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Injuries are an important factor affecting the team's winning rate. The Raptors lost a lot of games in March, which had something to do with the absence of Christie and Curry.

Especially Christie, he is the Raptors' best perimeter defender and is responsible for opposing scorers every game. If he is here, it will be difficult for Eddie Jones to score 32 points with a high shooting rate.

At this time, Yang Rui faced a decision. The team doctor suggested that Christie should rest more and come back in the playoffs. It is possible to return to play early, but there is a possibility of recurrence of the pectineal muscle injury.

Yang Ruisi thought about it and decided to let Christie continue to rest. The playoffs are the key. Countless painful examples such as Hardaway, Hill, and Barkley have proven that playing with injuries has no good results.

The Knicks have also had a clear example recently.

Ewing originally had knee problems. In order to compete for the home court advantage in the first round, he increased his playing time. In the game against the Pistons on March 27, he sprained his knee while trying to grab a backcourt rebound and was unfortunately retired for the season.

The scene when Ewing came off the field was edited by fans, played in slow motion with sad music.

Van Gundy looked on the sidelines with an expression of broken eggs and regretful. He felt as if he was about to be made into a terracotta warrior, and he helplessly watched his lover in red jump into the sea of ​​fire. (Is Ewing the Gong Li in the Terracotta Warriors?)

On April 2, the Raptors faced the Pacers at home.

The Raptors have two games against the Pacers this month, one against the Heat, which is a suspenseful game, and the other games are easier. They have already beaten the strong teams in the Western Conference.

The two sides were evenly matched in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Pacers substitute power forward Sam Perkins had a fit and hit four three-pointers in a single quarter, helping the team widen the point difference to 20 points.

At the beginning of the second half, Perkins hit two more three-pointers, making 6 of 6 shots. The maximum point difference between the two sides reached 25 points.

Veteran Perkins is 39 years old, and his only highlight performance all season has been a surprise to the Raptors.

However, the Pacers were not happy for long. Yang Rui sent Boykins, Tracy McGrady, Carter, Jumaine Jones, and O'Neal to play running and gunning. Before the end of the quarter, the point difference was reduced to only 6 points.

Boykins has become a key factor. He is quick on the fast break, plays pick-and-rolls in position, and can break through the Pacers' interior defense. In order to prevent the pick-and-roll, center Schmitz only played 17 minutes.

In the final quarter, O'Neal Jr. and Carter took over the game. Carter made a sharp breakthrough and O'Neal Jr. played efficiently from behind. The two scored 11 points and 10 points respectively in a single quarter, leading the team to complete a 109-104 reversal.

This game greatly improved the team's morale. Next, facing weak teams such as the Hawks, Bulls, and Cavaliers, the Raptors easily won six consecutive victories.

Carter, Tracy McGrady, O'Neal Jr., Billups, and Miller have increased their playing time, playing about 35 minutes. If any two of them are in good condition, plus the performance of role players, they can win the game.

Ryan Bowen, who hasn't played much all season, also performed well. Grant Hill, who defended the Pistons, and Jim Jackson, who guarded the Hawks, both did well.

On the 14th, the Raptors defeated the Pacers again in an away game.

Boykins scored a career-high 25 points and 5 assists. 224CM's high center Schmitz became a defensive weakness. Pacers point guard Mark Jackson made 0 of 6 shots, did not score a point, and only had 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

The 35-year-old veteran Jackson is not fast enough to guard Boykins, and his shooting is too poor. He still has to rush inside to challenge the small man, and there is nothing he can do if the penalty area is blocked by the Raptors.

The Pacers made two mistakes and were defeated 77-102.

After the Raptors won 7 games in a row, everyone believed that they would definitely break the record, leaving only the Heat with a strong team to compete with.

On the 16th, the Raptors defeated the last-place Bulls 106-84.

