Injuring two main players in two overtimes was undoubtedly a catastrophic blow to the Celtics, especially Gordon's ankle, which was twisted at nearly 90 degrees, making people shudder just thinking about it.
After Gordon was carried off the court, the Celtics players' condition also hit rock bottom. Their playing style obviously lacked aggressiveness, and they even began to fear physical confrontation. Obviously other players are also worried that they will be injured like Kyrie or Gordon.
In the eyes of coach Arnold, it is a good thing that the players are not willing to fight. The outcome of this game has become irrelevant. As long as no more players are injured, Arnold will be thankful.
In fact, Arnold had no intention of directing the game at this time. He had been worried about the injuries of Kerry and Gordon. Gordon's injury seems to be much more serious and is likely to be reimbursed for the season, but Kerry's left knee has to wait for the test results. The worst-case scenario is surgery, in which case the season will be over.
Having lost two of their All-Star key players, Arnold has already felt that the Celtics' road to the playoffs has become extremely bumpy, and whether they can pass the first round of the playoffs is questionable.
Such a Celtic team can really be described as "uninterested in fighting", and in the end they also lost the game.
…
The next day, the Boston media took the lead in breaking the news about the injuries of Kerry and Gordon.
Gordon's injuries were the same as what Li Dai said, a dislocated ankle and a fractured tibia. Not to mention the ankle dislocation, a tibial fracture alone is a very serious injury. It takes a hundred days to break the muscles and bones. Gordon's injury will definitely not be cured in a hundred days. This season will definitely be reimbursed. . According to the doctor's calculations, even if Gordon recovers well, he may not be able to make it in time for next season's preseason. Being able to return in the first month of next season is considered a good result.
Kerry's knee injury also required surgery to remove two screws in the knee, otherwise the infection would become more severe. Moreover, after the screw is removed, Kerry will still need five to six months to recover, which means that Kerry will not be able to play until next season.
The rehabilitation of this kind of knee injury is also a worldwide problem. Many players have suffered similar injuries, but they find it difficult to return to their original performance after recovering from injury. Therefore, if Kerry's injury does not recover well, it is likely to affect his career.
Injuries are a kind of physical and mental torture for players, and for the Celtics, it is also an extremely painful loss.
Injuring two generals overnight made many fans sympathize with the Celtics, but almost all sports commentators and professional basketball players and coaches were not surprised by this.
Injuries have always been a part of the NBA, and now is also a period of high incidence of player injuries.
Every year in NBA games, there are always several periods when players are injured more frequently.
First of all, at the beginning of the season, after several months of rest, the players' bodies are still in a "vacation" state. Suddenly entering a high-intensity game, the players' bodies cannot adapt immediately. The mind does not immediately enter a state of tension, which can easily lead to injuries. As the game progresses, when the players' bodies gradually adapt to the intensity and rhythm of the game, this situation will disappear.
Before the All-Star Game, there was a second high incidence of injuries. At this time, the season has started for more than three months. After more than three months of high-intensity competition, players' bodies will have some hidden dangers of injuries, or some old injuries will recur. For example, in the annual All-Star Game, there are always players withdrawing due to injuries. This also shows that the eve of the All-Star Game is a period of high incidence of player injuries.
For NBA athletes, the All-Star Game is a rare break during the season. Although there is only one week of rest, even for those players who participate in the All-Star Game, it is less than a week, but a short break can Allow the player's body to recover briefly. Many players are counting on this week's rest to survive the second half of the season.
The third period of high incidence of injuries is in April. At this time, players' bodies have once again entered a period of fatigue, and various old injuries have begun to recur. At the same time, many teams will work hard to enter the playoffs or to gain a home court advantage in the playoffs. The intensity of the game will increase significantly, and there will be more tough physical confrontations in the game. These have increased Risk of player injury.
Today's NBA competition is at this stage. The team is fighting for the playoffs, and the injured players are not just Kyrie and Gordon. Players from other teams are also injured. It's just that two core players were injured in one game. This kind of thing is extremely rare for any team.
It’s no wonder that one of their own players was injured, and no one else is to blame. The Celtics can only swallow the bitter fruit, and at the same time pray that the two injured core players can recover better and not have any impact on their careers.
