Four games have been played so far in the play-offs, and three of the big players have suffered serious injuries. In the fourth quarter of the Lakers vs. Pelicans, Zion suffered a hamstring strain and was unable to play in the next game against the Kings. In the game between the 76ers and the Heat, Butler was diagnosed with a ligament injury and also missed at least one do-or-die game. The most wronged was Caruso, who avoided his opponent but not his teammates, and was kicked out by Drummond.
The situation in the East is gradually becoming clearer, the Celtics are 14 games ahead of the Knicks in the first place in the East, and the overall strength of the Green Army is in the only position in the East, and it is the Heat and the 76ers who can pose a threat to them. After Butler's reimbursement, the Heat were reduced to a second-rate team, the 76ers won hard, Embiid obviously failed to recover from injury, and there was not a single dunk in the whole game, and these two teams had no chance of winning against the powerful Green Army. As for the Bucks, their weakness has been further amplified in the playoffs (head coach Rivers), and with the chemistry between Lillard and the alphabet still not established, the first-round game against the Pacers will also be a big test for them.
The team in the West is different, although the defending champion Nuggets are also regarded as the strongest team in the West, but it is not so easy for the Nuggets to get out of the West, especially since the Clippers have the Big Three of Pepperden this season, and the regular season is 2-2 with the Nuggets, and if the lineup is healthy, it is very likely to cut the Nuggets down.
Originally, the Clippers had the healthiest season in recent years, and the Clippers had no major injuries, and the attendance rate was also good. The only hidden danger of the Clippers is Leonard, who missed nine consecutive games in the closing stages of the regular season, and the Clippers have done a very good job of secrecy about this, which is believed to be to protect the core of the team and give the small card plenty of rest.
Seeing the first-round game against the Mavericks approaching, Leonard's injury finally couldn't be hidden. Speaking on the Stadium podcast, Shams said: "According to my sources, Ka had an injection into his knee that helped him with inflammation. ”
It is worth mentioning that even the Clippers have complained that Leonard is too secretive. Clippers reporter Farbod Esnaashari has posted a series of complaints: "Xiaoka is still the one who told the media publicly and privately told his teammates that he was good after the Jazz G4. (Xiaoka said in an interview at the time that it was fine, but he was actually reimbursed for the season due to a torn cruciate ligament.) For his injury news, it's really hard for me to report. ”
The importance of the small card is self-evident, the most stable scoring machine in the playoffs, the only player who can limit Doncic by the Clippers, if Harden can't pick up the heavy responsibility and wait until the small card returns to the team, the Clippers will most likely disintegrate in the offseason, and Harden's salary cap plan will also be in vain.