The top two in the Eastern Conference and second in the Western Conference have been eliminated! Thunder VS Nuggets G7, defending the glory of the regular season!

NBA playoffs only have the last group of matches left in the second round of the NBA playoffs, but the outcome of the other three groups has been announced. The Pacers defeated the Cavaliers 4-1, the Knicks defeated the Celtics 4-2, and the Timberwolves eliminated the Warriors 4-1.

At present, the Nuggets and the Thunder have a 3-3 series match. The two sides will have a seventh life-and-death battle to compete for the last place in the division final. It is worth noting that both the Cavaliers, the Cavaliers, the second in the East, and the Celtics, the second in the West, were eliminated in the first round. In this way, three of the top two teams in the East and West have missed the division finals, and the only thing left is the Thunder.

Therefore, the seventh game between the Thunder and the Nuggets is not only a life-and-death battle, but also the key to the Thunder defending regular season honors. If the Thunder loses in this game, there will be situations where both the first and second in the Eastern Conference and the first and second in the Western Conference will miss the division finals, which has not happened since the NBA restructuring in 1984. Once such a situation occurs, major questions will be raised about the value of the NBA regular season.

In the regular season, the Thunder won 68, the Cavaliers won 64, the Celtics won 61, and the Rockets won 52. These four teams are the top two in the East and West, and it seems that the Rockets' first round out was also understandable. However, if three teams with 60 wins miss the division finals at the same time, it will be an extremely shocking scene, and the 60 wins in the regular season will lose their convincing power.

As Mitchell of the Cavaliers said, even though we were the number one in the Eastern Conference, with 64 wins and were eliminated in the second round, even if we win 82 games next year's regular season, it will not make people feel confident in us. In recent years, with the acceleration of the NBA's offensive rhythm, the weakening of defensive intensity and the increase in referee intervention, the home advantage in the playoffs has become no longer significant, and the leading teams are easily reversed, making the game more dramatic and unpredictable.

In addition, due to the compact schedule and accelerated pace, the injury problems are becoming increasingly prominent. The impact of injury could lead to an imbalance in the playoffs and even ruin a season of effort. Take the Warriors this season as an example. They once led 1-0 against the Timberwolves, but Curry's injury caused them to lose four consecutive games and eventually got out 1-4 and failed to advance to the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors were in good shape after trading Jimmy Butler, and the dark horse defeated the Rockets in the first round, but Curry's injury made it all shatter.

Looking back, Irving's injury shattered Durant's dream of Eastern Conference championship; Paul's injury made Harden and the Rockets' hopes for the finals; Leonard's injury made the Spurs missed the opportunity to create history; and the injuries of Clay and Durant in the finals completely ended the Warriors' dream of three consecutive championships.

Since the Rockets and the Warriors met in the Western Conference Finals in the 2017-2018 season, at least one of the first and second teams in the Western Conference failed to advance to the Western Conference Finals. In the East, the last time the first and second sessions in the East have been together for a long time.