“2025 NBA Playoffs: Will Solo Stars or Team Synergy Reign Supreme?”

This game was indicative of one of the differences in regular-season and postseason basketball. Sacramento was a bad defensive team during the regular season, and it was the type of team that gets even worse defensively in the playoffs because of LaVine and DeRozan. When a team focuses on taking away what an opponent does well, individual player flaws are magnified, and it becomes much harder to rely on scheme and effort.

Everyone already knows this about offense. It’s generally accepted that it becomes harder to play non-shooters together in the playoffs. If two or more players aren’t offensive threats on the perimeter, it gives the defense too many places from which to send help. No matter coaching creativity, it’s almost impossible to mask multiple offensive non-factors.

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