Even if everyone expects the Lakers, Nets and Warriors to fluctuate after The All-Star Weekend, it is estimated that everyone did not expect to be "rotten" to such a point. Today, according to Clutch Points, the Lakers, Nets, Warriors and Bulls have only won four games after All-Star Weekend, which is not as good as the Timberwolves (5 wins).
Let's take a look at how the Lakers, Nets, Warriors and Bulls performed after the All-Star period. During this time, the Lakers won 1 and lost 4, the Nets 1 win and 5 losses, the Warriors 1 win and 4 losses, and the Bulls 1 win and 4 losses. Combined, these 4 teams are not as good as the Timberwolves (5 wins and 1 loss). Today, the Lakers lost 110-117 to the Spurs, the Warriors lost 124-131 to the Nuggets, the Bulls lost 106-121 to the 76ers, and the Nets lost 120-126 to the Celtics yesterday.
Of these 4 teams, the Lakers and Nets were the most concerned before the start of the season, and they were all selected as the top picks for the championship, but now they are only in the 9th place in the East and West Regions, and the winning percentage has fallen below 50%, which is undoubtedly unexpected, and the injuries of Durant and Anthony Davis have a huge impact.
The Warriors started the season with great success, but their performance has declined recently due to injuries, and they have gradually moved away from the championship race recently. The bull, as a big dark horse in the Eastern District this season, has also fallen in front of injuries recently. To this day, Lonzo Ball, Vucevic and Caruso are still unable to play, which seriously affects the Bulls' combat effectiveness.
In contrast, the Timberwolves have performed well this season, increasingly showing their true dark horse nature in the second half of the season. So far this season, the Timberwolves have improved significantly on both offensive and defensive ends. Last season, the Timberwolves ranked 25th and 28th defensively, respectively, while this season moved up to 9th and 17th. Downs, Edwards and Russell's three-core lineup also took shape.
The Lakers, Nets, Warriors and Bulls were so decaying after the All-Star season that they were inferior to the Timberwolves, which was hard to imagine before All-Star Weekend. It also bodes well for something we didn't expect this season. (Supine Braces/Hairy)