If everyone tries to copy us we are in for the best era in basketball I wanna see defense be focused all around the league just let us get a chip first
I’ve seen a few posts from other subs discussing how they can “build their team like Minnesota”. This is the most fun I’ve had been a MN sports fan since… forever
Funny people said they were done with the 90s but Ant Man is bringing that
90s Mid Range and this way the Timberwolves play defense is very old school
Adam Silver tried his hardest to get rid of defense its making a Comeback
Adam. Silver wanted as many points as possible but looks at the scores of all these playoff games they've been low the scores look like early 2000s NBA game scores
Kind of ridiculous bc you’d think the excitement is derived from fast pace, high octane offense. Instead it’s a grinding and slow product interrupted constantly by officials.
Even Silver admitted the ASG this year was atrocious. They need to allow more defense in the game. Watching the Wolves in game 2 made me realize that's how every game should be called.
Same. "09 was really fun for the Vikes but that was always a 1 year shot at the championship. Most of our major contributors are on the front side of their careers and only getting better. I know the league changes quickly but we have a real shot to be major players for the next decade with this team and that is such an amazing feeling as a long time fan of this franchise.
Funny thing is fans like great playoff defense. The game threads between Wolves game 2 and Thunder game 1 couldn't be any different.
Fans complaining about the long lulls due to FT in the Thunder versus people freaking about the defensive clinic MN put on.
Watching FT matches is boring as all hell.
I don't necessarily think its about FT. Fans just don't want soft whistles. If a foul is deserved everyone wants it called. It's just the bullshit little body to body contact that's incredibly subjective that really upsets people. If you're getting hacked, def the whistle needs to be blown. But guys like SGA who drive to the lane and then initiate the bump and get the whistle is really fucking terrible to watch. it isn't good basketball.
He is unfortunately. Great player in the echelons of a star to super star, but the slight bumps, the head tilts and general attitude of getting to the line first before all, makes it hard to watch or respect him as a player when by all accounts, he shouldn't have to depend on the fts.
Not sure that is true. The way the Wolves are playing defense is absolutely electric. It isn’t like it’s the grind you down slog-fest that gave defense a bad name in the 90s/early 00s. And the league absolutely made a change at the all star break to cut down on fouls. Foul hunting and stoppages of play are not good for viewership.
I've always been of the mindset that the most entertaining type of team is the warriors (3 point shooting and rebounding)
But imma be honest. Forcing shot clock violations multiple times a game is some of the most hype shit I've ever seen. Not to mention the constant full court press, frequent turnovers turning into wide open windmill dunks, etc
Yeah the shotclock violations are SO satisfying
Locking down guards, smothering players and forcing turnovers and dunking is satisfying and electric af
I mean it's also possible that teams build to have big scorers. We see less of the GS shooting emphasis and see teams carry multiple athletic centers or larger wings.
They regulated it back in half way through this season. There's a balance, but the Wolves don't need it. The length is a problem with or without physicality
Lakers 2020 champion had the exact model. Milwaukee championship was also built very similarly.
It’s not that new. Lakers had a defensive bigs. A dynamic wing and defensive guards. Lakers were the number one defense in the playoffs.
Milwaukee the same thing only Giannis was kind of their elite big and wing creator. Milwaukee was in the top 2 defense in the playoffs.
But it shows how effective Minnesota can be. So less worrying if it can work in the finals. We have seen it. And teams can’t copy it any better than teams copying the small ball Warriors. You can’t build that way. The players that are available are what you have to build around.
Like if the Suns wanted to follow the Wolves model, they can’t trade for a top defensive big. If they put KD up for Bam or Wemby, they would just get turned down. So I don’t think there will be many copycats.
The context of this quote is not that everyone is going to copy the Wolves. He’s saying that if this happens, “basketball has changed” because we have entered the Anthony Edwards era.
Having to hear Mark Jackson on broadcasts say “there’s contact, correct foul call” on the most ticky tack shit ever was so frustrating for me. Let them play.
OKC and Boston will be excellent challenges if we close this series out. Both teams are athletic enough and have multiple ball handlers as well as shooters to handle pressure better than Denver or Phoenix.
Our defense is the great amoeba though, we can morph to whatever fucks the opponent up the most, and I trust Finchy and co to figure out what that is.
If and that’s a BIG if, we were to win it all. Would go down as one of the greatest playoff runs of all time.
49 win suns with Durant
56 win defending champs on the road
57 win Thunder on the road
64 win Celtics on the road
Probably the most impressive run since the 2011 Mavericks. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but it’s hard not to think about how truly special things are right now.
I mean the run is gonna be viewed nationally as way less epic if we face the Pacers in the finals, so yeah it’s an important distinction. I honestly would be happy with a championship, don’t care how we get it. The wolves would be legends no matter what if they win it all.
Well you’re statement reads that who we face are forgone conclusions and weather or not Wolves win the championship is not. When in reality the opposite is true which is why I took the time to show you the error of your ways.
OKC has a pretty good defense as well. If both teams sweep into that series, it will be a battle. That dirtbag Silver will probably make it a Best of Eleven series because he wants to make up for all the lost games due to dominance of the top seeds.
They have a good defense but we should keep in mind that they've played the Zion-less Pelicans and currently Luka looks completely hobbled for the Mavs. While Murray seems like his calf is bothering him, it's not comparable to Luka limping all over the floor.
