On the morning of April 13 and 14, Beijing time, the play-off four-group showdown will be staged. These four groups will be followed by two teams that advance to the playoffs and two teams that are out early. Can the Nets beat the Cavaliers at home to advance first? Can the Clippers, which have already brought back Paul George and Norman Powell, play spoilers? What kind of sparks can Trae Young and Lameló Pol spark? There are four meetings in the play-offs, and there are many things to see.
Nets vs Cavaliers
The Nets' game against the Cavaliers is scheduled for April 13 at 7 a.m., and both teams have been plagued by injuries this season, with the core players missing many games. The Cavaliers and Nets were both ranked high in the East for the first half of the season, but due to injuries, both teams fell to the play-off zone.
From the perspective of overall strength, the Nets' offense is dominant, and the Cavaliers' defense is slightly better. The two teams have met four times this season and the Nets have won three. Irving play-offs against the old masters, his matchup with the Cavaliers' new nuclear Garland is key.
The variable in the Cavaliers' clash with the Nets is that the Cavaliers' main center Jarrett Allen will not return, and the Cavaliers' strength has been seriously damaged. Before Allen was injured, the Cavaliers were the strongest defensive team in the league, with Allen sitting under the basket, Ivan Mobley able to roam around, cavaliers defense covering mid-range and three-point lines, and their frontcourt three-high system to work.
The last time the two teams met, due to Allen's absence, Drummond flaunted his might under the basket, the Cavaliers' defense was helpless, Mobley, Markkanen and Kevin Love could not stand Drummond, and Drummond snatched up a lot of offensive rebounds. Allen doesn't play, and the Cavaliers aren't just at a disadvantage on the inside tonnage. Once Mobley was rooted in the basket defense, Durant and Irving's mid-range shots were uninterrupted, and the Cavaliers' defense was missing a key link.
Given Durant's insoluble state, the Cavaliers may pinch Durant in large numbers while Bruce Brown and Drummond are on the floor, testing the Nets' ability to respond on the outside. But given the presence of Seth Curry, Patty Mills, and Owen, the Cavaliers' strategy amounts to gambling. Between being single-handedly shot by Durant and being shot dead by a Nets shooter, the Cavaliers have to make a choice.
The key to the Nets' defensive end is to prevent counterattacks, the Cavaliers are one of the most capable teams in the league, and the Nets must control their mistakes, retreat quickly, and try to limit the number of Cavaliers counterattacks. With the Cavaliers' ability to project from this lineup, the Nets can focus their defensive efforts on limiting Garland.
Timberwolves vs Clippers
The Timberwolves and Clippers are scheduled for April 13 at 9:30 a.m., which at first glance looks like the Clippers have four fewer wins than the Timberwolves, but in fact, with the current strength of the two teams, the Clippers may not be behind. After george and Powell return, the Clippers have a chance to play the role of spoiler.
The Clippers have barely won more than 50% this season due to injury, Kawhi Leonard has not returned so far, George has only recently returned from a large number of games injured, and the Clippers have received Powell and Covington in mid-term trades, but Powell has been absent for a long time with injuries and has only recently returned. Injury factors have caused some of the Clippers' data to be very deceptive, don't underestimate the Clippers because of the data.
The Clippers are only 24th in the league in offensive efficiency this season, and the teams behind the Clippers are all bad teams. But are the Clippers really poor teams? Not really. When Both George and Powell can play, even without Leonard, the Clippers are an offensive team, and their basket attack frequency and fouls are still not many, but the mid-range shooting and three-point shooting league is the top. With the defensive ability of the middle of the Timberwolves League, they may not be able to defend the current Clippers.
Defensively, the Clippers have a clear advantage over the Timberwolves. This season, the Clippers can play more than 50% of the winning rate, relying on defense. With extremely low wing dual-core attendance, the Clippers still played the league's 8th-place defensive efficiency. The Clippers have enough defensive resources to deal with the Timberwolves, Zubac and Hardenstein can play against Downs, and When playing small lineups, Covington and Morris Jr. can also play Towns. At the back and on the flanks, George and Mann can cause trouble for Russell and Anthony Edwards.
Overall, the Clippers have a clear advantage over the Timberwolves, and the Clippers still beat the Timberwolves 3 times in the regular season with an uneven lineup, and the record of the confrontation is dominant. Don't forget, the Clippers also have Tyronn Lu, and in this kind of game that is set to win, Lue's coaching ability can play a huge role.
Eagle vs Wasp
The Hawks-Hornets showdown is scheduled for April 14 at 7 a.m., a clash between ninth and tenth in the East, with the loser out and the winner battling the Nets and Cavaliers for the final playoff ticket.
Stylistically, the Hawks vs Hornets game will be a head-to-head battle, with both teams being extreme teams, with the league top offensive efficiency but the league counting down defensive efficiency. Because of staffing and other reasons, the defense of both teams is ten thousand people, so this game ultimately depends on who has more offensive firepower. The two teams have met four times in the regular season, and both sides have won two to achieve a draw, so this group of duels is very unpredictable.
The All-Star point guard showdown between Ball and Trae Young is certainly the key to winning or losing the game, both are the main scorers and offensive initiators of their respective teams, and they are also the key to whether the team can play a multi-point blossom situation. The X-factor in this set of duels was the injuries of John Collins and Gordon Hayward. Hayward's absence has been confirmed because of pain in his left foot, and his absence is a major loss for the Hornets. The Hawks' main interior line-up Collins has been suspended indefinitely due to injury before, and whether he can participate in this game is also unknown.
Of course, two teams defend badly does not mean that they can not defend, the Hornets have to find a way to limit the Hawks' blocking attack, this season the Eagles blocking and dismantling offensive scoring efficiency league 7th, Young used the blocking to help the Hawks play the league's first blocking cover man attack. If the Hornets can't limit the Eagles' blocking and projection, they can only accept the outcome of not making the playoffs.
The Hawks are more entangled on the defensive end, because the Hornets are a team with multiple points, Ball, Rozier, Miles Bridges can all carry the ball, and the Hawks do not have so many defensive resources to take care of. In a game that is decided to win or lose, if the Hornets catch up with the state and explode many points, the Hawks, who are relatively dependent on a single point advantage, will be at a disadvantage.
Pelicans vs Spurs
The Pelicans and Spurs are scheduled to meet at 9:30 a.m. on April 14, which is a meeting between the ninth and tenth in the West, and the two teams enter the playoffs, more because of the Lakers, Blazers' crotch, the Pelicans and the Clippers in front of them are 6 wins apart, and there is a gap in strength.
Zion Williamson will not make a comeback, and the Pelicans are very close to the overall strength of the Spurs, with both teams in attack and defense between 15th and 18th in the league. Judging from the current situation, the Pelicans have a certain advantage, after all, the Pelicans lineup is relatively neat. Unlike the Spurs, their core defender Dezhangtai Murray has been absent due to injury before, and whether he can play and how he is in shape are the X factors in this set of showdowns.
Both teams have attacking arrows at the back and flanks, with Murray's firepower matchup with McCollum, Kelden Johnson and Ingram's pairing and Peltel's interior showdown with Valanciunas all key. Another key figure is the Pelicans defending the gates Herbert Jones, and if he can limit Johnson or Murray, the Pelicans have great hopes of winning.
epilogue
The charm of the play-offs is that it is a game that is decided to win or lose, and the impromptu play of each team is also extremely important, so the team with the best book strength may not be the final winner. The format of the playoffs is unlikely to satisfy everyone, but at least, judging from the participation of James and Curry last year and the participation of Irving and Durant this year, the format of the playoffs is still successful.