

This time, he is the boss and leader of the team.

This time, he wants to prove himself!

......

As the playoffs approach, teams from the East and West that have made the playoffs are gearing up to make a name for themselves in the playoffs and go further.

This is a real battlefield.

The winner makes the king, the loser makes the bandit; one general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers.

So who will be the last one to win the championship?