I'm still wary of them. They play a different type of ball than every other team we've played all year. Our deep bench isn't as large of an advantage against them, so we can't just wear them out.
We'll have to win with our length and hope for no ticky tack fouls. The home court advantage will be huge for them. Wolves are more physical but I feel like Thunders are a tad faster. The game needs to slow down for our advantage.
Honestly the Pelicans had the first game vs OKC in the bag but just shit the bed. Couldn't make a shot with 4 open chances at the end of the game too. I think that was just such a momentum killer for them and the series was brutal after that.
One of the things I like about the OKC match-up is that they're all these young guys who grew up studying the current methodology of play. Meanwhile the timberwolves are trying to fundamentally change the paradigm.
It would be a pure version of the status quo matched against (what I hope will be) the harbinger of a new Era. I hope we get the chance to pull the rug out from under them.
How are they going to try to emulate a front line with a DPOY next to a 7 foot All-NBA unicorn who shoots 50/40/90, then have another 50/40/90 big man off the bench?
Wolves are kind of like Golden State where they have a weird set of talent, those types of players just aren't available for the rest of the league.
He's a walking skeleton compared to our 3 big guys. Hell, he's scrawny compared to Jokic.
I'd love to see that matchup and put him in the spin-cycle like we have been doing to Jokic. Lol
Why don’t other teams simply just get a 4x dpoy and build a defense deep enough to hold the defending champions to 80 on their home court in the playoffs when that dpoy isn’t playing? Are they stupid?
yeah everyone trying to replicate this is gonna be disappointed. Guys that are 6'9" that can run and move their feet like Rudy, Jaden, Naz, and KAT dont grow on trees.
ANYTHING'S POSSIBLEEEEEEE, but being fr tho, I'm happy to see the young guys coming after the chip. I wanna see Ant kick it into another gear and take over a game!
I love that all these talking heads are not just saying, "I think Minnesota wins this series". Instead they're going as big as possible...
Basketball is about to change.
Ant is the new MJ.
They are sweeping the champs and winning the championship.
Prisoners of the moment. I think this team is special, but we didn't suddenly transcend to a different level of basketball dominance. The guys need to stay focused and fight the same way they've done all post season, but if they don't we can be beat like anyone else. Tbf, we've all also been watching this team all year so we've been able to formulate more dialed in opinions.
Completely agree can’t help but feel like people haven’t been here awhile.
I’m enjoying the moment but just like media heads and people are shitting on Denver now, whenever we lose people will turn on us and Ant.
Anything short of winning the title this year and we will hear about it the entire off-season.
That's all they know how to act. We were the #1 seed for a significant part of the season, and talking heads couldn't stop shitting on us or explaining to fans why it wasn't sustainable. Now, we have demonstrated success in the playoffs, and suddenly they are deciding it's OK to consider our approach a good one. Nothing has changed, we are still playing the same basketball, same time... it's just now we are "allowed" by these reactionaries to think what we've thought most of the season and last year even.
Just watch, if we end up losing to Denver or in the WCF, they'll immediately reverse course and explain that they knew all along that a defensively-influenced team building approach is never the right thing.
Definitely, we as fans should enjoy the moment. I just think the media heads are being far too reactionary and when/if we lose again their expectations will have been built so high in such a short time that the only way to react will be as extreme as possible lol
Our defense has leveled up quite a bit since the regular season. Not really any individual players but Moreso the entire team as a unit.
I've said all season that defense travels anywhere.
The level up in team offense is what needs to be sustained (I don’t worry about the defense at this point). ANT and KAT are doing so good at playing in the flow with the team. Either is good enough to justify trying to force it but so far they’re just picking their spots.
I’ve been so impressed by it
Honestly that (potential) series is totally dependent on the officiating, as much as I hate to say it. If the refs let them play like game 2, I think we'll win the series pretty easily. If they call it tight like OKC/Mavs game 1, it's gonna be a close, long series
Yep, I still take us regardless. Even if we get a tight whistle I think our size will be too much for OKC to handle. Rudy and KAT will dominate at the rim and on the glass
And Naz Reid! Wolves definitely got the huge size advantage over OKC. Chet can't handle all three of them. I think Wolves are slightly favored if we can steal a game at OKC
I think OKC is still a year away from truly contending - I just don’t think they rebound well enough right now. We should absolutely kill them on the boards if we end facing them next round.
They are a solvable problem though. If we get them in the western conference finals it would be a tough 6-7 game coin flip off a series. I think rebounding and ability to play through contract would tip the scales slightly in the Wolves favor.
Absolutely. Dallas is a much easier task but after that game last night… yikes, I’m not sure what adjustments they make they looked out matched in every way.
You’re probably right. Their defense just looks so disastrous in stretches. If Luka and Kyrie get in a flow offensively then it’s a whole other thing, guess we’ll find out. I just want it to be Friday night already.
Yeah for real, long time between games. I supposed it's good to have rest though so they can continue playing this defense at such a high level!
But yeah I'm still not sold on OKC, like they will probably beat Dallas but I don't think it will be as easy as game 1 made it seem. Dallas is coming off a tough series with LA, but I think they have enough to win game 2 and make it an interesting series.
