The defending champion has not seen the second round for six consecutive years! Famous reporter: I believe everyone has made a mistake in the playoffs this year

Amid the fierce NBA playoffs, a focus battle attracted countless attention. In the second round of the NBA playoffs, the Knicks opened fire at home and beat the Celtics with a huge gap of 119-81, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a total score of 4-2.

In this game, Towns performed well, played 34 minutes and 4 of 20 shots, scored 8 of 20 shots (1 of 6 three-pointers), scored 4 of 4 free throws, scored 21 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Despite three turnovers, the plus and minus value + 25, which was remarkable. It is worth mentioning that Towns has eliminated the defending champion for two consecutive years, eliminated the Nuggets 4-3 in the second round last year, and defeated the Celtics 4-2 in the second round this year, showing strong competitiveness.

And as the defending champion, the Celtics' defeat means they have not made a breakthrough in the second round for six consecutive years. The timeline has been extended, from 2020 to the present, the defending NBA champion seems to have fallen into the "second round curse" and has never broken through the shackles of the second round.

The Raptors lost 3-4 to the Celtics in the second round in 2020, the Lakers lost 2-4 to the Suns in the first round in 2021, the Bucks lost 3-4 to the Celtics in the second round in 2022, the Warriors lost 2-4 to the Lakers in the second round in 2023, and the Nuggets lost 3-4 to the Timberwolves in the second round in 2024, and the Celtics lost 2-4 to the Knicks in the second round in 2024.

No team has successfully defended their title for seven consecutive seasons, which is the second longest record in the history of the NBA, which shows how difficult it is to defend the title in a fiercely competitive league.

After the complete playoffs were released, 43 commentators/anchants in the sports world made a championship prediction. Among them, 18 people, including Yang Yi and Wang Meng, had high hopes for the Celtics and chose them to win the championship; 6 people including Su Qun supported the Thunder; 6 people including Guan Zeyuan, Zhang Weiping, Mina, etc. were optimistic about the Lakers; 5 people including Xu Jingyu, Ding Nan favored the Clippers; 3 people supported the Nuggets, 3 people supported the Warriors, 1 person supported the Bucks, and 1 person supported the Cavaliers. However, with the unexpected elimination of the Celtics, the original predictions "turned over". Currently, only 6 other people including Su Qun support the Thunder, and 3 guests/anchants who support the Nuggets "survived", and the other people's predictions have been disappointed.

As the Clippers' commented after the game: "This is an incredible playoff. I believe everyone's predictions have failed."

This playoffs are full of variables and surprises. The "second round curse" of the defending champion continues, and most of the pre-match predictions failed to come true. This may be the charm of the NBA. Until the last moment, you will never know what the result is, and it is full of suspense and challenges.