The first round of the NBA playoffs has come to an end, the Suns, Pelicans, and Lakers have been eliminated one after another, and the first group of semifinals has been decided, the defending champion Nuggets vs. the league's upstart Timberwolves, and the Thunder will face the winner of the Mavericks and Clippers. The Nuggets eliminated the Lakers 4-1 to advance, although the gap is big from the big score, but in fact, the Lakers have created a lot of difficulties for the Nuggets, if it weren't for Murray's two stunners in G2 and G5, it might be the Lakers who advance. The Timberwolves swept the Suns 4-0, which is definitely crushing, although the Suns have the Big Three, they really can't beat the Wolves, Edwards has become the new face of the league, and he also blocked his idol Durant in the game, showing no mercy, and the 36-year-old KD also had to serve the old.
Next, the game between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves is very exciting, 2nd in the West vs. 3rd in the West, and it is expected that this round of the series will be very exciting, it should not end soon, and it may even play 7 games. As for who can make it to the Western Conference finals between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves, the two teachers, Su Qun and Yang Yi, basically have the same opinion. Some fans left a message for Mr. Su, thinking that the Nuggets couldn't beat the Timberwolves, and Su Qun also agreed, saying that the Nuggets' bench was not as good as before.
Indeed, after the departure of Brown from the Nuggets, the bench thickness cannot be compared to last year's championship-winning period, and whether it is Reggie Jackson or Braun, their performance is not very consistent, and their shooting ability is average. The Timberwolves bench lineup is very luxurious, Reed and Lee Kyle, Alexander Walker and others, can play in many teams to start, especially Reed, he is one of the best shooters in the league, averaging 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in the regular season, and shooting 41.4% from three-point range.
Commentator Yang Yi also said on social media, "I'm in pain because I predicted that the Nuggets would win the championship, but I'm optimistic about the Timberwolves in their current state." Mr. Yang Yi also believes that the Timberwolves are more likely to reach the Western Conference Finals, mainly because the Wolves' performance in the first round is too good, Edwards averages 31+8+6 per game, Towns 19.3 points and 9.5 rebounds, Gobert 15 points and 11 rebounds, and the whole team of 6 people scored double-doubles. And the Nuggets' dominance is definitely not as strong as last year, although they are considered the favorites for the championship, but the Nuggets may be eliminated early, playing the Lakers has exposed a big problem, Jokic is too slow to defend, the opponent will attack the interior crazily, and Gordon and Murray's shooting percentage is relatively low, not very stable, and Murray cannot be expected to contribute to the final shot every game.
In fact, the Lakers are really a pity, although they are out of the game 1-4, but the Lakers lost 4 games, and they only lost by 22 points combined, basically playing to the last moment, but the Lakers did not withstand the Nuggets' counterattack and let the opponent score a key goal. Murray beat the Lakers twice in the series, which also set a historical record, if the Lakers are lucky, Ham adjusts in time, at least G2 and G5 have a good chance of winning, and definitely have the ability to eliminate the Nuggets.
The Lakers' roster will change dramatically in the offseason, and there is no suspense about coach Darvin Darving Darving leaving, and other key players in addition to the James Mei combination may also be traded. The Lakers want to bring in a third star, which could be Trae Young of the Hawks, and Reaves will certainly be one of the chips, with him having the highest trade value among the Lakers' young players.