Won five consecutive victories and started the playoff mode? The competition in the west is fierce, and Xiao Hua smiled when he saw the rankings
Preface
The NBA regular season has entered the final stage, and the competition in the league this season can be said to be relatively fierce, compared to last season. The East is a bit quieter, especially the top-of-the-table Celtics, who currently sit first in the league with a 57-15 record, and the Bucks, who are second in the East, are 11 wins behind them. With the exception of the Celtics, the standings between the other teams have not yet fully stabilized, but the competition in the Eastern Conference play-off region is significantly smaller.
Although the Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Thunder are firmly in the top three positions in the West, they are not many wins behind each other, and it is possible for anyone to win the first place in the West in the end. The rest of the teams are basically full of melee, especially the teams on the edge of the play-off area have entered a white-hot matchup, and the four spots in the play-offs will most likely be produced in the Mavericks, Kings, Suns, Lakers, Warriors, and Rockets.
Seeing such a ranking, it is estimated that Xiao Hua is almost laughing at home, the play-offs directly gather James, Curry, and Durant, the three top streams, unless they can break out of the play-offs, otherwise there will definitely be two of them in the play-offs. Coupled with the possibility that Irving and Doncic may also be involved, I have to say that Xiao Hua does have something, and his proposed play-offs and mid-season have been obvious successes.
Originally, the Rockets were about to fall behind, but with a wave of ten consecutive wins, they are currently only 1 win away from the Warriors in the West, and there are two head-to-head matchups between the two sides, and these two games can be said to directly determine their fate this season. Among the four teams of the Mavericks, Kings, Suns, and Lakers, the Lakers have the worst record, ranking ninth in the West with a record of 41 wins and 32 losses, but they have also put a lot of pressure on the teams in front of them with their recent hot form.
Recently, the Lakers have played a five-game winning streak, including two back-to-back games on the road, and the Lakers' double overtime victory against the Bucks has greatly boosted morale. I have to say that after the Lakers this season have experienced a large-scale injury and a mid-term trade turmoil, it is relatively difficult for them to play such a performance now, especially since they still have two very key players sitting on the bench now, that is, Vincent and Vanderbilt, whether the two of them can return is also crucial for the Lakers.
Since the trade deadline, the Lakers have been forced to become an offensive team due to injury, and Hachimura was finally put in the starting lineup by Ham, and since then the Lakers' offensive efficiency has been among the best in the league, but at the same time, their proud defense has also declined significantly. After the All-Star Games, the Lakers achieved a total of 11 wins and 6 losses, and they also had very difficult times during this period, such as the games against the Nuggets and the Kings, especially against the Kings twice, and the slump of thick eyebrows made fans think that the Lakers lost the hope of competing for the championship.
In the away game against the Bucks, thick eyebrows later made 34 points, 23 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks, and saved the team with three points and blocks many times at critical moments, and he became the only Lakers player since Kobe Bryant by playing 52 minutes in a single game.
No matter how the Lakers' lineup changes, thick eyebrows are the "eyes" of the Lakers, and his play directly determines how far the Lakers can go this season. Needless to say, defense is the basic plate of Thick Eyebrow, and he is definitely the favorite to be the best defensive player this season, in fact, even against the Nuggets and Kings, Thick Eyebrow's defense is excellent.
The key is that the thick eyebrows' offense is now declining very seriously, there is no three-point game, the mid-range is also unstable, and the offense with the ball is even more miserable, and most of his scoring can only rely on the passing of teammates and secondary attacks, which makes him often unable to help the team in the final moments of the game. However, against the Bucks, it may be a good sign, and if the follow-up shooting touch of the thick eyebrows can be improved, it will definitely not be a simple improvement for the Lakers.
The Lakers' recent winning streak also shows that their roster itself is not bad, in fact, it is quite deep, and whether they can stand out in the play-offs and playoffs depends on the performance of the leading stars. As another core this season, James has played in 63 games so far, averaging 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 53% from the field and 40.5% from three-point range. As a 39-year-old player, James is impeccable in both attendance and individual performance, and he is undoubtedly the player the Lakers rely on the most in key moments.
However, James alone is not enough, the Lakers can bounce back after a mid-season failure, and Russell and Reaves are also important, especially Russell. Russell has played in 67 games so far, averaging 18.2 points, 3 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game, shooting 46.3% from the field and 42.5% from three-point range.
As the Lakers' strongest dribbling player in addition to James, Russell is the engine of the Lakers' offensive end, the more comfortable he plays, the greater the probability that the Lakers will win. The question is whether Russell can break the demons in his heart, and if he can make it to the playoffs or keep playing now, then the Lakers will have a lot to do.
As for the Suns and Warriors, the Suns are undoubtedly stronger, and they are also the most likely teams to hit the top six in the West. On the other hand, the Warriors may also be out of the play-offs, if they lose to the Rockets, then the Warriors will end the season as the eleventh in the West, such a result is not only the Warriors themselves do not want to see, I believe the league certainly does not want to see, if the Warriors are really squeezed by the Rockets, it will definitely have a great negative impact on the ratings.