Text | From one dozen to five
Edit | Aunt Wang, Xinyu
The 2023 Salt Lake City All-Star Game ends in an atmosphere of hello me hello everyone. The stars laughed and enjoyed a rare amount of relief for three days, but after the All-Star Break, everyone was back in a state of saber rattling.
With less than two months to sprint, the regular season will enter the white-hot competition. After passing the trade deadline and the operation of the buyout market, most of the team's final lineup has taken shape. The top teams battle for home court advantage, playoff teams compete for places to qualify directly for playoff spots, and playoff fringe teams compete for playoff tickets.
Even if the team has a goal, even if the probability of losing a few more games to get the top pick can only increase by 1.5%, they will not give up.
So, after a murky first half, get ready for an even more intense sprint, with less than two months of the regular season going to be fateful. What are the specific highlights of the sprint phase? Let's find out.
Highlight 1: Can the new version of the Lakers make the playoffs?
Before the trade deadline, Lakers general manager Pelinka finally made a difference, D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Vanderbilt, Bamba are all puzzle pieces that the Lakers need, plus the previously introduced eight village bases, the Lakers achieved three-line reinforcement at a small cost.
In the final game before the All-Star Break, LeBron James returned, and the new version of the Lakers made their full-body debut, and they defeated the Pelicans, showing the infinite possibilities of this lineup. Now that the Lakers have upgraded in height, defense and projection, Russell's arrival has allowed the Lakers to bid farewell to the "Stone Age" and finally be able to support positional offense with modern blocking.
However, the Lakers, aiming to make the playoffs first, already feel the urgency of time chasing behind them, and they only have 23 regular-season games left, but are 2 wins behind the Thunder, 10th in the West, and 3.5 wins behind the Lone Ranger, who are 6th. The gap may not seem large, but with the Lakers' current pace of only winning 4-5 games in 10 games, it is extremely difficult to make up for this gap.
The Lakers are also facing injury concerns, and the bone spur on Anthony Davis' foot that causes a stress response is always a time bomb, and James not only has a foot injury but also just injured his finger in the All-Star Game. Can the Lakers get lady luck in the sprint to avoid injury?
Highlight 2: When will the Warriors recover?
The defending champion Warriors have had a difficult season, suffering infighting, injuries and other difficulties, and as a result, the Warriors currently rank 9th in the West with a 29-29 record, 13th in offensive efficiency, and 20th in defensive efficiency in the league.
Stephen Curry is still recovering from injury, and Kerr still has this hole card in the sprint, but from the first half, this hole card does not allow the Warriors to win the whole game, and the Warriors have too many problems in other links. Jordan Poole's role distribution puzzle and overall defensive intensity decline are not something that Curry's comeback can cover.
Originally, the Warriors traded back to Gary Payton Jr. before the trade deadline, but Payton returned due to injury, and the Warriors' attitude is that Payton Jr. only needs to catch the playoffs. But the question is, are the Warriors, who are only one win ahead of the Jazz, who are 11th in the West, sure they will make the playoffs?
Point 3: Where is the upper limit of the new version of the sun?
The Suns are the big winners in the trade market and buyout market, bringing in Kevin Durant, signing Terrence Rose, and possibly adding another player through the buyout market by March 1. They are already the favorite to win the Western Conference championship, but the failure of the superpowers in recent years proves that it is difficult for the Suns to win the first championship in team history.
Durant's addition can upgrade the Suns' offense, but this does not mean that the Suns do not need to run-in, and even Durant himself said that he has no experience working with traditional point guards like Chris Paul and needs time to explore.
The sun's biggest dangers are health, depth, and defense. Durant, Paul, and Booker all have injury concerns. Okogie and Craig have exceeded expectations this season, which is a big plus. But whether they can make a difference in the high-end game is still unknown. After losing Mikal Bridges, the Suns lack the most important defender against the ball, and when they meet the Warriors, Grizzlies, and Nuggets in the future, who will take on and do a good job of defending the outside ball carrier?
Highlight 4: Can the new version of the Clippers rush to the crown?
The trade deadline showed a "western involvement" state, the Clippers completed the reinforcement low-key, the arrival of Mason Plumlee, Eric Gordon and Highland allowed the Clippers to achieve an all-round improvement in depth and strength, and they won the Warriors and Suns in succession, and rose to fourth place in the West with two high-value victories.
On February 21, Beijing time, the Clippers signed a buyout contract for Wei Shao, which was a mere $780,000, and finally strengthened the No. 1 position.
However, this signing also brings more problems to the Clippers, which can be called a "double-edged sword" to improve the shortcomings of the Clippers with few counterattacks and lack of playmakers, but how will his high error rate, poor projection and defense affect the Clippers? It is reported that Wei Shao will gradually become the starting point guard, once Wei Shao enters the starting lineup, how will the Clippers' platoon formation and play be arranged?
