On the stage of NBA playoffs, the importance of defense is self-evident. The scoring feast of the regular season often turns into a defensive contest in the playoffs. Those teams who rely on attack to go global in the regular season often find that scoring is no longer so easy in the playoffs, while the opponent's scoring is difficult to contain.
The Suns, a strong team that swept the country in the regular season, seems to be following the lead of the Nets and becoming a "paper tiger" in the playoffs.
Defensive test in the playoffs, weakness of the Suns
The defensive intensity of the playoffs is far higher than that of the regular season, which is a common sense of basketball. However, the Suns did not seem ready for this. Facing the fierce defense of the Timberwolves, the three giants of the Suns - Durant, Booker and Bill - lost collectively. In the regular season, they are famous for their offensive firepower, but in the defensive test in the playoffs, their scoring efficiency has declined significantly, and their shooting percentage and scoring are not satisfactory.
The defense barrier of the Timberwolves is difficult for the Suns to overcome
The Timberwolves, the team with the highest defensive efficiency in the league in the regular season, showed stronger defensive dominance in the playoffs. Their lineup has many strong defenders, such as Goebbels, Reed, Mike Daniels, and so on. Their defense ability is among the best in the league. Facing such a defensive barrier, the Suns seemed powerless, not only unable to break the opponent's defense, but even their own scoring has become a problem.
The defensive player of the Timberwolves and the nightmare of the Big Three of the Suns
Under the defense of the Timberwolves, the three giants of the Suns seemed to fall into a nightmare. Although Durant is still able to win good data, his scoring efficiency has dropped significantly compared with the regular season. However, Booker and Bill were in no condition at all, and their shooting percentage and score both declined sharply. In sharp contrast, Mike Daniels, a young player of the Timberwolves, had excellent performances on both offensive and defensive ends. He averaged 17 points+7 rebounds per game, and his shooting percentage was as high as 54.2%, which became a big surprise for the Timberwolves.
Downes' defensive awakening and the inner support of the Timberwolves
The defense performance of Downes, the inner gate of the Timberwolves, in the playoffs is also impressive. In the regular season, his defense efficiency ranked 36th in the league, while in the playoffs, his defense efficiency rose to 24th in the league. This defensive awakening has provided the Timberwolves with a solid interior guarantee, and also made the Suns' attack more difficult.
The dilemma of the Suns and the experience of the Nets
The dilemma of the Suns reminds us of the basketball team in the past. In the regular season, the offensive firepower of the Nets is unparalleled in the world with the strong singles ability of Owen, Harden and Durant. However, in the playoffs, their defensive problems were magnified infinitely, which eventually led to the team's exit. Now, it seems that the Suns are following the example of the Nets. Their attack cannot break through the defense barrier of the Timberwolves, and their own defense cannot stop the opponents from scoring.
summary
In the NBA playoffs, the importance of defense is self-evident. After all, defense can win the championship. The Suns, a team famous for offensive firepower in the regular season, fell into a dilemma in the defense test in the playoffs. Facing the iron and blood defense of the Timberwolves, the three giants of the Suns lost collectively, and the scoring efficiency of the team declined significantly. The Timberwolves, with their strong defense, made the Suns difficult.
It seems that the Suns are following in the footsteps of the Nets and becoming the "paper tigers" in the playoffs. The first round tour will be a big probability event. In the NBA playoff stage, only those teams that can play well at both ends of attack and defense can go further. If the Suns want to break through the dilemma, they must make changes on the defensive side, otherwise they are really just following the lead of the Nets, and the luxury team is likely to be scattered again.
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