Last week, the group stage of the NBA's first mid-season tournament ended, and the quarterfinals were announced. The semi-finals and finals will be held in Las Vegas, where the winner will receive a trophy and $500,000 in prize money.
However, the difference in the format was also key to the group stage, with the Celtics deliberately shooting just 55 free throws with more than seven minutes remaining and a 32-point lead in the final game of the tournament group stage9% of Bulls center Andre Drummond fouled. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan expressed his confusion with Celtics head coach Mazzulla, who explained to him at halftime that the Celtics would need to win by 22 points or more to advance to the playoffs.
The mid-season tournament brings out the best in the NBA superstars, and teams don't hesitate to show a higher intensity in the group stage, but we know that the NBA regular season is a long season, and if players get into playoff mode early at the beginning of the season, will the later schedule increase the risk of injury?
However, it is a real opportunity for some marginal or young players who are not paid well and whose desire to win money in the mid-season tournament has been the driving force behind their performances.
Here are some of the notable stats from the group stage of the NBA Mid-Season Tournament.
The Lakers successfully completed the mission.
After the Lakers' first win over the Suns in the midseason tournament, James said the players were going for the prize money. Bush was more vocal about the extra impact of the prize money, saying that one of his teammates said: "After beating the Suns, we're one step closer to the $500,000 deal." 」
The Lakers did live up to those words by a net of 74 points in their midseason tournaments, a minus 107 points margin compared to all other games, and three of the Lakers' four wins were in double figures.
James also averaged 25 points, 8 rebounds and 7 rebounds per game in the process5 assists and 60% shootingThick eyebrows are averaging 19 per gameWith 8 points, 13 rebounds and 3 hot pots, Russell is also averaging 3 more points per game than in other games3 points, averaging 19 per game3 points.
Star-studded. There was no shortage of high-scoring performances in the group stage, with Cavaliers guard Mitchell averaging 39 points per game in both midseason tournaments. Mitchell averaged 13 more points during the tournament than any other regular-season tournament, adding the most points among players who played in more than 10 games and at least one midseason tournament, and also posted his season-high 40 points, plus 11 rebounds and five assists, on Tuesday.
Kings guard Daron Fox averaged 36 points per game in the Kings' three wins (8. more than the regular season average).5 points, rebounds and 8 assists;Durant, who is incredibly efficient, is averaging 35 per gameA 7-point shot of 586%, and the three-point shooting rate is even more daring to reach 75%.
Jokic and the Nuggets are currently 2-2, but the two-time MVP winner is still averaging 32 per game3 points, 16Performance of 3 rebounds and 11 assists.
Jazz guard Clarkson and Warriors forward Saric each finished with 92 points with 90 points behind Mitchell, (I can't think of it!.)) is the player with the largest scoring gap in the mid-season tournament compared to other regular season games. Clarkson scored his season-high 37 points in Game 3 for the Jazz. Interestingly, all of the games in which Saric scored more than 20 points this season were mid-season tournaments (three of the four mid-season tournaments). ）
Player playing time increased (in minutes for three games).
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon has increased his playing time the most, averaging 38 minutes per game2 minutes, an increase of 58 minutes. Cavaliers guard Darius Garland also increased his playing time by 5 per game2 minutes, for 366 minutes.
76ers guard Tyrese Maxey and Rockets guard Van Jordan are the first and second players with the most minutes played in the midseason tournament, with Maxey averaging 41 minutes per game2 minutes, ranked first in the league, and Van Jordan was 40Ranked second in the league with 3 minutes, 4 minutes more than their respective regular season averages (Maxey averaged 37 minutes per game in the regular season).In 6 minutes, Van Jordan averaged 36 per game6 minutes. ）
Jokic, Rockets center Alperen Shinkyung and Hornets guard Ball also increased their playing time by 4 per game8 minutes. Three of the Nuggets, who are fighting to defend their title this season (Gordon, Jokic and Pope), have played at least 37 minutes per game.
Walkers keep their promises.
The Pacers, having secured their ticket to the playoffs, showed that they are quite serious about the midseason tournament. Tyrese Haliburton told ESPN that this is his first NBA-level title, noting that he has never made the playoffs, so the mid-season tournament is tantamount to: It gave me the opportunity to do that, and it made me excited. 」
Haliburton was one of the key contributors to the Pacers' unbeaten record in the group stage, averaging 28 points per game with 37 points and 16 assists in the Pacers' 157-152 win over the Hawks5 points, 135 assists. And his teammate Obi Topping also improved his scoring total, averaging seven more points per game in the tournament than in the regular season3 points, Obi Topin averaged 17 points per game3-point, shooting 667 percent and scored a season-high 27 points against the 76ers.
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