Moles with people on the bench like the coaches Chris Finch and Micah Nori and in the offices as the president of operations Tim Connelly who have been to Denver and know the ins and outs of the Nuggets and how it all started. Two giants like Karl-Anthony Towns y Rudy Gobert, one in charge of Nikola Jokic and the other his bodyguard in the painting as the discovery of the panacea for the Serbian, plus a ruthless and hungry wolf like Anthony Edwards. The fierce The Minnesota Timberwolves They appeared in the Conference Semifinals with the reputation of being designed to be Denver’s antihero. And they attested that they are with a victory in the Game 1 with a lot of meaning in the heights of the city of the champion (99-106).
Edwards, 43 points, will deservedly monopolize all the honors. But the Timberwolves did the impossible: making Jokic look inefficient and earthly. Although 32 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assiststhe double MVP fell shorter than usual in his series of shots with 11/25 in field goals and a striking 2/9 in triples, although not as much as his number of losses: up to 7 to eclipse a Joker disconnected from his band at times.
At his side he twisted his gesture Jamal Murraywith a handful of those complicated shots that give him so much morbidity but more subdued than usual, 17 points with a 6/14 in shots.
The Timberwolves, who silenced the boisterous Ball Arena with an initial 4-18, they will be a complex challenge for Jokic’s intelligence and will force Denver to think a lot given what has been seen on both sides of the court despite the fact that Michael Malone I would put it all down to intensity and discipline.
The first concern, even anguish, Anthony Edwardsthat small and treacherous young man with the gaze of a snake, the spirit of an ant with his perseverance and the soul of a heartless wolf who attacks anyone based on quality and trash talk, technique in the second part for a defiant look at Reggie Jackson. To the sound of the outside, Minny stood up in the last two minutes with the matter almost settled (91-100).
Although already a star, Edwards has that gift only available to a privileged few like Doncic, ordering who he wants to face so that they give it to him by blocking and knocking down an entire team in front of him with his lethal mid-range shot. The point guard shot 17/29 from the field, 3/7 from three-point range, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
But the ABC of the plan to hold Denver’s divine giant, that pair of athletic towers as well synchronized as Towns and Gobert, 20 points for the Dominican and 6 points and 13 sacks for the Frenchman, crediting his reputation as one of the best defenders ever with good actions at the end against Jokic.
But the perfection of Minny’s essence to defeat Denver, to whom he lost by a misleading 4-1 last year in the first round, also includes the power to always line up two greats on the hardwood with Naz Reid and its 2.06, honoring the interior the honor of Sixth Man of the Year with 16 points and 7/11 shooting from the bench.
While KAT takes care of the Joker, Gobert stays behind acting as a paint protector with one eye on Aaron Gordon -9 points-, as always a silent killer near the rim. Despite Gobert’s step forward, Denver was successful on most occasions in which he managed to change the matchup to pair Jokic with the Frenchman in the post. Alone with the former Jazz player, the Serbian is superior and knows how to handle double defenses.
However, the two-time MVP was often exposed to hand-to-hand combat with Towns on the perimeter. Having another giant safeguarding the paint against the network of cuts by Denver players allows the Dominican to go all out. Jokic was especially surprised at first by the way the Wolves floated him on the perimeter. A good way to interrupt the flow of the show of him as a passer and successful according tol 2/9 in triples of the Balkan.
The pick and roll with Murray worked but without finding a consistent source of points, the point guard also being punished by the defense of Jaden McDaniels. The Nuggets tried the pick and roll between Gordon and Jokic twice at the end in an intense desperation to cut back or perhaps try something new ahead of Game 2 on Monday that could dislodge Minnesota by moving its two big men away from the painted zone.
Denver survived Minny’s fleeting start as a result of Jokic’s pairing with Gobert when Towns went to the bench and an offensive jam by the Timberwolves that boosted the Nuggets, coming out with a bugle call on the counterattack in that rhythm unattainable for everyone in the 1,600 meters altitude from Colorado City.
Michael Malone’s men arrived at half-time 44-40 up and that’s when a series of adjustments by Minnesota sparked their attack. Edwards had most of the weight, but Karl-Anthony Towns began to use his size more intelligently to match him with anyone who looked like Naz Reid.
The set of Chris Finch -finally sitting on the bench after undergoing surgery on his injury-, he showed more patience and managed the second actions more calmly under the leadership of Mike Conley -14 points and 10 assists-, exploiting Jokic’s drop defense, the point guard in the pick and roll, finding the perfect shot or pass. In another interesting adjustment and despite doing it only once, Gobert understood that he can attack the rim decisively on the short roll given his size superiority over Gordon.
It’s time for reflection for the Nuggets, who will also have to question whether to give minutes to DeAndre Jordan when Jokic rests instead of always betting on small ball against the permanent size of the Timberwolves, who seem specially designed to overthrow the champion.
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2024-05-05 05:17:25
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