In the first round, eight teams advanced to the semi-finals of the division and fought for the East-West finals. Compared with the first round of more than 6 games and less than 4 to solve the battle, the second round of competition will be more intense, the end of the quick battle or extravagant hope, the battle of wits and courage or the theme.
Note: The brackets are the team's regular season east-west rankings, the schedule is Beijing time, and the away team is behind the former home team.
Heat (1) vs 76ers (4)
Schedule
May 3rd 07:30 76ers vs Heat
May 5th 07:30 76ers vs Heat
May 7th 07:00 Heat vs 76 people
May 9th 08:00 Heat vs 76 people
May 11 (time to be determined if needed) 76ers vs Heat
May 13 (time to be determined if needed) Heat vs 76 people
May 16 (time to be determined if required) 76ers vs Heat
Objectively speaking, if Embiid can play, the 76ers and the Heat may only be a five-to-five situation, and the Heat also have home field advantage, after all, the Heat is equipped with Adebayo This point can be used against the "Emperor".
The reality is that Embiid has a fractured orbit and a slight concussion, and there is no comeback schedule at the moment, and once the "Emperor" series is completely unable to play, or most of the games are missed, the 76ers are afraid to stop in the second round.
The 76ers' offensive routine is Embiid's main attack, Harden assists, if the "emperor" hangs up the free card, harden will be the chief attacker, he is very familiar with this role, and once very competent for this role, but after the hamstring injury last season, the single-core attack has not returned to the peak level.
A big advantage of the Heat team is defensive execution and discipline, whether it is single defense, change defense or joint defense is excellent, the speed and accuracy of the defensive rotation, the resilience of physical confrontation is also outstanding, the first round will limit Trae Young to collapse.
Harden is stronger than Trae Young and more sophisticated in his broken bag, but if his explosive power doesn't come back, it will be difficult to deal with the Heat's defense. With Embiid present, Harden can create opportunities by blocking and dismantling, and the "Emperor" can also bring him space for singles, and once Embiid can't get on, the Heat will tilt the defensive force to Harden, and Harden will face the miami copper wall.
Embiid's influence is also reflected on the defensive end, Butler averaged 16 of the 30.5 points per game in the first round from the box, the "Emperor" can better protect the basket, block Butler's basket, and lose this barrier, the 76ers do not have sufficient resources to fill the pit.
If Embiid can play, the 76ers still have to play, and if not, this series may be the earliest to end the second round.
Predicted score: The Heat won 4-1 to the 76ers
Celtics (2) vs Bucks (3)
Schedule
May 2nd 01:00 Bucks vs Celtics
May 4th 07:00 Bucks vs Celtics
May 8th 03:30 Celtics vs Bucks
May 10th 07:30 Celtics vs Bucks
May 12 (time to be determined if needed) Bucks vs Celtics
May 14 (time to be determined if needed) Celtics vs Bucks
May 16 (time to be determined if needed) Bucks vs Celtics
Both Eastern Conference semi-finals are shrouded in injury clouds, and Although Middleton's left knee injury has not completely ruled out the possibility of a second-round comeback, there is still no clear time point for returning when it will be able to play until the results of further examination. The attrition had a big impact on the Bucks, and Middleton is part of the Bucks' build-in size advantage, he is the tall and large number two or three position, and he has the ability to pull the opponent's head, which is especially important when the playoffs are in a match.
The Bucks lack middleton's physical superiority, after all, they are the only team in the league that can put up a three-high lineup to balance projection and basket protection, but the Celtics can change defenses indefinitely, and can also cover the defense of the strong and weak side through pinch and rotation, which will make the Bucks miss Middleton's ability to break the game when attacking the defense.
When Middleton can play, Holliday can focus more on organizing attack and defense, personal projection often paddles, but Middleton can catch up with this round is still unknown, "Holiday Brother" to come up with a more stable personal attack to fill the gap to a certain extent, in the face of the Greenshirts' defense, this challenge is still quite large.
