Chapter 493 The regular season is over, Chinese fans are happy
On the first day of April, the sun begins to shine.
They lost to the Kings, the second-last team in the Western Conference, 107-111 at home, which can be said to be a big upset.
This day happens to be April Fool's Day. After seeing the news that the Suns lost to the Kings, the first reaction of many fans was that it was a prank news on April Fool's Day.
Game highlights released by tv5...
In this game, four Kings scored 20 points, and the team made 20 of 29 three-pointers, which was terrifying.
The Suns were also terrible. They took 31 more three-pointers, but only made 6 goals, and even missed 15 consecutive shots at one point.
The Suns rarely have such a misfire situation. The more Suns players miss their shots, the more they want to use three-pointers to regain the game. This is how this upset was born.
Loss in the regular season is not terrible. Every loss is an opportunity for growth for the Suns' players.
The Suns often bottom out after a loss. Two days later in their home game against the Rockets, they defeated their opponents in the third quarter.
This is the most recent match between the two sides this season. Rockets fans never imagined that the last match was so back-and-forth, how could it turn into a one-sided situation just a few days later?
On April 5th, the Suns lost again.
This time they lost to the Hornets led by Nowitzki 105-125.
Jason Kidd played like crazy this night, scoring 19 points and dishing out 20 assists, completely revitalizing the team.
The Suns didn't play well in the closing stages. Some people said this was because Chen Yan and Nash were tired at the end of the season. Others said this was because they were deliberately preparing for the playoffs.
The Suns have currently lost 12 games and are four games ahead of the second-ranked Los Angeles Lakers. With five games left until the end of the regular season, there is basically no suspense for them to win first place in the Western Conference.
On April 8, the Suns defeated the Hornets.
Chen Yan only played 28 minutes in this game, and his efficiency was extremely high. He made 10 of 14 shots and scored 25 points and 5 assists from free throws. After the team took a large lead, Chen Yan took the initiative to request to leave the game. He had already locked up his points for this season in advance.
King, there is no need to deliberately increase points.
Tyson Chandler was injured, and Jordan took the opportunity to dominate the Hornets' interior, scoring a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Diaw also had an all-round performance with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Paul played 40 minutes in this game and scored 30 points, 16 assists and 7 rebounds.
This game can be said to be a fight. The situation of the Hornets is completely different from that of the Suns. They are currently ranked eighth in the Western Conference, and are only one game behind the ninth-ranked Jazz. If they don't fight hard, they may be defeated at the end of the regular season at any time.
Go fishing.
In the next three games, the Suns faced the Grizzlies twice and the Timberwolves won both games without any suspense.
Chen Yan didn't have any explosive performance in April, and he also deliberately tempered his skills to save his energy for the playoffs.
The Suns' current record is 70 wins and 12 losses, locking in the league's first place ahead of schedule.
In the last game against the Warriors, D'Antoni gave Chen Yan a rest.
There is an unwritten rule in the NBA, that is, many strong teams will deliberately slow down in the final stage to ensure their ranking. This is a common routine in preparation for the playoffs, among which the Spurs are the slowest.
There are those who play the best, and there are those who fail the most. Among them, the Mavericks in the 2006-2007 season is a typical case.
At that time, the Mavericks secured first place in the league in advance with 67 wins and 15 losses. In the penultimate game of the regular season against the Warriors, they adopted the strategy of resting all the main players. In the end, the Warriors defeated their opponents 111 to 82 in this game.
The victory also directly triggered the subsequent butterfly effect. It was also that year that the Mavericks suffered a tragic comeback from the Warriors.
Playing games in the final stage of the regular season is a trick that aging teams like to play. Teams like the Celtics and Bulls do it directly, and there is no distinction between finishing and not finishing.
The Suns are an exception. During the period when Stoudemire was injured, especially in March, Chen Yan was overloaded. His playing time, number of shots and scores all increased significantly. D'Antoni saw all this. As an outstanding player,
The head coach knows how to protect his players.
Nash did not play in the last regular season game. Even so, the two teams still fought fiercely, and the winner was determined in the last 2 minutes.
This game can show the Suns' excellent bench ability. Azubuike, Jason Williams, Barea, Old Hill, Novak, and Barnes are not vegetarians, but when it comes to the most critical moment
The shortcomings of not having a star player were exposed.
In the past, the key shots for the Suns were all played by Chen Yan and Nash, but now that both of them are away, the players suddenly don't know how to play. They only scored 4 points on free throws in the last 2 minutes, and finally lost to the Warriors 111 to 116.
After losing this game, the Suns' regular season record was officially fixed at 69 wins and 13 losses.
On April 16th, the long regular season finally ended!
The fight on the last day of the regular season was brutal. The Hornets lost to the Spurs 98-105. The Jazz narrowly won the last playoff ticket in the Western Conference with a 0.5-win advantage!
The Hornets could only exit the game in tears.
Why tears?
It's really not their own fault that they didn't make the playoffs this year. The Hornets' record in the regular season was 48 wins and 34 losses, with a winning rate far exceeding 50%. In the early years, who would have thought that a team with such a winning rate would miss the playoffs.
?
Suns fans are very happy that the team can enter the playoffs as the league's number one, but they are also regretful. The team's final record is 69 wins, which seems to be only one step away from the 72 wins set by the great Bulls.
Many fans said that if Stoudemire had not been injured, the Suns might have made history.
The final ranking of the league is determined.
The Eastern Conference regular season standings are as follows:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (65 wins and 17 losses)
2. Orlando Magic (59 wins, 23 losses)
3. Atlanta Hawks (47 wins and 35 losses)
4. Boston Celtics (45 wins and 37 losses)
5. Miami Heat (43 wins, 39 losses)
6. Chicago Bulls (41 wins, 41 losses)
7. Philadelphia 76ers (41 wins, 41 losses)
8. Detroit Pistons (39 wins, 43 losses)
The Western Conference regular season standings are as follows:
1. Phoenix Suns (69 wins and 13 losses)
2. Los Angeles Lakers (65 wins and 17 losses)
3. Denver Nuggets (54 wins, 28 losses)
4. Portland Trail Blazers (54 wins, 28 losses)
5. Dallas Mavericks (54 wins, 28 losses)
6. San Antonio Spurs (53 wins, 29 losses)
7. Houston Rockets (50 wins, 32 losses)
8. Utah Jazz (49 wins and 33 losses)
It can be clearly seen from the number of wins and losses that not only are the strengths and weaknesses of the East and West clearly divided, but there is also obvious polarization in the West.
The Suns and Lakers both reached 65 wins, and the subsequent teams did not even win 55 games.
The happiest people after the regular season rankings were announced were the Chinese fans, as the teams with three Chinese players all made it to the playoffs.
