On April 30, Beijing time, the first round of the NBA playoffs officially ended today, and the second round of the matchup has also been released. On the Eastern Side, the Celtics will face the defending champion Bucks, the 76ers will challenge the Heat in the East, and on the West side, the Warriors will meet the Challenge of the Grizzlies, and the Lone Rangers will face the Suns led by Paul and Booker. Judging from the overall strength of several teams, in the first group of competitions, the Bucks' lineup depth is stronger, coupled with the reason of the alphabet brother, the probability of promotion will be very large.
In the second set of matches, the Heat bench can play more players, the team's offensive and defensive levels are more balanced, and the odds are greater. However, because the main core of both sides is affected by injuries, so the healthier team will have the last laugh in this series, at present, the Heat side, Butler and Lowry are injured, the 76ers side, Embiid also suffered more serious injuries, who loses and who wins, it is really difficult to say, but the strength of the Heat can not be underestimated. On the western side, the pattern is relatively clear.
The Suns' lineup depth is better, coupled with Booker's comeback, the advantage against the Lone Ranger is too obvious, and the problem of advancing to the Western Conference Finals should not be large; the Grizzlies and Warriors, the series may show a one-sided trend, the Warriors' playoff experience is more experienced, the combat effectiveness is stronger, and they are more likely to meet the Suns in the Western Conference Finals. After learning that their opponent is the 76ers, the Heat side also immediately entered a state of readiness, because no one dares to underestimate the team with the combination of Embiid and Harden, and the performance of the beard may become a direct factor affecting the trend of the series.
Barkley believes that Harden can't play a stable performance every night, so the Heat will advance; Arenas agrees, he believes that Harden only scored 30 points, 40 points and 50 points, 76 people to get through the Heat, but obviously, he does not have this ability now. The fighting between the two sides had not yet begun, but it seemed that the smell of gunpowder appeared in the air. It is reported that the Heat's PJ Tucker, who is also Harden's former teammate, has made a request to Coach Spoo to defend Harden, and has received an affirmative reply from the latter, Who believes that Tucker can restrict Durant last year, and this year can also limit Harden.
For Tucker, he stressed that he understands all hardened weaknesses and won't let him play easily. When he was with the Rockets, he knew this, and last season's game made him affirm his point of view. Tucker said he would give Harden physical, mainly defending his three-pointers, and letting him break through while avoiding letting Harden make a foul, claiming that Harden's breakthrough is still lethal, but it is not as good as before. For Harden, he not only has to face Tucker's defense, but also face the pockets of Lowry and Butler, and this series is destined to be more difficult, depending on how he finds the flaws in the Heat.