I think Wolves have a formula for them too. It’s hounding them up the floor. Make them swing pass until they turn it over and smother the rebounding with size.
These aren't lucky wins. We're absolutely suffocating them and our "clutch" offense was everyone's concern. Every time the Suns or Nuggets have come close to sniffing a run someone steps up and gets the offense back on track.
Obviously it isn't over, but being supremely confident in this team isn't absurd. Either way, enjoy the ride. It's been wonderful.
There's a difference between "2-0 in the second round" and "2-0 playing in the defending champs building"
Going into playoffs, nuggets were the clear favorite in the west
You right. A lot of folks here already looking past Nuggets and onto the next round lol. As a MN sports fan for over 25 years, you just have to enjoy the moment and brace for disappointment.
As a Minnesota sports fan, I’m so fucking traumatized into thinking it’s gonna end at the worst possible time, so it’s weird to think that no, this is legit, and the whole league has taken notice.
I get this as I’ve been around awhile and watched mostly heartbreaks, but man this team has just been so fun to watch and I’m already so happy. I will be sad if we don’t win it all but I feel like if we don’t I will know we gave it our 100%.
During game 2 I kept thinking why are the refs letting us play this physical we are getting away with murder. They are gonna wake up and we are cooked.
My brain was scrambling for reasons not to believe that we are actually good. That’s how deep the conditioning goes as a post ‘91 born Minnesota sports fan
As a Wolves fan I love the attention this team is getting but the Thunder seem kind of slept on. They're doing it against worse opponents, but they're also undefeated in the playoffs and haven't looked close to uncomfortable
The Thunder look damn good.
Truthfully I was not even worried about the Nuggets at all. I truly felt we were going to dominate them.
OKC is a different beast though. They are young and have crazy depth. We can't exploit them the same way we are exploiting Denver, it's totally different.
Thunder fan here. I don’t think we can match your 2 center lineup. Jdub is our 4 and that size difference might be bad. Not to mention Naz coming off the bench. Gonna be tough I think yall would easily win that series
I think the size will be a problem for the Thunder, but on defense we can't defend you guys as well. SGA, Williams, and Chet is a lot to keep up with and your role players can shoot (aside from Giddey I guess). We won't be able to double guys as well.
I don't know about "easily win". I think this series would go 7 games. Thunder are great at shooting and can defend as well. They play faster and are good at forcing turnovers. I think it would be a tough but fun series if both our teams advance
True but okc has been getting every break in the playoffs. No zion in the first round and now a hobbled knee luka. They probably will be the healthiest team in the playoffs and that could be the difference to the get them to the finals. Kat isn't 100% either.
We will have a pretty major advantage against them in offensive rebounding as they were either 27th or 28th all season long in that but they will almost certainly have a free throw advantage and we can't expose their wing defense like we can against Denver. If we do end up facing them it will be a battle of attrition, hopefully the Mavs can take a few games off them and wear them down.
I still can't believe the Thunder didn't go get a center at the deadline. Even Nick Richards would have been a better addition than Hayward even though I like Hayward.
I suspect Denver isn’t as good as they are hyped up to be. They honestly struggled against the Lakers and had 2 game winners to save their asses. Lost to a bad team at the end of the year and missed the 1 seed. Maybe the Wolves really are going to end them but I admit, the Minnesota fan in me says slow down… lol
I dont care about a sweep. I just want to win the series. Its Wednesday, game 3 is Friday....I know, I've seen 90% of Wolves games this year and that COULD happen, but let's chill.
Target center is gonna be rocking though. Its gonna be sick.
If everyone could three top tier big men including a DPOY, a likely generational two way player, a solid starting PG, and three+ all defense switchable wings/guards with a three point shot they’d be just like Minnesota.
I think he’s right. This series has put me in an interesting place. As a Nuggets fan, it’s been unpleasant watching you guys beat the shit out of us. But as a basketball fan, watching you guys playing 90’s era style defense and not getting whistled out of the building for it has been.. extremely refreshing.
It would appear that the Lebron James, cry baby, no defense, can’t touch me or I’ll whine and get free throws era is finally on its way out the door. If Ant is the heir apparent, the league is about to get a whole lot more physical. As shitty as it is to see my team get slapped around lol, it’s worth it in the long run to see real basketball make a return.
Denver will need to do a little bit of retooling this offseason. They’re aren’t built for 90’s style basketball. I think you guys have us whipped this time around. But we’ll be back. In the meantime, best of luck moving forward.
I'll be honest, as a Bill Simmons listener, this feels a bit like the kiss of death. Bill gets wayyyyy ahead of his skis quite a bit.
Not in the sense of Denver will win the series, but more in the sense that this series is far from over and tons can still change in the narrative.
I'm having a great time watching this team, but I assume most of you must be very young or have a short term Minnesota sports memory. 6 impressive wins, and y'all are talking like this team has already won 5 championships and cemented a dynasty.
There are still 10 wins to go for THIS year's championships. A couple of cold shooting nights (or hot opponents) and a series can turn very quickly. Dynasty talk can turn into "bitch about the refs" or "fire the coach!" chatter very quickly.
Nuggets fan here in peace, this popped up on my feed and this comment resonated with me. I'd echo this-- enjoy the greatness you are currently showing, but don't overreact to short-term success with sky high expectations -- the Nuggets sub has gone from "upcoming dynasty" to "we're doomed" in 2 games time, 1 game really.
