Dribble his ball | NBA Midseason Preview: Western Immortals Fight! Who can stand out from the encirclement?
The first midseason in NBA history is about to kick off on November 4, and it's undoubtedly a big event that fans have been waiting for. The "Disc Ball" column will provide a comprehensive preview of this mid-season tournament, from team line-ups to player analysis.
Since Harden joined the Clippers, the intensity of the West has reached an unprecedented level, with top stars from all walks of life converging here to form an unprecedented "West of Death".
Western Conference Group A: Grizzlies, Suns, Lakers, Trail Blazers, Jazz
Schedule
Judging from last season alone, Group A is strong. Three playoff teams, the Grizzlies, Suns, and Lakers, and two not-so-weak teams, the Jazz, and the Trail Blazers.
These five teams played each other, and surprisingly, the Trail Blazers had the best record of them all - 8 wins and 6 losses. The Jazz, who have the worst record, also have a 6-9 record, a 17.1% win margin with the worst team, the smallest margin of the six groups.
Trailblazer:
After 11 seasons in Portland, Lillard is officially leaving. The Trail Blazers are a rebuilding team right now, and they're also sure to be the worst in Group A.
Grizzly bear:
Who would have thought that the Grizzlies would start the game 0-5? After being blacked out by the Lakers in the first round, the Grizzlies actively adjusted their young and talented roster.
First of all, the best defensive guard Smart, the team has the DPOY of the past two years.
But the Grizzlies have learned that injuries are worse than tigers. Adams missed a season, Clarke's return is far away, and the team's interior is stretched.
Morant opened the season with a 25-game ban, which also means he will miss out on the midseason tournament. Over the past two seasons, the Grizzlies have Morant 76-43, a 64.4 percent winning rate, and no Morant 31-15, a 67.3 percent winning percentage.
But this season, the Grizzlies are too eager to win.
Lakers:
The Lakers were the big winners in the offseason, renewing Reaves, Eight Inch Base and Russell, signing Vincent, Hayes, Prince and Reddish, and completing a three-year 186 million contract extension with Thick Eyebrows, which refreshed the highest average salary in NBA history.
The health of James and Bushy Eyebrows will be key for the Lakers, and the introduction of the mid-season tournament is expected to give James more time to rest.
Sun:
Another team that made a huge change in the offseason, he traded for Durant the day after Ishbia became owner of the Suns.
Then into the offseason, the Suns traded Paul for Beal to form the Big Four and filled the remaining roster with base salary.
Health and run-in are issues for the Suns, and so far this season, Beal has not played a single game, and Booker has only played the opening game.
Therefore, in the mid-season tournament at the beginning of the season, there will be a question mark on how much solar energy will play. But they are strong, if not complete.
Sir:
The Jazz wrote a good story last season, starting the season as the best team in the West when they traded away the All-Star duo of Gobert and Mitchell, and were considered the biggest favorites in the Wembanyama Cup.
It also makes people wonder: if there was a mid-season tournament last season, could the Jazz win the championship? As for this season, they seem to have gotten a little weaker.
Spotlight matchups: Lakers vs. Grizzlies, Lakers vs. Suns
The Grizzlies Lakers were the first round opponent in the playoffs last season, and the Grizzlies are full of revenge.
And the Lakers and the Suns, in terms of the number of stars, both sides are a matchup that cannot be missed.
Especially James and Durant, the matchup between the former kings of the league, unconsciously, one is 38 years old and the other is 35 years old.
Prediction Result: Lakers beat the Suns to advance
If fully healthy, the Lakers are predicted to advance from the group, with the Suns being the most likely team to get a wild card.
The Lakers were the best team in the West after the trade deadline last season and made successful additions in the offseason, making them the favorites in Group A.
The Suns need time to re-grind, but their quality should not be underestimated. The Jazz, Grizzlies, and Trail Blazers look like they're going to play the role of accompanying the prince to the book.
