Favorites should go further, or is Miami capable of sensationalism?

The NBA has just started post-season. Real. With a full qualifier series. With protection, with some sense of predictability, but with the expectation of overwhelming sensation. Already in the first round. Boston, Philadelphia and Milwaukee are not just East favorites, but all playoff favourites. Will these teams be able to get through the first round without too much effort and protect their leader from injury? Let’s try to understand together.

Boston Celtics – Atlanta Hawks

The Celts took second place, which means they are the best opponents in the qualifying tournament. Interestingly, it was Atlanta, not Miami, the 8th team in the regular season that all ESPN pundits considered the Bucks’ rivals at best. But why not?

His suitcases were prepared for a trip across the ocean where he would spend time with friends and family. But now their suitcases will go to the playoffs – the Hawks are led by talented coach Quin Snyder, who has worked successfully with Utah for a long time. He knows how to hold on to games in the here and now, because his Jazz performed very efficiently during the regular season, when they were in the lead without any outstanding stars on the roster. On the same team, there are basketball players Trey Young, who are hungry for victory and ambitious leadership. How else to explain the manager change with 20 games left in the season?

The guys are trying to be the best version of themselves at the end of the season. For us, the matches are ongoing, so we will try to further develop this desire of the team, ”said the coach after the Miami win.

But can Atlanta beat last year’s Eastern champions? Boston not only impresses the stars with Tatum and Brown, but also with their substitutes. When Pritchard hits a triple-double with Atlanta at the end of the regular season (half-injured) and Houser scores 26 points per game (with Toronto), the depth of the Celtics roster becomes frightening. rivals.

“Experience is the best teacher. Our team has gone through a lot of trials over the past two years. We’ve accomplished a lot but also had failures. We’re working hard to get back into the playoffs. To get my new chance,” Jason Tatum said before the postseason kicked off.

It’s worth noting that Boston defeated their opponents in the first round and the first leg of relegation in all three games of the regular season. Can the new Atlanta, which Coach Snyder has just begun to build, withstand the onslaught of the mentally strong Celtics? After all, a quick transition to the next round of Joe Mezzala’s competition wards does not arouse suspicion among American experts.

Philadelphia 76ers – Brooklyn Nets

Harden’s new team vs Harden’s old team. But these lines will not be about Harden. But in the case of Joel Embiid, how quickly Phila can deal with the Nets will determine how prepared the center is to approach the decisive stages of the qualifiers. The MVP contender has appeared in 67 games this season, averaging 35.1 minutes on the field. Only Beard had more playing time. But he spent 8 games less.

Probably Embiid is always ready to fight and doesn’t like sitting on the bank when he feels he has the strength to help the team. But remember the trauma of the Cameroonian and the fact that he missed two years due to injuries before he made his NBA debut. With its size and the number of entries on the patient list, it is quite dangerous to be under constant physical exertion. But also keep in mind that we’re dealing with Doc Rivers, where Griffin, if not Paul, consistently flew in the pivotal part of the playoffs.

“Obviously, I can’t win on my own. And only one team overcomes until the championship. East alone has the arguably two best teams in the league: Boston and Milwaukee. The west is crazy. That’s why it’s hard to be a champion,” says Embiid, and shares his views with Andscape.

But now we’re talking about the first round and the duel with Brooklyn, where there is neither Durent nor Irving anymore, but Bridges and a bunch of defenders.

“These guys were just patient,” says Jacques Vaughn after the end of the regular season.

Indeed, after the star trio disbanded and Simmons withdrew from the game, few hoped that the New York team would retain its direct ticket to the playoffs. But they stayed on line six. Brooklyn itself directly beat rivals – Atlanta and Miami. He also beat Phila-level teams Denver and Boston in the final stage of the season.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia took all 4 head-to-head games during the regular season and has already led the series to four wins. What can stop Embiid and his company in this couple? If there are no injuries, Philadelphia should quickly advance to the next round after the season.

