For more than a week, “return” has become the most important theme in the NBA.
Kyrie Irving first came back in the away game against the Pacers and immediately played the savior hero. Then, “Buddha” Klay Thompson ushered in a comeback after 941 days of injury, scoring 17 points in his debut and winning with the team.
With the return of these two big names, the league will face new adjustments. However, due to the different special circumstances of Irving and Klay, there will be new unknowns in the journey of the Nets and Warriors in the future…
You know, Irving easily scored 22 points in the first game of his comeback. Not only on offense, but on defense, he also retained his elite combat power. In the fierce battle with the Pacers, the Nets were once suppressed and breathless, but Irving’s step forward at a critical moment finally made them turn the corner.
Since the beginning of the season, the Nets have not won a single victory against the top teams in the East and West. James Harden has been trapped in the new rules, and he has a serious sense of cringe at the psychological level, and his partner with Durant has also become stumbling. Originally, the Nets were one of the best offensive teams in the league, but due to Harden’s loss, Durant’s single-core Nets’ attacking firepower was greatly reduced. Therefore, Irving’s return has indeed relieved their urgent needs.
But the problem is that Irving has not been vaccinated against the new crown so far, so he cannot qualify for home games in New York, and at least for now, he still has no intention of compromising. Although, from the management to the coaching staff, to the star Durant hope that Irving can play all games. But at the moment, the Nets can only temporarily accept the fact that Irving only plays away games, and is forced to make temporary arrangements for the lineup and style of play according to the situation of each game.
Unlike Irving, before Klay returned to the team, the Warriors had rushed to the top spot in the Western Conference. Under the leadership of Curry and Dream Green, and with the efforts of a group of role players, they are re-approaching the king of the three championships in five years. level. So Klay’s return is the icing on the cake and the final piece of the puzzle for the Warriors’ title race.
In terms of personal conditions, Clay did not have the same epidemic prevention troubles as Irving. However, as an athlete who has not played for 941 days and suffered two major injuries to the cruciate ligament and Achilles tendon of the knee, Klay’s actual combat ability obviously needs a long recovery and adaptation process.
In his comeback debut, Klay scored 17 points on 18 shots in 20 minutes, and also scored 7 points in a row at the beginning of three quarters. But obviously, behind the Warriors’ stars and the moon, is the delay and inefficiency of Klay’s long-term battle formation. On the offensive end, Klay made many single-dated fallback jumpers that were outrageous, and on defense, the embarrassment of being passed by the Cavaliers’ nobody was even more overflowing the screen.
But putting the problem aside for the time being, the return of Irving and Klay is a good thing after all. The return of the two has enriched the story lines of the NBA this season. In addition to the sensational selling point, it also gave the Warriors and Nets a real increase in competitiveness.
You know, the Warriors and the Nets were originally the favorites to compete for the championship this year. Now, they will only become more confident because of their strong support. Referring to the sample of last season’s playoffs, if the Big Three of the Nets can output normally, then their offensive firepower will be unstoppable, and even the defending champion Bucks will be afraid of three-pointers. As for the Warriors, if Klay can regain the fighting power of his peak period, then the Warriors’ lineup will return to the texture of 2015 and 2016, and even the current lineup is even better in terms of rotation…
Of course, the drama of the star’s return may not be over yet. According to previous news, the Clippers’ core Kawhi Leonard and the Nuggets’ second-in-command Jamal Murray are also expected to return at the buzzer later this season. This is really the case. By April and May this year, the championship situation in the entire league may become more complicated… (Poirot)Return to Sohu to see more
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