We begin our journey through the 2024 NBA Playoffs with one of the most balanced and fascinating series of the first round, the one between the surprising Minnesota Timberwolves and the new Phoenix Suns of the Big Three: a match that promises a spectacle starting from 9.30pm on Saturday and which we will probably drag on for a very long time.
In reality, the seasonal series was a resounding 0-3 in favor of Phoenix, but the games were all spoiled by shortcomings in the opponents’ roster.
The permanent return of Karl-Anthony Towns it undoubtedly opens up new scenarios, especially considering the difficulty of Frank Vogel’s boys in containing the great physicality of their opponents.
Despite the lack of experience of its main players, Minnesota did very well last year against the then champion Nuggets, a symptom of how Anthony Edwards and teammates know how to raise the level when it matters most.
Ant will obviously be the one to be watched in particular by the Suns defense, but with all that talent at his disposal he shouldn’t have any problems (unlike what happened in the Regular Season) and we expect a post season from him worthy of one of the next faces of the NBA .
On the Phoenix side, as mentioned, there is the big issue of physicality to be resolved, especially considering that Jusuf Nurkic in the Playoffs he was never able to be a factor, constantly becoming the target of opposing pick&rolls given his very poor mobility.
The Suns’ shortcomings in the defensive phase have so far been covered by an extraordinary attack, which thanks to Kevin Durant, Devin Booker e Bradley Beal turns out to be an almost impossible puzzle for opponents to solve.
As we have already anticipated, the crux of the matter revolves around the big men of the two teams: Rudy Gobert and the aforementioned Nurkic, like all ‘old school’ centers, historically struggle to stay on the field in the post season.
The big problem for the Suns is that their opponents have the excellent Towns to field to replace him in smaller quintets, in addition to the versatile Naz Reid who will play a key role, also considering his extraordinary skills from beyond the arc.
The critical issue for the Timberwolves instead will be the attempt to contain the Suns’ perimeter weapons, from the Big Three to Grayson Allenwho will probably have a lot of space in the rotations.
Therefore, considering that both teams have the weapons to hurt their opponents, you will have already understood that this series has all the potential to last many races; if we really have to make a prediction, we’ll do it in favor of Minnesota, who in our opinion has everything it takes to move forward in this race for the ring.
2024-04-18 16:08:43
#Playoffs #NBA #Preview #TWolves #Suns
