The Basketball Court Swordsman

In the last two minutes of the game, Mike Malone completely gave up resistance.

Watching the Pacers' ultimate lineup on the court destroying the offensive, Mike Malone couldn't help asking himself: "How much hope do the Nuggets have in the playoffs?"

As we all know, the ranking of the regular season does not directly explain the strength of a team in the playoffs. Because there are many contingency that affect the outcome of a game, but in a 7-game 4-win game, contingency is undoubtedly reduced to the lowest. Usually, it is the side with the stronger hard power that can finally win the series.

And this game undoubtedly allowed Mike Malone to see the true strength of the top teams.

When Henson minimized the impact of accidental factors such as the thin air and the players' physical fitness on the game, the Denver Nuggets seemed to suddenly have no room to fight back.

If this is a 7-game 4-win game, Mike Malone really doesn't know how to deal with Henson. In the same way, can the Nuggets match their rankings when they meet other opponents in the playoffs?

Although this is the seventh year of Mike Malone's coaching career, he has never experienced the playoffs. Therefore, he has become extremely anxious now. He finally knew how different the real top-level matchup was from the regular season.

The other party will magnify your shortcomings infinitely. For example, Henson made a fuss about Jokic's running. At the same time, the opponent will quickly solve the various difficulties that appear in front of him.

The battle with the Pacers was a wake-up call for Mike Malone's playoff debut. If he is eliminated from the top three rankings in the Western Conference, he believes he will be overwhelmed by the media.

When Mike Malone thought about these things, the whole game was over. 118 to 109, the Nuggets finally failed to let the Pacers widen the difference to double digits.

But sometimes, losing one point and losing ten will have similar results. After this game, the Denver Nuggets officially fell out of the first place in the Western Conference. And Henson also proved to the world that defending Jokic does not necessarily have to stop him in the low post. You can even fight a center forward in a high position.

Of course, what surprised people most was the versatility of Henson's ultimate lineup.

In the Rockets, Henson can play against the Houstonians with the ultimate lineup. For the Nuggets, Henson can use the same lineup but do defensive things.

In the regular season, Henson has not used this lineup on a large scale. When the playoffs begin and Henson uses the ultimate lineup for a long time, God knows how strong the Pacers can be.

So after the game, Mike Malone repeatedly praised his opponent.

"Is it embarrassing to lose at home? No, I won't use the word embarrassment because it is an insult to the Pacers. The Pacers played very well today and Coach Henson's scheduling was very timely. They deserved it. With such a victory, they deserve to be the defending champions."

Mike Malone’s words all reveal his admiration for Henson. In the west where the strong are like forests, the Nuggets have faced countless powerful enemies. But no team has convinced Mike Malone.

At this time, even many reporters who were not optimistic about the walkers' ability to travel the west safely at the beginning became nervous.

Even the No. 1 Nuggets in the Western Conference are kneeling, can other teams really stop the Pacers?

And if this trip to the Western Conference Pacers cannot be stopped, then Henson's third 70-win season will be a sure thing!

When a person wants to accomplish something that has never been done before, the crowd will always feel fear.

Now, the eyes of the world have fallen on the Pacers. How Henson will leave the NBA has become a topic of concern throughout the league.

"Nuggets? The Nuggets are not invincible. I am not surprised that the Pacers can beat the Nuggets. So, even if they just beat the Denver Nuggets, they may not necessarily win in Portland. Don't worry. Well, I will take care of everything. After all, we are one of the few teams that have defeated the Pacers this season."

After playing with the Nuggets, the game will naturally go to Portland. Over there, the trailblazer of the Lillard leader is coming to the Pacers. He is full of confidence, because the Pacers lost the first time this season, it was in the hands of the Blazers.

As we all know, Lillard has always been a man who dares to speak. The most famous of these was 2017. Lillard said he would lead the team to solve the Warriors within 6 games.

After only 4 games, Lillard changed his mind: "It is hard to accept being swept, but the Warriors have shown the strength of the championship team."

The match between the Pacers and the Trail Blazers on March 18 became Lillard's second classic face-slap moment.

Due to the injury of C.J. McCollum, the Blazers are now basically a single-core team. So Henson followed the example of the Pelicans last season, set up a defensive trap for Lillard, and resolutely used double-teaming tactics against him.

In the 4 playoff games between the Trail Blazers and the Pelicans last season, Lillard shot 35.2% from the field, 30% from three-pointers, and 19 assists in 4 games, but 16 turnovers occurred.

Even more embarrassing is that in the regular season Lillard averaged 36.6 minutes per game, he could easily get 26.9+4.5+6.6 data, and in the playoffs, he averaged 18.5+4.5 data per game. Is one-third less. Originally there was not much difference between the strengths of the two sides, but Lillard froze and turned himself into the weak underbelly of the team!

So last season, the Pelicans swept the Blazers easily and easily advanced.

Today, Henson is taking a picture of the gourd, imitating the Pelicans defense last season.

Double-teaming after the screen, which is why the Pelicans beat the Trail Blazers last season. Under normal circumstances, the two defenders will not stay together after the pick and roll, and one of them will definitely leave. For example, after the pick-and-roll, when the smaller guy catches up with the offensive guy, the big guy who helps defend usually leaves.

But the Pelicans' strategy is that the big man still stays on and continues to pinch Lillard to force him to play the ball. The Pacers resolutely implemented this tactic, so Lillard must pass to his teammates every time he holds the ball.

As a result, Lillard only scored 13 points in the game. Sent 8 assists, but 6 turnovers! 6 turnovers in a single game, for a number one position, this is simply a rollover scene.

Before the game, Lillard said he would take care of everything.

After the game, at the press conference, Lillard was crying, "Their defense is something I have never encountered in my previous career."

Henson smiled, Lillard was really thick-faced. However, the two face slaps between himself and the Warriors should make Lillard a little more restful in the future.

In this way, the **** pioneers also lost to Henson. And in the words of the media, "Lillard was almost beaten to tears."

After three consecutive defeats of the Western Conference team, people are extremely nervous about the Pacers' number of wins.

On March 19, facing the Clippers, which were strong and weak, the Pacers ran into some trouble. Six Clippers scored in double figures. Among them, Monteres Harrell scored 20 points off the bench, which became the X factor of the game.

I have to say that the Los Angeles Clippers are a team with a high ceiling.

But because there are no superstars, the Clippers eventually lost in a few key rounds at the last moment.

After the game, the general manager of the Clippers, "Logo man" Jerry West, said, "Henson is the most amazing coach I have ever seen. He is in danger, and the final arrangement is always fatal. He won’t be able to play next season, which is a pity."

There are not many coaches who can be praised by West, and Henson has been greatly affirmed.

In this way, from the start of Westbrook's Thunder to the madness of the Clippers, which even killed the Warriors, Henson was annihilated by a "snap finger".

On the Internet, countless fans have turned Henson P into Thanos, saying that he is about to completely destroy the West.

The last Eastern Conference team that can do as much as possible in the Western Conference may have to be traced back to the Chicago Bulls in Jordan's time...

At this point, the Western Army was almost wiped out. And Henson is only 6 games away from his 70-win goal.

Just the day after the Pacers defeated the Clippers, eSPN published an article. Even if you don’t look at the content, the title is enough to attract attention.

"I officially announce that Henson Joe has become the king of the regular season this season."

Looking at the news on the phone, Henson smiled triumphantly.

The king of the regular season, he likes this name.