NBA's strongest prince

Chapter 287 The Familiar Playoffs
The last day of the regular season this season did not have too many waves, and the teams that wanted to win all won.

In the East, the top eight are the Pistons, Cavaliers, Raptors, Heat, Bulls, Eagles, Nets and Wizards.

Because of the butterfly effect, the Warriors in the West did not make the playoffs, and the Magic still struggled in the East.

The dark horse of this season, in fact, is only the Raptors. The Raptors performed mediocre in the first part of the season, but they performed well later, becoming the third place in the Eastern Conference. .

The Suns' opponent in the first round of the playoffs is the Clippers. Russell didn't expect it before, but a strong team like the Suns will not have too much pressure in the first round of the playoffs.

The Clippers finally won them, but the Clippers themselves have no confidence in winning another one. After all, facing the Suns with all substitutes, it is not easy for them to win.

In the eyes of the media, there is nothing wrong with the Clippers now, and the main thing is to praise the great season of the Suns.

Winning streak records and season winning records are all rare achievements for many years, and if they appear on a team at once, they will definitely attract attention.

Of course, the Suns are also under pressure now. If their regular season performance is so good and the team does not win the championship, it is estimated that it will become a joke for many people after dinner.

As Russell himself, he won the assists title again this season, and also won the steals title by the way.

His steals king can be said to be silent, and the outside world only reacted after seeing the data. It is really that Russell's scoring and assists are too amazing, blocking the light of other aspects.

And this season, if the Suns hadn't often clocked out of get off work in three quarters, it is estimated that he would also be the scoring leader. Many Russell fans are more regretful. After all, Russell scored a career high during the season.

Russell himself doesn't care much, the team is so strong this season, he wants to have a perfect ending now.

The Suns still have a few days off before the start of the playoffs, and their game is the second day after the start.

Russell also took this opportunity to carefully explore the details of the Clippers.

Although the opponent is not very strong, if you really don't pay attention to it, accidents may still happen.

With a few more simulated games, the certainty will be a little bit higher, and this kind of thing cannot be avoided.

Before the start of the game, the Clippers will certainly not lose their momentum, vowing that they also have a chance.

There is nothing wrong with this statement, there is nothing 100% certain in the world, especially on the field.

However, their chances are indeed slim, the Suns are really strong.

On April 4, the first game of the Suns playoffs started at the US Airways Center.

The fans are also very excited. The three consecutive championships are not only the team's goal, but the fans are looking forward to it.

The Suns' starting lineup has not changed throughout the season, while the Clippers use the more commonly used starting lineups in the latter part of the season, including Cassell and Maggette, and the inside line is still relatively flexible, without the twin towers.

It is not surprising that the Clippers have a lineup like this, because it can keep up with the rhythm of the Suns as much as possible.

At the beginning of the game, the Clippers wanted to show their momentum so that they could confront the Suns.

It's just that the Clippers' strong points are not very good when they meet the Suns. Maggette has no basket, Mobley is at a disadvantage, and Cassel has suffered a serious decline due to injuries. Rand can hit a dozen at first.

But it is also difficult for Brand to be stable all the time. As long as he consumes a little bit, the sun can completely hold down an insider who is not tall enough.

The Clippers didn't gain an advantage at the beginning, so they had to slow down.

But this delay was followed by the sun.

The Suns began to exert their strength, but the Clippers wanted to resist fiercely, but found that they were a little bit exhausted.

This is a problem of ability. The Suns are getting stronger and stronger, but the Clippers put their greatest strength at the beginning. When they are a little discouraged, they can't keep up.

Just in time to enter the rotation, the sun's little man storm came again.

The Clippers had no choice but to play the main force directly. Of course, old players like Cassell could only go down and rest.

Because of Livingston's injury, the Clippers really don't have a suitable backup guard now. The Hart they got in the middle of the season is barely usable, and it's not enough for the playoffs.

But there is no way, finally got the chance of the playoffs, no matter what, I have to give it a try.

It's just that the reality is cruel, and the Clippers soon discovered that not only could they not stand up to the Suns' main lineup, but they also couldn't stand up to the Suns' bench lineup.

In the first half, they fell behind by double digits.

In the second half, the Clippers didn't care about anything else, just let Brand play hard in the paint.

Then others pull away, looking for open opportunities on the outside.

Brand's success rate in the interior is neither high nor low, but the Clippers really can't shoot from the outside.

Thomas is not at all as relaxed as he was in the Suns last season, and the Clippers' transfer of the ball is really much worse.

Moreover, the Clippers' three-pointers are too obvious. Except for those few points, no one else can shoot. The Suns only need to watch those few points and let the opponent run the ball at will.

The key is that Brand can't kill the Suns, and the Clippers are not good no matter which player is the main attacker.

At the end of the quarter, the Suns actually had the chance to win, but the Clippers were unwilling to give up.

But as the Suns scored easily with several beautiful counterattacks, the lead was further expanded, and the game ended with their big victory.

Russell looked relaxed after the game, but he was not overly arrogant. He said to reporters: "We can't take it lightly. Everyone knows that we have a great season, but everything is still unknown until we defend our title. We don't want such a great season without one. Good end."

Clippers general Maggette said: "Our opponent is the Suns, and it is not surprising to lose. But no team is invincible, and we will not surrender directly."

To be honest, the Suns like to play teams like the Clippers most now. They have no strengths, no three-pointers, and they like to settle slowly. Even if they make a little mistake, they probably won't overturn.

Moreover, the Suns' rebounding is actually better than the Clippers now, so it can be said that they have no weaknesses.

It's not that the Clippers don't use the twin towers at all, it's just that the speed is slower. Even if the insider regains a little advantage and still loses, it's better to let go and fight.

Of course, the main reason is that the Clippers' tactics this season are like this, and their coach Dunleavy is unwilling to admit defeat. Old men who have been coaches for a long time are more stubborn.

Anyway, no matter what, the Suns took it for granted that they won their first win in the playoffs.

And those flattering media people from the outside world have already started to write records for the Sun Dynasty.

One step of the dynasty, taking the Clippers lightly.

As for the Suns' own players, they are also very relaxed. They are very familiar with the atmosphere of the playoffs.

(End of this chapter)