On the 18th, they defeated the Heat, who were missing Tim Hardaway, 103-97 in an away game, breaking the Bulls' regular season record one game ahead of schedule and shocking fans around the world.

The opponent in the last back-to-back game on the 19th was the Magic. The Magic, which had lost hope of the playoffs, chose to give up and rest their main players, giving the Raptors a victory in vain.

As a result, the Raptors ended the regular season with a 10-game winning streak, with a record of 74 wins and 8 losses.

All sports media covered the home games.

"In an incredible season, the Raptors break the Bulls' record!"

"This Raptors team is destined to be remembered in history. Their dunks, fast breaks, passes, and three-pointers have deeply attracted fans. People expect the Raptors to continue to create miracles in the playoffs."

"Many people say that the Raptors play softly. Statistics show that they lead the league with 478 dunks in a single season and are the best dunk team in the league. The Raptors emphasize fast breaks. In addition to three-pointers, they also conduct passes and cuts. Their specialty.”

"The Raptors averaged 115.8 points per game, ranking first in the league in offensive power. Yang Rui managed to attack and win."

2-8 in the Eastern Conference are the Heat, Pacers, 76ers, Hornets, Knicks, Pistons, and Bucks.

The Pacers have won 4 more games than the Heat, but are forced to be in the Central Division with the Raptors. According to the rules, they can only be ranked third, and they will face the Knicks in the first game.

The Knicks only finished sixth in the Eastern Conference. Player injuries took turns preventing them from gaining home court advantage in the first round.

9-15 are the Celtics, Magic, Cavaliers, Nets, Wizards, Hawks, and Bulls. The Bulls finished last for the second consecutive year with just 17 wins.

As a result of the Western Conference, the Lakers finally achieved a record of 67 wins and 15 losses, ranking first.

2-8 are Jazz, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Suns, Timberwolves, SuperSonics, and Kings respectively.

The Jazz trailed the Trail Blazers by 4 games in record, and were also ranked second because of the conference championship. The Trail Blazers played poorly in the second half due to player injuries and only achieved 59 wins. They had to face the challenge of the Timberwolves in the first round.

9-14 Mavericks, Nuggets, Rockets, Grizzlies, Warriors, Clippers.

The Rockets finished 11th without Francis, and history changed.

Swingman Michael Dickerson, the 14th overall pick in the first round of 1998, stayed with the Rockets and played the entire season, averaging 18.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He seemed to be able to succeed "Big Dream" Olajuwon and become The trend of the Rockets boss.

In Yang Rui's previous life, he only played well for one season before being seriously injured after moving to the Grizzlies. He was seriously injured in the next two seasons. In the 2002-03 season, he died prematurely due to a hamstring injury that was too serious to fully recover. Choose to retire.

Now, Tomjanovich has arranged tactics for him. He has outstanding physical fitness, can shoot suddenly, and his three-point shooting rate this season is as high as 41.6%.

The Grizzlies and Nuggets have both improved compared to last season, but the Clippers are as bad as ever. After selecting Olavakandi and Odom, they are about to usher in the next high-ranking rookie.

The regular season data kings have been determined. O'Neal averaged 29.7 points per game and won the second scoring trophy in his career.

Hawks center Mutombo became the rebounding leader, averaging 14.1 per game.

Suns' Jason Kidd continues to lead the league in assists, averaging 10.1 per game.

The Heat's Alonzo Mourning continues to lead the league in blocks, averaging 3.7 per game.

The steal leader is Eddie Jones of the Hornets, averaging 2.7 per game.

Experts predict that in the playoffs, the Raptors' opponent in the first round of the playoffs will be the Bucks, who have strong offensive power and average defense. In the second round, they will face the winner of the 76ers and Hornets. Although the two teams defeated the Raptors once in the regular season, their overall strength is obviously inferior, and it is difficult to be upset in the playoffs of 7 games and 4 wins.

Not surprisingly, the Raptors have locked in the Eastern Conference Finals!