The Celtics used Tatum to defend Durant in the first round, this kind of single soldier alignment may not be suitable for alphabet brothers, because the "Greek monsters" are taller and stronger, and the Celtics are expected to invest more troops to pack, forcing alphabet brothers to stay away from the basket and let him pass the ball out, which on the one hand tests alphabet's ability to handle the ball, on the other hand, tests the response level of Bucks teammates, Holliday, Portis, Allen, Connaughton and Matthews are not under pressure.
The Bucks' hard attack on the Celtic line is really not easy to fight, but in turn, the Green Shirts are also quite difficult to attack the Bucks. The Bucks are the most efficient defensive team in the first round, the only team to achieve a hundred rounds of no more than a hundred points (94.4 points), big Lo crouch pit, alphabet and Portis sweep, Holliday single-handedly took over the defensive system is impregnable, forcing opponents to do something they are not good at, the Bulls in the regular season average three-point shooting 28.8 times in the league, but in the first round to play the Bucks This data soared to 36.8 times, this is no way to do things, the Bucks "three highs" under the basket to cover the sky, Holliday's ability to pursue the defense around the cover is top-notch, and unless the shot and the three are hung separately, it is extremely difficult to break the Bucks' defense.
The Celtics can shoot three-pointers but only a moderate shooting percentage, and their mid-range shooting percentage (51.4%) in the first round is second only to the Suns, but production is limited, and the average mid-range shot per game is only 11th. Tatum is the greenshirts with the best overall shooting ability, shooting 42% from three-point range in the first round and 70% from mid-range shooting, which is a manifestation of personal ability, but also taking into account the objective fact that the Nets' defensive alignment ability is indeed limited, and in the second round, he will face a championship-level chain chain.
If Middleton can only watch the wall in the second round, the Bucks will be a major loss in terms of resources, but the strongest single point of resources in this series is at least from the current paper point of view is still on the Bucks side, alphabet brother in the first round of the average of 28 + 13 + 6 is just a sharpening knife, the second round needs him to expand his combat strength to full release.
James crossed the Celtics level to become the king of the league era, alphabet brother wants to climb another floor on the basis of last season's championship, the green shirts must pass this level, even if the second homecoming is uncertain, even if there is no home advantage. If you want to wear its crown, you must bear its weight, and the alphabet brother has no choice.
Predicted score: Bucks beat Celtic 4-3
Suns (1) vs Lone Rangers (4)
Schedule
May 3 at 10:00 a.m. Lone Ranger vs Suns
May 5 at 10:00 a.m. Lone Ranger vs Suns
May 7th 09:30 Suns vs Lone Rangers
May 9th 03:30 Suns vs Lone Rangers
May 11 (time to be determined if needed) Lone Ranger vs Suns
May 13 (time to be determined if needed) Suns vs. Lone Rangers
May 16 (time to be determined if needed) Lone Ranger vs Suns
The Lone Rangers are the only team in the first round with more than 50 percent of total shots and more than 40 percent of total shots, and the five-pointer lineup is overwhelming. The Lone Ranger is a typical team with the ball core driving the outside projection, Brunson and Doncic are the two main attack points, which will test the Suns' comprehensive defensive ability, if the outer defense led by Bridges can not give a single soldier limit, frequent need for flank recovery or internal line assistance, the Lone Ranger's multi-point projection is deadly.
Due to the inaccuracy of the outside line, the Suns played a lot of blocking and dismantling in the first round, which was a sharp weapon for them to break the Pelicans' defense. In the Suns' blocking, the cover man can get 1.54 points per game to receive the ball and shoot, and the initiator of the ball is 1.03 points per game, ranking first and second in the playoffs. The Suns developed scoring opportunities in the mid-range and interior by blocking, shooting 54.4 percent from the field in the first round and averaging 50.7 points per game in the penalty area, topping and second place in the playoffs.
The Suns eliminated the Pelicans on April 29, the first game of the second round was May 3, the comeback Booker has a relatively sufficient rest time, if Booker's body can be further recovered, the three-point feeling can be pulled back in place, the Sun is expected to pull the long-range efficiency up in the second round, at least back to normal levels.