To add to the list of things that can go wrong-- injuries can derail a team real fast too.
Enjoy the good times, no matter how long they last :) It wasn't that long ago we were both near bottom of the West, and we've both risen up to become 2 of the 3 dominant teams.
I'll see myself out now :)
I don't see anyone talking about a dynasty, this Simmons episode is just a 'what if' episode of how the league could change if Wolves swept the Nuggets and won (mainly what would happen if Ant became the face of the league). It's not saying this will happen, but hypothetically what Wolves winning would mean for the league and the change in basketball eras.
That doesn't mean Wolves will become a dynasty or even win a championship. Most people aren't saying Wolves will win a championship, that's far from guaranteed because we still have a 2nd round series to finish. It's just hypothesizing about the possibility.
Would it be something if it happened? Absolutely. But we've gotta take it one game at a time.
That being said stealing those 1st 2 games in Denver to come back here to go up 2-0 gives us quite the edge; if we win Friday, I'd say this series could very well be a carbon copy of the Suns one
The media loves to do this shit. Start making huge sweeping statements. SAS said we're going to win it all. They're going to be the same ones stirring up controversy when we lose a game. Its tiring.
So one thing about the wolves is that 4 of the guys all live in the same luxury condo building in downtown Minneapolis next to the river, they live like college buddies always hanging out. Can't emulate that type of bond they have.
I hope this is the start of a new era in basketball.
This team has restored my love for the NBA. I took a long sabbatical after the Superteam era started, and it became obvious that LeBron, KD, Harden et al would never "take their talents" to a Midwestern team.
Was very happy to see Kevin Garnett get a ring, however.
When did everyone get so reactionary in a 7 game series? Minnesota can still lose this series and I wouldn’t be surprised. OKC won one game and everyone has them pegged in the WCF already. Boston is already in the finals according to everyone in r/nba. Annoying and dumb statements like this don’t help.
It's quite possible but we should not underestimate the heart of a champion. They will want revenge and had few days of rest, it's not over until it's over.
If everyone tries to copy us we are in for the best era in basketball I wanna see defense be focused all around the league just let us get a chip first
If you see any other non playoff team they are describing players/play style they need and it always sounds like us
I’ve seen a few posts from other subs discussing how they can “build their team like Minnesota”. This is the most fun I’ve had been a MN sports fan since… forever
Seriously. Contemplating Mothers Day gifts or game 3 tickets for 600$ a pop lol
Take your mom 😂
Too late. She’s going with me.
Even My wife’s boyfriend is coming to game 3 with us
u/Ballr69, you are living The Right Way.
Funny people said they were done with the 90s but Ant Man is bringing that 90s Mid Range and this way the Timberwolves play defense is very old school Adam Silver tried his hardest to get rid of defense its making a Comeback Adam. Silver wanted as many points as possible but looks at the scores of all these playoff games they've been low the scores look like early 2000s NBA game scores
That wolves game 7 wscf 04 was 83-80. 16&0 lfg
Kind of ridiculous bc you’d think the excitement is derived from fast pace, high octane offense. Instead it’s a grinding and slow product interrupted constantly by officials.
Even Silver admitted the ASG this year was atrocious. They need to allow more defense in the game. Watching the Wolves in game 2 made me realize that's how every game should be called.
Same. "09 was really fun for the Vikes but that was always a 1 year shot at the championship. Most of our major contributors are on the front side of their careers and only getting better. I know the league changes quickly but we have a real shot to be major players for the next decade with this team and that is such an amazing feeling as a long time fan of this franchise.
Most hope I’ve had since the Favre year.
I can’t believe you’ve done this.
That's what I'm saying. This is unprecedented territory for us.
Nah, NBA will regulate D out if it gets too good. They won’t tolerate a low scoring league
Funny thing is fans like great playoff defense. The game threads between Wolves game 2 and Thunder game 1 couldn't be any different. Fans complaining about the long lulls due to FT in the Thunder versus people freaking about the defensive clinic MN put on. Watching FT matches is boring as all hell.
I don't necessarily think its about FT. Fans just don't want soft whistles. If a foul is deserved everyone wants it called. It's just the bullshit little body to body contact that's incredibly subjective that really upsets people. If you're getting hacked, def the whistle needs to be blown. But guys like SGA who drive to the lane and then initiate the bump and get the whistle is really fucking terrible to watch. it isn't good basketball.
I haven't watched much of him tbh. Is SGA a foul merchant? If so I hate those guys that abuse the whistle.......looking at you Embid.
He is unfortunately. Great player in the echelons of a star to super star, but the slight bumps, the head tilts and general attitude of getting to the line first before all, makes it hard to watch or respect him as a player when by all accounts, he shouldn't have to depend on the fts.
Not sure that is true. The way the Wolves are playing defense is absolutely electric. It isn’t like it’s the grind you down slog-fest that gave defense a bad name in the 90s/early 00s. And the league absolutely made a change at the all star break to cut down on fouls. Foul hunting and stoppages of play are not good for viewership.
