The NBA semi-finals have little suspense! All the favorites to win the championship collapsed, the big dark horse appears, and the Warriors are expected to compete for the championship

After the Warriors defeated the Timberwolves 99-88, the first round of the four groups of the East and West semi-finals of this year's NBA playoffs ended. Interestingly, all the teams with lower rankings completed the "below-best" away games, for the first time in NBA history. If the first round of the playoffs was still playing according to common sense, the team that "should advance" advanced smoothly and the team that "should be eliminated" left the court in disgrace, perhaps few people could have expected that the second round of the showdown would be so thrilling, completely overturning all the predictions before the game.

In the G1 match in the semi-finals, the Pacers have led the Cavaliers in the East by 2-0, the Knicks have also defeated the defending champion Celtics 1-0, and the Nuggets have defeated the Thunder in the West by 1-0. The Warriors have retreated from Curry's injury to defeat the Timberwolves, leading 1-0. You should know that before this, the Thunder ranked first in the ESPN championship odds ranking, the Cavaliers ranked second, and the Celtics ranked third. They are regarded as the top favorites in the championship this season. Among them, the Thunder's chance of winning the championship was as high as 87% before the start of the series. Unexpectedly, all of these teams failed in the second round of G1. This series of unpopularity made the playoff situation very foggy. Which team has real strength and who can win the championship in this variable season has become a suspense in everyone's heart.

Pacers: This set of matches between the biggest dark horse in the playoffs

Pacers and the Cavaliers can be regarded as a strong showdown between the super offensive team. Judging from the book strength, the Knight undoubtedly has an absolute advantage. They performed amazingly in all offensive data, ranking first in the league in scoring per game, offensive efficiency, shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage. In the starting lineup, Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and Allen are in charge, and are full of stars. During the regular season, the Cavaliers were the best in the Eastern Conference with the most impressive record, and they also won 12+ consecutive victories three times, showing strong dominance. However, the Cavaliers are facing great difficulties at present. Not only are the team behind 0-2, but the team's core are injured. Garland, Mobley and Hunter are all absent in the G2 game. Mitchell fought with leg cramps in the G2 game and scored 48 points, but in the end, Haliburton defeated his goal and failed. The probability of being eliminated in the second round is very high. In comparison, the Pacers are young and have slightly worse regular season statistics than the Cavaliers. However, such a seemingly inconspicuous team gave the Cavaliers a blow in the series. In fact, the Pacers have always been underestimated by the outside world. They have many scoring points, deep lineup rotation, tacit cooperation between teams, smooth cooperation on the offensive end, and not weak defensive strength. After falling behind by 20 points in the G2 game, they smoothed the score difference in the last quarter and achieved a final kill, which is enough to see their tenacity and have not made enough preparations to compete for the championship. In fact, last season, they quietly broke into the Eastern Conference Finals. Although they were eventually swept 4-0 by the Celtics, they were in a stalemate with the Celtics in every game, and it was not easy for the Celtics to win. This year's Pacers are more mature with Blair's bringing, and their strength cannot be underestimated. They have become the biggest dark horses in the playoffs. The author believes that the Pacers will sweep the Knights 4-1.

Knicks: The starting five tigers should not be underestimated

The match between the Celtics and the Knicks was generally considered the least suspense before the game. Judging from the depth of the rotation, the gap between the two sides is obvious, and the Knicks lost both times against the Celtics in the regular season. However, the G1 game trend was beyond everyone's expectations. In the first match of G1, the Knicks staged a thrilling 20-point reversal and finally defeated the Celtics in overtime. In that game, the Knicks started four players for more than 43 minutes, and Bridges even played for 51 minutes. Although Thibodeau's style of playing hard and using the main force in a desperate manner has been criticized by the outside world, it has also made the starting players accustomed to high-intensity games, ensuring that the team always welcomes their opponents with the strongest combat power. It is inexplicable that in the final quarter, Tatum, Brown and others were obviously exhausted and out of breath.

