Vol 3 Chapter 384: New pattern

The Thunder looked calm this summer. As the defending champions, all they have to do is to retain their winning lineup. Therefore, they signed a contract extension with Paul George as soon as possible, and left Felton with a basic salary contract. Grant was renewed for 3 years and $27 million. After doing this, the Thunder's management began to repair their lineup. They signed Noel for $3.5 million in 2 years, a very talented inside player, especially on the defensive end. Signed this year's No. 48 show Hamidou Diallo for 3 years with 4 million U.S. dollars, a young man with a very exaggerated bounce. Of course, come and go. The well-known "company commander" Brewer and marginal figures such as Dozier, Hustis and Hamilton have not received the Thunder's contract extension. I can only leave Oklahoma to find a new job.
When the enthusiasm of this summer cooled down and all the teams began to organize their own gains, everyone discovered that this league still has undergone tremendous changes.
The Eastern Conference team breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, last season, everyone saw the hope of getting ahead, but James relied on his own strength to beat those little brothers who had been crushed by him for nearly ten years. Now he is finally gone!
The Cavaliers must fall out of the Eastern Conference finals, and even many people are not optimistic about their promotion to the playoffs. So, among the remaining teams, few can rush out of the East. The Celtics, who lost to James in the Western Conference finals for two consecutive years, will definitely have a place. The young people on their team are too good, plus Irving and Hayward, who have returned from injury, are too strong on paper. The second is the Philadelphia 76ers. The great Embiid is indeed a man who can make the whole city wait for two years. He has become a super star. Simmons, who has been playing for a year, does not look like a rookie at all. His almighty skill is Embiid's biggest helper. Coupled with the addition of the tough guy Butler this season, I believe they can go further in the playoffs. Then there is the Raptors with Leonard and Danny Green. They were originally a strong team in the East, and they were No. 1 in the East in the regular season last season. If Leonard returns to health and has enough motivation to carry the team, the Raptors will be the strongest team in the East this season, and they are also the most popular team in the Finals. The Raptors replaced DeRozan with Leonard, which is an obvious upgrade, not to mention that they also got Danny Green in the trade with an offensive and defensive balance. Coupled with the Bucks led by Alphabet Songs that have grown up, the eastern sky basically belongs to these four teams. But whoever can register to become king will have to wait until May next year.
Compared with the eye-catching eyes of the east, the west looks brighter. Of course, the competition in the entire West is still much stronger than in the East. Take the players, the Warriors may not be much worse than the Eastern All-Star! James' westward journey has made the situation of the alliance stronger in the west and weak in the east even more serious. There are seven current MVP players who have won the regular season, all in the West. But these teams are mostly just foils. Even if the season hasn't started, it can already be seen.
The Lakers want to do something this year. They got James the first time it was an obvious signal. But the subsequent trend made them very passive. Cousins ​​joining the Warriors cast a shadow over their plans, and the Spurs and Raptors trade made all suspense disappear.
The Warriors' 5.3 million mini-middle class special case should have been prepared for O'Quinn and his like, or it could be a wing player like Evans, Gerald Green or Hezonia. For the Warriors, signing any of the above with such a contract has also been quite rewarding. But the Warriors signed Cousins, one of the league's strongest centers, which is incredible.
It is not only the Lakers who are desperate, but also the vast majority of teams in the league that hope to hit the championship. Many people are asking, is there still suspense about the new season championship?
Cousins ​​may have to wait until December or January to return, but it doesn't matter to the Warriors, they don't care about the regular season. The Warriors have enough capital to allow Cousins ​​to recover slowly on his own schedule, and then welcome his return at the end of the season. The Warriors' starting five in the new season look more like the Western Conference All-Stars, even if Cousins ​​is only 75% of the previous level, this team is unstoppable. Cousins ​​can open up the space, he can also grab the rebounds frantically and fill one of the few holes in this comprehensive and powerful Warriors team.
The Warriors seem to have become perfect, but this does not mean that everyone thinks they will be able to win the championship. At the very least, if the Warriors want to win the championship, they must break through the barrier of the Thunder. Just like last year, the Thunder challenged them. Although on the books, the Warriors have the upper hand. But they need to adapt ~EbookFREE.me~ Whether Cousins ​​can quickly integrate into the Warriors system determines the power of this lineup. After all, basketball is not a sport that relies solely on personal ability.
In this regard, the Thunder is much better than the Warriors. They perfectly preserved their winning lineup: Westbrook is getting more and more calm, Paul George is both offensive and defensive, Anlo is a huge threat from beyond the three-point line, defensive champion Robertson, dirty work. Adams, who was caught in a handful of hands, plus a group of better rotation players, they can at least play the fighting power of this year's Western Conference finals. According to this comparison, whether Cousins ​​can improve the Warriors' overall strength by that much is really a big question.
In addition, one of the problems the Warriors must face is injuries. This factor has an even greater impact on the game than the team's lineup. Over the years, countless teams have fallen on the way to the championship due to injuries. In the past few seasons, the Warriors were rarely affected by such things, and the players maintained their best form. However, this does not mean that the Warriors' players have no hidden dangers. Cousins' body may have a chance to become the focus of a chain reaction of the Warriors. Of course, this problem also bothers the Thunder. The same goes for other teams in the league.
In general, the entire West is likely to be a duel between the Thunder and the Warriors. But whoever can stand on the highest stage will have more advantages. After all, the entire East has been ruled by James for too long. Most players don't know the taste of the finals.