Not long after the Nets series ended, the first rounds of the Eastern and Western Conferences also ended one after another.

In the East, the Nets' second-round opponent that fans are most concerned about is finally determined.

The game between the 76ers and the Bucks was also a fierce battle. The 76ers quickly scored a 2-1 score. The youthful combination of Simmons and Embiid overwhelmed Antetokounmpo on the Bucks.

However, in the following games, the Bucks began to resolutely shrink, and Simmons, as a point guard, had no outside three-pointers, which was infinitely magnified.

Facts have proved that in this era, a point guard without shooting, and as a core point guard, faces huge challenges to survive.

But it's unrealistic to expect Simmons to suddenly come to his senses.

With such adjustments, the Bucks won two consecutive games in the next two games, changing the score to 3-2, one step away from promotion.

If nothing else, the accident happened again.

Brown, the head coach of the 76ers and head coach of the Spurs, made a temporary change and moved Simmons directly from the point guard to the power forward position.

As a result of this adjustment, Simmons failed to perform as Brown expected.

Although Simmons is large enough to play power forward, at this position, his height and size advantage has completely disappeared, and he lacks low-post offensive skills, so his performance is still struggling.

But this adjustment allowed Embiid to liven up!

Facts have proven that in this era of declining centers, having a big man with both flexibility and dominance in the paint is an advantage.

Embiid scored 30+10 in two consecutive games, completely dominating the Bucks' penalty area.

Antetokounmpo has become much stronger than he was a few years ago, but he is obviously not strong enough to compete with Embiid in the paint.

So in the end, unlike what many outsiders expected, the second match between the Bucks and Nets did not come, and the Nets' opponent in the second round would be the 76ers.

Embiid also burst into tears at the press conference after the game, and once again said his classic saying in another way in front of the camera:

"Trust the process."

In the past few years, the 76ers have suffered from injuries and selected Embiid and Simmons as the top two picks. However, both top picks were reimbursed due to injuries in their rookie seasons. This has also made the 76ers the target of ridicule by many media and fans.

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"Are the 76ers still in the league?", "The 76ers selected the No. 1 pick based on whether he is sick?", "Hinkie is the worst general manager in the NBA" and so on.

Even Hinkie couldn't stand the pressure and was forced to resign.

One can imagine how much pressure Embiid, who was originally regarded as the core of the reconstruction and has been plagued by injuries, is under.

But this time, they did it.

Believe in the process, because as long as you work hard, the process may take longer than you think, but don't give up, you must believe that success will come.

Embiid's words were widely circulated on social media and were very positive.

Because of the 76ers' experience in recent years, this sentence really fits the most.

However, their opponent in the second round will be Mount Everest standing in front of them.

The other semifinal matchup in the Eastern Conference was between the Raptors and the Hornets. They each defeated the Heat and Pacers to advance to the semifinals.

On the east side, although the process was somewhat tortuous, there was no situation where the following overcame the superior.

But not only did the Western Conference appear, but the score was even more outrageous.

The Pelicans directly swept the Trail Blazers 4-0!

Cousins ​​suddenly stood up in front of the Trail Blazers, and the outside defensive combination of Holiday and George also made Lillard completely lose himself.

While this result was surprising, it also made fans look forward to their performance in the second round.

Because the Pelicans' lineup is relatively restrained against the Warriors.

The combination of Holiday and George on the outside can make Lillard and McCollum uncomfortable, which will naturally make the Splash Brothers uncomfortable.

Moreover, the Warriors' interior is not much worse than that of the Trail Blazers, and Cousins ​​also has a lot of room to play in the interior.

The Pelicans beat the Warriors early in an upset? This kind of thing is not impossible to happen!

And if that's the case, the Lakers' summer operations can be regarded as giving themselves the strongest assists.

The remaining three groups, the Warriors, Lakers and Timberwolves, all successfully advanced to the second round.

Warriors vs Pelicans, Lakers vs Timberwolves.

The matchup between these two groups in the Western Conference is also very exciting.

…

Before the start of the second round of games, the league announced the second batch of awards for the season, Best Defensive Player and Best Rookie.

The Defensive Player of the Year went to Gobert of the Jazz.

This is also the last time he has won this honor after losing to Green last year.

Although the Jazz have been eliminated by the Lakers, Gobert's role in the Jazz is still very obvious. He alone supports the team's defensive system.

The Rookie of the Year went to Ben Simmons.

Although he suffered a season reimbursement like Embiid in his rookie season, he averaged 15.8+8.1+8.2 per game in his rookie season.

In addition to the weakness of not having outside shooting, he can be said to have full potential at the point guard position.

This result also triggered intense discussion among fans.

You must know that Simmons' performance in the last round was not very good, especially as a point guard who had no shooting, which was very fatal.

As strong as Rondo, the original champion point guard who competed with Paul, could only become a role player in his peak season.

However, before the start of the second round, Embiid also supported his partner in front of the media.

Moreover, it also uses a very personal and representative method.

"Trust the process."

Yes, Embiid is addicted!

And unlike the tears two days ago, he said it with a smile this time, a smile that came from the heart.

It can be seen that he is in a very good mood now.

The meaning of his words is also easy to understand.

Everything requires a process, just like his injury and what the 76ers have experienced in recent years.

Therefore, he believes that even if Simmons does not have outside shooting ability now, he will definitely develop it in the near future.
Chapter completed!