The NBA schedule has passed 2 3 and All-Star Weekend has arrived. Teams can get a short break after the All-Star break. But to be clear, at the end of the week, there will be a sprint. The strong teams need to get a good place for themselves in the playoffs to determine their opponents in the first round. Teams on the fringes of the playoffs need to win as many as possible to secure a playoff spot.
There have been a lot of variables this season, and the top-four spots in the West are particularly competitive. The Timberwolves, Thunder, Clippers and Nuggets have all shown great strength. Perhaps many people did not expect that the Timberwolves and Thunder, who had mediocre results last year, would be able to soar this year. They have the temperament of a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers, but they also lack a bit of sophistication. If the playoff style is thoroughly studied or encounters a bump, it is not comparable to the regular season.
The previous Jazz, led by Mitchell and Gobert every year, were able to win the title of the first place in the West. But when the playoffs are played, they have repeatedly failed to break through the Western Conference Finals, and even a round trip for many years. Therefore, the Timberwolves and Thunder are certainly strong, but more people are still optimistic about the Nuggets and the Clippers. The Suns, Warriors and Lakers, the three major teams in the league, have all picked up recently. The Warriors relied on a five-game winning streak to make it back to the play-in tournament. The Lakers are also gradually improving, and the Suns can also win some key games.
On the eastern side, the Celtics rely on the strength of the strong lineup, with a record of 43 wins and 12 losses, which is the best in the group. They basically locked up the top spot, four of the starting five are All-Stars, and Derrick White has gradually shown All-Star level quality this season, and no team has been able to beat the Green Army for the time being.
But the second place in the east has gradually changed. Before Rivers Sr. came to power, the Bucks were always chasing behind. But after Lao Li took office, 10 games, 3 wins and 7 losses made the Bucks gradually fall. At the same time, the Cleveland Cavaliers became a dark horse and came to second place in the East.
The Cavaliers have a 18-2 record in their last 20 games. Heading into 2024, the Cavaliers have multiple data league firsts. The first is the net efficiency per 100 rounds and defensive efficiency, which ranks first in the league. The defense wins, so the Cavaliers are also the first in the league in terms of record in the same period. Between the end of January and the beginning of February, the Cavaliers secretly won nine consecutive wins, including the Los Angeles Clippers, who were just voted the second strongest player by the league.
And the secret of the Cavaliers is that their lineup can play infinite defensive changes. The Cavaliers' rotation is 10 men, and their defensive contribution values are not bad, Mitchell 90 is the highest, and even the unfamiliar tt has 1. Explain the Cavaliers coach and train the team to be both offensive and defensive.
Defensively: Mobley, Allen and Okoro are all big and small players. On the offensive end, he relied on the outside two shots of Mitchell and Garland. Mitchell is averaging 28 points per game this season4 (4th in the league), but with an average plus/minus of +86. Ranked first in the league. He's the absolute heart of the Cavaliers. It usually relies on Mitchell's individual ability to tear apart the opponent's defense. The outside can create open three-point opportunities for a shooter like Strus, and the inside can give Allen a pie.
There's no doubt that the Celtics have the Cavaliers to watch out for in the East. Hundreds of spectators