Western Group B: Nuggets, Clippers, Pelicans, Mavericks, Rockets
Schedule
A group with strong overall strength. The defending champion Nuggets, the super-strong Clippers when healthy, the Pelicans who are strong when healthy, the Mavericks who are strong when they are healthy, and the Rockets who are working hard to strengthen in the offseason.
In the five-team meeting last season, the Nuggets had the best 11-5 record, swept the Clippers 4-0, the Rockets 3-1, and the Mavericks Pelicans were both 2-2 draws.
The Pelicans also have a good 10-5 record, while the Mavericks have a 9-7 record. The Clippers have a record of only 6 wins and 9 losses, a winning rate of less than 50%. Don't mention the Rockets, who finished last in the West in the regular season.
The five teams played a total of 39 games, with 10 of them finishing within 5 points. Six of those games were played by the Mavericks, who went 4-2.
Nuggets:
After 49 years of teaming, the gold miners finally won the championship. Is it possible for them to win two in a row, or win their first mid-season tournament?
With Jokic and Murray leading the way, the Nuggets have once again shown their strength in the opening stages, and it's hard not to see the Nuggets as the favorites to win the championship.
Clippers:
Leonard and George, who will start their fifth season with the Clippers together, have unfortunately had a bad reputation.
There is no longer a belief that they can stay healthy in the playoffs. Over the past four seasons, the attendance rate for the small card is 52.3 percent and for George it is 61.4 percent.
The good news is that Harden is here.
It's better than nothing, and with Harden at the instigation, Ka and George can play better.
If everyone supports each other, can their health be better? The Clippers can work hard, after all, the midseason championship champion is also a champion.
Pelican:
On the final day of 2022, the Pelicans are 23-12 and tied with the Nuggets for first place in the West. Then Zion's hamstring and Ingram's toe were injured, and the Pelicans plummeted from there.
The Pelicans didn't do much in the offseason, and if Zion, who only played 29 games last season, and Ingram, who played 45 games, could play a few more games, maybe the Pelicans could have a good result.
Lone Ranger:
So far in the season, the Mavericks are undefeated at 4-0, Doncic is averaging 33.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game, and Luka Magic can still detonate the game.
With Irving by his side, the Mavericks definitely have a chance to make a splash in the mid-season tournament.
Rocket:
Last season, the average age of the Rockets was just 23.58, the second-youngest in the league. Heading into the offseason, the Rockets quickly fired Silas and hired Udoka in hopes of moving into the second phase of the rebuild.
The Rockets have some good young talent — Green, Smith, Shin Kyung, Ethan, Amen, the White Devils, but it's hard to expect from them after a poor start.
Highlights matchups: Nuggets vs. Clippers, Nuggets vs. Mavericks
Since the park in 2020, the Clippers have been reversed by the Nuggets with a 3-1 lead, and since then, the Nuggets have faced the Clippers, which is simply blood suppression, even if the teacher is rested, the Clippers can't win the Nuggets.
The highlight of the Nuggets and the Mavericks is undoubtedly on the little fat men of the two Eastern European countries. In the four meetings between the Nuggets and the Mavericks last season, the difference in points was 1 point in 2 games, and the two sides won one game each.
Prediction: Nuggets qualify, Mavericks get wild card
The defending champions will head into the new season with the confidence to win the title again, and perhaps another mid-season tournament is a reminder of how great the Nuggets are.
The Mavericks are strong overall and are expected to compete with the Suns for a wild card.
The Clippers and Pelicans need to stay healthy, and the Rockets need time to get through.
Western Group C: Kings, Warriors, Timberwolves, Thunder, Spurs
Schedule
Three playoff teams, with the Kings and Warriors meeting in the first round of the playoffs, and the Timberwolves and Thunder meeting in the second round of the playoffs.
The Spurs were picked with the No. 1 pick, taking Wembanyama, one of the best talents in NBA history.
Group C of the West also has the most best team players in the six groups (four last season) – SGA in the first team, Curry in the second team, and Fox and Sasa in the third team.