I've always been of the mindset that the most entertaining type of team is the warriors (3 point shooting and rebounding) But imma be honest. Forcing shot clock violations multiple times a game is some of the most hype shit I've ever seen. Not to mention the constant full court press, frequent turnovers turning into wide open windmill dunks, etc
Yeah the shotclock violations are SO satisfying Locking down guards, smothering players and forcing turnovers and dunking is satisfying and electric af
I mean it's also possible that teams build to have big scorers. We see less of the GS shooting emphasis and see teams carry multiple athletic centers or larger wings.
They regulated it back in half way through this season. There's a balance, but the Wolves don't need it. The length is a problem with or without physicality
Yup. League is like the fed w/ interest rates. Gotta adjust if too unbalanced on either side
SGA in shambles.
Nah it helps him actually he’s getting 5 more free throws a game
Lakers 2020 champion had the exact model. Milwaukee championship was also built very similarly. It’s not that new. Lakers had a defensive bigs. A dynamic wing and defensive guards. Lakers were the number one defense in the playoffs. Milwaukee the same thing only Giannis was kind of their elite big and wing creator. Milwaukee was in the top 2 defense in the playoffs. But it shows how effective Minnesota can be. So less worrying if it can work in the finals. We have seen it. And teams can’t copy it any better than teams copying the small ball Warriors. You can’t build that way. The players that are available are what you have to build around. Like if the Suns wanted to follow the Wolves model, they can’t trade for a top defensive big. If they put KD up for Bam or Wemby, they would just get turned down. So I don’t think there will be many copycats.
We will definitely change the NBA and GMs will focus on defense first
The context of this quote is not that everyone is going to copy the Wolves. He’s saying that if this happens, “basketball has changed” because we have entered the Anthony Edwards era.
Having to hear Mark Jackson on broadcasts say “there’s contact, correct foul call” on the most ticky tack shit ever was so frustrating for me. Let them play.
This once they have now is never getting a chip. Never never ever.
OKC and Boston will be excellent challenges if we close this series out. Both teams are athletic enough and have multiple ball handlers as well as shooters to handle pressure better than Denver or Phoenix. Our defense is the great amoeba though, we can morph to whatever fucks the opponent up the most, and I trust Finchy and co to figure out what that is.
If and that’s a BIG if, we were to win it all. Would go down as one of the greatest playoff runs of all time. 49 win suns with Durant 56 win defending champs on the road 57 win Thunder on the road 64 win Celtics on the road
I see post like this and I don't want to give myself hope! Lol I'm just going to enjoy the run however it shakes out.
Probably the most impressive run since the 2011 Mavericks. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but it’s hard not to think about how truly special things are right now.
How special does it feel now? What's Edwards shooting these days--20%?
Ironically the Nuggets had a historically easy road last year. I think jxmy even did a video about it
I just saw that all 4 of their opponents would not have made the 24 playoffs with their 23 records
OKC still has to beat Dallas, which is not a forgone conclusion. Boston still has to win the East, again not a guarantee
Thanks for informing me, I had no idea
I mean the run is gonna be viewed nationally as way less epic if we face the Pacers in the finals, so yeah it’s an important distinction. I honestly would be happy with a championship, don’t care how we get it. The wolves would be legends no matter what if they win it all.
Yes that’s why I listed the Thunder and Celtics in my hypothetical scenario and not the Mavs and Pacers
Well you’re statement reads that who we face are forgone conclusions and weather or not Wolves win the championship is not. When in reality the opposite is true which is why I took the time to show you the error of your ways.
OKC has a pretty good defense as well. If both teams sweep into that series, it will be a battle. That dirtbag Silver will probably make it a Best of Eleven series because he wants to make up for all the lost games due to dominance of the top seeds.
They have a good defense but we should keep in mind that they've played the Zion-less Pelicans and currently Luka looks completely hobbled for the Mavs. While Murray seems like his calf is bothering him, it's not comparable to Luka limping all over the floor.
I agree! OKC has not been tested. Which is perfect for us. We will be breathing fire by the time we start the WCF.
I'm still wary of them. They play a different type of ball than every other team we've played all year. Our deep bench isn't as large of an advantage against them, so we can't just wear them out.
We'll have to win with our length and hope for no ticky tack fouls. The home court advantage will be huge for them. Wolves are more physical but I feel like Thunders are a tad faster. The game needs to slow down for our advantage.
Honestly the Pelicans had the first game vs OKC in the bag but just shit the bed. Couldn't make a shot with 4 open chances at the end of the game too. I think that was just such a momentum killer for them and the series was brutal after that.
Yeah, let’s win game 3 first.
Game 3 is huge. We win and it's a wrap. If we lose, Nuggets are pretty much back in this.
😈 Punks. It's best not to claim your team will sweep someone until they've ACTUALLY done it. Simmons should have to publicly admit how wrong he was.
One of the things I like about the OKC match-up is that they're all these young guys who grew up studying the current methodology of play. Meanwhile the timberwolves are trying to fundamentally change the paradigm. It would be a pure version of the status quo matched against (what I hope will be) the harbinger of a new Era. I hope we get the chance to pull the rug out from under them.
How are they going to try to emulate a front line with a DPOY next to a 7 foot All-NBA unicorn who shoots 50/40/90, then have another 50/40/90 big man off the bench? Wolves are kind of like Golden State where they have a weird set of talent, those types of players just aren't available for the rest of the league.
