This year's first round was also quite interesting, and it can be said that there are various types of results. The Timberwolves and Thunder have completed the sweep, and they have been waiting for their respective opponents, and it is estimated that they will also take a break. There are also teams that have swept 4-1 gentlemen, and they are also waiting for their opponents. I don't know if you have noticed it, but in any quick victory or sweeping duel, the difference in strength is still quite large. In addition, like the Pacers and the Bucks, the 76ers and the Knicks, they have been entangled until Game 6, indicating that there is a gap in strength between the two sides, but it is not very big. If Antetokounmpo had been on the court and Embiid had been fully fit, maybe the series would have been a different story, but injuries were part of the game.
If you want to say that the closest matchup is the Clippers and the Mavericks, and the East is the Cavaliers and the Magic. Mavericks vs. Clippers aside, the Magic vs. Cavaliers series is a lot of fun. G1 and G2 Knights won quickly, while G3 and G4 were unbreakable by Magic, and they also won big games. In the next Tianwang Mountain game, the Cavaliers won at home, but the Magic was at home, and the Cavaliers couldn't break it. In other words, neither player can win at home stadium, at least from the first six games. Of course, the Magic are the tougher team, falling behind every time, but finding a way to get through. I have to say that if this team operates again in the offseason, it will definitely be the favorite in the East.
Take G6 as an example, from the Cavaliers' point of view, it was definitely an ugly loss. Why do you say that? Mitchell really can't take it. Mitchell just wanted to close the series in this game, but he had no helper. Mitchell had 50 points and 4 assists alone, which was really not enough. In addition, Garland also tried his best, also scoring 21 points and 5 assists. The two combined to score 50 points + 21 points + 9 assists, but the rest of the team was really embarrassed. The Cavaliers have 96 points as a team, which means that the rest of the players have only 25 points except for Mitchell and Garland. The Cavaliers only have 15 assists and 38 rebounds on the team, which is really difficult to win the game with such panel statistics.
On the other hand, on the magic side, they are full of flowers. Xiaowa, Suggs, and Banchero all scored 20+ points, and there were also players on the bench who stepped up to share the pressure, and the 9-man rotation played quite easily. In addition, they also protected the rebounding ball well, with 15 of the 48 rebounds in the frontcourt, which made it difficult for the Cavaliers. Now that the series is in tie-breaks, we need to note that the wind has changed. Everyone knows that Mitchell G6 is playing with an injury and the injury has been confirmed. Mitchell is the core of the Cavaliers, and he is now injured, which is quite unfavorable to the game, not to mention that this game will not be too long away from the tie-break, and Mitchell will not get much rest. If Mitchell's form is compromised, then the next game will be difficult.
The Cavaliers and the Magic are entangled, and the biggest winner is actually the Celtics. Celtic are a strong team in their own right, and they advance early and have plenty of time to adjust and study their opponents for the next round. On the other hand, the Magic and Cavaliers will have a lot of consumption, and whoever advances to the next round will basically be the end of the crossbow, not to mention that their respective lineups have problems. All in all, the Celtics are the real yellow finches behind.