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Post by levine on Apr 29, 2024 8:57:40 GMT -6
This is the version of KAT that is worth his new contract.
Great shooting, rebounding, great defense. ZERO turnovers, not driving into traffic. And only a couple bad fouls.
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Post by quinn on Apr 29, 2024 9:49:32 GMT -6
The second half was one of the most fun halves of basketball all year. When Ant dunked all over Phoenix in the closing minutes I jumped off my couch I was so excited. When he's cooking, there's not much more that's more fun. We just simply were the better team all series long. It'll be interesting to see where Phoenix goes from here. They're beyond expensive and now have nothing to show for their "Big 3".
KAT... What. A. Game. He was phenomenal all game long. He played so hard. I agree with everyone that this KAT is worth every penny.
Finchy... that's classic Wolves right there. He angered the ancient tribe's gods whose burial site Target Center is built on. Says he doesn't care about the Wolves history, and then next game, boom. Torn patellar tendon on just an unbelievably unlucky sequence. That's the stuff that only happens to the Wolves.
BREAK OUT THE BROOMS! AWOOOOOOOOOO
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Post by levine on Apr 29, 2024 10:58:11 GMT -6
Micah Nori on Paul Allen's show:
"I hope that [Finch] is able to go about in a normal way, whether he has a leg brace or something, so he can do what he needs to do. A worst-case scenario that I need to be prepared for is that he would have to sit maybe behind the bench with his leg, crutches, or whatever. Essentially, he would be the maestro pulling the puppet strings, and I would be Pinocchio, the frontman, but he would tell me what to do and what to say. Unless there comes a time when I act like I don't hear him and I want to try something (Nori let out a cackle after saying that) ... If you see me standing at midcourt for an elongated period of time, that means that I'm in trouble and I'm trying to get out of earshot from him."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2024 11:27:17 GMT -6
"I hope that [Finch] is able to go about in a normal way, whether he has a leg brace or something, so he can do what he needs to do. A worst-case scenario that I need to be prepared for is that he would have to sit maybe behind the bench with his leg, crutches, or whatever. Essentially, he would be the maestro pulling the puppet strings, and I would be Pinocchio, the frontman, but he would tell me what to do and what to say. Unless there comes a time when I act like I don't hear him and I want to try something (Nori let out a cackle after saying that) ... If you see me standing at midcourt for an elongated period of time, that means that I'm in trouble and I'm trying to get out of earshot from him." Classic buddy rom-com device.
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Post by kingsxman on Apr 29, 2024 11:27:21 GMT -6
This is the version of KAT that is worth his new contract. Great shooting, rebounding, great defense. ZERO turnovers, not driving into traffic. And only a couple bad fouls. Yes. This version was great. Some switch flipped in his head tonight and I hope it stays flipped. He still had times out there where he was a bit out of control wrestling with the guy who was guarding him or who he was supposed to guard....but overall a very good game. Now I wish he'd shoot this many 3's (and more) each game. But he did it all tonight. He deserves his flowers for coming up big in a big game. Sure hope Finch is going to be able to be on the sidelines. I imagine there is going to need to be a surgury. He's going to miss crucial game planning time at a minimum.
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Post by Bonecrusher on Apr 29, 2024 11:29:41 GMT -6
Micah Nori on Paul Allen's show: "I hope that [Finch] is able to go about in a normal way, whether he has a leg brace or something, so he can do what he needs to do. A worst-case scenario that I need to be prepared for is that he would have to sit maybe behind the bench with his leg, crutches, or whatever. Essentially, he would be the maestro pulling the puppet strings, and I would be Pinocchio, the frontman, but he would tell me what to do and what to say. Unless there comes a time when I act like I don't hear him and I want to try something (Nori let out a cackle after saying that) ... If you see me standing at midcourt for an elongated period of time, that means that I'm in trouble and I'm trying to get out of earshot from him."I get the genuine impression that all the coaches get along just fine and the players as well. Seeing the players all around the coach standing should to shoulder, arms around each other protecting the coach gave me the chills.
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Post by kingsxman on Apr 29, 2024 11:29:50 GMT -6
The second half was one of the most fun halves of basketball all year. When Ant dunked all over Phoenix in the closing minutes I jumped off my couch I was so excited. When he's cooking, there's not much more that's more fun. We just simply were the better team all series long. It'll be interesting to see where Phoenix goes from here. They're beyond expensive and now have nothing to show for their "Big 3". KAT... What. A. Game. He was phenomenal all game long. He played so hard. I agree with everyone that this KAT is worth every penny. Finchy... that's classic Wolves right there. He angered the ancient tribe's gods whose burial site Target Center is built on. Says he doesn't care about the Wolves history, and then next game, boom. Torn patellar tendon on just an unbelievably unlucky sequence. That's the stuff that only happens to the Wolves.
BREAK OUT THE BROOMS! AWOOOOOOOOOO Ha. I hadnt thought of this. Maybe this was the curse's last grasp at getting to the Wolves. Best the gods could do is get the coach..not the players. Progress?