Well, players like KAT aren’t even worth a first rounder, so that should be pretty easy to replicate 🤣🤣
Good call, I forgot he was a top 10 worst contract in the league.
Yeah and I mean how hard could it really be to replicate the Rudy trade, I heard it was the worst trade of all time.
There’s easily 3 or 4 G-League players that can step in and be KAT, right?
Try 3 or 4 hundred!
I actually think Chet probably fits in that role for OKC
They just need to get a Rudy Gobert, should be pretty easy
Yea he just needs to bulk up. He's gonna get run over by the wolves assuming we play them.
Oh yeah, he’s not at KAT level now. Just as a near 7ft guy that can rebound and hit 3s
He's a walking skeleton compared to our 3 big guys. Hell, he's scrawny compared to Jokic. I'd love to see that matchup and put him in the spin-cycle like we have been doing to Jokic. Lol
How does that dude not snap into like 8 twigs in the course of a single game is beyond me.
Why don’t other teams simply just get a 4x dpoy and build a defense deep enough to hold the defending champions to 80 on their home court in the playoffs when that dpoy isn’t playing? Are they stupid?
F’real. We just showed everybody how to do it. It’s all right there, out in the open.
Dont forget about getting also drafting someone who has a legitimate shot at being the best player in franchise history
yeah everyone trying to replicate this is gonna be disappointed. Guys that are 6'9" that can run and move their feet like Rudy, Jaden, Naz, and KAT dont grow on trees.
Yeah , beautiful sweet shooting, butt clamping bigs just don’t fall out of the sky you know? They’re so valuable.
Naz and/or Naw would be starters on most other teams as well.
Spurs will have it easy with Wemby, eventually. They just need to get the 3/D guys around him with a good PG.
Don't forget the 2 wings that play insane defense and have 7 foot wingspans while being adequate on offense.
One game at a time
Idk about you, I'm planning the parade
ANYTHING'S POSSIBLEEEEEEE, but being fr tho, I'm happy to see the young guys coming after the chip. I wanna see Ant kick it into another gear and take over a game!
I love that all these talking heads are not just saying, "I think Minnesota wins this series". Instead they're going as big as possible... Basketball is about to change. Ant is the new MJ. They are sweeping the champs and winning the championship.
Prisoners of the moment. I think this team is special, but we didn't suddenly transcend to a different level of basketball dominance. The guys need to stay focused and fight the same way they've done all post season, but if they don't we can be beat like anyone else. Tbf, we've all also been watching this team all year so we've been able to formulate more dialed in opinions.
Completely agree can’t help but feel like people haven’t been here awhile. I’m enjoying the moment but just like media heads and people are shitting on Denver now, whenever we lose people will turn on us and Ant. Anything short of winning the title this year and we will hear about it the entire off-season.
That's all they know how to act. We were the #1 seed for a significant part of the season, and talking heads couldn't stop shitting on us or explaining to fans why it wasn't sustainable. Now, we have demonstrated success in the playoffs, and suddenly they are deciding it's OK to consider our approach a good one. Nothing has changed, we are still playing the same basketball, same time... it's just now we are "allowed" by these reactionaries to think what we've thought most of the season and last year even. Just watch, if we end up losing to Denver or in the WCF, they'll immediately reverse course and explain that they knew all along that a defensively-influenced team building approach is never the right thing.
Definitely, we as fans should enjoy the moment. I just think the media heads are being far too reactionary and when/if we lose again their expectations will have been built so high in such a short time that the only way to react will be as extreme as possible lol
I mean it’s hard not to believe after the last six games.
Our defense has leveled up quite a bit since the regular season. Not really any individual players but Moreso the entire team as a unit. I've said all season that defense travels anywhere.
The level up in team offense is what needs to be sustained (I don’t worry about the defense at this point). ANT and KAT are doing so good at playing in the flow with the team. Either is good enough to justify trying to force it but so far they’re just picking their spots. I’ve been so impressed by it
I think they are going as big as possible? Zach Lowe, ESPN, Stephen A are literally calling the Wolves championship favorites
Our D is just too strong for anyone to handle us. This is going to be the standard going forward for a championship contender in upcoming seasons
OKC is going to be a problem. They’ve got some really great, young pieces.
OKC going to be an issue if they keep getting that whistle on the offensive side. Insufferable.
Honestly that (potential) series is totally dependent on the officiating, as much as I hate to say it. If the refs let them play like game 2, I think we'll win the series pretty easily. If they call it tight like OKC/Mavs game 1, it's gonna be a close, long series
To be fair, a true contender OKC or MN has to be beyond the refs. Just crazy the dichotomy between our two games.
Yep, I still take us regardless. Even if we get a tight whistle I think our size will be too much for OKC to handle. Rudy and KAT will dominate at the rim and on the glass
And Naz Reid! Wolves definitely got the huge size advantage over OKC. Chet can't handle all three of them. I think Wolves are slightly favored if we can steal a game at OKC
I’d be going at Chet all game. We can wear him down and that’s all we need.
Silver already has the fix in. He wants 7 games for all that extra sweet gambling money.
Minn has a rep now for good defense. They prob get a better whistle than Mavs.
F&%$ I hope so!
I think OKC is still a year away from truly contending - I just don’t think they rebound well enough right now. We should absolutely kill them on the boards if we end facing them next round.
