Mavericks vs. Jazz.
The Mavericks have a quasi-All-Star lineup, and their offensive and defensive strength is second only to the Pelicans. There should be no problem for them to win the first round.
But their opponents are the Jazz.
Mitchell is fearless, Snyder is a strict disciplinarian, and the Jazz have a strong defense.
If they really fight, the Mavericks will probably have to shed a layer of skin to win, and put in a great deal of effort.
Warriors vs. Thunder.
The Warriors have internal and external troubles this season, and the difficulty of winning the championship seems even greater than last season.
Now they are facing the most difficult Thunder in the first round.
In the regular season, the Thunder had a 2-1 record lead over the Warriors.
Although James chose them to be on the same team in the All-Star game, Westbrook and Durant seemed to have eased their relationship a lot.
But it can be seen from the game that the encounter between the two teams is still full of sparks.
Rockets vs. Trail Blazers.
This will be the most suspenseful matchup in the West.
The Rockets still have their "most suitable lineup", but Paul's form has declined significantly this season, plus Cousins is out for the season.
You can't see anything in the regular season, but when it comes to the playoffs, these will become their biggest disadvantages.
On the other hand, the Trail Blazers have improved their overall strength with the addition of Anthony, and they will perform even better in the playoffs.
Will a lean camel still be bigger than a horse, or will the waves behind drive the ones in front to their death on the beach?
This group of games may go to Game 7 to determine the winner.
Because the announcement of the season awards has been postponed until after the Finals, the interval between the playoffs has also been compressed to a certain extent.
There are only 3 days between the playoffs and the regular season.
The preparation intensity of each team has increased, and the various tasks of the media are also in full swing.
The annual championship prediction is also being carried out among major media outlets.
ESPN, TNT, and FOX have all conducted prediction surveys online.
Because TNT still won the playoff live broadcast rights this year, its survey results are also the most watched among the major media.
This survey result was expected, but the data was surprising.
The survey results show that 92.5% of people think the Pelicans will win this year's championship!
Of the remaining people, 2.5% voted for the Cavaliers, 2.1% voted for the Warriors, and 1.4% voted for the Mavericks.
The voting rate of other teams is less than 1%, which can be ignored.
The 92.5% data is the highest since the self-media has had survey data, and it is unprecedentedly high!
After an 80-win regular season, fans believe that this year's championship is a foregone conclusion.
Moreover, not only do they think they can win the championship, but 63% of fans think the Pelicans can win the championship with a 16-win undefeated record!
Similar data also comes from gambling websites.
Fans really think that the Pelicans are going to turn the NBA into the end this year.
New York headquarters.
Adam Silver looked depressed.
If it weren't for the clothes he was wearing and the seat he was sitting in, you might have directly regarded him as a mental patient.
At this time, his pressure was not only from the owners of each team, but also from the gambling websites.
Now the outside world is generally optimistic about the Pelicans winning the championship with a 16-0 record, and the gambling websites also have the most people buying this odds.
He has been committed to legalizing gambling to bring more economic benefits to the league.
If the Pelicans really do it in the end, then those big gambling websites will have to lose a lot of money.
Gambling websites naturally don't want that to happen.
And to prevent that from happening, he can only rely on Adam Silver.
But the season has proved that a few key penalties cannot change the Pelicans' game.
If he really wants to influence the game, he must increase his efforts as before.
He hesitated for a long time, called Sock to the office, and then asked him to contact the referee committee.
Not long after returning to the manor after training that day, a guest came to the manor.
Tatum.
Although Tatum failed in the power struggle at the beginning of the season, he is still nominally one of the league's vice presidents.
He has also been in contact and met with Tang Tian from time to time this year.
In other words, although he is not the president this year, as the vice president, he has been thinking about and examining a series of Adam Silver's reforms.
He has improved a lot compared to last year.
This is also a very important reason why Tang Tian is willing to continue to communicate with him.
It is said that if you are not in the position, you will not seek its politics, but you can only get into the position if you are fully prepared.
Tatum was not good last year, but Tatum is good this year.
"Adam Silver is preparing to work on the referees, you and the Pelicans need to be careful."
Tatum has been the president for more than half a year, and he still has contacts.
He is close to the water and gets the news first when Adam Silver does things.
"Good thing."
Tang Tian's reaction greatly exceeded Tatum's expectations.
"Good thing?"
Tatum looked at Tang Tian in confusion.
"What was the reason for Adam Silver's resignation last year?"
Tang Tian asked with a smile.
"Spending money in private to buy off Fox's reporters to deliberately smear you."
"That's just a fuse."
After Tatum answered, Tang Tian said with a smile.
"The fans' dissatisfaction with the refereeing standards of the game, and the game's increasingly loss of entertainment, that's the root cause."
Tang Tian's next words also made Tatum understand immediately.
Because of the refereeing standards, or even because the refereeing affects the game, the dissatisfaction of fans, including the media, has been accumulating for a long time.
So after the smear incident was exposed, almost everyone opposed Adam Silver.
It was also under that huge pressure that the representatives of each team agreed to let Adam Silver step down.
"If things repeat themselves, do you think it's a good thing?"
Tang Tian finally said with a smile.
Tatum nodded with a smile after thinking about it.
Adam Silver's main pressure now comes from the league committee, in other words, from within.
Externally, he is now controlling the refereeing standards to a level that fans like, including two-way contracts and All-Star team assignments, which are all supported by fans.
In other words, Adam Silver's support among fans is still quite high this time after his comeback.
But if the matter of referees affecting the game reappears, it will awaken the terrifying memories in the fans' minds, and that support rate will disappear.
At that time, Adam Silver will not have the support of the league committee internally, and the support of fans externally, and his resignation will be inevitable.
Thinking about it so carefully, it really is a good thing, just like Tang Tian said.
"But if the Pelicans really lose the game because of the referees, Adam Silver's support in the league committee will increase."
Tatum then raised his concerns again.
The support of the fans is secondary, the committee is the one that makes the final decision.
"Don't worry, we won't lose."
Tang Tian said calmly.
If it was last year, he wouldn't have been 100% sure.
But this year, he has no blind spots in 360°, plus the four hard-training brothers.
Unless the opponent cripples someone, it is really difficult for the Pelicans to lose.
You must know that except for Walker, who hasn't played in the playoffs much, the other three of them are even more ruthless in the playoffs than in the regular season.
As for crippling people, just like he stepped on Pachulia's toes before, after experiencing it a lot, it's hard to say who will cripple whom.