The Celtics' tragic experience also served as a wake-up call to other NBA teams. Especially those strong teams that hope to go further in the playoffs have realized that playing overtime with the Clippers at this time is really worthless. It would be okay to win, but If it happens like the Celtics, two main players are injured in two overtimes, it will really be a loss and a loss of troops, and there is no hope of even the playoffs.
There is a high probability that the main players will be injured in exchange for a regular season victory. This is an extremely uneconomical deal in the eyes of all team managers.
No one wants to follow in the footsteps of the Celtics, and no team wants their main players to be injured on the eve of the playoffs, so those top-ranked playoff teams almost all chose to Let multiple main players rest, and let the substitute players go up and compete with the Clippers.
As for those teams at the bottom of the rankings, their current task is to perform desperately. When they encounter any team, they will "beg for defeat", and the same is true when the opponent is the Clippers.
Ever since, as the NBA regular season entered the last month, the Clippers ushered in a rare winning streak.
When the season ended, the Clippers' record was 38 wins and 44 losses, ranking tenth in the Western Conference.
Before Dai Li became the head coach of the Clippers, the Clippers had a record of 16 wins and 32 losses. After Dai Li became the head coach of the Clippers, he actually achieved a record of 22 wins and 12 losses, with a winning rate of 64%. This winning rate, whether in the West or the East, can rank third.
In terms of record, Dai Li can already compare with the top coaches in the NBA, not to mention that the Clippers are still a team without All-Star players. This is much more difficult than it is for a strong team to achieve a high winning rate.
For Dai Li, a rookie coach who has just entered the NBA, it is simply unbelievable to lead a weak team like the Clippers and achieve such a record. Many experienced veteran coaches, even when leading strong teams, are unable to achieve a winning rate of more than 60%. However, a newcomer like Li Dai was able to achieve a winning rate of 64%, which surprised many people.
The weak teams at the bottom once complained to the NBA. They believed that Li Dai becoming the head coach of the Clippers would lower the level of the NBA. But now these teams have all stopped talking, and no one mentions this matter again.
Professional sports commentators are also divided into two factions.
One group thinks that Li Dai is really good. He used to pretend that he didn't understand basketball, but he was actually a very proficient head coach in basketball, so he could achieve such good results.
The other group believes that Li Dai is just lucky. When strong teams play against the Clippers, they all rest their main players. When weak teams play against the Clippers, they all want to lose, so they forcefully put the Clippers' record on the table.
However, the Clippers still missed the playoffs. The competition in the Western Conference is too fierce. The top nine teams have a winning rate of more than 55% this season. It is not until the last day of the regular season that the Western Conference finally determines the season. Qualification for the playoffs.
A total of 16 teams in the league are going to play in the playoffs, and for teams like the Clippers that have not entered the playoffs, their work for this season is over.
However, Dai Li still had a new job to complete.
…
Dai Li knocked on the door and walked into Xiao Yunan's office.
"You succeeded again!" Xiao Yunan looked at Dai Li with admiration, and then said: "The regular season is over, and the selection of regular season awards has begun. There is news that you will be a candidate for the best coach. List.”
"Really? Will they give this award to me, a rookie?" Dai Li asked in surprise.
"Based on your record, you are good enough to win this award, but as you said yourself, you are still a newcomer in the NBA. I think being able to include you on the candidate list is already a special treat." Xiao Yunan paused. After a pause, he continued: "One more thing. Our team plans to sign a strategic cooperation agreement with the men's basketball team."
"Men's basketball team? You mean the Chinese men's basketball team?" Li Dai asked.
"Nonsense, of course it's the Chinese men's basketball team. I would like to sign an agreement with the American Dream Team, but they are not willing!" Xiao Yunan rolled her eyes at Dai Li, and then continued: "If we can really reach a cooperation with the men's basketball team , which is good news for our team. At least it will be much easier for us to engage in some commercial activities in the country. However, this matter has not been settled in the end, and the domestic basketball association still has concerns."
"Then what do you need me to do?" Li Dai asked.
"In May, the men's basketball team will come to us for a month and a half of training, and then go to Europe to play warm-up matches, and then participate in the Asian Games. If the training effect is good, I think we should be able to sign this strategic cooperation with the men's basketball team Agreement." Xiao Yunan said.
Dai Li nodded: "I understand. What you mean is that in the next month and a half, I am going to train our Chinese men's basketball team!"