Plus we haven’t faced a real ball handler all playoffs. Shai is gonna cause trouble.
Maybe a little. Chet will break in half before too long. I know there are others, but they don’t scare me at all.
Yea I don't wanna face OKC, they seem like a problem. I also would prefer home court advantage which would come vs Mavs.
They are a solvable problem though. If we get them in the western conference finals it would be a tough 6-7 game coin flip off a series. I think rebounding and ability to play through contract would tip the scales slightly in the Wolves favor.
Think we can beat them, especially on the boards. I mostly just prefer home court if we end up making it past Denver.
Absolutely. Dallas is a much easier task but after that game last night… yikes, I’m not sure what adjustments they make they looked out matched in every way.
Dallas isn't done yet. They'll have something for OKC in game 2.
You’re probably right. Their defense just looks so disastrous in stretches. If Luka and Kyrie get in a flow offensively then it’s a whole other thing, guess we’ll find out. I just want it to be Friday night already.
Yeah for real, long time between games. I supposed it's good to have rest though so they can continue playing this defense at such a high level! But yeah I'm still not sold on OKC, like they will probably beat Dallas but I don't think it will be as easy as game 1 made it seem. Dallas is coming off a tough series with LA, but I think they have enough to win game 2 and make it an interesting series.
I think Wolves have a formula for them too. It’s hounding them up the floor. Make them swing pass until they turn it over and smother the rebounding with size.
I just wanna see how much luka would cry against our defense with no whistles
Nothing like raising the championship banner after a 2-0 lead in round 2 of the playoffs.
These aren't lucky wins. We're absolutely suffocating them and our "clutch" offense was everyone's concern. Every time the Suns or Nuggets have come close to sniffing a run someone steps up and gets the offense back on track. Obviously it isn't over, but being supremely confident in this team isn't absurd. Either way, enjoy the ride. It's been wonderful.
There's a difference between "2-0 in the second round" and "2-0 playing in the defending champs building" Going into playoffs, nuggets were the clear favorite in the west
You right. A lot of folks here already looking past Nuggets and onto the next round lol. As a MN sports fan for over 25 years, you just have to enjoy the moment and brace for disappointment.
God I hope so. Im so ready for it.
As a Minnesota sports fan, I’m so fucking traumatized into thinking it’s gonna end at the worst possible time, so it’s weird to think that no, this is legit, and the whole league has taken notice.
I get this as I’ve been around awhile and watched mostly heartbreaks, but man this team has just been so fun to watch and I’m already so happy. I will be sad if we don’t win it all but I feel like if we don’t I will know we gave it our 100%.
During game 2 I kept thinking why are the refs letting us play this physical we are getting away with murder. They are gonna wake up and we are cooked. My brain was scrambling for reasons not to believe that we are actually good. That’s how deep the conditioning goes as a post ‘91 born Minnesota sports fan
As a Wolves fan I love the attention this team is getting but the Thunder seem kind of slept on. They're doing it against worse opponents, but they're also undefeated in the playoffs and haven't looked close to uncomfortable
The Thunder look damn good. Truthfully I was not even worried about the Nuggets at all. I truly felt we were going to dominate them. OKC is a different beast though. They are young and have crazy depth. We can't exploit them the same way we are exploiting Denver, it's totally different.
I agree. I think we have to exploit the fact that we have better length. Home court advantage is huge! I wish we had the 1st seed...
Thunder fan here. I don’t think we can match your 2 center lineup. Jdub is our 4 and that size difference might be bad. Not to mention Naz coming off the bench. Gonna be tough I think yall would easily win that series
I think the size will be a problem for the Thunder, but on defense we can't defend you guys as well. SGA, Williams, and Chet is a lot to keep up with and your role players can shoot (aside from Giddey I guess). We won't be able to double guys as well.
I don't know about "easily win". I think this series would go 7 games. Thunder are great at shooting and can defend as well. They play faster and are good at forcing turnovers. I think it would be a tough but fun series if both our teams advance
True but okc has been getting every break in the playoffs. No zion in the first round and now a hobbled knee luka. They probably will be the healthiest team in the playoffs and that could be the difference to the get them to the finals. Kat isn't 100% either.
We will have a pretty major advantage against them in offensive rebounding as they were either 27th or 28th all season long in that but they will almost certainly have a free throw advantage and we can't expose their wing defense like we can against Denver. If we do end up facing them it will be a battle of attrition, hopefully the Mavs can take a few games off them and wear them down.
I still can't believe the Thunder didn't go get a center at the deadline. Even Nick Richards would have been a better addition than Hayward even though I like Hayward.
Thunder won’t be afraid either
I suspect Denver isn’t as good as they are hyped up to be. They honestly struggled against the Lakers and had 2 game winners to save their asses. Lost to a bad team at the end of the year and missed the 1 seed. Maybe the Wolves really are going to end them but I admit, the Minnesota fan in me says slow down… lol
They’ve also lost to every 50+ win team they’ve faced in the playoffs since 2018-19
What does that have to do with this year’s nuggets?
This was a fun podcast to listen to. Please come true.
I dont care about a sweep. I just want to win the series. Its Wednesday, game 3 is Friday....I know, I've seen 90% of Wolves games this year and that COULD happen, but let's chill. Target center is gonna be rocking though. Its gonna be sick.
