Just like ESPN in the East, they also made a wave of predictions for the first round matchups in the West.

Lakers vs. Trail Blazers.

The suspense in this group is second only to the Bucks-Bulls series in the East.

The Trail Blazers' backcourt duo isn't in as good of form as last year, and their frontline is completely unable to stop James and Durant.

If the duo is in top form like last year, they might steal a win from the Lakers, otherwise, being swept is their most likely outcome.

Spurs vs. Rockets.

Harden will enjoy Leonard and George's defensive frontline in the playoffs.

His playoff performance has always been worse than his regular season performance, so it will be very difficult for him to lead the Rockets to the second round.

They can only hope that Paul's playoff experience can play a role.

Although they are facing Popovich.

Pelicans vs. Warriors.

It's true that enemies are destined to meet.

This sentence best describes this matchup.

This is the fifth time the Pelicans and Warriors have met in the playoffs since Tang Tian joined the Pelicans.

To put it more bluntly, except for the first season after Tang Tian joined the Pelicans when they were eliminated by the Grizzlies.

They have encountered each other in all of the remaining five seasons.

In the previous 4 encounters, the Pelicans lost the first time, but won the next 3 times.

The Warriors have also become the biggest stepping stone for the Pelicans' dynasty.

Now, the Pelicans are aiming for a four-peat, and the Warriors have encountered them again in the first round.

Whether it's the lineup on paper or the season record (Pelicans 3 wins, 0 losses), the Pelicans have the upper hand.

It is expected that the Pelicans will eventually win this series.

Mavericks vs. Clippers.

This is a contest between a powerhouse and a rising star.

This is also the most suspenseful matchup in the West.

The Mavericks' Embiid will make the Clippers' interior suffer, but conversely Butler and Doncic's frontline will also have the upper hand in the series.

In fact, the fact that the two teams' regular season records are only one game apart already says a lot.

From the fans' point of view, they would prefer the Clippers to win, so that they can see the most classic Los Angeles Derby in the playoffs.

But from a professional point of view, the Mavericks' experience and balanced lineup will allow them to have the last laugh.

The ranking and matchup analysis for the East and West have all been released, and fans are full of expectations for the playoffs.

Moreover, this year's various data rankings have given them a long-lost sense of excitement.

In the past ten years, the 2005-2006 season has been the most talked about by fans.

That season not only had Kobe's 81 points, but also the performances of Iverson, James, Arenas, Wade and other scorers.

This can be seen from the final statistics of the average score list that year.

Kobe was first with an average of 35.4 points, Iverson was second with an average of 33 points, followed by James with 31.4 points, Arenas with 29.3 points, Wade with 27.2 points, Pierce with 26.8 points, Nowitzki with 26.6 points, Anthony with 26.5 points, Michael Redd with 25.4 points, and Ray Allen with 25.1 points.

That was hailed by fans as an era of super scorers.

However, this season is even better!

Tang Tian's 82 points and 102 points surpassed Kobe's original 81 points.

And on the scoring list.

Tang Tian is first with an average of 37 points, Harden is second with an average of 33.5 points, Durant is third with 30.1 points, followed by Curry with 30 points, Antetokounmpo with 27.7 points, Leonard with 27.6 points, Walker with 26.8 points, James with 26.7 points, Lillard with 26.3 points, and Embiid with 26.2 points.

Whether it is individual or overall, this season will surpass that glorious era.

Considering the similar penalty standards, this is the most glorious era in NBA history.

And it is worth mentioning that all of these top ten super scorers on the scoring list will play in the playoffs!

Just thinking about such a picture is exciting enough.

Fans are looking forward to it, and teams are also preparing nervously.

Last year, because the Pelicans were unique, the championship was basically without suspense, but this year suspense is everywhere.

This is equivalent to a troubled world, where heroes compete for supremacy, and everyone has a chance to win the final throne.

For this throne, they will adjust their state to the best and then meet this unprecedented war.

The same goes for the Pelicans.

A four-peat is their biggest goal, but they have to eat one bite at a time, and the games have to be played round by round.

Because their regular season record is not as dominant as last year, they will encounter the Warriors in the first round, which is their first test.

Although the Warriors are no longer as brave as they were back then, the Pelicans are not the 80-win brotherhood team of last season.

Everyone has become weaker, and no one can underestimate anyone.

Stevens was more serious than ever when preparing for the battle.

The Warriors are the opponents they must win, and their real challenge will come from the Spurs in the second round.

So when playing the Warriors, they not only have to win, but also have to win with morale.

This way they will be more confident when they get to the second round.

The good news is that they don't have a game on the first day of the playoffs, they can watch the Spurs and Rockets game first.

At the first moment when the playoffs opened, Stevens also organized the team to watch the live broadcast of the game.

The Spurs have home court advantage, and the opening game between the two teams was played in San Antonio.

Team owner CCX came to the scene to watch the game, his face was full of joy, obviously very optimistic about the team's prospects.

After the game started, his optimism was echoed.

George was the primary defender, Leonard assisted, and Harden enjoyed Tang Tian-level treatment from the beginning of the game.

He is strong, but he is still a bit worse than Tang Tian.

Tang Tian was restricted quite a bit before he developed his super long-range shots, so he can only be even more restricted.

Of course, this is not the most fatal thing.

For the Rockets, the most fatal thing is that their frontline was directly blown up by the Spurs.

After Ariza left, their current frontline is a combination of Ennis and Tucker, which is completely incomparable to Leonard and George.

Not to mention that Capela was destroyed by Aldridge.

The tone of the game was set from the start.

D'Antoni saw that the start was not right and tried to put Gordon on, but that only made them explode even worse.

He seemed quite powerless in front of Popovich.

In the end, the Spurs suppressed the Rockets from the start to the end.

The score of 107 to 77 already explains everything.

Before the game started, some experts expected the Rockets to make a comeback, but after the first game, that kind of voice completely disappeared.

"The Spurs are so strong."

In fact, after watching the live broadcast, many Pelicans players unconsciously had this idea.

This is also Stevens' purpose.

To give the players a preventive shot in advance, so that when the time really comes, the necessary psychology has already been experienced, and naturally there will be nothing to fear.

The first day of the game ended, with the Spurs slaughtering the Rockets, the Mavericks defeating the Clippers, the Bucks beating the Bulls, and the Celtics easily taking the Pacers.

The next day, the Pelicans will also usher in a contest with their old opponent, the Warriors.

ps: Special thanks to Di Jun Du Zun for the ten thousand reward!