Healthy basketball, starting from eating the old Lakers F4

Chapter 213 The playoffs begin, defense wins the championship

The Chicago Bulls' 73-win record for NBA regular-season wins has just passed. In the blink of an eye, fans across the United States are focused on the upcoming playoffs.

The pattern of the east and west this year is different from usual. It is no longer the one-sided situation where the west is strong and the east is weak.

In the Eastern Conference, in addition to the Bulls who have won 73 games, the Heat have won 60+ games.

In addition, the Nets, Pistons, and Cavaliers have all achieved 50+ wins.

The remaining three playoff teams are the Wizards, Bucks and Pacers.

In the Western Conference, the Spurs and Mavericks are also 60+ win teams.

However, because they both belong to the Southwest Division, and since the Charlotte Bobcats joined in 04, the NBA has restructured, and the first place in the division has to keep the top three.

Then came the current chaos - the Mavericks, who trailed the Spurs in wins, did not compete in the second place in the Western Conference in the playoffs, but only won the fourth spot in the Western Conference.

By the way, in the West, in addition to the Spurs and Mavericks, two strong teams with 60+ wins, the Suns and Lakers also have 50+ wins.

It's just that the situation of the Lakers is the same as that of the Mavericks. The Suns and Lakers are in the Pacific Division. The Suns entered the playoffs as the second in the Western Conference, but the Lakers are fifth in the Western Conference.

It is worth mentioning that the Jazz, who barely qualified for the Western Conference playoffs with 41 wins and 41 losses, were ranked third in the Western Conference because they were first in the Northwest Division.

The playoff format does not match the regular season record at all. This year, it is very likely that the top two teams in the Western Conference will meet in the Western Conference semifinals in advance. If this happens, the league officials and the competition system will also be criticized.

However, this also makes this year's playoffs more interesting.

The West has become a mess, and many strong teams have emerged in the East.

In particular, the Bulls, a team that made history with 73 wins, faced strong opponents in every round.

Even if they defeat the declining Pacers in the first round, they will still meet the Pistons, a veteran team in the Eastern Conference, or the Cavaliers, an emerging team in the second round.

When we get to the Eastern Conference finals, we will most likely meet the defending champion Heat.

If you look closely, this seems to be the script of last year's playoffs, except that last year's start failed and the middle road collapsed.

This year the Bulls regained the script and entered the playoffs with a stronger attitude!
Now Du En is no longer like last year, and he can't even find a reliable helper.

If Duane wants to win the championship with the Bulls, he must seize the opportunity in the last two years of his rookie contract.

There is no way out!With 73 wins in the regular season, the Bulls must win the championship this season!
Time came to April 4 in the blink of an eye, and the Chicago United Center was already filled with fans wearing Bulls jerseys.

From the beginning of the first quarter, Duane and other Bulls players did not disappoint the fans.

Baron Davis took the lead in the charge, attacking the basket twice in a row and scoring four points in a row to help the Bulls open up the situation.

On the Pacers' side, Wu Sheng Jackson had just made a mid-range shot, and Du En immediately switched defense in front of Wu Sheng Jackson, locking Wu Sheng Jackson directly.

Although the Pacers still have Peja, who was acquired in a mid-season trade, Peja is a player whose performance in the playoffs is lower than that of the regular season.

Not to mention that the one guarding Peja now is Luol Deng, who has excellent physical fitness.
Under Luol Deng's hard defense, Peja only made 3 of 1 shots in the first quarter.

Moreover, the only goal scored was from mid-range, and only 2 points were scored in a single quarter.

As for the Pacers' leader O'Neal, he was injured in the regular season. The injury has not recovered yet, so he will be forced to play tonight.

In this case, it's a big deal if you can perform well. 21 to 30, in the first quarter alone, the Bulls took a 9-point lead.

值得一提的是，杜恩还没出力，第一节仅仅是2投2中，4分2篮板3助攻1抢断1盖帽而已。

After the inter-section break, the situation in the second quarter was even more unfavorable for the Pacers.

Because at the beginning of the second quarter, Ben Gordon came up and broke out. Duan took over the ball and scored six points in a row. The Bulls beat the Pacers 11-2, and the point difference instantly opened to 20 points.

Rick Carlisle urgently called two timeouts before breaking the predicament and allowing the Pacers to score again.

However, after the second quarter, the point difference still could not be narrowed.

39 to 59, still a full 20 points difference.

The Bulls scored 59 points in the first half, which is enough to show that the Pacers, who are good at defense, have no way to defeat the Bulls who have made history with 73 wins.

At this time, in the words of the Pacers' pessimistic fans, that is - it's over!

The Bulls basically figured out tonight's game in the first half.

Also because of the large point difference, the Bulls simply got closer to training in the second half, using games as training to increase the playoff adaptability of the bench lineup.

For this reason, the main players have reduced their playing time. Even if they play, they consciously give up the ball to others.

In this way, young players can get more accustomed to the atmosphere of the playoffs and how to choose better and more reasonable offensive methods against strong defensive teams.

Generally speaking, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng are still playing a little rough. They lose the ball during breakthroughs, have their layups blocked, are out of position defensively, and over-help-defend. These are all common mistakes made by newcomers. have.

However, the attitude of the Bulls youth team in playing is unparalleled. Even if they fall during a layup, they will immediately return to defense regardless of whether they score or not.

It was precisely because of this hard work that the Bulls almost finished the third quarter with the second team, but still maintained a 17-point lead.

By the fourth quarter, Du En and other main players had been recuperating for a long time, and they also went up to play for half a quarter, completely consolidating their advantage.

The score difference increased to 26 points, and then the new and old substitutes were replaced one after another, so that the veterans also came on the field to find the feeling of playing in the playoffs.

90 to 105, even if the Bulls' main force clocked out in three and a half quarters, the Bulls still won very easily.

Judging from tonight's situation, the Bulls used offense to open the score and used defense to win, which is undoubtedly a good sign.

To a certain extent, the Bulls are no longer a strong team in the regular season, but a championship team that can still maintain excellent combat effectiveness in the playoffs!
Today's Bulls do not have to rely on Duan's offensive end to win the playoffs.

This time, when encountering a team like the Pacers, whose team leader O'Neal is injured and lacks a core on the offensive end, the Bulls can win the game steadily by relying on their increasingly stable defense.

Time soon came to April 4, and the first round G25 of the playoffs between the Bulls and the Pacers started again at the United Center.

This time, the Bulls still defeated the Pacers cleanly and won two consecutive home games.

The 85-102 point difference once again proved the Bulls' defensive strength.

As old-school coaches and players often say, defense wins championships, and the Bulls are already standing at the door of the championship.

(End of this chapter)