The NBA play-offs are like a war without gunpowder every year, but this year's battle is particularly intense. Speaking of which, the Lakers have really struggled this year, like a lamb that has been pushed to the edge of a cliff and will fall if you are not careful. No, I just finished the regular season, and I immediately have to fight the pelicans again, life and death are downbeat, and if you don't accept it, you will do it!
Let's take a look at what this play-off is all about. Since the start of the 2020-2021 season, the NBA has introduced this life-and-death play-off format. To put it simply, the teams in 7th to 10th place use this format to decide who makes the playoffs. The seventh-place team has basically made it to the playoffs, like a tank through no man's land, and nothing can stop it. Historically, teams like the Lakers and Celtics have often decided life and death in the first game, just pressing their opponents to the ground and rubbing them.
But when it comes to 8th place, it's a bit sad. This position is really embarrassing, you have to fight with the strong 7th place, of course it is good to win, but it will be miserable to lose, not only the physical exertion is large, but the morale is also declining. For example, last year's Heat lost to the 8th Hawks, but the Hawks grabbed a good position, and the Heat could only go home to wash and sleep.
The ninth-placed team is interesting, they have a 50% chance of winning the playoffs in history! Look at the Pelicans and Hawks, they just made a beautiful comeback and left everyone's eyes wide. The 9th place is the 10th place, and generally the opponent is weaker, and after winning, the morale is high, and then you go to challenge the team in front of you, and the scene is like a deer colliding.
As for the 10th-placed teams, historically they have almost come to join in the fun, with a win rate of almost zero. They are like poor relatives who have been invited to a banquet, and after eating and drinking, they have to take their leave before they can reach a climax.
Let's talk about this year's situation, the Lakers are really choked as 8th. The first game has to face the Pelicans, and this game is no joke. The Pelicans have been playing well in recent years, and if you want to say that you don't panic, it's fake. If the Lakers win, everything will be fine, but if they lose, then the rest of the days will be sad. They need to give it their all in Game 2 or they'll have to go home and pack their bags.
The situation in the East is a little easier, the matchup between the 76ers and the Heat, the strength of the two sides is equal, and no one wants to win it easily. And the duel between the Hawks and the Bulls may not be so suspenseful, after all, there is a huge disparity in strength.
All in all, this play-off is like a brilliant movie, with a dizzying mix of plot reversals. Teams are doing their best to get the final playoff spot. And we can only hold on to the armrest of the chair and wait for that exciting moment.