The 23-24 NBA playoffs have reached the semifinals stage, the Mavericks in the West are currently leading the Thunder 2-1, the Nuggets won today to make the total score 2-2, and in the East, the Pacers returned to their home court to tie the total score in two cities, the playoffs are not only the core of the team but also the role players, in the case of the core players playing little different, the following role players can often affect the outcome of the game if they have a good performance.
Aaron Gordon, saying that he is a role player feels a bit demeaning about him, he is also an important part of the Nuggets' defensive system, without him and one of Pope's Nuggets, the defensive quality of the Nuggets will drop a notch, Gordon generally does not have many roles on the offensive end, but if Gordon is allowed to score 20 points per game, it is the opponent who can't stand it, and today Gordon played well and scored 27 points in the game.
The Thunder are also in a tough battle in the Western Conference semifinals, and the performance of their role players is obviously falling behind, and the Thunder really can't just let Washington shoot 3-pointers anymore, and he has made a total of 12 three-pointers in the last two playoff games, and the Mavericks have won both games.
How can you talk about Nerve Knife without mentioning Hardaway? The Thunder also need to pay attention to this player's performance, and it will be very uncomfortable for him to open the Thunder, but as he gets older, Hardaway's play feels more and more unstable, and how many games can he break out in the next series?
The biggest impression of the Pacers in the 23-24 season was that they were very aggressive, and their ability to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals this year is also inseparable from their sharp offense, in addition to Haliburton, the Pacers also have a number of role players to watch out, and sophomore Nembhard scored a long-range 3-pointer in the third game of the series against the Knicks, which can be said to have completely changed the situation of the playoffs.
Nazreid of the Timberwolves is also a role player that cannot be ignored in the playoffs, as the best sixth man, his three-point shot is definitely beneficial to the Timberwolves' offense if he can shoot it, and I personally feel that the Timberwolves can really reduce Gobert's playing time, Gobert can defend but drag down the team's offense too much.