The NBA playoffs are in full swing, and all 3 games have been played so far, only the Cavaliers VS Magic, and the Lakers VS Nuggets have a relatively fast process, playing 4 games. Maybe the official originally thought that the series between the Lakers and the Nuggets would be very long, but they were directly beaten 3-0, and even if the Lakers won G4, they would inevitably be out. It can only be said that it is a pity that James and thick eyebrows are in such a good state, they are in their prime, but they have encountered such a strong Nuggets, and the other players of the Lakers have performed too poorly, and they have wasted another year in vain.
It is said that the playoffs are the stage for superstars, and in fact, it is true, without strong enough hard power, it is easy to get lost when encountering a strengthened version of defensive intensity. And after the playoffs G3, the names of these 4 "pseudo-superstars" are completely confirmed
The Suns are also 0-3, and they may be swept away, and the Big Three are all responsible for falling into such a situation, but Booker is the star of the house, and he needs to take on more. In the past, Booker's evaluation was that he had strong scoring ability and was invincible in mid-range shots. But looking at the playoffs in the past 3 years, it was reversed by the Mavericks in 2022, and there was a supergod in 2023, but it can only be regarded as a return to the past, and then it is very iron. And this year, Booker simply didn't even play 1 good game, 3 games, averaging only 20.3 points per game, shooting 43.2%, it can be said that he was completely limited. Especially against McDaniels, who shot just 22.2 percent, when have you ever seen a real superstar who has been guarded by a role player? Booker was still saying after the G3 game: It's exciting to have a chance to make a 3-0 comeback. I really don't know whether to laugh or cry when I see this.
The Pelicans were able to make the playoffs this season, mainly because of Zion, but he was injured in the play-in tournament, and Ingram, the team's second leader, should have stepped up. In terms of talent, Ingram is similar to Durant and has also been expected to be high. But now that I'm 26 years old, I don't see much growth. In the playoffs, the Pelicans lost all of them, and Ingram averaged only 16.3 points per game, and 1 game of 20+ points was not scored, which is really disappointing. Maybe this offseason, Ingram will be traded by the team.
What happened to the Cavaliers from a 2-0 lead to a 2-2 tie? The Magic suddenly got the hang of it, scoring two games in a row and shooting three-pointers accurately. In this case, the Cavaliers should have raised the fire to match, and Mitchell was tasked with him, he was the Cavaliers' most scoring player. But in the face of the Cavaliers' high-intensity defense, Mitchell was lost, scoring only a dozen points in two consecutive games, and his shooting percentage continued to decline throughout the series, from 50% in the first game to 35% in the fourth game. This also shows that the Magic have understood Mitchell's offensive routine and applied targeted defense to him, but Mitchell simply can't crack it. In the case of an obvious advantage in overall strength, he was still tied up, this is no longer a matter of ability, and Mitchell is indeed not a superstar.
James Mei is so good, but the Lakers are so tough, Russell is sorry for the team's trust. Ham wanted Russell to be the third scoring point of the star, and even gave him a lot of shots in G1, with more shots than James in 20, but the three-point range was 1-of-9, and in G3, it was an embarrassing 0 points. Russell is indeed a regular season player, and he can play well in low-intensity games, but once he enters the high-end game, he is the worst performer, and the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment, so let's trade him for other better guards in the offseason.