The Knicks are second in the Eastern Conference with 62 wins.
James also had a very brilliant season. He averaged 26.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game, shooting 51.2% from the field, and a career-high 40.6% from three-point range.
It is worth mentioning that after trading for Prince and welcoming Bogut back, the Knicks won 18 of 20 games and had an 11-game winning streak.
This "6-star" Knicks lineup is terrifying enough to be included in the discussion of the best team in history.
The Celtics rank third in the Eastern Conference with 60 wins.
Rondo's injury has a much greater impact on the Celtics than expected.
This little follower who followed the Big Three back then has become one of the top three point guards in the league.
The Pacers are fourth in the Eastern Conference with 52 wins.
Granger was eliminated from the playoffs last season and took a summer off before returning.
But after coming back, he played only a few games before being reimbursed for the season.
However, this has come true for Paul George, who averaged 18 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, and successfully advanced from a 3D player to an All-Star player.
And the most important thing is that he can defend. There is no shortage of outstanding offensive stars in the NBA, but there are too few superstars who can both attack and defend.
This is also the main reason why Hayward, who has similar statistics, is not as good as George.
In addition, third-year second-round pick Lance Stephenson also seized the opportunity and posted triple-doubles many times this season.
The Bulls are fifth in the Eastern Conference with 48 wins.
After Rose was injured, the Bulls signed Nate Robinson to replace him.
Robinson also performed very well, averaging 13.1 points and 4.4 assists per game. Both statistics and shooting percentage have reached new highs in recent seasons.
But the Bulls' final record also illustrates Rose's irreplaceability.
The Eagles ranked sixth with 46 wins.
The Heat are ranked seventh with 45 wins.
The Cavaliers ranked eighth with a record of 43 wins.
Varejao was injured again for the season, which damaged the Cavaliers' internal strength. Although rookie Tyler Zeller stepped up, he obviously lacked experience.
The twin guns have great firepower, but they are not good at defense. They are somewhat similar to the golden twin guns of the year.
If the Cavaliers want to build a team around two guns, strengthening the inside line will be the path they must take.
The first round matchups in the Eastern Conference: Nets VS Cavaliers, Knicks VS Heat, Celtics VS Hawks, Pacers VS Bulls;
The East and West rankings and matchups have been determined, but there are still two days until the start of the game.
As usual, the league will also hand out the first awards of the season at this stage: Best Sixth Man Award, Most Improved Award, and Best Head Coach.
This year's best head coach has become particularly interesting.
The reason is naturally Sloan.
Sloan is one of the most famous head coaches in NBA history, but in his coaching career of more than 20 years, he has never won a best head coach trophy.
This is not because of the Bulls, but because the best head coach is also called the "Most Improved Coach."
Phil Jackson has so many championships, but he only has one best head coach in his career.
The team itself is very strong. If we weren't lucky enough in the first year when we led the team to achieve great results, we might have ended up like them.
But this time, the fans' voices were particularly loud.
Because Sloan really deserves the best coach this time!
The day before the playoffs start, the league will announce the final results of the selection.
Of course, there was heated discussion outside, but Sloan didn't care at all. He still led the team in daily training, and after the training, he rarely said some words of encouragement.
The regular season is just foreplay, and the playoffs are the main theme.
"Lin, do you think it will be Jerry in the end?"
As soon as Sloan left, Delong couldn't help but discuss it with Lin Ying.
Deron also averaged 19+8 per game this season, and the key is to play very hard.
His efforts on the defensive end this season are more impressive than his performance on the offensive end.
He worked hard to prove himself again in front of Sloan, and of course he also wanted to win this honor for Sloan.
Perhaps this is the only way to make him feel that he has made some amends for the mistakes he made in the past.
"Don't worry."
Lin Ying patted Delong on the shoulder.
The probability of Sloan this time is too high.
It's not because of feelings, but because there is no reason not to give it.
The best head coach in history this year is Karl. Karl led the Nuggets to complete the fastest improvement from 38 wins to 57 wins.