Highlight 5: How powerful are Doncic and Irving?
Irving joined the Lone Rangers in a trade to form a super backcourt with Doncic, and they became the league's highest scoring output combination, surpassing the Celtics' two-prospect combination. Judging from the interviews during the All-Star period, stars represented by Durant are generally optimistic about the pair, and the famous Kevin Garnett even called Doncic and Irving the strongest combination in the West.
Judging from the number of games played by Irving and Doncic at the same time, when the two were present, the Lone Ranger scored 125.9 points per 100 rounds, and they did spawn terrifying offensive firepower. However, the Lone Ranger's defensive problem without Dorian Finney-Smith was huge, conceding a whopping 119.1 points per 100 rounds after the trade, more than the Pistons in the rebuild.
The Mavericks brought in Justin Holladay through the buyout market, but how significant does this signing mean for their defensive improvement? If the Lone Rangers rely solely on offense, can they return to the Western Conference Finals? That could affect Irving's stay in the offseason.
Highlight 6: Who killed the deer in the eastern title battle?
The battle for the top spot in the West has largely lost suspense, with the Nuggets currently five wins ahead of the Grizzlies, and that's despite Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon's recent absence due to injury. However, the battle for the top spot in the east is still fierce, and it is currently in a three-pronged state.
The Celtics are still at the top of the table, but their lead is just 0.5 points, and the Bucks are on the verge of overtaking the Celtics after a 12-game winning streak.
The 76ers are also going strong, with they just 2.5 wins away from the Bucks and three wins away from the Celtics.
The Celtics (Muscala), Bucks (Crowder) and 76ers (McDaniels) all strengthened their interior or forward line before the trade deadline, and they all treated the other two teams as imaginary rivals, and the competition between the three teams for home field advantage was bound to be fierce in the sprint stage.
Highlight 7: How much does injury affect the pattern?
This season has been chaotic, with injuries being a big reason. At present, Durant, Zion Williamson, Curry are all recovering from injuries, James, Antetokounmpo, Embiid are all injured. Celtics, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers and other teams have injuries. In the sprint phase, when the winning percentage is close, a single injury can have a huge impact on the situation.
For example, the battle for the top spot in the East, and the injuries of Embiid and Antetokounmpo may allow the Celtics to reap the benefits.
Highlight 8: Does Jokic still have an opponent in the MVP battle?
This season, Jokic averaged 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 10.1 assists per game, and is expected to become the third player in history to average a triple-double in a single season.
Jokic has great hopes of achieving a three-game MVP streak, ESPN recently invited 100 mock votes, Jokic won 77 first votes, and the total score crushed Antetokounmpo, Embiid, Tatum, Doncic.
In the sprint phase, are there MVP candidates who can challenge Jokic?
Point 9: The battle for a playoff spot
After the introduction of the play-off rules, the competition for playoff tickets has indeed become more fierce than before, and in the past, those teams outside the 8th place would give up early, but now it is different, and the teams ranked 10th to 13th are still trying to make the play-offs.
First up is Division 6 Scramble, which is the last ticket straight to the playoffs. Currently 6th in the East is the Knicks, who are only 0.5 wins ahead of the 7th-placed Heat, who have just brought in Kevin Love offensive upgrades. The Lone Rangers are 6th in the West, and they are also 0.5 wins ahead of the 7th-placed Pelicans and 8th-placed Timberwolves. The competition for this position will be very fierce.
Then came the play-off ticket and ranking battle, with the situation slightly clearer in the East, with the 11th-place Bulls already two wins behind the 10th-placed Raptors. On the Western side, the 11th-placed Jazz and 12th-placed Blazers are just 0.5 wins behind the Thunder. 4 play-off tickets in the West, with up to 7 teams contending. This competition, which is likely to last until the last day of the regular season, leaves enough suspense.
Highlight 10: Swing the rotten brigade to fight for acting skills
This season, the "Venbanya Cup" is also fiercely competitive, in order to get the unearthly talent inside, the Spurs, Rockets, Hornets, Pistons early into swing mode. What is more unexpected is that magic does not participate in the unlimited rot.
According to the rules, the 3 teams with the worst records have a 14% chance of getting the top pick, the 4th worst team has a 12.5% probability, and the 5th worst team has a 10.5% chance. Currently, the Rockets have the worst record with 13 wins, the Spurs are second worst with 14 wins, the Pistons are 15 and the Hornets are 17. Don't look at the difference in probability, it's not much, but it's good to increase the probability even by 1.5%. So, in the sprint stage, the four teams still have to rivete and lose more.
epilogue
Although the league still has a super team like the Suns, this season whether it is championship or playoff ticket competition is extremely open, and there are various possibilities. With less than two months to sprint, the league will enter its most exciting stage, with all kinds of suspense waiting to be revealed. Are you ready?