The battle for the new king to ascend the throne: Who can win the O Brien Cup in the four new generations of defenders?

1. "Contemporary Jordan" Edwards: The Iron Blood Wolves' ambition to win the championship

23-year-old Edwards has shown a leapfrog growth this season, not only is he similar to Jordan in his hairstyle, but his style of play has become more domineering. He eliminated the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs and scored the Warriors in the second round. He averaged 30.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists per game, and repeatedly contributed dunks and key three-pointers at critical moments, becoming the team's absolute core. The "two towers + top forward" defensive system built by the Timberwolves is solid. Gobert averages 2.3 blocks per game at the basket, Randle becomes a "small lineup nightmare" with 25 points and 10 rebounds per game, and the team's offensive and defensive efficiency ranks among the top three in the playoffs. US media praised its "disciplined defense almost zero mistakes", providing Edwards with a solid backing for the championship.

Although the Timberwolves showed their terrifying dominance, Edwards still needs to break through two bottlenecks in the face of the popular Thunder, the regular season against the Thunder was 1 win and 3 losses, and Alexander's unsolved singles and Thunder fast break system consumed a lot of defensive ends; second, his own free throw stability in the final quarter (the playoff free throw shooting percentage was 82%, and he missed the chance to lock in the victory many times in key battles). US media BBR gave a 13.9% chance of winning the championship, believing that if it can cross the Thunder, the winning rate against the Eastern Conference team (Knicks/Pacers) in the finals will increase to 60%, but the Western Conference Finals can be called a "life and death line".

2. "Almighty Killer" Alexander: The absolute engine of the Thunder Talent Legion

As the scoring champion (32.7 points per game) and steal king (2.5 times), Alexander used the tiebreak miracle of "0 turnovers and scored 35 points" to prove his key ball ability. After leading the team to eliminate the defending champion Nuggets, the Thunder's probability of winning soared to 63%, ranking first in the league. The horror of it lies in its "no shortcomings" - a breakthrough and ending shooting percentage of 62% (first defender in the league), a mid-range jump shot of 48%, a three-pointer of 38%, and a top-level assisted defense awareness. With Homegren's space ability (3 three-pointers per game) and Jaylen Williams' defensive toughness, the Thunder's fast break score (30.2 points/field) and defensive counterattack efficiency, the league is called "the most balanced championship lineup in the past decade."

Despite the obvious advantages, Alexander still needs to be wary of two major risks: one is that head coach Dagenot lacks on-the-spot experience, and he misses the defense at the critical moment of G3 in the second round, resulting in a loss; the other is that the team lacks experience in the playoffs. Except for Alexander, only 3 players in the core rotation played in the division finals. However, data shows that young Thunder players have significant physical reserve advantages (average playing time is ≤35 minutes, the lowest in the league), and have won all four games against the Timberwolves in the regular season, with obvious psychological advantages. They are predicted by celebrities such as Artest as "the team that is most likely to establish a dynasty."

3. "New King of New York" Brunson: The iron-blooded commander of the single-core carry

=From the Mavericks character player to the absolute core of the Knicks, Brunson interpreted the "big heart" with his 28.8 points, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals in the playoffs. He completed a reversal of 10+ points many times, and was called "the first existing player in the playoffs" by Perkins. Its killer weapon lies in its "rhythm master" attribute - it is good at tearing the defense line with change direction and emergency stop jump shots, with a three-point shooting percentage of 45% at critical moments (top three in the league), and has top pick-and-roll tactical execution. The internal and external connection of partner Towns makes the Knicks' starting lineup with offense and defense, and its paper strength was rated as "the strongest in the East" by the US media.

However, Thibodeau's "Five Donkeys Tactics" (core players average 38 + minutes per game) became a time bomb. The Knicks scored only 18.2 points/game (second to last in the playoffs), relying too much on the three main players Brunson, Towns and Anunobi. They had a physical decline in the second round against the Celtics (the shooting percentage dropped sharply by 12% in the final quarter). US media gave a 12.5% ​​chance of winning the championship, believing that if he can defeat the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, he will need to solve the "Alexander single-point blast" problem in the finals, and Brunson's height disadvantage (1.85 meters) may be targeted in a key defensive round.

4. "System Brain" Halliburton: The fairy tale of the civilian team's counterattack

Halliburton leads the playoffs with 9.3 assists per game, connecting the Pacers' "five foreign system". The team's three-point shooting (35 times/game) and assists and turnover ratio (2.8:1) both rank first in the league. Carlisle's 10-man rotation tactics averaged a net score of +8.5 points. Its advantage lies in "turning ordinary into magic" - facing the two powerful opponents of the Bucks and the Cavaliers, even if the opponents such as Mitchell and Lillard are absent, they can still tear the defense through conducting the ball. The real shooting percentage of the playoffs is 62%, showing top efficiency.

But Halliburton's shortcomings are also obvious: he lacks singles ability when facing high-intensity defense (the shooting percentage is less than 50% in key battles), and the team relies on the "injury bonus" to advance (the opponents' core injuries are missing in the second round of the first round), and was questioned by the US media that "the upper limit is limited by the quality of the stars." The 4.8% chance of winning the championship reflects the outside world's concerns - when the opponent doubles the team, the Pacers lack a second stable scoring point (Sica's playoff shooting percentage is only 42%), and the inside height is insufficient (average height of 2.01 meters). The rebounds are easily crushed when facing the Timberwolves' double towers or the Knicks forward group, and are nicknamed the "dark horse with the race".

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