On February 25, Beijing time, after a week's break, the regular season opened again today, and 30 teams will impact the playoffs in the remaining time. There is still nearly 1/4 of the remaining schedule left, full of unknowns. US media Fadeaway World (hereinafter referred to as FW) makes 10 bold predictions for the remaining fixtures. Here's a detailed report.
10. Mobley wins best rookie
Although Mobley is behind Cunningham Jr. in scoring per game for rookies, the teams they play for are at the bottom of the East. Mobley's Cavaliers, who are fifth in the East, are key to the team's dark horse take off this season, helping the team to the top of the league defensively. He averaged 14.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game (top rookie list) this season, and his performance deserves the title of best rookie.
9. Thibodeau will not be dismissed
Everything about the Knicks last season looked great. The team returned to the playoffs after 8 years, Randle was named to the All-Star Team, Thibodeau won the title of best coach, Rose re-identified himself, and the team's defense has always been at the top. The team retained most of last season's squad and brought in Kemba Walker and Fournier, and many had their expectations for the Knicks at the start of the season.
However, the Knicks have been a big disappointment this season, and the team is basically all in decline. Many fans pointed the finger at Thibodeau, believing that he had destroyed the harmony of the team and did not rationally allocate the team. New York fans are very vocal about Thibodeau's dismissal. But Thibodeau signed the Knicks to a 5-year contract, which was only his second year. If you choose to lay it off, the Knicks will suffer significant losses. The team's problems are not solved by firing the head coach, so the FW prefers the Knicks to keep Thibodeau.
Eighth, the warriors ascend to the top of the west
After Paul was injured, the Suns lost their team commander, and with Booker and Ayton alone, it was difficult for the team to maintain the current balance. With the team remaining in 23 games, while the Suns lead the Warriors by 6.5 wins, the lead is not safe considering the Warriors' roster particularity.
As Klay gets healthier, the Warriors will get better. The pairing of Curry and Clay has always been the league's most threatening backcourt combination. In the future, they will also usher in the return of Dream Green and Wiseman, and the team's lineup will become stronger. The Warriors, who have home advantage, are very different from the Warriors who play away. The FW believes the Warriors will use all their strength for the remainder of the season to reach the top of the Western Conference.
Zion made a comeback in mid-April
Recently, there have been many discordant news about Zion and pelicans, and a rift has gradually emerged between the two sides. But as long as Zion can return to the team, these problems will be solved. The Pelicans are currently 1.5 wins behind the 10th-placed Trail Blazers and are expected to qualify for the playoffs in the future. Zion has yet to make a playoff spot in his career, and it was an opportunity for him to make his first playoff trip.
This offseason, Zion is expected to complete the maximum salary extension early. But based on his current situation, it is difficult for him to persuade the team to give him a 5-year maximum salary contract. He must re-prove his worth and prove his health through his performance on the field. The Pelicans need him this season, and he needs the Pelicans.
Sixth, the bull ascends to the east
While the Bulls' remaining fixture schedule is the league's second-most difficult, the team's performance this season proves they are not afraid and they will create more surprises. They signed former champion center Tristan Thompson and are on the verge of returning from injury with Ball Brother and Caruso, and the full-bodied Bulls remain unstoppable.
At the same time, the Bulls have DeRozan. DeRozan has proven himself to be a top five player in the league this season, with the ability to lead the Bulls to win any team. He has been flawless since entering February and has returned to the top of the Eastern Conference after today. As long as they stay healthy, bulls are naturally the number one choice in the East.
Fifth, the Nets will become the second seed in the East
On the books, the Nets are quite strong. They have three All-Stars, Durant, Irving and Simmons, and the team's bench strength is equally strong. However, due to injuries, Irving was not allowed to play away games without vaccination. This has led to a drop in the team's recent record. But as long as the Nets stay healthy, no team wants to bump into them in the playoffs.
While the team has lost 13 of their last 15 games, and the team is eight wins behind the top Bulls and 7.5 wins behind the second-place Heat, it looks like returning to the top 2 is an impossible task. But don't forget that they will need two games against the Bucks, two games for the Heat, and a straight face to Philadelphia and the Cavaliers, all of which will help the Nets climb the rankings further, as long as they can win the game.
Fourth, the Lakers will become the number seven seed in the west
Among the Lakers' opponents in the remaining schedule, there are spurs, rockets, Thunder, Pelicans, Wizards (twice) and other teams that are not strong, which are all factors that help the team improve the ranking. The team is currently 3.5 wins behind the 7th-place Timberwolves and 6-wins behind the 6th-place Nuggets, and it looks like they'll only be able to move up to No. 7 in the West to compete for playoff tickets through playoffs.
The FW believes in James very much, believing that he will unleash the possibilities again under pressure. Westbrook also played an amazing performance on All-Star Weekend last season. In the absence of thick eyebrows, the two will usher in a big outbreak. For the Lakers, even if the ranking is improved by one place, it can have one more playoff fault tolerance rate. The team will do their best not to miss this opportunity.
Third, the alphabet brother won the best defensive player
As can be seen from the current situation, the strong contenders for the best defensive players are Dream Green, Gobert and Alphabet Brother. Dream Green was plagued by injuries, and he was likely to fail to make the minimum number of appearances and be refused outside the door. Gobert's Jazz have declined this season, and although he is the league's rebounding king, the team's defensive efficiency has declined significantly.
In the case of continuous injury in Da Luo, he has served as the center of the team for many times, carrying half of the sky at both ends of the team's attack and defense. The Bucks' defense this season ranks 12th in the league, which is a disadvantage for alphabet brothers in competing for this award. If the Bucks can improve their defense in the future, Alphabet Brother is expected to win the second best defensive player of his career trophy.
Second, James won the title of scoring king for the second time in his career
If the Lakers want to get a ticket to the playoffs, James has to withstand the pressure and play a more surprising performance to win the game as much as possible for the team in the rest of the schedule. In particular, with the absence of a thick eyebrow injury, he had to take on more scoring tasks for the team, which will help him improve his scoring average per game.
Currently averaging 29.1 points per game, he is no. 3 in the league, only 0.5 points behind embiid at the top of the table and 0.3 points behind the 2nd alphabet brother, and he always maintains the possibility of surpassing the above two. As long as James can solve the coexistence between him and Westbrook, he will greatly improve his chances of getting the scoring king.
First, Embiid will win the regular season MVP
Philadelphia are currently three wins behind the top Bulls in the East and 2.5 wins behind the Second Place Heat. As the regular season continues, it is still possible for the team to improve the rankings and reach the top of the East, which are the achievements that Embiid has led the team without Simmons, which shows how difficult it is for him. He is about to welcome Harden, an MVP-level helper, which will help Philadelphia further improve its ranking.
Embiid currently has the highest average of points per game in the league, and he can also contribute 11.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1 steal and 1.4 blocks, playing the best season of his career. Embiid missed the regular season MVP last year due to injury, and I believe that this time he will not miss it again.
Do you agree with FW's Top 10 predictions? Feel free to leave a message in the comments section and speak your mind.
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)