Cleveland Cavaliers – New York Knicks

Perhaps the most even first-round pair from the Eastern Conference. Competitors with no clear favorites. Therefore, the result of this series will depend on the little things. For example, like choice.

It should be noted that the Knicks have three wins to one against the Cavaliers during the regular season. And when Tom Thibodeau’s wards managed to impose a viscous defensive play on the opponent, Cleveland could not stand it. As you know, the game is suspended in the playoffs and the defense of one’s own basket comes to the fore. This is exactly what the New Yorkers managed to accomplish in the first game of the best of four series.

The Knicks closed in tight – 32.3% of 3-pointers came from Donovan Mitchell and his company. “Cavs” did not fly neither from the corners of the site, nor from the “forehead”. The same Mitchell, LeVert (1-7) and especially Mobley (4-13) had trouble shooting close range. What Thibodeau struggled with was to prevent his opponents from playing modern basketball – three-pointers and “paint” points.

It should also be said about Julius Randle’s comeback and double-double: 19 points and 10 rebounds, without which New York would not have had an advantage under the basket – 51-38 on rebounds and defense, the three-second zone we discussed above.

“We know he always gave his best. Julius played 77 games before he got injured. I knew that if coach Thibodeau was ready to play, he would give his all on the pitch.”

As for the caves, it can be said that the probability of repeating a situation where the ball does not enter the basket is quite low. This means they can fight in the next match at home and in fights at Madison Square Garden. Also, the percentage of hits from the game is higher in JB Bickerstaff’s wards, as is the percentage of 3-pointers. But those lost rebounds. But that brought Randle back.

Milwaukee Bucks – Miami Heat

As a rule, in the NBA, the probability of a seeded team losing to an unseeded team in the first round is up to 1.5 among all doubles. So, from eight doubles we can expect one to two defeats of seeded teams. Frankly, this statistic can very well be taken up by the Western Conference, where the Lakers and Warriors are not seeded. But even in the East there is a couple where everything is not clear, if you examine in more detail, which we will do now.

Stupid luck? No injuries in Milwaukee (finally), no quarterbacks in Miami (Lauri and Vincent are questionable). These teams have been playing regularly in the playoffs lately. And the winner of this couple – comes to the NBA Finals. Let’s see how it will be this year?

It is known that “Hit” is no longer on horseback. It got to the point where they lost to Atlanta in the first game of the qualifying tournament. And in general – they did not buy a ticket directly to the post-season, but only jumped on the already departing train. Even if it means hurting Kyle Lowry. But as always, new stars appeared in the team. Unnamed yesterday:

“Last season the Summer League was everything to me. It gave me confidence,” says Max Strus, who scored 31 points for Chicago and carried the Heat into the mainstay of the postseason.

His story is similar to Duncan Robinson, who shows up out of nowhere and starts shooting 3-pointers and deftly defending himself. Gabe Vincent can be attributed to a group of the same players. Kyle Lowry and… Jimmy Butler too. They just do their job and get better.

Max Strus continues, “I’m the kind of guy who would be told not to play in the Summer League in his third year in the NBA. But he did. And now look where he is now.

And now the basketball player is in the Miami Heat’s rotation, adding a lot of value to the team on both sides of the court and independently taking the Floridans to the next round after the season. And most importantly, they have a team of the same fighters.

But Milwaukee is uninjured, they are the big favorites of the Larry O’Brien Cup and the regular season winners. By the way, Chris Middleton has been training literally this Thursday. According to Mike Budenholzer, Allen and Connaughton are also in the ranks: “You want to be healthier. All these guys are already training. Then we’ll see how they feel.”

It should be noted that the Bucks and Heat drew 2-2 during the regular season. This confuses this couple even more. One thing is for sure: Even if the streak ends after four games, it will not be an easy journey for anyone. But the prize will be in the next round – reaching the winner of the Caves – Knicks couple.

Vyacheslav Shevchenko