NBA: Duncan feels uneasy coaching Warriors

Chapter 232 Playoff Pattern
Capela is also very strong, but because Jokic on the same team is so dazzling, Capela is only now slowly showing his talent.

Compared with last season, the Timberwolves were not favored even if they had a good record.

This season's Clippers appear to be much more powerful.

As a team in a big market, the Clippers themselves have attracted a lot of attention. At the same time, Su Chen has one more championship on his resume, which increases his persuasiveness.

At the same time, as Jokic regained his form, the Clippers star once again became the captain of this Clippers.

George and Lillard may have shortcomings of one kind or another when they are the leaders of the team, but when they are not the leaders of the team, their functionality is that of the league's top second-in-command and third-in-command.

The two starting players from the Celtics will also increase the depth of the Clippers' rotation. Now the Clippers are already looking like championship contenders.

No matter what the outside world thinks, the schedule is still going on.

Another 30 games have passed.

The Clippers now have a record of 39 wins and 11 losses, slightly behind the Warriors and in second place in the Western Conference.

Today's Clippers are on the right track.

Thanks to the addition of simulation glasses and tactical notes, the team does not feel unfamiliar at all when it comes to running in.

In fact, he could have achieved a higher winning rate and competed for first place in the Western Conference, but Su Chen deliberately trained the rookies, so he lost some games that he should not have lost.

Su Chen doesn't have to fight for the No. [-] ranking in the Western Conference.

In the original timeline, the Warriors this season were able to achieve a winning rate of as high as 81.7%, even though this Warriors was a little weaker than the original Warriors.

But it's not too weak, although their original Iguodala has become Brewer.

But they used their extra chips to upgrade Bogut into Tyson Chandler.

Su Chen feels that instead of letting the whole team fight for first place, it is better to use the extra playing time to train the rookies to improve the depth of the lineup.

Training rookies can also give the team's main players rest time, allowing them to store more energy until the playoffs.

If the Warriors get an extra home court, they may not actually make a profit.

How did the Warriors lose that season when they won 73 games?

It was the team's attempt to hit the record during the regular season that caused problems with the team's physical management, and then the Cavaliers overturned it.

The Warriors' record this season is certainly good, just look at their playing time.

The Warriors' iron triangle of Curry, Thompson, and Green all played more than 36 minutes per game.

Especially Curry, his average playing time per game has reached 39 minutes.

The Clippers' record lags behind the Warriors, but let's compare the playing time of the Clippers' three core players.

Jokic averages 35 minutes per game, George averages 30 minutes per game, and Lillard averages 32 minutes per game.

In addition to Jokic who needs more game time to train, George and Lillard's playing time has been reduced, and they no longer need to train through the regular season.

Not only did their playing time decrease, Lillard and George also took turns taking turns.

Basically, in back-to-back games, at least one of them has to take a rest, and sometimes they both take a break together.

On the contrary, saving effort in the regular season will allow them to perform stronger in the playoffs.

The rotation time of the main players is reduced, which naturally gives the rookies more opportunities to exercise.

Among them, Anderson has made the most progress. After learning from ball-handling masters like Rondo, Anderson's current organization is also in shape.

The most enjoyable person is Capela. Besides Rondo, he has one more person to feed him.

Moreover, the cakes fed by both of them are high-quality cakes.

In addition, Grant Suchen deliberately asked him to guard the opponent's most capable opponent. From the beginning, he was unable to guard against him, but now he has the ability to fight back.

Moreover, Suchen also asked George to teach Grant more defensive experience during normal training.

Grant's static talent is amazing. He is about the same height as George, but his wingspan is longer than George.

At the same time, Grant's athletic talent is also good. What he lacks in defense now is his experience.

Some people make rapid progress, and some people make slow progress.

Like Craig.

Although he has worked hard enough, his talent as an undrafted player is still a bit lacking, and his progress is relatively slow.

And even if the main players have given up some playing time, it is still unrealistic to train every rookie.

If Craig's progress is not as good as others', his playing time will naturally be given to others.

However, Su Chen doesn't have many demands on Craig himself. He just needs to practice his three-point shooting. If he has the touch, let him play more on the court.

