NBA: I am a master dealer

As for the third place further up, the Houston Rockets have 40 wins and 18 losses, which is basically out of reach.

The winning difference between the two sides has reached an astonishing 11 games. Unless a miracle occurs, it will be impossible for the Lakers to reach third place.

Even if a miracle occurs, it still needs a miracle that reaches heaven.

and so.

This is just theoretical stuff.

The greatest possibility for the Lakers is to stay in the top four in the Western Conference. This is the limit of what they can do.

To reach this limit, you need incredible luck.

period.

Major media also analyzed the Lakers' playoff prospects.

ESPN placed the Lakers in sixth place in the Western Conference and compiled an article to support it:
After Xue Liancheng came back, the Lakers were unstoppable. They were indeed very strong, but after experiencing the game between the Pistons and the Suns, we can clearly see that they are not as strong as imagined.

Therefore, it is more logical for them to enter the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

of course.

The sixth place has exceeded most people's expectations.

When the Lakers were 13 wins and 26 losses, everyone thought the Lakers were finished for the season and they wanted to reach the playoffs unless a miracle happened.

result.

Xue Liancheng told the world how powerful he is with 16 wins and 3 losses, a crazy 12-game winning streak.

People's expectations for the Lakers have also been forced to upgrade from eighth to fourth, truly exceeding expectations.

But it’s very difficult and only exists in theory.

There is no doubt that if Xue Liancheng comes back early, the Lakers will definitely be among the top three in the championship.

However, it is too late now. The season has reached the All-Star Weekend, and the next step is the sprint stage.

The Lakers have no room for mistakes. They are too far away from the fourth and fifth teams in front, and it will not be easy to catch up.

Of course, they are not completely hopeless.

It's just very slim.

……

Many people think ESPN's analysis is fairly objective. After all, the Lakers are really far away from the Clippers.

But Los Angeles fans quit.

"Xue Liancheng has 16 wins and 3 losses since his comeback. What is the winning rate? 84.2%!"

"That's right. If we calculate the next 24 games based on this winning rate, it will be a 75% winning rate. That is also 18 wins and 6 losses. The total record has reached 47 wins and 35 losses. The Clippers still have to compete with The Lakers play two games, and the Jazz's schedule is not simple, so it's not certain that they can beat this victory, right?"

"You've already won twelve consecutive games, why are you still so stubborn?"

"I'm already feeling the tremors in other teams around the league."

"Haha! That's not what you said two months ago. You all swore that the Lakers were already far away from the playoffs this season. Why are you saying it again now?"

"Xue Liancheng has conquered you time and time again with actual actions, but you are still living in your imagination."

"Now let Paul and Rivers stand up and say that they don't dare to swear so confidently. Why do you ESPN?"

"Some people just can't accept the fight, but what does it matter? With the current state of the Lakers and Xue Liancheng, they are rushing to compete for the championship."

"That's right. The Clippers are still clamoring for fourth place, while the Lakers have risen to the atmospheric level and are heading straight for the championship. They are definitely not on the same level."

Los Angeles fans even disdain to compete with the Clippers for fourth place.

The implication is that the Clippers are still playing a supporting role this season and are not qualified to be compared with the Lakers.

This is Chi Guoguo's taunt.

This statement reached the ears of the Clippers players, and it was really no different from stepping on the tail.

Little Rivers immediately jumped to his feet and fought back angrily: Otherwise...can I just give you an award?

Jordan: If you can't catch up, you can't catch up. There are many excuses that make people laugh.

Rivers: Everyone knows that I'm a man of my word, and I'm looking forward to them kicking me out of Los Angeles.

At this time, Rivers is still very confident.

After all, there is a difference of 7 wins. With about games left, unless Paul and Griffin are both injured, it will be difficult for the Lakers to match them.

Or if the Lakers can maintain this winning rate in the future, then the situation may be different.

but……

is it possible?

It's hard.

So now, Rivers is still confident that his team can dominate the opponent.

Thinking about it, a full seven games difference, can you not be sure?

The Clippers now have 35 wins and 21 losses, with a winning rate of 62.5%. They have played 56 games. The remaining 26 games will be calculated based on this winning rate. The Clippers' final record will be 51 wins and 31 losses.

