The playoffs were on the horizon, and Stan wasn’t about to miss such an opportunity.
Before the season kicked off, he had published a playoffs prediction.
Now that he was at the height of his popularity, his prediction quickly spread.
Generally speaking, teams from the upper bracket have a greater chance of winning against those from the lower bracket; the main interest lies in predictions of upsets.
Stan predicted an "upset" pairing each in the East and the West, both involving the fourth and fifth seeded matchups.
He predicted that the Hawks would eliminate the Magic Team and the Grizzlies would oust the Thunders.
He also included his own analysis after these two predictions.
Coincidentally, he believed that the key factor for both upsets was the frontcourt.
He thought that after losing Lewis and Gortat this season, the Magic Team would face significant issues with frontcourt depth.
Howard was still dominant, but he couldn’t play for a full 48 minutes, and when he was off the court, the Magic Team could only rely on the 6’9" Bass to play center.
In contrast, the Hawks boasted a starting frontcourt duo of Horford and Josh Smith, with Pachulia and Jason Collins coming off the bench, giving them a clear advantage.
He also believed that the Thunders’ frontcourt wouldn’t be able to stop Little Gasol and Randolph.
Ibaka, despite his exceptional shot-blocking abilities, couldn’t contain either Gasol or Randolph in the low post.
As for Perkins, having suffered tears in both his right knee ACL and PCL, his explosiveness had significantly deteriorated.
Stan’s predictions were t with a wave of mockery from fans.
After all, both the Magic Team and the Thunders, with star players like Howard and Durant, were major teams with a large following, and predicting their first-round exit was certainly not going to go over well.
"Why do you think ’Superman’ can’t play a full 48 minutes? He is a superhero!"
"The managent traded back for Turkoglu, our car has a driver again, our target isn’t the first round; it’s the championship!"
"The Hawks are a standard regular-season team, they have never won in the playoffs, and we will settle the battle within six gas."
"The Grizzlies lost Rudy Guy. Are you saying they can win against the Thunders, who have Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka, even when missing a Guy?"
"Russell is the truly underrated one, he’s the fastest improving player this season, he’s superior to Han, and we also have KD; tell how can we lose?"
"Perkins has always been undervalued; he is the last puzzle piece for the Thunders’ championship run. Why not Scarlett’s bathwater (a euphemism for the championship)?"
...
On April 16th, the curtain officially rose on the playoffs.
The first day of the playoffs saw the first and eighth seeds, and the fourth and fifth seeds of the Eastern and Western conferences kick off the series.
Then, the East started off with two upsets in the first gas played.
Howard played for 46 minutes, making 14 of his 22 free throws, scoring a whopping 46 points with 19 rebounds and 8 turnovers, but the Magic Team lost the ga 93 to 103.
Nelson also scored 27 points, but no other Magic player scored in double-digits.
In contrast, five players from the Hawks scored in double figures, with starter Johnson scoring 25 points, and substitute Jamal Crawford contributing 26 points.
Shortly after the Magic and Hawks ga ended, the Thunders and Grizzlies ga also kicked off in Oklahoma.
Because Stan had already correctly predicted one ga, this match also attracted a lot of attention.
The vast Ford Center Arena was packed, with various supportive banners everywhere, and so in the crowd even held up signs saying "We want Scarlett’s bathwater."
The Thunders, forrly known as the Super Sonics, had only been in Oklahoma City for three seasons, including this one.
Their first year was quiet, their second they won 50 gas and made the playoffs, and by the third year, they beca the champions of the Northwest Division; the future looked bright for the team, and the fans’ enthusiasm was unsurprisingly at an all-ti high.
During the pre-ga warmup, Hansen was cheering Allen on.
In a previous ga against the Heat, even though Allen contributed with steals, his overall performance was not up to par, which gave rise to questions about why Battier wasn’t starting instead.
However, defensive ability and effectiveness are not entirely synonymous; just as every player has their own offensive style, defense also varies.
For instance, if you asked Hansen to cover high-speed guards like Wall or Westbrook, he would not be as effective as Allen.
But Hansen was a transmigrator; he knew that Allen had made a na for himself by guarding Durant.
"You’ve done it once before; just repeat those things, and you can do it again."
Hansen was referring to the regular season when Allen didn’t get his chance until the second half of the third quarter, but his defense against Durant was crucial.
Allen nodded, but one could still see a hint of nervousness.
During his ti with the Celtics, he wasn’t utilized much overall, and he spent most of the playoffs on the bench.
Now, not only was he starting in the playoffs, but he was also up against a superstar like Durant right from the start, and even if he was confident, it was impossible not to feel so pressure.
"Don’t feel pressured, I’ll cover for you," Hansen said, giving Allen’s shoulder a reassuring pat; after all, he was also very adept at guarding Durant.
"No need for you; I’m here," Battier chid in nearby after hearing their conversation and ca over with a smile.
Well, the Grizzlies had three players capable of guarding Durant, and even if Durant was on fire, a rotation would run him ragged.
After the warmup, the venue proceeded to the opening ceremony, where the Oklahoma City fans continued to show their fervor.
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