The Celtics lost the game in G1, largely because they were too obsessed with the Magic Ball system, and they shot three-pointers from the outside in a crazy way. They made only 15 of 60 three-pointers in the game, missing 45 three-pointers, setting a record of losing the most three-pointers in NBA history (including the playoffs and regular season). During the regular season this season, the Celtics are also the team that likes to shoot three-pointers in the league, ranking first in the league in terms of three-point shooting and output. However, success and defeat are three-pointers. The Magic system is too dependent on the feel. Tatum and Jaylen Brown have good physical fitness. The most effective way of playing should be to attack the basket and then pass the ball to the outside shooter, but they choose the most physically efficient way of playing. Pozin retired from injury in G1, and his future appearance is unknown. If this is absent, the Celtics will not match Towns highly. This may be the turning point in the series. If the Knicks start and stay healthy, it will be very difficult for the Celtics to advance. The author believes that the Knicks have the strength to defeat the Celtics 4-2 to advance.

Nuggets: Jokic's dominance has no solution

The matchup between the Nuggets and the Thunder is also one-sided. The TNT commentary team and the ESPN expert team have a total of 17 people, and all of them are predicted that the Thunder will advance to the Western Conference Finals. After all, the Thunder performed extremely well during the regular season, ranking first in the league in multiple statistics, and even made the first place in history. And after sweeping the Grizzlies in the first round, the Thunder got a 9-day rest time. In contrast, the Nuggets just finished the tiebreak battle with the Clippers, and the series consumed a lot, but the result of the game was shocking. In the G1 battle, the Thunder were in the lead most of the time, but the Nuggets set off a chasing momentum in the final quarter and finally defeated the Thunder with Gordon's final victory. As early as the first round of G4 against the Clippers, Gordon performed a 0.1-second dunk, which directly changed the trend of the series.. The final victory between G1 and Gordon will also give the Thunder players a big blow. When the score is leading, they compete with their opponents for a penalty kick, actively pausing time, and giving the opponent a chance to score easily. This is undoubtedly a reflection of the lack of playoff experience.

On the contrary, the Nuggets showed tenacious resilience and fighting spirit. The star of the country, Jokic, is very dominant and has no solution. Neither Chet nor Hatten can limit this. The combined scores and rebounds of these two are not as good as Jokic alone. Although Jokic is not as good as Alexander in the MVP competition, Jokic is crushing in terms of personal dominance and contribution to the team. In addition to Jokic's outstanding performance, Westbrook performed well in this year's playoffs. He performed well and calmly. In addition, Gordon's key ball ability is getting stronger and stronger, and his contributions to rebounds and scoring are also outstanding. You should know that in the Nuggets' starting lineup, Porter Jr., who is in a sluggish state and Murray, who has always been tepid. The Nuggets have full hope of defeating the Thunder 4-2 and advancing to the Western Conference Finals.

Warriors: Challenges and opportunities coexist

Before this round of series starts, many people are optimistic about the Warriors. Su Qun and Yang Yi in China predict that the Timberwolves will advance 4-2, and ESPN's 10-member expert group and 7 are optimistic about the Timberwolves' advancement. However, in the G1 battle, all the Warriors taught the Timberwolves a good lesson and slapped the experts in the face. The Warriors are mature and steady on the offensive end and have a positive attitude on the defensive end. Every player dares to take responsibility. Curry ran away at the beginning and retreated from injury. Zhu Meng Green took the banner. At the beginning of the second half, Hilder perfectly replaced Curry's job. Butler's several key balls in the last quarter showed his own value. Even Payton and Spencer, who were on the bench, played very decisively. In the end, the Warriors defeated the Timberwolves 99-88 and won a precious victory. Although the Timberwolves would not be so strong, and Curry would also be injured and missed 2-3 games, the Warriors' current system is not as indispensable as other players. Once the game enters the tiebreak, Curry can come back and the Warriors will eliminate the Timberwolves 4-3 to advance. The four matches in the eastern and western semi-finals were all the following crimes, which fully demonstrates that nothing is impossible in the NBA arena. Now, the Golden State Warriors' opportunity has come. Looking back on the 22-year playoffs, no one is optimistic about the Warriors, but they passed the opportunity and eventually defeated the Celtics in the finals to win the championship. Maybe this year's Warriors can create glory again, stand out in this variable playoffs, and win the O'Brien Cup. Let us wait and see who can become the ultimate king.