basketball superstar

Chapter 791 Cold-blooded and rational, team changes

During this year's off-season, the Cavaliers made reinforcements, traded Wade, Rose, and signed Bosh. It seemed that they were going to form the Big Six.

however……

At the end of the season, the Cavaliers actually ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference.

This is an embarrassing ranking.

If the Cavaliers are not as good as the Celtics, it's not impossible. After all, the Celtics' lineup this year is too strong. If it weren't for the fact that the regular season has been running in, the Celtics' record would be terrible.

But the Cavaliers are not as good as the Raptors or the 76ers, which is incredible.

The 76ers rebuild much faster than imagined.

After getting Bridge and Embiid and Ben Simmons in the draft, the 76ers are already on the road to rebuilding.

Although the great Embiid played very short time in the first three seasons, he performed very well without playing once. If anyone in the interior can rival Embiid, then this person must be Anthony Davis.

Although Embiid has been questioned because of potential injuries, the 76ers have already negotiated a contract with Embiid before the start of the regular season. The annual salary is close to 500 million US dollars, which is really a terrifying figure.

In the history of the NBA, for the first time, such a rookie received such a high salary without playing many regular season games.

After the Cavaliers, the Pacers, Heat, Bucks and Wizards.

The Pacers traded away Paul George, but their lineup is very deep. Of course, more importantly, the record in the East is crossed. The Pacers' record in the West is just enough to enter the playoffs.

The Heat gave up Wade. This choice is cold-blooded, but very sensible.

Wade thinks he can get an annual salary of 2000 million, but who knows that the Heat don't want to give 1000 million. Pat Riley's golden fortune is really speechless.

For such a team, James' decision 2.0 is not wrong at all.

The Bucks also performed well. The boss of the team, Antetokounmpo, quickly matured and has excellent offense and defense. Apart from poor shooting, he has no flaws.

The Wizards are a little flustered this season, because the team's core John Wall was injured for half a season, resulting in a poor team record.

With such a schedule, the Wizards are very dangerous.

The end of the regular season, the team soon began to prepare for the Mavericks.

For the Mavericks, this championship means a lot.

After this offseason, the Mavericks will usher in major changes. Kevin Durant, one of the core members of the team, is bound to leave, and the team lineup will change drastically.

Other players who need to re-sign will also have problems.

It will be even more difficult to win the championship next season.

This is the last chance to win the championship relatively easily. With Qin Yang and Kevin Durant around, it is difficult for other teams to win.

The playoffs have not yet started, and the media and experts have begun to discuss the winner of this season's playoffs.

Experts from TNT News organized a wave of team strength discussions:

"The strength of the teams in the Western Conference is not much different. Even the Timberwolves, who are recognized as the weakest among the eight teams in the Western Conference, the Spurs are not weak. The other six teams are likely to enter the Western Conference Finals. We think the Dallas Mavericks will be one of them. The other team needs to compete for a spot in the Western Conference Finals."

"The competition for Eastern teams is more intense. The Cavaliers are weaker than expected, but with LeBron James, they are also very hopeful to enter the Eastern Conference finals. If the Cavaliers fail, it will be the first time in the last eight years that LeBron James has missed the finals, or the semifinals."

……

The media is always unruly.

In the playoffs this season, the biggest focus is on the Cavaliers.

If the Cavaliers accidentally fail to enter the Eastern Conference finals, it will be James' greatest shame. Since entering the league, James' statistics have been excellent and his dominance has become stronger and stronger. Even in the last two years of the Cavaliers, he has never missed the semifinals, and he has entered the finals every year.

There is no doubt that James is strong.

Although many people still performed well after hyping James as a thirty-year-old man this year, it is undeniable that James' strength has not declined much.

If the Cavaliers fail to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, that would be the real big news.

……

During the team training camp, Kevin Durant was silent.

The whole team knew about Durant's own rumors, and Durant did not hide his intention to leave at this time.

Therefore, the relationship within the team is a bit complicated.

When Gobert and a few others looked at Durant, their attitudes were not right, and they were obviously unwilling to pay attention.

It is understandable to say that it is understandable to come together to win the championship and leave after winning two championships, but it is a bit too embarrassing, especially taking away the honor of the team boss.

Gobert and others have opinions.

Teammates who are destined to leave, few people will like them.

Qin Yang wanted to persuade his teammates, but he didn't speak.There is no way to start with this matter, is it possible to let teammates show favor to a player who is about to leave.

The team's internal hearts are scattered, and it is the most difficult to lead.

You can feel it from the game this season.

"It's fine to leave. If this continues, if we stay here next year, it will be even more difficult to win the championship!" Qin Yang is also angry in his heart. Durant has been here for more than a year and won the Finals MVP last season. He wants to win this year, which is a bit too much.Qin Yang gave up one, it is impossible to give up the second.

After all, Qin Yang is the boss of the team, Durant is not.

Letting one is compensation for Durant coming to the Mavericks, but there is no need to let the second one.

This year, the Mavericks also have internal problems.

On April 4th, a game in the playoffs.

The Mavericks host the Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves are not weak. After Jimmy Butler joined, the team's defense has indeed improved, and the Timberwolves' offense is really strong.

Needless to say, Towns' defense is scary, but on the offensive end, Towns is already one of the best insiders in the league.

Good at holding the ball to break through singles, and the three-pointer is very good. Such an inside line is difficult to defend.

However, it is not a problem that it is difficult to defend. As long as the opponent's shooting rate is guaranteed to be limited, Qin Yang leads the team and is still as stable as a dog. The offensive end is very efficient and the defensive end is very attentive.

Qin Yang defended Towns by misplaced many times, which greatly reduced Towns' shooting rate.

Players like Downs are not very strong, and it is difficult to force Qin Yang to single-handedly. He can only rely on his height advantage to shoot. However, Qin Yang's height and wingspan are not too disadvantaged, so he can interfere with some of them. In this way, the Timberwolves' offense will be hindered.

At the critical moment, Jimmy Butler still looked for an opportunity to make a shot.

Jimmy Butler is not a very good core, but he is a very good second and third leader.

This is similar to Draymond Green.

Endless movement throughout the court, defense, put in all the effort on the defensive end, on the offensive end, catch and shoot the ball whenever possible, end the offense, pass to teammates when there is no chance, and never waste.

Such teammates are easy to cooperate with.

(End of this chapter)