With the NBA's 2021-22 regular season finale day of the game all come to an end, the final seats of all the giants have finally been settled, although many teams have chosen to take a turn to prepare for the playoffs, but the last day of the game still brings a lot of variables.
It is worth mentioning that because the seating of the 3-6 places in the East and West has been determined, there have been four sets of playoff first-round showdowns that have been determined, namely the Bucks in the third place in the East against the Old Six Bulls in the East, the fourth 76ers in the East against the Raptors who have recently gained momentum, the Warriors who have maintained the third place in the West against the Nuggets led by The Most Vocal MVP, and the Lone Rangers who have won four consecutive games in the closing stage against the Utah Jazz, who have been in ups and downs in recent conditions.
Let's start with this set of bucks and bulls. Cream City has previously put up its opponents in the key card battle with the Celtics, and the defending champion has come up with a "Lao Tzu is elite" posture, which can't help but make people awe-inspiring for them - but in the finale, the Bucks' choice is still very real, choosing to take the rotation of the alphabet brother, Middleton, Portis and other main players. Giving the right to choose opponents back into the hands of the Green Army, Tatum and other young players took out the impact of young people, took the second place in the East, and "helped" the Bucks choose the Bulls as their opponents.
There is a huge gap in the book strength of the two sides, 4 meetings in the regular season, the Bucks have not lost a single game, the average net win per game is 14.8 points, the last meeting, the Bucks just won 21 points, that game Alphabet brother did not even play much, hurriedly handed over 18 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists the report card to clock off work, on the contrary, the Bulls side of Azanhao 40 points is still difficult to win. It can only be said that the same configuration of the big three, the alphabet brother + holiday brother + Rice God all-round victory; the trident combination of Bull Lavin, DeRozan and Vucevic is still worse than the fire, less penalty stars.
Another series of tournaments against the 76ers and raptors in the East will, at least in intensity, far outweigh the "Battle of the Deer and Bulls." The Raptors' performance after the All-Star Weekend was too good, the main player Siakam proved his All-Star level gold content, their front line will bring a lot of trouble to Philadelphia, it is worth mentioning that the 76ers defensive toughster Sable will not be able to go to Toronto with the team to play because he did not receive a second dose of vaccine, which also added a lot of uncertainty to this series.
Embiid, who won the first scoring title of his career, is an absolute trump card for the 76ers, but how much help Harden gives will be a big question mark, and if the war is tight, it is doubtful whether the willpower and determination of the Dendi combination can match the playoff-level confrontation. TNT commentators had mixed views on the series, with Barkley leaning toward the two teams would be anxious, but O'Neal insisted the 76ers would complete the sweep against the Raptors.
On the Western Side, the head-to-head showdown between the Warriors and Nuggets is something to look forward to. Klay Thompson has regained the feel and shape it once was, which makes the Warriors' roster seem more complete. Curry may miss the first game, depending on his recovery from injury, but if nothing else, Mo Shen will return in the first round. This also means that the first few games in the series are crucial for the Nuggets, and whether they can grab the start directly affects the trend of subsequent games.
Nikola Jokic was suspended in the final round of the game, and the amazing big man who reached 2000+1000+500 in a single season for the first time in NBA history is ready to continue performing. The Warriors obviously have more people to play, and rookies Cumminga and Moody can help when necessary; the Nuggets' advantage is also obvious, Jokic sits low, can Rooney alone stop him from cutting points? Miles will regret not reinforcing the inside line before the trade deadline.
As for the Lone Ranger vs. Jazz – given the Jazz's recent poor performances, this would have been the best opportunity for Luka Doncic to break through the first round for the first time in his career. But Doncic accidentally strained his left calf in the finale with the Spurs, and whether or not it would cause Doncic to miss some of the playoff games, even if he came out with an injury, this soft injury would inevitably affect the player's explosiveness and agility. Kidd was really careless this time, as the manager, knowing that the Warriors have mostly led and basically locked in the third place in the West, why should he keep Doncic on the court? Isn't Thibodeau's lesson about Ross's misuse not profound enough?
But the Jazz also had problems, and much of their struggle was due to Mitchell's seemingly eccentric partnership with Gobert. The numbers don't lie, Mitchell has averaged just 2.7 passes per game to Gobert this season, and when the connection between the inside and outside core is so weak, it's hard for the Jazz to play the team basketball effect that coach Snyder wants. It can only be said that Gobert's injuries to the team are still subtly affecting the atmosphere of the dressing room, and Mitchell's inner barrier to Gobert is not eliminated for a day, and their ceiling can only stop here.
What do you think about these four sets of duels? Which four teams do you think will make it to the next round in the end?