The team should be eliminated and learn how to learn the game. 📝How the main controller reduces the mistakes & is worth the foul for defense.

(The original article was published on May 21, and the author is Zach Kram of ESPN website. The content of the article does not represent the translator's opinion)

When there are only 4 teams left in the NBA's playoff battlefield, it is understandable that the other 26 teams turn their attention elsewhere. After all, they have missed the championship this season, and there are so many things to watch on the league’s schedule: draft, free agent market and management recruitment season.

But you can still gain something when watching the division finals, and learn from the four teams, the Thunder, the Timberwolves, the Knicks and the Pacers. The NBA has always focused on imitating the league. Whether it is on-court tactics or more macro lineup construction, the four teams in the division finals have provided a large number of strategies worth replicating. Here are 7 reasons why 26 outs should watch the division finals and the experience they can get from these teams.

Lesson 1: How can a high-use guard avoid mistakes?

Possible teams: Pistons, Hawks, Bulls, Trail Blazers, Jazz

Among the top 30 players in the league with assists this season, the Thunder's Alexander has the lowest turnover rate, the Pacers' Halliburton ranks second, and the Knicks' Brunson ranks third. It's no coincidence that these three point guards lead the team to the division finals. The value of low turnover players is often underestimated because it is difficult to notice potential mistakes that could have happened but are avoided by more cautious point guards. Mistakes are double lethal: they are both wasting their own scoring opportunities, and giving their opponents the opportunity to score easily. According to data analysis from PBP Stats website, each team in the league averaged 1.32 points through steals this season, while the team's average score per round was only 1.15 points.

Take the Pistons' first round series against the Knicks as an example. All-Star Cunningham, who played for the first time in the playoffs, averaged 8.7 assists per game in six games, while Brunson had 8.2. But Cningham's turnover count was twice that of Brunson, which was equivalent to "losing" the team 3-4 points per game. Considering that the Knicks' total net wins in the last three games were only 6 points, the gap in the point guard's ball protection ability can be said to be the key to the victory or defeat.

Cunningham and Trae Young, who are the top two in the game, will benefit a lot if they observe how Alexander, Halliburton and Brunson crack the defense and avoid fatal mistakes in the division finals. These game videos are equally precious to potential rookie point guards such as Bulls’ Gidey, Trail Blazers’ Scudt Henderson and Jazz’s Collier, who have made more than twice as many turnover rates this season.

Lesson 2: How important is reliable rotation depth?

Possible Teams: Nuggets, Lakers, Suns, Bucks

As we all know, the playoff rotation will be reduced and the star's playing time will increase. During the regular season, 76ers guard Maxi led the league with an average of 37.7 minutes per game, while 20 players have exceeded this time this year.

But this year's playoffs revealed an important experience: lineup depth is still critical. The Pacers often arrange 11 players to play more than double-digit playing time; the Thunder kept 10-player rotation before the tiebreak against the Nuggets, and finally reduced to 8; although the Timberwolves usually use 8-player rotation, their three regular substitutes - Naz Reed, Divincenzo and Alexander Walker, all have starting-level contributions. Among the four teams in the

, only the Knicks rotated lightly, except for the five main players, Mitchell Robinson and McBride were only used. This is in sharp contrast to many championship teams that have been eliminated and have a thin lineup. The most recent one is the Nuggets. Their bench can't match the depth of the Thunder, and it's hard to make up for the injury gap between Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. Former MVP player Jokic pointed out this problem after the Nuggets lost to the Thunder in tiebreak: "We obviously need more lineup depth." Jokic said, "It seems that teams with longer rotations and deeper benches can win, as is the case with Pacers, Thunder and Timberwolves."

Lineup depth not only can deal with the injury crisis, but also provides flexibility in lineup matching and tactical adjustments, which is increasingly important in the modern NBA. Thunder coach Dagenut has enough reliable players to line up a large lineup, a small lineup or an extreme five-small according to needs; the Timberwolves can not only use Conley, the veteran, to finish the game, but also replace the 37-year-old with a more agile wing. This is not a denial that stars are still the core driving force of the team in the division finals. Alexander was elected this year's MVP, and Edwards averaged 39.9 minutes per game in the playoffs, but the lineup selection is also critical. Teams that rely too much on stars and lack the talent on the bench should learn from them and focus on strengthening this shortcoming during the offseason.

Lesson 3: Is there really an opportunity in the East?

Possible teams: Cavaliers, Bucks, Pistons, Magic, Heat, 76ers, Raptors, Bulls and any other Eastern teams that are interested in winning the championship next year, Tatum's Achilles tendon surgery and the upcoming financial liquidation of the Celtics have changed the Eastern Conference pattern this season and next season. Over the past four years, the Celtics have dominated the East with their dominant performances of winning the championship last year and reaching the finals in 2022, but next year the division will show a trend of separatist forces.

The current division final team is likely to remain the strongest combat power in the East next season, and the Pacers and the Knicks may even meet in the Eastern Conference Finals again next year. But if other potential Eastern contenders determine that the Pacers and the Knicks are just paper tigers by observing this round of the series, they may be more inclined to adopt the "win in the present" strategy this summer and take the opportunity to seize the Eastern power vacuum zone.

What's more important is their keen eye for low-key signings: Nesmith played for the Celtics in the 2020 No. 14 pick, averaged only 4.2 points per game (12.7 minutes on the court), and exploded after coming to the Pacers through Brogdon's trade; Toppin, the No. 8 pick, always lacked stable playing time in the Knicks due to Randall's existence, and quickly grew into a high-quality substitute after being traded to the Pacers.

Look at the West again: Naz Reed, Dortmund, Caruso and Aaron Wiggins all started their NBA careers with two-way contracts; Isaiah Joe joined the Thunder after being cut; Alexander Walker, the No. 17 pick in 2019, finally grew into a key puzzle for both offense and defense in the Timberwolves after being traded three times. Haltenstein averaged only 4.1 points per game in the first three years of his career, and has been repeatedly criticized, traded and coldly accepted by the free agent market. After the Clippers found a stable position, he switched to the Knicks to get a bigger stage, and finally signed his first major contract with the Thunder last summer.

The common point among these successful cases is that they all found the most suitable soil. Except for a very few super giants who can shine in any environment, the achievements of most NBA players depend on their system and role positioning. Competitors should study: How Pacers use push-ups to play their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and how the Thunder stimulates the offensive potential of defensive wings. These cases form an excellent complement to the lesson of "linear depth".

Under the modern NBA salary system, it is crucial to discover low-cost potential stocks. Whether it is to let the so-called "parallel" rookie be reborn in the second stop, or to find a home for the wandering players. This is a shortcut for the championship teams that have been set for the core lineup, and it is also a reminder for the reconstruction team: make good use of the reconstruction period to cultivate treasure players.

The Pacers traded Nesmith and Tom were not usually a playoff team; when the Lakers signed Caruso (formerly James era), they were still a bottom team, and later he helped the Lakers win the championship, and then turned to the Bulls to finally join the Thunder; the Thunder introduced Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, who was at the trough of reconstruction, and gave Dortmund room to grow as a two-way contract player. Therefore, even if the Wizards, Jazz and Nets are still years away from competing for the championship, they can still use this dormant period to cultivate the depth of the lineup, and these puzzles are expected to become the right-hand man of core players in the future.

This reflects the value of observing the division finals: Although there are only four teams left to compete in the playoffs this year, the other 26 teams can draw experience from it, and the success of the semi-finals provides a reference for each team.

Original text: Zach Kram

Compiled by: Li Taibai