51 wins!

Only lost 31 games!

The Lakers are now 29 wins and 29 losses. In the remaining 24 games, they can only lose two games. In other words, they need to win a full 22 games in order to have a record equal to the Clippers.

This level of difficulty can be said to be even harder than climbing to the sky...

but.

There is a loophole in this theory, that is, can the Clippers maintain this winning rate?
Because there will be two more meetings between the two sides, and if the Clippers lose both, this assumption will not be valid.

The Clippers' final record may reach 49 wins.

In the next 24 games, the Lakers only need to win the next 20 games, including two games against the Clippers.

In other words, you only need to win the other 18 games.

in this way.

The Lakers' record can also reach 49 wins, and then rely on a 3:1 direct battle advantage to defeat the Clippers, successfully take the lead, and complete the overtake of the Clippers.

of course.

It will not be so easy to double-kill the Clippers next.

After all, the Clippers are not soft persimmons.

Nothing is certain, but the initiative is firmly in the hands of the Clippers.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding this controversy.

But Xue Liancheng was not involved.

With his influence, if he spoke here, the Clippers would be able to catch this wave of attention.

But Clarkson stood up and choked: Some people are scared.

Randall also tweeted: Our goal this year is to touch the floor of the Western Conference Finals.

This sentence pierced Paul's heart and lungs, and he exploded on the spot: Let us speak with facts, shall we? Don't think about it all day long...

The All-Star Weekend also passed with a lot of noise.

period.

The seismic trade between the Kings and Pelicans still happened.

really.

The Kings management still can't forget their first love, and maybe they also feel that they made a mistake at the beginning (moving Evans' position from point guard to shooting guard, and then shooting guard to small forward, which led to Evans' rapid decline) , so now I want to make up for the shortcomings of the year.

As everyone knows, her first love has become a woman, and she is no longer the pure and kind-hearted girl next door she once was (she was injured one after another, suffered all kinds of physical and mental torture, and Evans has lost his temper), and his potential has long been tapped. How can it be possible to return to the original condition if everything is clean?

and so.

The king's deal is completely an operation immersed in his own dreams, and it will be exposed sooner or later.

Xue Liancheng secretly regretted it, but he also didn't have many regrets. After all, Cousins ​​​​is also a troublemaker. He is strong offensively and weak defensively. He also needs to hold the ball to maximize his performance. He is not suitable for forming the Big Three. If it were Anthony Davis, it would be different.

The Lakers can take off directly on the spot, which is definitely on the same level as Universe Yong.

Because the defensive coverage of the thick eyebrows can be described as overwhelming, especially now that the thick eyebrows have not gained weight and the body is as light as frost, it is absolutely no problem to fly into the sky and escape.

The most important thing is that most of Nongmei's offenses are based on eating cakes. There are independent singles, but they are not at the dominance level.

Therefore, both offense and defense match well with the current Lakers.

It can be said that Davis is known as the number one power forward. First of all, based on his physical talent, this height + this wingspan is already a monster level, and he also has good jumping and fast speed.

That's truly a monster of monsters.

This level of physical talent makes Davis extremely dominant on both offense and defense.

ESPN dared to predict that the Pelicans would compete for the playoffs at the beginning of the season based on Davis.

of course.

With such a talent, the Lakers currently have no hope.

In the future?
That's hard to say, after all, the historical trajectory of thick eyebrows really came to the Lakers and helped the Lakers win another championship.

And now the Pelicans' twin tower combination is indeed shocking.

The first power forward + the first center can directly dominate the basket, which is daunting.

Some media even threatened that the Pelicans may also compete for the eighth position in the Western Conference.

If this is the case, the playoffs will be great.

As for the final result, Xue Liancheng knows best. The twin towers that seem to dominate the basket actually do not show that much dominance.

Coupled with Cousins' fragile skin, which directly caused serious injuries, the Pelicans' twin towers failed without much experimentation.

In addition to this transaction, there is another transaction that stands out.

The Magic acquired Terrence Ross + a first-round pick from the Raptors and sent Ibaka away.

