The NBA playoffs are still in full swing, the first round of the series is not over, the pattern of the Western Conference is gradually clear, and three teams have confirmed to advance to the second round, but the Clippers and Mavericks are not over. On the Eastern Conference side, the situation is even more intense, with four groups of battles yet to be decided, but four teams have already won match points, namely the Celtics, Cavaliers, Knicks and Pacers. There aren't as many big teams in the East as there are in the West, but there are a few teams in the East that have been dominant in recent seasons and have been able to make the playoffs at the top of the rankings every year. Like the Celtics, the Celtics have never missed the playoffs since the duo of Tatum and Brown joined the team.
This season's Celtics, after upgrading the starting lineup, have become stronger, the starting five Tigers all have All-Star level strength, and their regular season record is also unbeatable, locking the league's No. 1 ranking early, and still maintaining a strong demeanor. In addition, the Philadelphia 76ers have also been one of the traditional Eastern powerhouses in recent years, and since the 17-18 season, the 76ers have made the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons, thanks to the rise of their star Joel Embiid. Playoff performance aside, at least in the regular season, Embiid is still dominant, winning two scoring titles and one MVP, and being selected to the All-Star team seven times in a row, but Embiid and the 76ers still have a lot of room to rise in the playoffs, and their best result in the past seven years is only the second round of the playoffs.
In addition to the Celtics and 76ers, the Milwaukee Bucks are among the top teams. The Bucks are a team with the highest overall winning rate in the regular season in the past 6 seasons, they have won more than 50% of the regular season for 8 consecutive seasons, and the winning rate of 3 seasons in the last season is more than 7 percent, and they have won a championship trophy under the leadership of Brother Alphabet in 21 years. Brother Alphabet is really powerful, with explosive physical talent, excellent athleticism, unstoppable impact on the basket, and can easily tear apart the opponent's restricted area defense. In the past few years, the Bucks have a very rich interior resource, Brother Alphabet has the height of a center, but he is a forward play, and their interior also has Portis, Da Lopez and other role players who are good at fighting, and the Bucks have also created a unique defensive system, and their defensive efficiency and interior statistics are among the best.
Last season, the Bucks suffered a heavy blow in the playoffs, they finished first in the East in the regular season, but lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs and were eliminated by the Black Eight. It can be seen that this Bucks team is not invulnerable, their key ball ability is too weak, and the star of the house is strong at rushing to the basket, but he has no projection ability, and he will be targeted at a critical moment. Because of this, the Bucks were willing to sacrifice the defensive system last offseason and brought in Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, hoping that Lillard could make up for their shortcomings. But unfortunately, after the addition of Coach Leigh, it did not have an immediate effect, but Lillard himself did not adapt to the new role of the second leader, resulting in a serious decline in form, and the Bucks' defense is not as good as before, and their winning rate this season is only 59.7%, the lowest in the past 6 years.
At the end of the regular season, the Bucks deliberately lost in order to avoid stronger opponents (at that time, the Heat and the 76ers fought for 7th place in the East in the play-offs, the Bucks ranked 2nd in the East, and the Pacers ranked 6th in the East), and in the last 11 games of the regular season, the Bucks only won 3-8, during which they lost to the bottom of the league, such as the Raptors, Grizzlies, and Wizards. In the final closing game, the Bucks were overtaken by the Knicks after a heavy loss to the Magic, and the ranking fell to third in the East. In doing so, they made sure they avoided facing the 76ers and Heat in the first round of the playoffs and instead faced the Pacers, who finished sixth in the East. The Pacers are relatively younger, lack playoff experience, and are theoretically better to play. Unexpectedly, in the end, the Bucks paid the price for their cleverness.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Bucks suffered a wave of three consecutive defeats with one win and were given match points by the Pacers. Before that, perhaps no one expected the Bucks to face a tougher situation in the first round this year than last year, with both of their absolute cores plagued by injuries. Antetokounmpo has not played a game in the playoffs so far, and Lillard has an Achilles tendon injury, and by the playoffs, the injury has worsened, and he has missed two games in a row. Upset 3 consecutive defeats, the favorite to win the championship fell to the altar! Pick an opponent in the playoffs, and you really pay the price.
To be honest, if the Bucks can come to the playoffs as the second in the East, maybe the situation will be better, the Heat star Butler is also injured, and the 76ers are still the same, as soon as they get to the playoffs, they will become soft, and Embiid will not be useful. Since the Pacers were picked, the Pacers will not give the Bucks a good look, they are one of the most efficient teams in the league, the G6 battle, will the Pacers send the Bucks home?