The Godfather of Basketball

The playoffs kicked off, and ESPN was not idle, and began its annual forecast again.

The Warriors and Cavaliers are the only two teams considered to be 100% promoted.

"They will meet in the finals for another year." This is the most direct evaluation given by the official.

The Thunder and Spurs are also optimistic about strong promotion, but their promotion probability is much lower than that of Qi Yong, about 90%.

After these four hot teams, the Nets enjoyed a single gear.

They are considered to have an 80% chance of knocking the Pacers into the second round of the playoffs.

"The Pacers starting power forward David West played as a substitute for the Nets last season. Maybe Paul George will give the Nets some trouble, but the Nets will eventually win the game.

At the beginning of the season, ESPN's predictions, whether it's the Nets, Wizards, Knicks, or even the Pacers, are very accurate.

Because of this, ESPN swept the image of poisoned milk in the past, and this year's playoff predictions have also attracted attention and sought after.

In addition to these five teams, the probability of promotion for other teams is basically fifty-five.

On April 18, the NBA playoffs officially kicked off, and the Warriors in the West took the lead.

Although the Rockets have experienced a bad season, the heritage of the dynasty team, coupled with the good paper strength, fans' expectations of them are not low.

Many people feel that this group is not as bad as ESPN predicted.

But after the game really started, the game was completely different.

In the first quarter, the Warriors bombarded the Rockets with a 33:15 and scored 18 points in a single quarter.

Harden made 1 of 9 shots, and the defensive end was targeted by all kinds. The Rockets did not fight.

At halftime, the Warriors' lead was 27 points.

Many people are worried that the Warriors will lose their offensive firepower in the playoffs because of the increase in the defensive strength of their opponents. It turns out that their worry is completely superfluous.

However, it was a bit bad that Curry sprained his ankle accidentally in the fight with Beverley before the end of the half, and was directly assisted by the team doctor to leave the stadium. Before the end, he made 8 of 13 shots and 7 of 3 Shot 4 times and scored 24 points in the first half.

Curry didn't return in the second half. With the depth of the lineup and the advantages established in the first half, the Warriors finally won the series with a 104-78 victory over the Rockets.

Curry's injury and retreat cast a shadow over this 73-win warrior, but the good news is that the MRI test of Curry's ankle was negative after the game, and it is not a big deal. Theoretically, you can come back after a 4-5 day rest Already.

This is already a blessing in misfortune.

No one wants to see the injury, but a situation similar to the previous life made Tang Tian realize that this Warriors team is not as unbeatable as the outside world now looks.

After the Warriors, the Clippers and Trail Blazers game began immediately. The Clippers won the Trail Blazers 115-95, and they also easily won.

After two big wins, the Eastern Conference started immediately.

The Nets and Pacers were the first opponents to start in the East.

The two games in the Western Conference have made a great hot spot for the playoffs. Coupled with the Cavaliers game tomorrow, this game has received a lot of attention.

Before the match, the media conducted pre-match interviews with the core players on both sides, and the reactions on both sides were completely opposite.

"The Pacers are a strong opponent. We must go all out in the game." Jokic still looked very low-key in front of the media.

"ESPN feels that we only have 20% hope of promotion, and I will use the performance on the court to prove that their prediction is meaningless." Paul George was outspoken in front of the media.

Because he is also a top small forward, George is one of the players who have the most comparison with James, and because he is in the same east, he wants to win the championship, and James' team is also the obstacle he must cross.

Until then, any opponent will be defeated by him.

This year's team record is not good, but he is still fighting spirit.

That night, the Barclays Center was packed, and the fans were fighting.

Last year, they were the first dogs in the playoffs. No matter who they were, they were shocked by playing two away games. This year they finally turned around. This time the series opener is at home.

And the identity of the second seed also gives them greater confidence in the home team.

The opening ceremony before the game was full of enthusiasm, and the starters of both sides also appeared one after another.

On the Nets side, Tang Tian sent a regular lineup, Deron and Gordon on the perimeter, Butler and Yi Jianlian on the front, and Jokic on the center.

On the Pacers side, Vogel's lineup was a bit unconventional. The combination of Hill and Monta Ellis on the perimeter was George and Lavoie Allen on the front line and center Massimie.

From the strength of the paper alone, the Nets obviously have an advantage.

Yi Jianlian and Masin Mi jumped the ball. He leaped high and returned the ball to the Nets halftime.

Delong held the ball to advance, the Nets got the opportunity to lead the attack.

Delong greeted Yi Jianlian's pick-and-roll directly under the basket, Allen obviously couldn't keep up with the speed, he hit the basket and directly lowered the layup.

But at this moment, a figure was killed from the oblique side, flying over the cover.

Delong dodged in the air, the difficult shot finally missed, and the rebound was directly accepted by that figure.

Paul George.

George, like Butler, started defensively, but he has better physical talent than Butler and has the potential to become a super-level player.

George grabbed a quick rebound after grabbing the rebound.

Unlike the previous life, because he did not experience a devastating ankle injury, he was fast, he directly flung out Butler, and rushed to the front to advance Gordon to the ball.

The Pacers come first.

There was a restless scene.

Encouraged by George's opening, the Pacers' defense was quite active, and Deron's frontcourt organization did not have a good opportunity to directly give Yi Jianlian a low post.

Allen couldn't hold back Yi Jianlian. Yi Jianlian chose to turn around and shoot back from the free throw line.

He is big and big, and Allen has limited interference.

Yi Jianlian shot at the frame.

But at this moment, he suddenly felt a strong force.

Still George!

He didn't know when he came to Yi Jianlian, jumped and grabbed the ball.

Yi Jianlian responded quickly and grabbed the ball with both hands in the air.

Yi Jianlian bounced better, but George took off earlier. From Yi Kanlian to Kankan, the ball was thrown into Ellis' hands, and the Pacers directly advanced quickly.

George ran to catch the ball and rushed to the three-point line to face the retreating Butler and chose to chase the three-pointer.

Butler jumped out of the interference.

"Oh!"

George scored with a disturbing three-pointer!

After scoring, George could not help shouting in excitement, slamming his chest hard at the audience!

After the opening he played a wave of personal 5-0 attacks!

Tang Tian saw him standing up here.