The NBA play-offs were very miserable, with Pelicans star Zion and Heat star Butler both suffering serious injuries, the Lakers and 76ers grabbed a playoff ticket in succession, and the Kings and Bulls overthrew the Warriors and Hawks in the absence of big players on the team, retaining the possibility of making the playoffs. After a short break and adjustment, the Heat vs Bulls and Pelicans vs Kings ushered in the play-off life-and-death match, the specific situation is as follows: the Heat beat the Bulls 112-91, and the Kings lost to the Pelicans 98-105. In this way, the play-offs are all over, and the Heat and Pelicans will catch the last train of the playoffs as the No. 8 seeds in the East and West, let's take a look.
The Heat host the Bulls, the second year in a row that the two teams have met in the second round of the playoffs, with the difference that the Heat's star suffered a sprained right medial collateral ligament and is exempt indefinitely. On the Bulls' side, LaVine and Ball were reimbursed early in the season, and Caruso was mistakenly injured in the first game of the play-offs but chose to play with an injury. In the first quarter of the game, the Bulls only lasted 4 minutes before retreating, and the Heat played a wave of 17-0 offensive to open the score. In the second quarter, both teams were not very efficient offensively, and the Heat always maintained a double-digit lead. Yibian fought again, and the Heat regained their form, winning by 12 points in a single quarter, extending their lead to 20+ in one fell swoop. In desperation, the Bulls tried to fight back, and the Heat always had someone to step up and respond. In the end, the Heat defeated the Bulls 112-91.
The Heat beat the Bulls by 21 points and won the last playoff ticket in the East, and you have to feel that this is a team full of respect. Without Butler, the Heat team seems to lack the backbone, but it has played the cohesion of everyone for me and for everyone, and there are always people who stand up and change their lives, such as the veteran Lefou, who came off the bench for 12 minutes and contributed 16 points + 7 rebounds; Another example is the rookie Hawkes, who scored 21 points + 6 rebounds + 6 assists, 21 points is the second highest single-game score for a rookie in playoff history, second only to Morant (35 points); and Herro, who was ordered to score 24 points + 10 rebounds + 9 assists in a quasi-triple-double data, plus or minus +In the words of NBA legend Woj, the Heat are really a well-tuned team, and no opponent dares to underestimate them.
The Kings traveled to take on the Pelicans, and the Kings only lasted one quarter before a complete rout, digging a double-digit hole at halftime. The Kings fought back, and the Pelicans always responded. In the final quarter of the game, the Kings were completely dumbfounded, and the Pelicans seized the opportunity to expand the margin to 20+ in one fell swoop. With the suspense almost out of suspense in the game, the Pelicans were a little slack, but the Kings did not give up, and they seized the opportunity of the Pelicans' mistakes to chase the difference to single digits for a while, but unfortunately it was too late. In the end, the Kings lost to the Pelicans 98-105, Fox and Sakhon Jr. scored 58 points + 21 rebounds + 12 assists, and missed the 20-point reversal!
The Heat advance to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the East, and they are waiting for the league's supremacy, the Celtics. This is the fourth time that the two teams have met in the playoffs in the past five years, and the previous two times they both fought until the tiebreaker to determine the winner - in the 2022 Eastern Finals, the Heat lost to the Green Army 3-4; in the 2023 Eastern Finals, the Heat completed their revenge 4-3, continuing the Black Eight Miracle! The two teams met again, the Green Army's revenge is obvious, and the blow and impact of Butler's inability to play on the Heat is also fatal! Even so, the Heat will not sit still! Second-in-command Bam Adebayo said bluntly in an interview: For some reason, everyone knows that we are by no means a regular No. 8 seed team. Hiro also shouted at the Green Army in an interview, putting aside his arrogance, he said: I like the position we are in now, when we have no way out, our performance will be better! How should the Green Army respond? Let's wait and see!
The Pelicans advanced to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the West, making it their second playoff appearance in Willy Green's tenure, and he became the first coach Monty to lead the team to the playoffs twice. What's more beneficial for the Pelicans is that the Pelicans lost to the Lakers and then beat the Kings to get a playoff ticket, successfully avoiding the defending champion Nuggets in the first round, and waiting for them is the Thunder, who is No. 1 in the West. In the eyes of many NBA celebrities, the Thunder is the weakest No. 1 in the West in recent years, with almost 0 playoff experience, and the shortcomings on the inside are also very fatal, they are not enough to compete with the Mavericks, Nuggets, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Suns and many other Western giants! No. 1 in the West is too difficult, only by winning can you win respect, fortunately, the Pelicans are also very young! Last year, in the playoffs, the Thunder eliminated the Pelicans; this season, the two teams have met 3 times, and the Thunder is 2-1. I believe that these two young teams can set off a storm of youth! Fans and friends, what do you think about this? Leave me a comment to discuss.