The Warriors are best at 11-4 against each other, and they swept the Spurs, both 3-1 against the Kings and Thunder, and a 2-2 draw with the Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves are second with 10 wins and 6 losses, and at least no opponent is left behind. The Kings are slightly inferior against the Warriors and Timberwolves. Both the Thunder and Spurs have won less than 36 percent of their group.
11 of the 37 games in Western Conference C were scored by no more than five points or went into overtime. The Kings and Timberwolves contributed seven games each, the Warriors contributed five, and the Thunder and Spurs only had two and one games respectively.
warrior
The Warriors finished sixth in the West as the defending champions last season.
The Kings were eliminated in the first round after a difficult seven-game battle, but in the second round against the Lakers, the internal disadvantage was shocking, and they lost 2-4 with home-court advantage.
In the offseason, the Warriors made huge adjustments, but the direction was staggering. Miles, the founder of the dynasty and president of the team, left and General Manager Dunleavy took over.
Poole was exchanged for the 38-year-old Paul, the team's backcourt was overcrowded, and the interior line that should be strengthened was still very weak. The overall age of the main team is also very old.
However, for now, the Warriors are second in the West with 4 wins and 1 loss, and the integration of Paul and the team is also unusually smooth. But the team is too short, and their interior line is too weak.
Timberwolves
Last summer, the Timberwolves traded 9-for-1 for Gobert, which could well be one of the biggest jokes in NBA history.
But the Timberwolves still have a chance to prove themselves again, as Towns has only played 29 games due to injury, and the twin towers have only played 529 minutes together.
As Edwards continues to improve, the new season for the Timberwolves is still exciting.
king
After 17 years, the Kings are back in the playoffs! Their 48 wins rank third in the West and their highest number of wins since 2005.
Despite being out in the first round, the Kings focused more on continuity in the offseason than on big swings. They renewed his contract with Sasa for five years, and kept Barnes for another three years with a high salary.
The deal got Duarte and signed Euroleague MVP Vezinkov.
The goal of the Kings is to maintain continuity, not to rush to win the championship, but to make the playoffs steadily.
thunder
Alexander averaged 31.4 points per game last season and was named to the All-Star and First Team, making the biggest leap of his career.
The Thunder have won 16 more games than they did in '22 and also beat the Pelicans in the first round of the play-in tournament. The Thunder's average age last season was only 23.14 years old, and the future is definitely promising.
In the new season, the Thunder welcomed back the 22-year star Holmgren.
It's a team full of young talent who are trying to make the playoffs and make the Western Conference Group C contest particularly appealing.
spur
Wembanyama means everything, and while he hasn't found his place on the offensive end yet, Wembanyama has already cashed in on his talent on the defensive end.
It's a long-term investment and Wembanyama's race will be a big one to watch.
Matchups in focus: Warriors vs. Kings, Spurs vs. Thunder
The Warriors and Kings were rivals in last season's playoffs, and the two teams also joined hands to deliver the best set of matchups in the first round of the playoffs.
The Warriors won against Tianwang Mountain on the road, and then returned to the home court to be defeated by the Kings, and Curry broke the record with 50 points to lead the team to advance.
The core of the matchup between the Spurs and the Thunder is, of course, Chet and Wembanyama, which may also be the contest between the best interior in the United States and the best interior of non-American players in the next ten years.
In the first game of the preseason, the two played gunpowder, maybe they are both big men who will change the future.
The three playoff teams of the Warriors, Kings and Timberwolves also contributed enough key moments. The Warriors and Timberwolves have a point difference of 5 points, 5 points, and 3 points in the last three games, respectively.
Curry shot the lowest percentage of 29 opponents (37.7 percent) against the Timberwolves last season. In all four games between the Kings and the Timberwolves, the difference was no more than seven points.
Prediction: Warriors advance
A group that is very difficult to predict, with the exception of Spurs, the four teams are relatively close in strength.
If you want to pick or choose the Warriors, they also had a clear advantage in the group competition last season.
But the Kings, Timberwolves, and Thunder are all playoff teams that should definitely not be underestimated.