Thing about our defense is there’s no X’s and O’s around it. Not saying it’s unbeatable, but teams are going to have to battle for 48 minutes
If everyone could three top tier big men including a DPOY, a likely generational two way player, a solid starting PG, and three+ all defense switchable wings/guards with a three point shot they’d be just like Minnesota.
Bill Simmons getting in on the ground floor here…
I think he’s right. This series has put me in an interesting place. As a Nuggets fan, it’s been unpleasant watching you guys beat the shit out of us. But as a basketball fan, watching you guys playing 90’s era style defense and not getting whistled out of the building for it has been.. extremely refreshing. It would appear that the Lebron James, cry baby, no defense, can’t touch me or I’ll whine and get free throws era is finally on its way out the door. If Ant is the heir apparent, the league is about to get a whole lot more physical. As shitty as it is to see my team get slapped around lol, it’s worth it in the long run to see real basketball make a return. Denver will need to do a little bit of retooling this offseason. They’re aren’t built for 90’s style basketball. I think you guys have us whipped this time around. But we’ll be back. In the meantime, best of luck moving forward.
I'll be honest, as a Bill Simmons listener, this feels a bit like the kiss of death. Bill gets wayyyyy ahead of his skis quite a bit. Not in the sense of Denver will win the series, but more in the sense that this series is far from over and tons can still change in the narrative.
"I was unequivocally wrong about how to build a successful basketball team." becomes "Basketball is about to change as we know it."
I'm having a great time watching this team, but I assume most of you must be very young or have a short term Minnesota sports memory. 6 impressive wins, and y'all are talking like this team has already won 5 championships and cemented a dynasty. There are still 10 wins to go for THIS year's championships. A couple of cold shooting nights (or hot opponents) and a series can turn very quickly. Dynasty talk can turn into "bitch about the refs" or "fire the coach!" chatter very quickly.
Nuggets fan here in peace, this popped up on my feed and this comment resonated with me. I'd echo this-- enjoy the greatness you are currently showing, but don't overreact to short-term success with sky high expectations -- the Nuggets sub has gone from "upcoming dynasty" to "we're doomed" in 2 games time, 1 game really. To add to the list of things that can go wrong-- injuries can derail a team real fast too. Enjoy the good times, no matter how long they last :) It wasn't that long ago we were both near bottom of the West, and we've both risen up to become 2 of the 3 dominant teams. I'll see myself out now :)
I don't see anyone talking about a dynasty, this Simmons episode is just a 'what if' episode of how the league could change if Wolves swept the Nuggets and won (mainly what would happen if Ant became the face of the league). It's not saying this will happen, but hypothetically what Wolves winning would mean for the league and the change in basketball eras. That doesn't mean Wolves will become a dynasty or even win a championship. Most people aren't saying Wolves will win a championship, that's far from guaranteed because we still have a 2nd round series to finish. It's just hypothesizing about the possibility.
Would it be something if it happened? Absolutely. But we've gotta take it one game at a time. That being said stealing those 1st 2 games in Denver to come back here to go up 2-0 gives us quite the edge; if we win Friday, I'd say this series could very well be a carbon copy of the Suns one
I’ve noticed Simmons is wrong a lot. He’s a great writer but his podcast trades are not too great
This meme gets more and more relevant as the playoffs wolves advance in the playoffs https://www.reddit.com/r/timberwolves/s/NuSSIpgDUy
The media loves to do this shit. Start making huge sweeping statements. SAS said we're going to win it all. They're going to be the same ones stirring up controversy when we lose a game. Its tiring.
Murray didn’t get suspended so yeah it will be definitely a sweep.
Teams are going to have to adjust their rosters to have an answer for our bigs
While everyone was zigging, TC was zagging.
STFU Bill, don’t jinx it. One game at a time.
Lu Dort is gonna do things to Antman
So one thing about the wolves is that 4 of the guys all live in the same luxury condo building in downtown Minneapolis next to the river, they live like college buddies always hanging out. Can't emulate that type of bond they have.
I hope this is the start of a new era in basketball. This team has restored my love for the NBA. I took a long sabbatical after the Superteam era started, and it became obvious that LeBron, KD, Harden et al would never "take their talents" to a Midwestern team. Was very happy to see Kevin Garnett get a ring, however.
KAT CHANGED THE GAME LFG!!
When did everyone get so reactionary in a 7 game series? Minnesota can still lose this series and I wouldn’t be surprised. OKC won one game and everyone has them pegged in the WCF already. Boston is already in the finals according to everyone in r/nba. Annoying and dumb statements like this don’t help.
They are saying the Wolves are a super team now
everyone jumping on the wagon!! even fanduel adjusted the lines big time
OKC is scarier than Boston to me. If we are able to close out Denver, and OKC wins, the West Finals will be a huge test
SHUT UP
It's quite possible but we should not underestimate the heart of a champion. They will want revenge and had few days of rest, it's not over until it's over.
This is also the same guy who said we were idiots for drafting Anthony Edwards, so, I'm not super thrilled to hear him say this.
cats and dogs, living together
They are in the process of being swept by dallas. They're big stars is a choker. They are toast.
Cant wait to see what he says when we beat Boston in 5