If the three-pointer can warm up, the Suns' offense is more three-dimensional than the Lone Ranger. As an interior pillar, Ayton's mid-range shots are very reliable, and the defensive agility meets the requirements of the roll call tactics against the Lone Ranger. The Pelicans came up with some talented ball-breaking performances in the first round, dragging the series to Game 6, but that had something to do with Booker's injury.
The progress of the Suns in the second round, closely related to Booker's state, is in a healthy mode, Paul + Booker + Ayton, Doncic + Brunson + Dinwiddie, the Sun trio will have the upper hand slightly.
Predicted score: The Suns beat the Lone Rangers 4-2
Grizzlies (2) vs Warriors (3)
Schedule
May 2 03:30 Warriors vs Grizzlies
May 4 09:30 Warriors vs Grizzlies
May 8th 08:30 Grizzlies vs Warriors
May 10 at 10:00 Grizzlies vs Warriors
May 12 (time to be determined if needed) Warriors vs. Grizzlies
May 14 (time to be determined if needed) Grizzlies vs Warriors
May 17 (time to be determined if needed) Warriors vs. Grizzlies
The Grizzlies last made the second round in 2015 against the Warriors, who were eliminated by the Warriors after taking a 2-1 lead and being eliminated in three straight sets. Iguodala's refusal to report after the trade, Morant's knockback on the Warriors in the playoff, Brooks' taunt with Jalan Jr., and Curry's response all constitute a hate game between the Grizzlies and the Warriors.
The Grizzlies and Warriors presented two different styles of small-ball battle opening modes in the first round, the Grizzlies are a more pure ball-holding big core play, while the Warriors take a more complex route such as high-level cards, cover hand-to-hand, bottom-line empty cut, etc., which are easier to predict than the former.
However, defensive anticipation and being able to defend are two different things, the Timberwolves gave a targeted defense in the first round, blocking the middle, flanking attacks, not giving Morant the opportunity to easily kill the basket, but Mo Shaoxia's sudden score was well responded to by his teammates, Bane and Brooks averaged 6.7 three-pointers per game, and Bane led the first round of long-range shooting with a total of 27 three-pointers.
The Grizzlies averaged 53 points in the first round of the game in the penalty area, still the king of attacking the basket, they also have the third-place average of second-time offensive points per game, although the Grizzlies play a small lineup, but the players are either physically strong or explosive, impact and rebounding are first-class, which is not "friendly" for the small Warriors.
The Warriors' strength is the more fierce attack, they are the most efficient team in the first round of offense, but also the most accurate three-point team, want to suppress the Warriors' bombardment, need a stronger ability to change defenses, and this is not the Grizzlies advantage project. As the king of fouls in the first round (31 fouls in 6 games), it was a bit difficult to deal with once the more experienced Warriors in the playoffs grabbed the soft underbelly and knocked out the Grizzlies' defensive fortress in the penalty area.
The Warriors offense is three-point drive, followed by Dream Chief Dealer, Followed by Curry, and Poole can also be used as an attack launch point, but Poole, after playing a high-end innings in the first three games of the first round, combined 2 of 2 of 20 three-pointers in the fourth and fifth games. The Warriors should take advantage of the large number of firepower points to target the limited defensive resources of the Grizzlies' outside line, especially the relatively weak shortcomings of the star defense, and whether Poole's state can recover is very important.
The Grizzlies have home advantage in this series, the Warriors' Death Five Small 3.0 compared with the previous two versions, the defense is almost interesting, the size is more disadvantageous, which is why Kerr cautiously use this configuration, the more fierce defense of Peyton, the better shape of the Potter is likely to play a greater role in the rotation lineup, the talented player Cumminga can also try.
If the Warriors can seize Morant's short board of long-range shooting that has not yet improved, and pull their projection advantage full, they can still look forward to getting the Western Conference final tickets in six games, and if they fight to grab seven, the second place in the West that the Grizzlies have won in the regular season may be valuable.
Predicted score: Warriors beat Grizzlies 4-2.