(Text/L.A. Van Cidy)
The 2023 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and this year is particularly exciting, with black five black six black seven black eight in the same year, respectively, the Knicks eliminated the Cavaliers, the Warriors defeated the King, the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies, and the Heat defeated the Bucks. Falling grams abound, why is it especially high this year?
There are no more than two situations where "down grams" appear:
In the first case, the strength below is obviously stronger than the upper part (pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger), so kill the lower part to advance.
The following are for other reasons, possible reasons:
1. There were injuries below, resulting in a lower record. This is a lot in NBA history, such as Olajuwon and Drexler in the 1995 season, who created the greatest Black Six miracle in history, winning the championship as the sixth in the West, but they fell to sixth because of injuries. For example, in the 2003 season, Garnett struggled to break into fourth place in the West, but the defending champion Lakers, who had O'Neal and Kobe, fell to fifth in the West due to injury, and the Timberwolves were lightly picked up by the Black Five.
2. A big deal was made below, but it failed to save the regular season record, so that it was at the bottom. This season's Lakers Black Seven is a typical example, the Lakers who made the worst deal in history were once the 13th strength in the West, and made a shocking trade in the middle of the season to strengthen the strength of the top four in the West. However, due to too much debt in front, he could only get the seventh record in the West; The rival Grizzlies are no longer as strong as the Lakers due to Clark and "Aquaman" Adams.
3. The team run-in has not yet been completed, resulting in a poor regular season record. In the 2011 season, the Grizzlies used to focus on Guy, allowing the black and white bears to play around Guy, and the record was not good. With Guy reimbursed for a shoulder injury after half the season, the team played tactics around the Bears, and the record rose, and finally the black eight dropped the Spurs in the first round. (Interestingly: next season Guy is back, and the team is back in the first round; Guy was traded in '13 and the Grizzlies reached the Western Conference finals)
4. The deliberate record control below places the record at the bottom to select the opponent. The success was none other than the 2006 Clippers, who smashed in the final few games and even sent in the draft in order to avoid the Mavericks, the fourth in the West, and finally managed to finish sixth in the West, and the Black Six dropped Anthony's Nuggets. The Grizzlies, who were carried up, were swept by the Mavericks in the first round.
Note: In fact, there are many records, but few successes, such as in 2005, many teams tried to play the third place in the division, the Sonics, but the King won the jackpot but was eliminated by the SuperSonics.
5. The age of the team below is aging, and it is not convenient to impact the regular season. Typical is the 2014 five-star Nets, the core players are too old, only the sixth record in the East, but finally the black six dropped the third Raptors.
6. Other factors. For example, the 1999 shrinking season was too dense later, resulting in a lot of accidents, but the Knicks, who had the strength to compete for the championship, fell to eighth place in the East, and finally rushed all the way to the finals.
In the second case, the lower strength is not significantly stronger than the above, but in the end it wins, and the reasons for winning are:
1. The ball style is compatible. This history is a lot. For example, in 2007, the Mavericks' roster was luxurious, and they were the first favorite to compete for the championship, and they were afraid of the Warriors in the league, and they happened to meet the Warriors in the first round. The Warriors eliminated the Nuggets in 2013, the Pelicans defeated the Trail Blazers in 2018, and the Heat eliminated the Bucks this season.
2. The bottom relies on the coach to beat the upper part of the field. "Mad scientist" Nelson Sr. is the king, he played the Black Seven Sirs in 1989, the Black Seven Spurs in 1991, and the Black Eight Mavericks in 2007, relying on excellent on-the-spot conduct.
3. The players below have more experience and beat the immature above. For example, in 2007, Kidd and Carter's Nets blacked out the Bosh-led Raptors.
4. There is an injury above. For example, in the 2012 season, Rose was reimbursed for injuries, and the Philadelphia 76ers went down to the Black Eight. The Bucks have been black-eight this season, and Alphabet Brother's back injury is also a factor.
5. There is a big outbreak of players below. In 1994, Mutombo exploded and led the Nuggets to win three consecutive black eight games when trailing 2-0. Jimmy Butler exploded this season and sent the Bucks away.
6. Other factors. In 1998, the Knicks were seventh in the East and met archrivals the Heat in the first round. G4 Knicks Larry Johnson and Heat star Mourning fought big, G5 was both suspended for fighting, and the Heat lost the star to the Knicks Black Seven.
This season, the Knicks' Black Five Knights are related to the style of play, and a small guard like Brunson is very Knightly. The Heat Black Eight Bucks are due to the Ball Style, Alphabet Brother injury and Jimmy Butler outbreak. Between the strength of the Warriors and the Kings, the success of the Black Six is due to the rich experience of Kerr and the Warriors, and Curry's superstar performance. James and the thick-eyed Lakers Black Seven dropped the Grizzlies because their strength itself was stronger than the Grizzlies, and ranked seventh because the deal was made too late.
So why is there so much work this season? Chance factors are common.
In fact, black five often happens, after all, there is not much difference in strength between four or five; Black Six, Black Seven, and Black Eight do happen rarely.
However, we see some accidental factors:
1, James, Curry and other superstars are gradually aging, but still have strong strength, they will properly maintain their health in the regular season to ensure the output of the playoffs, which may lead to the occurrence of "down grams".
2. With the advent of the small-ball era, non-confrontational injuries are increasing and becoming more frequent, and in this case, it is not uncommon for the team's efforts to go down the drain for a season due to injuries.