From the Eastern Finals to the Western Finals: Four defenders compete for the hegemony! Countdown to the new NBA king ascends the throne

As soon as this year's division finals came out, people were slapped in the thighs - East District Knicks vs Pacers, West District Thunder vs Timberwolves. Among the four teams, except for the Knicks' two championships and the ones before the Supersonics, the other three teams are teams without championships, but since the three-point line era, all four teams have been "hard to get a championship". This year, a "new alliance king" is destined to be released!

What's more interesting is that the top four teams are all defenders: Knicks Brunson, Pacers Halliburton, Thunder SGA, and Timberwolves Edwards. Even the MVP, which was monopolized by Antetokounmpo, Jokic and Embiid for many years, has returned to the hands of defender SGA this year. This script indicates that the "Defender Era" is back!

East District: Knicks vs Pacers - a new story of old enemies, a battle of rhythm determines life and death

Let’s talk about the "old enemies" in the East District first. The Knicks and the Pacers formed a tough match in the second round last season (the Pacers eliminated the Knicks with the wounded soldiers), and they fought in the Eastern Conference Finals 25 years ago, and in the 1990s, they fought in series continuously (93, 94, 95, 98, 99). Now all the members of the two teams are healthy, which is considered "new and old hatreds together."

Judging from the 3 regular season encounters (2 wins and 1 loss), the Knicks have the advantage in rebounds, offense and defense in the inside and key balls. In 3 games, they won a total of 29 rebounds (Twin Towers + Robinson made an indelible contribution), scored 20 more points in the interior, and Brunson's "big heart" is even more unique - he played 8 key goals this season and won 6 games, averaging 5.4 points (second in the league), 1.1 fouls (third in the league), plus and minus + 4.4, and can end the breakthrough shot. He is a perfect "stabilizing needle". The advantages of the Pacers are space, coach and long rotation. In the playoffs, they averaged more than 13 minutes per game, 11 players exceeded 9 minutes, 6 players scored double-digit points, and 3 players assisted more than 4 times - they did not rely on someone at all. As the assist king last season and the assist king this season's playoffs, Halliburton has a full squadron ability. The team has 29.8 assists in a hundred rounds (the most in the league), and its offense is like mercury. What's even more ruthless is that they have 6 players who have a three-point shooting percentage of over 40% in the playoffs (starting center Turner and substitute center Bryant are both space-type No. 5), and they are very good at breaking through and passing the ball and transferring the ball. Coach Carlisle is a master of tactics, and his on-the-spot adjustments are more flexible than Xibodeau's "Five Donkeys Tactics". In this round of duel, the rhythm is the key: if the Pacers quickly (counterattack conversion), the injury risks of the Knicks' double towers and OG may be amplified, and Thibodeau will easily collapse if it does not expand the rotation; but if the Knicks use the forward group to defend the fast attack and drag the game into the positional battle (Brunson is a master of positional battle), the Pacers' advantage may be suppressed. The X factor is Mitchell Robinson's health (which affects the Knick's inside advantage) and Nembhard's three-pointer (his three-season shooting percentage is: 55.5% + 50% + 87.5%).

West District: Thunder vs Timberwolves - Defensive Battle + Counterattack Fast Attack, Young vs Experience

West District This pair is more "matched": The Thunder is the league's No. 1 defensive team and also a team that relies on defense to counterattack. The Timberwolves are also good at defense (there are big locks on the inside and outside). The two teams tied 2-2 in the regular season. In the last time, the Timberwolves still achieved a reversal while falling behind by 24 points.

Thunder's advantage lies in defensive comprehensiveness and SGA. Even if Chet was on the regular season for several months, they could hold on with five smalls - Caruso defended the fourth and fifth positions, and the second round G7 forced Jokic to make 5-point mistakes with 9 shots; counterattacking fast attack + impacting the basket is their specialty. The positional battle has the MVP, which is the SGA, and breakthroughs, CNB and fouls are all bright spots. As a "lower horse", the Timberwolves need to make fewer mistakes + amplify their advantages. On the one hand, Edwards should be more calm in order to reduce mistakes, and Conley's importance as a reliable ball-holding point has increased; on the other hand, we should use "experience" (for two consecutive years of Western Conference Finals, Conley's 103 playoff experience) and "Three Towers" (Randall, Gobert, Reed) inside offense and defense - Gobert's protection against the Thunder's impact on the basket is a threat. If Randle plays Chett, he can also suppress the Thunder if he continues his first two rounds of state.

The era of guards is here? The common points of the four top brands are hidden in the answer

The four teams are the defenders (Brunson, Halliburton, SGA, Edwards), why can they support the division finals? Three points are very important:

Tactical core: The team's offensive system revolves around them - SGA / Brunson / Edwards is responsible for the strong attack, Halliburton is responsible for the connection, and without them, the tactics are disbanded.

Omnipotence: The defender in the new era is no longer "substantial" - SGA / Brunson can score 35+ (the production is carried out in the life and death game), Edwards has developed the starting point ability (not just the end point anymore), and Halliburton can connect and end.

Young + Health: James, Durant, and Curry are all old, but Brunson, the oldest of these four defenders, is 29 years old, and Edwards is 24 years old - in his peak or rising period, he is healthy and resistant to fighting (except Halliburton's minor injury in the second half of last season, there is basically no big problem). Who is the new king? Witnessing history is the greatest luck

This year's division finals, the four major guards are destined to be written into NBA history. If FMVP is a defender, then the label of "Defense Era" is firmly attached. But what will happen in the future? No one can say that ——2021 Nuggets, 2024 The Celtics were once regarded as "dynasties", but the result is difficult.

However, as a fan, it is already lucky to witness the end of this "chaotic era" or the opening of a new dynasty. No matter who he is the new king, isn’t the joy of watching football hidden in these unknowns?