Chapter 37 Eliminate the Pelicans in the playoffs!
The entire Warriors team is very satisfied with the team's final result of 68 wins... except Wang Feng.
As a time traveler, Wang Feng is very aware of how strong the Warriors are this season. In the 14-15 season, they should have won 67 games in the regular season and defeated the Cavaliers in the finals to win the championship trophy.
And now, the Warriors have only won one more game despite having an extra person of their own, making the Warriors' lineup even more perfect?
This proves that Wang Feng's existence can only improve the Warriors so much.
This is actually not difficult to understand at all.
Wang Feng's performance is remarkable, but now he is just a role player positioned in 3D.
He can provide the team with better perimeter defense, provide a stable output of open three-pointers, and increase the space on the court.
But it is not the core of the team!
The person who determines the upper limit of this Warriors team is Stephen Curry!
In the 14-15 season, Curry was on the rise. Although he was about to win his first MVP trophy in his career, he was far from the exaggeration of Curry in the following season!
After the regular season ended, Curry's average data per game this season was fixed at 23.8 points, 7.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds.
This data is already very good, ranking sixth in the current season scoring list, but the average of 23.8 points per game is the lowest scoring average in the regular season MVP in the past ten years. Going back to the previous one, it was even lower than Curry's scoring average.
The regular season MVP is Steve Nash, who mainly passes the ball and assists his teammates.
The main reason why Curry was able to win the regular season MVP in 2015 was the bonus points for the team's record. Many people even questioned at the time that Curry's regular season MVP was not worthy of the name and only took advantage of the team's record.
That's all, especially after the FMVP trophy was awarded to Ying Guodala who averaged 16.3 points per game in the finals.
Fortunately, Curry immediately gave the most powerful counterattack next season!
The 15-16 season was the season where Curry completely broke out. In that season, Curry averaged 11 shots per game from beyond the three-point line, shooting 45.4% from the field. He made 402 three-pointers in a single season, averaging 30.1 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Led the Warriors to a league-shocking 73 wins, breaking the 72-win regular season record set by Joe's Bulls in one fell swoop!
Relying on his superb performance, Curry became the first unanimous regular season MVP in history! The only flaw was that the Warriors lost to James' Cavaliers in the finals. James completed his redemption, while Curry missed out on further becoming a player.
Legendary opportunity.
…
The topic has gone a bit far.
The Warriors with Wang Feng only won one more game than without him. This just proves that for a team, the gap in contribution between excellent role players and top stars.
Wang Feng is not discouraged by this, because his ability at this stage is inherently limited. He is very satisfied to have reached this level with an overall rating in his early 70s.
A fat man is not made in one bite, he has more time!
It was early March 2015 when Wang Feng traveled through the world. By the end of the last regular season game on April 15, it took almost two months to participate in a total of 29 games.
In these 29 games, Wang Feng averaged about 24 minutes per game and could hit 4 goals in about 6 shots. Basically all of his shots came from outside the three-point line. His three-point shooting rate was as high as 66%, which is higher than Curry and Thompson!
, relying on this accurate three-pointer, Wang Feng can average about 12 points per game. This score is second only to Curry and Thompson in the Warriors, and is higher than Green, who averages 11.7 points per game!
Not only that, relying on the golden interceptor badge and basic ability value of 90 in speed, agility, and steals, Wang Feng can average 2.5 steals per game. Unfortunately, his appearances are too few, otherwise he would even have a chance to compete for the league's steal king.
.
Averaged 25 minutes per game, 12 points, 2.5 steals and 3.2 rebounds, shooting 66% from the field!
Any team would be envious of this kind of efficiency.
How come the Warriors are so lucky? They picked up a top 3D player for nothing!
You know, these days, the price of 3D players is getting more and more expensive. Basically, those with a little bit of skill will get contracts worth tens of millions!
And Wang Feng is still getting a basic salary contract, and because he failed to participate in the draft, Wang Feng's contract price is pitifully low!
At that time, the Warriors gave Wang Feng a two-year contract, starting in July 2014 and ending in July 2016.
The total contract amount was 940,000, with an average annual salary of 470,000 US dollars, which was the minimum salary at the time.
I am afraid that the Warriors management who signed the contract with Wang Feng at that time could not have imagined that this investment, which was just to open up the Chinese market, would actually have such a generous return!
At present, the Warriors' front office has not discussed contract issues with Wang Feng, but according to Wang Feng's performance, after the playoffs, the Warriors will definitely come to discuss Wang Feng's early contract renewal.
…
The end of the regular season is already considered a holiday for teams with poorer records. Players can start their leisure and vacation life, go to the beach to bask in the sun and go fishing. Life is so comfortable.
But for the teams with the top eight records in the East and West, this is just the beginning!
The Warriors, who have won 68 games, will face the New Orleans Pelicans at home in the first game of the playoffs three days later.
The Pelicans, which just changed their name from the Hornets for a year, have achieved a record of 45 wins and 37 losses this season under the leadership of Anthony Davis, ranking eighth in the Western Conference. This is also the Pelicans' position after Paul left.
Reaching the playoffs for the first time in several years!
Anthony Davis' performance in the regular season was perfect, averaging 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game. He already looks like a top star power forward.
For the Pelicans' management, being able to enter the playoffs this season is already very satisfying! They never expected to defeat the Warriors to complete the Black Eight Miracle.
In contrast, letting the young number one pick Big Eyebrow continue to grow, the team continue to operate, and introducing some strong players to continue to strengthen the team are issues they need to consider now.
The Warriors easily won the first series game at home.
116:99!
Anthony Davis completely dominated the paint, scoring 35 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks, but six players from the Warriors scored in double figures.
Curry scored a Warriors-high 31 points, Thompson had 22 points, Green had 12 points, Ying Guodala had 10 points, and Barnes had 11 points.
Wang Feng had a lot of opportunities in this game. He made 5 of 7 three-pointers and scored 15 points!
The strength of the two teams is very different, and there is no suspense at all.
The results of the next three games were exactly the same.