In the Western Arena, a blood-boiling battle is playing out the final chapter. In the golden hour of this season, the Western Conference powerhouses showed considerable strength, which shocked the entire league.
In a scorching matchup just past, the Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves with Jokic's brave performance, smiling proudly, and locked the top spot in the West; The Clippers took the initiative to release the Suns, secretly reserving their strength, and laying out for the upcoming playoffs; At the same time, the Mavericks also won back-to-back games in this final sprint, securing their third matchup with the Clippers.
The rise of the Nuggets is famous. At the beginning of the game, this team was regarded as the popular fried chicken in the west, with extraordinary strength and full of dominance. Halfway through the season, they have performed with ease, sweeping almost the entire league.
All of this is naturally inseparable from the outstanding contributions of Jokic, a contemporary court leader. As the season's most powerful MVP candidate, the Serbian superstar is a sharp knife on the offensive end and an impenetrable wall of steel on defense.
In the face of the Timberwolves' life-and-death battle, Jokic played a crazy state beyond ordinary people, slashing 41 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists in a single game, becoming the key force for the Nuggets to win this victory.
And the operation of the Clippers is extremely spicy and calm. They took the initiative to release the pressure and saw the final game of the regular season as a good opportunity to reserve strength.
As a result, Leonard, Harden, Paul George, Westbrook and other team's top superstars were able to wait for opportunities to recharge their batteries at critical times and reserve plenty of physical energy for the upcoming playoffs.
What's even more surprising is that the Clippers suppressed the Suns all over the court with the excellent performance of their bench players, showing a staggering depth of strength. It's a great move, and when the playoffs come, the Clippers will surely bring us more exciting performances.
As for the Mavericks, this team also defended their dignity in the end. At the time of the opening game, the team's record could be described as bleak. But since signing Gafford from the Nuggets, the entire team has seen an unprecedented rebound.
The inside player has turned into a new force for the Mavericks, and his recent impressive record of 16 wins in 18 games is the best footnote to his contribution.
Judging from the game against the Heat alone, Gafford scored 38 points, 12 rebounds and 5 caps, which can be called the biggest contributor to the Mavericks' victory.
With this reliable interior gatekeeper, coupled with Irving and Doncic's ability to capture and score on the outside, the overall strength of the Mavericks has been comprehensively improved, and they finally ranked among the top five in the West, ushering in the third playoff meeting with the Clippers.
The battle for the remaining playoff spots in the West is heating up.
Currently, the Pelicans are in sixth place, followed by the Suns and Kings. All three teams end up in a mess, and no one can easily get their way through them.
But overall, the Suns seem to have a bigger grip on the initiative. They can play the Timberwolves in the final game, and the latter, as the team that has already secured a playoff spot, will naturally not fight the Suns in that game.
In contrast, both the Pelicans and Kings will have to fight in the play-in tournament, which will undoubtedly put more pressure on them.
Therefore, the Suns seized this rare opportunity and may be able to fight their way out of the final bench of the Western Conference.
In the midst of these Rashomon-like undercurrents, the western script finally kicked off.
Every team is working hard to get the best out of the season.
The Nuggets are at the top of the list, locking in the throne of the king of the West; The Clippers strategized for the playoffs; The Mavericks regrouped and vowed to fight the Clippers again; The Pelicans, the Suns, and the Kings fought a fierce battle for their lives at the last minute.
All of this makes the Western Conference so exciting in the late season that no one can ignore the surging craze. Let's wait and see, where does this ultimate championship lead?