In other words, in the end, the Magic sent away All-Star level Oladipo + potential center Sabonis Jr. in exchange for a 3D player + a first-round pick.

This whole toss-up caused me a huge loss of blood.

The Raptors have been qualitatively strengthened.

The arrival of Ibaka directly raised the Raptors' fourth position to a higher level, and they will be extremely competitive in the playoffs.

The rest of the transactions can only be considered trivial.

The Trail Blazers sent out their starting center Mason Plumlee + a second-round pick in exchange for the Nuggets' Nurkic + the Grizzlies' first-round pick.

The Nuggets are determined to correct the streaky Jokic, and Mason Plumlee is not the person the Nuggets want.

The Charlotte Hornets sent Hibbert + Hawes in exchange for another Plumlee, whose full name is Myles Plumlee.

The Cavaliers sent veteran Anderson to the Hornets in exchange for a second-round pick. The Hornets turned around and waived Anderson. Both sides were suspected of saving money.

The Hornets are even more troubled. Although Aaron Gordon is up, they seem to have lost their soul after losing Marvin Williams and are getting further away from the playoffs.

In addition to this deal, the Cavaliers also signed former No. 10 pick Derrick Williams on a -day short contract.

The Warriors also signed Brian Weber on a 10-day short contract and did not hesitate to waive veteran Varejao.

The Timberwolves signed inflated Lance Stephenson.

The Cavaliers didn't go beyond that. They also sent Dunleavy + Mo Williams + a 19th-round pick + cash in a deal to acquire Korver.

Obviously.

Clevelanders were once again angry about James' betrayal. They wanted to strengthen the team life and death, and the price was not small, just to avenge the humiliation.

Another decent deal was the Rockets trading Brewer + a 17 first-round pick for the Pacers' Lou Williams.

in this way.

The Rockets have two super sixth men.

Eric Gordon + Lou Williams, this is really a qualitative improvement, and the depth of the bench is quite scary.

The previously rumored big deal did not happen after the trade deadline.

Like Butler, who forced the management to leave, but still stayed with the Bulls.

The exchange of Rubio and Rose also failed to materialize.

As previously reported, the Celtics were about to usher in epic reinforcements, but in the end there was no movement.

Everything is settled.

Next, it’s time to sprint to the playoffs.

The Lakers also regained their energy after the holiday and began to fight.

And their first game is against their direct playoff competitor, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder currently have 32 wins and 25 losses, temporarily ranking sixth in the Western Conference, which is relatively stable.

But given the power of the Lakers' 12-game winning streak, they seem a bit shaky.

Before the game.

Triple-double king Westbrook vowed in an interview: The victory in this game will definitely belong to us.

He was very determined, and the confidence in his tone really burst from the inside out.

Reporter: But they have a top combination like Xue Liancheng + George. You are sure that you can beat them alone.

Westbrook: No matter who the opponent is, I believe in myself and my teammates.

no doubt.

Averaging a triple-double per game has made Westbrook feel like he can do anything.

It really should float...

After all, this is a triple-double per game!

The record that has been dusty for many years is considered to be the most impossible to break among many records. Now Westbrook is only one step away from it.

And Westbrook also relied on this power to become the biggest favorite for MVP.

That's right.

With the triple-double data alone, Westbrook can take the lead. You can imagine how valuable a triple-double per game is at this time.

of course.

There is still a premise here, the Thunder are in the playoffs.

If they fall out of the playoffs, the triple-double will suddenly become worthless.

Therefore, the Thunder's desire for victory is equally passionate.

This is why Westbrook vows to win and can win.

They needed to win so badly.

Consolidating sixth is the foundation. It is best to rush to fifth or even fourth, then his MVP will be stable.

Sixth place alone is not too stable.

After all, there is also a very fierce James Harden in front of him.

The third brother seems to be a different person this year. While playing the best statistics of his career, the Rockets also achieved a good record of 40 wins and 18 losses.

If it weren't for Westbrook's triple-double per game, this season's MVP would basically be Harden's bag.

Therefore, the two brothers are the biggest competitors.

Westbrook believes that he needs this honor even more.

Because he wants to tell the traitor Durant that he is also at MVP level.

(End of this chapter)