Yesterday, the Lakers won the Pelicans without danger and successfully advanced to the playoffs as the seventh in the West, and will face the Nuggets in the first round. The Warriors, on the other hand, lost to the Kings and were eliminated from the tournament, which was doubly happy. Curry became the first player in the 12-man U.S. men's basketball team to prepare for the Paris Olympics. The winner of the Kings and Pelicans will become the No. 8 in the West and play the Thunder in the first round.
After winning the midseason tournament, the American media gave the Lakers a 12% probability of breaking into the playoffs, and they once again broke the doubt.
Since entering the 2020s, James has won 1 Finals, 1 Midseason Tournament Final, 3 Play-in Tournaments, and won all 7 Midseason Tournament games. The Lakers won all three of their play-off games and had the first record. The Warriors lost all three play-off games and finished at the bottom of the table.
Paul had made the playoffs for 13 consecutive years prior to this season, and that streak came to an end with his arrival with the Warriors. The last time Paul didn't make the playoffs, the Lakers won the championship. So this year?
The Lakers ended the third quarter with a 37-1 lead this season. Do you feel like the season you won in 2020?
Bush said after the game yesterday that he still felt back cramps during the game, but he is confident that he will be able to use the rest of these days to recover and he will be able to get back to 100 percent before the start of the Nuggets series.
Speaking of the Nuggets, Bushy Eyebrows once said this at the pre-season media day: "We know you Nuggets won, but I spoke to LeBron and we can't wait to play them again." ”
Coupled with last year's Western Conference Finals and this season's regular season, the Nuggets have won eight in a row against the Lakers. Of course, these data can be used as a reference, but former NBA player Fisher said that it is not very significant.
"You can't base last year's results on that. This year's Lakers are a little different from last year, and I think the Nuggets are a little bit different this year in terms of personnel. They are dependent on some young people this year, not those who could have relied on last year. ”
Jokic said in an interview today about last year's sweep of the Lakers in the Western Conference finals: "Can you stop talking about it? It's not easy to sweep them. ”
Speaking about the rematch, Jokic said: "None side is favored, both sides have chances. ”
On James: "He can impact the game in different ways, not just scoring. He's a monster and I really admire him and really respect him. ”
James commented on the Nuggets after the game yesterday: "They are the defending champions. They know what it takes, they know how to win and they're doing extremely well at home...... They've got an MVP, they've got a finisher, and they've got a really good coach. ”
Nuggets coach Malone said today: "Everybody is saying we're on an eight-game winning streak against the Lakers, but as I told the players today, it doesn't make any sense. It's a different team, a different series and we know what's in front of us. Beating the Lakers again in the playoffs will be a big challenge. ”
Malone doesn't seem to be as high-profile as he was when he played the Lakers last year, and it seems that he also thinks that the Lakers today are very different from last year.
Some fans are really afraid that the Nuggets are scared to death, and they also suggest that the Lakers lose to the Pelicans, fight for the 8th place and then play the Thunder. Ham said yesterday: "The people who suggested that the Lakers lose to the Pelicans and then avoid the Nuggets in the first round are not all from mental hospitals. ”
This is the case, the Lakers are not afraid of the Nuggets at all, they are not cowardly at all, but they want to be tough as soon as possible.
Hamm also released cruel words yesterday: "Now back to 0-0, although we are surrounded by smoke, we will never dodge, we will not retreat. Enjoy tonight and start tomorrow. ”
Thick eyebrows also said: "If they can defeat us, come and defeat us, we will not hide from the smoke of gunpowder." ”
So, come on, Nuggets, you guys didn't discuss!