There is little suspense! If nothing unexpected happens, these two teams will be the ones that will make it to the finals. Will the Celtics Thunder be eliminated?

The semi-finals of the East and West NBA playoffs are in full swing. In the game between the Cavaliers and the Pacers, the Pacers, who lost 22 points at home, completely stunned the Cavaliers in the G4 game. They led by 41 points in the first half. To be honest, the Pacers showed unsolvable offense in this game. All 9 players made 3 points in regular rotations. The team scored 7 points in double digits, and 3 players scored 20+. Interestingly, Halliburton was still paddling in this game, and only contributed 11 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in the game. The Pacers do not lack an offensive starting point or an offensive end point. On the other hand, the Cavaliers have the advantage in the inside double towers, which were completely suppressed by Sika and Turner in this game. Allen only scored 2 points in the game, Mobley only had 10 points, while Turner and Sika had a total of 41 points and 13 rebounds, and the difference between the inside showdown was huge. In addition, Mitchell, who averaged 40+ super giants in the first three games of the series, suffered injuries and scored 12 points in 20 minutes and did not play again. The official news from the Cavaliers was that Mitchell suffered two injuries, one was wounded in the calf and the other was injured in the ankle. He was unable to stand for a while, which may affect the next game. Data shows that in NBA history, there were 277 3-1 leads in the playoffs, but in the end, there were only 13 turnovers, with the probability of less than 4.8%. For this Cavaliers, who have the first record in the Eastern Conference in the regular season, they have to face the embarrassing situation of being eliminated in the second round.

To be honest, this season's NBA playoffs show unprecedented fierce competition, especially the high-intensity confrontation and loose swearing standards in the first round, making this year's playoffs full of retro atmosphere. The Lakers and Clippers were eliminated early in the league traffic team, which was unexpected. The Lakers' elimination exposed the collapse of their defensive system. The Clippers were trapped by Harden's ups and downs in form and Leonard's influence, and lost to the Nuggets in a tiebreak. As a result, James' hope for the fifth championship became increasingly slim, and Harden's dream of winning was gradually fading away. Currently, only two veteran stars, Curry and Westbrook, are still fighting in the second round, but their prospects for championships are also not optimistic. Although the defending champion Nuggets retains the core framework, they are unable to regain their courage as they were back then. Compared with the 2023 championship lineup, the loss of key puzzles such as Pope and Bruce Brown has seriously weakened the depth of the bench. Jokic, who had no solution in the series, also felt tired as the series progressed. In today's G4 match, although Jokic scored 27 points and 13 rebounds, he did not play the dominance of the star at the critical moment of the final quarter. In addition, Porter Jr. was trapped by injury and his condition fluctuated greatly, but Murray's condition declined significantly, and the threat from the outside was greatly reduced. The Nuggets gradually seemed unable to do so in the face of the young and vigorous Thunder. Although the two teams have tied 2-2, and there are even signs of entering the tiebreak in the series, the longer the series will be delayed, the more it will consume Jokic.

In contrast, the Thunder are reshaping the Western Conference with a devastating momentum. They set a number of historical records in the regular season: offensive efficiency of 121.2 (second in the league), defensive efficiency of 101.1 (first in the league), and many data are at the forefront of the league. Alexander's transformation is particularly amazing. This quasi-MVP winner averaged a stable output of 30+ per game, and combined with young talents such as Jewish and Homgren, he built a championship lineup without obvious shortcomings. Even in the face of the experienced Nuggets, the Thunder has shown an overwhelming advantage, and the top odds in the championship is well deserved. However, the Thunder were tied 2-2 by the Nuggets in this round of series, which also shows some flaws. One is that Alexander becomes inefficient in the playoffs. If the scale of the call is tightened, Alexander's insufficient projection and confrontation will be exposed. In addition, the Thunder lacks stability at critical moments, and there are not many ways to play Jokic in the inside matchup. However, it should be no big problem for the Thunder to finally defeat the Nuggets.

In another Western Conference matchup, the Timberwolves have led the Warriors 2-1. Due to Curry's injury, the Warriors' prospect of advancing was cast a shadow. G2 Kumingga still lost 20 points after breaking out, G3 butler scored 30 points, and Kumingga scored 30+, but the Warriors lost in the end. Without Curry to pull the space, the Warriors would not be able to do anything. As Butler said, if we can't win the G4 battle, we don't have to wait for Curry to come back. If the Warriors want to win, they need Pojem, Payton Jr., and Moody to play super-level games, which is obviously unrealistic. To be honest, if the Timberwolves crossed the Warriors to advance to the Western Conference Final, they might really be able to make it out of the West this year. Compared with the Thunder, the Timberwolves' lineup is also good. Edwards' performance in the playoffs is better than Alexander. Randall has completed evolution in the Timberwolves in the interior. His combination with Gobert can completely suppress Chett and Hartten. Personally, he believes that the Timberwolves can defeat the Thunder and advance to the finals. If the Timberwolves fight the Nuggets, they will win more easily, Gobert and Harteng fight Jokic with double strangle, and Edwards will also beat Murray. In the Eastern Conference arena, the Pacers are in sight. The Celtics and the Knicks will focus on the G4 game. If the Knicks defend their home court, they can strike while the iron is hot and defeat the Celtics. If the Celtics win another game, the Knicks will be in danger. However, referring to the series trends of the Pacers and the Cavaliers, I am optimistic about the Knicks' outbreak in the G4 battle. The Celtics' offensive system this season has a big problem. The team is too addicted to three-point shots, and the double-Tanhua is collectively abnormal. Among them, Tatum is not efficient at critical moments, and Jaylen Brown is even more afraid to take responsibility at critical moments. Although they feel hot and terrifying, it is impossible for the opponents in the playoffs to let you open the fire on the outside in every game.

Therefore, based on the current performance of the eight teams, the probability of the Timberwolves and the Pacers meeting in the finals is continuing to rise. The Timberwolves have an unsolvable singles + top-level defensive system, which has a deep rotation lineup and a fast-paced offensive and defensive system. If the Timberwolves and the Pacers finally reach the finals, they will not only break the championship pattern in recent years, but also may announce that the NBA has officially entered the era of the new generation of dominance.