But now Karl is still resting at home, and there is no most improved coach this year.
The only one who reluctantly agreed was the Cavaliers' Byron Scott.
However, the Cavaliers' performance after the All-Star Game was not good, and their record dropped to eighth.
In contrast, Sloan took the 56-win Nets directly to 66 wins.
And there is another point that is easily overlooked. Although Sloan did not do it deliberately, because he was happy with the Nets, he smiled from time to time in press conferences, which made his impression among reporters much better.
.
After all, the voting results were ultimately cast by reporters.
"Come out!"
At this moment, Claude suddenly shouted.
What came out?
Of course, the selection results for the first batch of awards of the season are out!
Sixth Man of the Year, Jamal Crawford of the Clippers.
The Clippers have a good record, with Crawford averaging 16.5 points per game.
It is worth mentioning that this is the second time in his career that he has received this award.
In the 2009~2010 season, he won this award with the Eagles.
Most Improved Award, Paul George.
From role player to All-Star, his scoring average has also increased by 5+. George's performance is fully worthy of this honor.
"It's Coach Sloan!"
Crowder then shouted out the results of the selection of the best head coach.
As expected by many, Sloan was successfully elected as the best head coach!
The moment he heard the result, Deron took a long breath and then sat there smiling like a fool.
Then he smiled and wiped the corners of his eyes unconsciously.
Lin Ying turned around and saw that Delong's eyes were red, so he came over and patted him on the shoulder.
"This is just the beginning."
Yes, it's just the beginning.
People outside are very concerned about this award because it makes up for the regrets in many people's hearts.
But Sloan probably doesn't care. There is always only one thing the coach wants.
But this is a start, a very good start.
Deron nodded, and when he stood up again, his red eyes seemed to be burning with fighting spirit.
Come on, he must do it this time!
…
Cleveland is so depressed!
Sitting on the rooftop balcony of the arena, looking at Lake Erie in the distance and the Cuyahoga River flowing out of Lake Erie, Harden could not help but feel emotional again.
He originally thought Oklahoma was small enough, but he didn't expect Cleveland to be even smaller. And the key was the invisible but smellable smell of depression.
This was originally an industrial city, but after the development of science and technology, the industrial city became a symbol of backwardness.
Like a witness to history, but also like a remnant of history.
It's true in Detroit, it's true in Cleveland.
At this time, he inevitably thought of the other James who played here before.
If it were me, I would have wanted to change places after playing for so long.
As long as you are a human, who would not yearn to go to a big city.
The money you earn is one thing, but more importantly, there are many irreplaceable things in big cities.
For example, fat butt.
He shook his head, not knowing why he thought of this.
"James, you are here."
At this moment, a familiar voice came from behind.
It turns out that Owen is here.
Irving said as he jumped and sat next to Harden, and then looked into the distance together.
“It’s so beautiful!”
Unlike Harden, Irving prefers nature. He even likes to read some weird books and feels that humans are created by God.
So what he lamented was not the desolation in front of him, but the beautiful scenery in the distance.
But he and Harden have one thing in common, they both need to prove themselves.
Harden wants to prove that the Thunder were wrong about him, while Irving wants to prove that he is no worse than the James he once was.
"If we can complete the Black Eight, I believe they will look at us differently."
Irving looked away from the distance, put his hands on his sides, and turned to look at Harden.
"Kevin said that LinK is the only player he has ever seen who works harder than him."
Scenery often comes from emotion, and this is also the reason why Harden and Irving have completely different moods when they see the same scene.
Harden's pessimism comes not only from his own situation, but also from the opponents he will face in the upcoming playoffs.
If Varejao hadn't been injured, if they could have done better, they wouldn't have met Lin Ying and the Nets in the first round.
"We have a chance. Didn't Coach Scott say that we are the best backcourt combination he has ever seen? He is a three-time NBA champion and the best coach. He can't be wrong."
Owen said with a smile.
"Scott..."
Harden's mouth twitched.
What Irving said is correct. Scott is very successful and a very good coach to his players.