If it doesn't feel good, I'll replace it immediately.

Grant and Anderson can play well, which makes Suchen quite satisfied.

Su Chen also specifically chose when Jokic was taking a rest, and opened [Fixed Ability Value] for both of them, while also giving them tactical status.

Both had high-stat nights scoring 25 or more points.

This makes their confidence stronger. Players have confidence, which is very helpful for growth.

Even Craig and Suchen gave him a masterpiece.

However, he only scored 19 points, not even 20 points.

Due to the improvement of Anderson and Grant, other teams have taken notice.

Now that we have entered the small ball era, potential forwards are more valuable than potential guards, even if they have not yet played a stable scoring performance, they have already performed very stably.

This time around, the major teams are no longer taking advantage of their offers, and the bargaining chips they have given are relatively sincere.

Although there are indeed some chips among them, Su Chen is more excited, that is, the combat power is of great help to the team.

But Su Chen still didn't agree to these deals.

Potential strikers are valuable, others know it, but Su Chen knows it better than them.

Their immediate combat power may not be as good as those chips, but Su Chen feels that the team's immediate combat power is enough.

The increased immediate combat power cannot be included in the main lineup. Now Su Chen is relatively satisfied with this main lineup.

They were all on the bench anyway, so Su Chen felt it was better to just wait for Anderson and Grant to grow.

Whether it is to train for personal use or to gain a higher value and chips next season, it will be more affordable than trading now.

So this time Su Chen directly rejected the offers from these teams and had no intention of trading them until the trade deadline.

This made other team managers stunned.

Didn't it mean that Su Chen would definitely trade his potential for immediate combat power?
Last time, they wanted to take advantage. This time, they all showed sincerity, but Su Chen didn't want to trade.

Just like Anji said, Su Chen's potential rookies are rare resources if he is willing to trade them.

Let alone a weak team, even a strong team is reluctant to trade away some rookies with obvious potential.

For example, Wiseman, the Warriors are obviously going to compete for the championship, but the boss has been training him for several seasons and has been reluctant to trade him.

When the trade came up, I was sure that it couldn't be made, so I traded it for Payton.At the same time, the lineup that the Clippers will use to hit the playoffs is also determined.

Clippers starting lineup: Nikola Jokic (C), Nicolas Batum (PF), Jeff Green (SF), Paul George (SG), Damian Lillard (PG)

Clippers bench lineup: Clint Capela (C), Kyle Anderson (PF), Marcus Morris (SF), Torrey Craig (SF), Jerami Grant (SF) Reggie Jackson (SG) Rajon Rondo (PG)

It is worth mentioning that Reggie was put down as a substitute by Suchen.

Jeff Green's integration into the team is very high, and his cooperation with Jokic is more efficient than the cooperation between Batum and Jokic.

For example, on some inside cuts, Batum's finishing efficiency is obviously not as good as that of Jeff Green. At this time, Jeff Green is very physical and can even complete dunks after receiving the ball many times.

During the Nuggets' championship season, old Jeff Green was able to complete some cooperation with Jokic, and the effect of Jeff Green in his prime was even better.

And like Batum, Jeff Green can also defend power forwards, and the forwards can even play three-switch defense.

Jeff Green relied on his own strength to move from the bench to the starting lineup.

Although Reggie can provide certain offensive capabilities with the ball on the court, his role on the defensive end is much worse than that of Jeff Green.

At the same time, the three strikers can also gather a [Forward Man Bond].

This lineup can probably be used as a starter in the playoffs.

The All-Star weekend is not too busy for the Clippers.

Only Lillard and George made it to the All-Stars for the Clippers. They were also All-Stars, but their entry into the All-Stars was largely due to the Clippers' second-best record in the Western Conference.

Because neither George nor Lillard's attendance rate is very high this season, and because Su Chen limited their playing time, their data has also been reduced.

Jokic had the ability to make the All-Stars, but during the time when Clarkson and Dinwiddie were racking up numbers, Jokic's numbers were very poor for a while.

During that period, Jokic's All-Star status was directly eliminated.

And because Su Chen has to train rookies during this period, the playing time of others has been relatively reduced, and naturally no player has produced All-Star level data.

