The NBA playoffs are in full swing, the Nets and Celtics meet in the first round of the East, and the first game of the series has played the visual sense of the East Finals. Next, the second leg of the series will still be played at home to the Celtics, with the Greens hoping to be able to play another city at home and the Nets hoping to return to Brooklyn with a 1-1 aggregate score.
Almost everyone agrees that this series will be a long journey, and the two teams may play a full seven games. At the same time, as the series progresses, there will be some variables. On the Celtic side, Robert Williams has come to the sprint stage of injury recovery. On the Nets side, Ben Simmons' situation is also gradually improving, and it is likely that he will be dressed up in the second half of the series.
Lowe was injured in a final-season game with the Timberwolves, tearing his left knee meniscus and expecting a 4-6 week recovery. However, before the start of this series, there was already news that Lowe may make a comeback in the middle and late of the first round. Now, he is making a final effort to return to the field. "Lowe's recovery is going very well and he has more to do every day than before. However, we are now ready for Lowe not to return in the first round. If he can make an early comeback, it will be the best thing! Celtics head coach Uduka said.
The Celtics have released a list of injuries for the team's second game in the series, and Lowe is certain he won't play in that game. On the Nets' side, Ben Simmons will also miss Game 2 of the series. Bency's situation is actually more complicated than Lowe's, and he has not played for the team this season. According to previous reports, the Nets plan to return Simmons to the field in game five of the series.
Speaking about Ben Simmons, Nash said: "He's making progress and we'll see how his body reacts and see if he can do more training tomorrow." As for the exact timeline of Simmons' return to the field, Nash said he wasn't particularly clear either.
"I can't promise anything right now because I'm not even sure how he's been in the last few weeks," Nash said, "we have to take into account that it's nine months without playing, which is not the same as being out for six weeks, so it's very special, it's not like coming back after an injury in the middle of the season." ”
Simmons was traded to the Nets by the 76ers on the day of the trade deadline, and simmons did not play for the team when he played for the 76ers in the first half of the season. Since coming to the Nets, he has also been recovering from his injury. At present, Simmons can already participate in some confrontation training, mainly 4-on-4 confrontation training. "We haven't done a full 10-man practice session for the time being, so he hasn't played in a 5-on-5 confrontation training yet. Maybe he'll continue 4-on-4, so we just want to put him in this kind of practice first, see if he can withstand this confrontation, if he can run on the field, if he can cut in the air, grab rebounds, defend and so on. He still had time to judge whether his body could withstand it, and now that was just the beginning. Nash said.
To some extent, being able to participate in 4V4 confrontation training has meant that Simmons has made great progress in the recovery process. According to past experience, the last test an athlete has to endure before coming back is to practice 5V5 confrontation training. Next, the Nets will decide when to schedule Simmons for a 5V5 confrontation based on simmons' physical reactions. Still, as Nash put it, Simmons haven't played in nine months, so the Nets may need to be a little more deliberate.
It is worth mentioning that Simmons has recently been improving his shortcomings in shooting. Korver joined the Nets this season as the team's shooting trainer. Simmons is currently training in shooting under Korver's guidance. Although Simmons has not played since joining the Nets, the Nets still have certain expectations for Simmons. Similarly, the Celtics are looking forward to Lowe's return, further expanding the team's interior advantage.
In the absence of Simmons and Lowe, the Green Army and the Nets have already killed in the first game. After the return of these two, the intensity of the series must be raised to another level.