Text/Satoshi says ball
Before the start of the regular season this season, at the end of the preseason, the league updated the probability of winning the championship in time for the new season, the Nets and Lakers became the biggest favorite to win the championship because of the formation of the super big three, at that time, the Nets were ranked 1st in the championship odds, and Irving was banned in time, but because Durant and Harden were at the peak of the relationship, the league still listed the Nets as the first favorite to win the championship, and the Lakers with James, thick eyebrows and Westbrook became the league's second favorite to win the championship.
Ranked 3rd is the defending champion Bucks, no. 4 is the Warriors who welcomed back to the Gods, no. 5 is the Jazz team that was at the top of the regular season league last season, these 5 teams are considered to be the title favorites before the start of the season, it is worth mentioning that the Suns who reached the Finals last season did not rank in the top 5, which is how much they despise the overall strength of the Suns, ranking 6-10 is the Suns, Clippers, 76ers, Nuggets, 10 Heat.
However, after the start of the regular season, now the schedule has passed the halfway point, we look back, now the pattern of the league and the pre-season forecast has changed a lot, with the league of great changes to describe it is not exaggerated, as of press time, the 2 biggest favorite nets and Lakers before the season, have encountered big trouble, but 5 teams that are not optimistic about the combat effectiveness soared, can be called the big dark horse of this season, these 5 teams are the Suns that were not optimistic before, the Grizzlies who were not optimistic, and the Bulls who were not optimistic The Unopposed Heat and the Undesirable Cavaliers.
From the current strength and potential, the depth of these 5 dark horse lineups is very strong, with the deepening of the season, their strength will only get stronger and stronger, the performance will be better and better, they all have great hopes to impact the division championship, or even the impact of the championship is not excessive, but their popularity is relatively weak.
Let's first talk about what big trouble the Nets and the Lakers have encountered.
The Nets' 3 big troubles
1, core player injury - Durant left knee medial collateral ligament injury, the Nets inside the optimistic view that Durant will come back after 4-6 weeks of rehabilitation treatment, this is a very bad signal, first of all Durant's left foot is the point of force, before the Achilles tendon rupture is the right foot, so the impact after the injury is not large, but now it is a left knee ligament strain, after the comeback will definitely have a greater impact, especially the ability to take off, and then the recovery time, note, the news shows that it is an optimistic estimate inside the Nets, That is to say, the most optimistic forecast is 4-6 weeks, if not optimistic enough, it may be absent for about 2 months, alas, in short, it is a big trouble!
2, Irving publicly refused to vaccinate - when asked by the media whether Durant is injured, Irving will be vaccinated, so as to become a full-time player, so that he can lead the team forward with Harden, Irving gave a cold-blooded answer, he will not change his mind, do not confuse Durant's injury with vaccination, this is extremely irresponsible, especially the Nets the whole team is so good to Irving, whether it is a player or management, very tolerant of Irving, but did not expect or failed to move Irving, This undoubtedly greatly increases the risk of Harden's injury, if Harden is injured due to overwork soon, Irving has an unshirkable responsibility, the Nets' championship will become a fantasy.
3, Nash's coaching ability has not improved, still stuck at the level of very dishes, his excessive use of Durant and Harden's approach is very dangerous, and now Adu has been injured, really worried that Harden will also, compared to Raptors coach Nas, and hot coach Spoo, Nash's coaching ability is really too inferior, of course, when he plays is very good, historical level of point guard, but as a coach is not OK, has become a problem for the Nets.
The Lakers' 3 big troubles
1, Wei Shao state decline - this season's Wei Shao state of the naked eye decline, the past Westbrook 10 games have 6 games can play a high level, today's Westbrook 10 games may only have 2 high standards, the remaining 8 games are most likely to be pulled, which is the main reason why the Lakers are so struggling this season, and now want to trade Westbrook, no team is willing to take over, can only pray that Westbrook can restore 8 success.
2, thick eyebrow injury state decline - thick eyebrows this season is also deeply troubled by injuries, think about it carefully, thick eyebrows are struggling with injuries, the championship season was relatively the healthiest and best year, I hope that after this injury returns, thick eyebrows can remain healthy, and the state can also be restored, so that the Lakers still have hope.
3, the team is seriously aging - the age of the league is the oldest, the core players only thick eyebrows are young, the main rotation only thick eyebrows and Munch, Rivers is relatively young, other major rotations such as Anthony, James, Westbrook, Ariza, Howard and other major rotations are very old players, the most direct perception is that their defensive pace is too slow, resulting in the team's defensive efficiency is extremely poor, often shot through by the opponent three points.
The big trouble between the Nets and the Lakers can not be solved in a short period of time, and may not even be solved for the entire season, in contrast, the 5 dark horse teams that are not optimistic have emerged, and now they have issued amazing results, playing a strong fighting force, and the current rankings are all in the top four of their respective divisions, and the future is bright!
The Suns were hailed as the No. 6 seed at the beginning of the season, but now they have played the first record in the league, and they are 3 wins ahead of the Second Place Warriors, which is very remarkable, and the Suns prove with strength that last season they did not rely on luck to reach the Finals, but on strength, Paul's ability to control the court is too strong.
The Grizzlies just played in the playoffs last season, but the first round encountered the Jazz were crushed, 1-4 lost to the Jazz, this season's Grizzlies are not optimistic, think it is only a play-off team, but this season they have played a very strong fighting force, the current record is high in the 3rd place in the West, only 2.5 wins behind the 2nd place Warriors, playing strong teams are not at all intimidated, the Warriors, Nets, Suns, Lakers have become the Grizzlies' defeats, the young Grizzlies can look forward to the future.
The Bulls, Heat, and Cavaliers in the East are also teams that were not optimistic before the season, but now these 3 teams are also firmly in control of the top 4 in the East, of which the Bulls are ranked first in the East, the Heat are still ranked second in the case of long-term manpower shortage, the Cavaliers are ranked fourth in the East, only 1 win behind the third Nets, if they play the playoffs, these 3 dark horses really have the hope of impacting the division finals, and even the championship.