At the same time, the Clippers were second and Su Chen also missed the opportunity to be the head coach of the Western Conference All-Stars.

This actually gave Su Chen an All-Star weekend break.

With the All-Star weekend over.

The major teams have also begun their season sprint.

For teams with good records, they are basically resting players to prepare for the playoffs.

A more typical team is the Cavaliers

With no record pressure, the Cavaliers basically entered a state of rest and prepared for the playoffs.

James Irving and Lopez have both reduced their playing time and entered the rotation at the same time.

But for the Clippers, they have been in this state since before the All-Star Game.

On the contrary, Su Chen also arranged for some current games to feature all starting players, so that the team should not be too relaxed.

But I don’t particularly care about winning or losing. I focus on training and my playing time is still limited to about 30 minutes.

But one team among the teams with a good record is different.

Now the Warriors, who are number one in the Western Conference, are still in full strength. Cole wants to prove himself, and the Warriors players also want to maintain this state.

The Warriors have not entered a too relaxed state and may have to wait until 75 games before starting to take a rest.

The other teams are nervous.

Whether they are a team in the middle of the playoffs or a team on the edge of the playoffs, they need to win every game with all their strength.

Especially for the mid-ranking teams in the Western Conference, they don't want to fall to No. 7 or No. 8.

The strength shown by the two teams, the Warriors and Clippers, this season, plus a Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, can be said to be purely one level above other teams.

For the mid-ranking teams in the Western Conference, there is a fierce competition for positions above No. 6 in the Western Conference.

Although there is a saying that if you want to go far in the playoffs, you don't need to choose your opponent, but it is better to be able to relax in the first round and reserve your energy for the second round than having to face two super teams in the first round.

As for the teams on the edge of the playoffs, they still have to compete for playoff spots.

Especially for young teams like the Pelicans and Suns, even if they enter the first round of the playoffs and play two super teams, they will basically get out of the first round.

But for young teams, it’s good to be able to practice in a playoff atmosphere.

As the schedule progresses.

The Warriors were the first to confirm their entry into the playoffs, and then the Clippers also confirmed their entry into the playoffs.

The records of the two teams are far ahead of other Western Conference teams.

The highlight of the Western Conference hegemony is also the Warriors and Clippers.

Although the Hawks have a good record in the East, even better than the Cavaliers, the quality of their team's stars is still much worse than the Cavaliers.

Although team basketball works well in the regular season, in the playoffs, it all depends on the stars.

So who can break out of the West is the biggest attraction.

"The Battle of the Western Conference Kings: Will the Warriors win again after the coaching change, or will Su Chen win his third championship?" 》

Some media have issued an analysis of this issue.

The Warriors had already won the championship under the leadership of Su Chen.

After replacing Cole, after the running-in last season, coupled with the growth of the Warriors members.

Today's Warriors finally show the dominance of the former champions.

This season, the Warriors' offensive efficiency is far ahead, and their winning rate is astonishingly over 80%. The overall offense is smooth and smooth.

They now deserve to be No. [-] in the Western Conference, and their style of play has proven they can win the championship.

With Doc Rivers coaching the Timberwolves in a sluggish season, the Warriors don't seem to have to worry about knocking off their rivals last season.

It seems like they have no rivals in the West?
Except the Clippers.

First and most important, the most important factor in the Timberwolves' elimination of the Warriors last season was actually Su Chen's suppression of Cole.

The Clippers are now second in the Western Conference and are an opponent the Warriors cannot ignore.

Their core is Jokic, who has risen like a super star. In the regular season games, he has proven that his personal offense and organizational skills seem to be able to serve as the core position of this team.

Lillard and George, as team bosses, have many shortcomings.

But when Suchen arranged them to assist Jokic, Lillard became the first-class second-in-command, and George became the top third-in-command in the league.

At the same time, they also have Rondo, an All-Star point guard, on their bench, and Reggie, an attacker who can provide stable offensive production.

In terms of lineup, the Clippers do not lose to the Warriors.

At the same time, as a coach, Suchen has proven that he can play with Cole like a toy.

(End of this chapter)