But he doesn't know why such a good coach spends most of his time standing on the sidelines and acting like a sportsman.
This is so different from Coach Brooks who coached him before.
"Yes, we have a chance."
But in the end, Harden said firmly.
Regardless of whether he can beat the Nets or not, he will go all out to show himself.
He doesn't want to stay in a place like this forever. He also wants to go to a bigger stage like the last James did.
…
On April 18, the playoffs officially kicked off.
The games in the Eastern Conference come first, and the first game to start is the Pacers and Bulls game.
The Pacers overwhelmed the Bulls by 20 points in the first half.
Although there is no Granger as in history, this Pacers team reached the Eastern Conference Finals in history and lost seven games to the Heat at that time!
In terms of configuration and combat effectiveness, the Pacers are a level better than the Bulls without Rose and then without Jimmy Butler.
It's only half time, and the game between the Nets and the Cavaliers is about to begin.
Although it was the first round, with the first team playing against the eighth team, this game still received a lot of attention.
It’s not because of the Cavaliers, but there will be Sloan’s Best Coach Award Ceremony before this game!
Although Sloan doesn't care that much about this award, he can't help the fans to care about it!
Social media has been abuzz over this incident in the past two days.
Is it just Sloan’s regret that makes up for it? That is the obsession in many people’s hearts!
So fans are paying attention. The Barclays Center is also full and the aisles are packed with people.
An hour before the game started, the arena was already packed.
When the warm-ups on both sides were almost complete, the court was set up, and when Stern walked to the center of the court, the cheers were overwhelming.
Stern smiled and shook Sloan's hand.
Although this award is not decided by him, he is happy to see this result.
Basketball games are nothing but passion and emotion.
What could be more emotional than Sloan, a coach who can be a candidate for the best coach in history, getting the first best coach championship trophy in his career?
Before the results were announced, Stern picked up the trophy and looked at Sloan with a smile.
"Jerry, the league owes you a best coaching trophy."
As soon as this sentence came out, the cheers instantly rose several decibels.
This sentence is a joke.
But coming out of Stern's mouth was different.
After all, this award is not up to him, but his saying this shows that he is also happy for Sloan from the bottom of his heart.
Sloan's expression didn't change much, he just said thank you politely.
Then when Stern announced that Sloan was the best head coach in the NBA in 2013, the audience burst into uniform cheers.
What they shouted at this time was not Sloan's name, but his nickname.
【pope】!
Sloan coached Utah for 20 years and led the team to the Finals twice. He is one of the greatest coaches in the history of the Jazz.
Because Utah is a city founded by Mormon believers, the majority of churches there are churches.
The origin of his nickname is easy to explain.
When fans shout this nickname, it is not only recognition of Sloan's coaching with the Nets this season, but also recognition of his 20 years of coaching with the Jazz!
Sloan was moved.
Although he doesn't care about this award, nor does he care about the outside world or the world's evaluation of him.
But people's hearts are not iron-clad. When everything you do is recognized by so many people, why don't you feel sore in the corner of your nose?
Driven by this emotion, the coach took the trophy and bowed deeply to the fans.
Thank you, dear fans, for your affirmation.
No one expected this move, but the cheers and applause at the scene became even louder.
Stern also smiled and clapped vigorously.
On the Nets bench, Deron couldn't help but wipe the corners of his eyes again.
He must win this championship, even if it means losing his career!
Amid cheers and applause, Sloan walked back to the bench holding the trophy.
He handed the trophy to his old subordinate Phil Johnson, then sat down to calm down.
He doesn't want his emotions to affect the next game. As a coach, he needs to remain absolutely committed.
The cheers and applause also continued for a while and then died down.
Immediately afterwards, comes the appearance ceremony.
The two teams appeared one after another.
Cavaliers: Irving, Harden, Alonzo Key, Tristan Thompson, Tyler Zeller
Nets: Deron, Joe Johnson, Lin Ying, Yi Jianlian, Chandler
The game starts immediately.
Chapter completed!