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Post by levine on Apr 29, 2024 11:40:17 GMT -6
Also I think everything Ant has said during this season points to just how much he loves and trusts KAT and how badly he wants him on the team.
That will be a factor going forward.
And I think this series kind of put to rest the idea that Naz gives you "80% of KAT".
Naz is a super important member of this team and a great 6th man scorer.
But he's a fantastic compliment to KAT and Rudy, not a peer.
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Post by Bonecrusher on Apr 29, 2024 11:45:06 GMT -6
Also I think everything Ant has said during this season points to just how much he loves and trusts KAT and how badly he wants him on the team. That will be a factor going forward. And I think this series kind of put to rest the idea that Naz gives you "80% of KAT". Naz is a super important member of this team and a great 6th man scorer. But he's a fantastic compliment to KAT and Rudy, not a peer. Unless Glen or Lore/A Rod are willing to pay the luxury tax not sure how we can keep this team intact and I really really want them to all stay.
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Post by levine on Apr 29, 2024 11:46:47 GMT -6
"Kat blew that play up 3 different ways and the rest of the team performed their rotations perfectly. It was gorgeous."
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Post by levine on Apr 29, 2024 11:49:44 GMT -6
Ant's ability to find the open 3 point shooter is the best this team has seen since Rubio.
Its effing uncanny that every time you think he's trapped he throws a perfect pass to a guy you didn't even see was open. He might have lost 30 assists to bricked Wide-open 3s by good shooters.
Also, Jaden made huge strides in his attacking closeouts. If he can carry this play over to the next year, he could be a 15/6 guy.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2024 12:07:52 GMT -6
The second half was one of the most fun halves of basketball all year. When Ant dunked all over Phoenix in the closing minutes I jumped off my couch I was so excited. When he's cooking, there's not much more that's more fun. We just simply were the better team all series long. It'll be interesting to see where Phoenix goes from here. They're beyond expensive and now have nothing to show for their "Big 3". KAT... What. A. Game. He was phenomenal all game long. He played so hard. I agree with everyone that this KAT is worth every penny. Finchy... that's classic Wolves right there. He angered the ancient tribe's gods whose burial site Target Center is built on. Says he doesn't care about the Wolves history, and then next game, boom. Torn patellar tendon on just an unbelievably unlucky sequence. That's the stuff that only happens to the Wolves.
BREAK OUT THE BROOMS! AWOOOOOOOOOO Ha. I hadnt thought of this. Maybe this was the curse's last grasp at getting to the Wolves. Best the gods could do is get the coach..not the players. Progress? I'll take it!
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Post by quinn on Apr 29, 2024 12:12:39 GMT -6
Ant's ability to find the open 3 point shooter is the best this team has seen since Rubio. Its effing uncanny that every time you think he's trapped he throws a perfect pass to a guy you didn't even see was open. He might have lost 30 assists to bricked Wide-open 3s by good shooters. Also, Jaden made huge strides in his attacking closeouts. If he can carry this play over to the next year, he could be a 15/6 guy. And how quickly has this become a big part of Ant's game? It seems like it's almost developed overnight. He has been a complete 2 way superstar in the playoffs so far. He was the best player in the series.
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Post by jojo on Apr 29, 2024 12:18:28 GMT -6
"Kat blew that play up 3 different ways and the rest of the team performed their rotations perfectly. It was gorgeous." KAT just looks thinner and quicker than he’s ever been including the high wall year. I was worried he would come back diminished by his injury but the time off seems like it actually benefited him. Really anxious to see how this works against Denver.
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Post by BIG BAD WOLF on Apr 29, 2024 12:43:18 GMT -6
Assuming all players in both teams are and stay healthy, the DEN series will be about how well MIN can limit Porter's output. Joker and Murray will somehow get theirs, Gordon will keep going against MIN's interior defense challenging the refs to make calls, but, in a close game, Porter's production will be the tie breaker. McD will definitely be the x-factor for MIN in this series.
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Post by levine on Apr 29, 2024 13:01:38 GMT -6
Ant's ability to find the open 3 point shooter is the best this team has seen since Rubio. Its effing uncanny that every time you think he's trapped he throws a perfect pass to a guy you didn't even see was open. He might have lost 30 assists to bricked Wide-open 3s by good shooters. Also, Jaden made huge strides in his attacking closeouts. If he can carry this play over to the next year, he could be a 15/6 guy. And how quickly has this become a big part of Ant's game? It seems like it's almost developed overnight. He has been a complete 2 way superstar in the playoffs so far. He was the best player in the series. He could barely hit Rudy rolling to the basket last year.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2024 13:20:23 GMT -6
And how quickly has this become a big part of Ant's game? It seems like it's almost developed overnight. He has been a complete 2 way superstar in the playoffs so far. He was the best player in the series. He could barely hit Rudy rolling to the basket last year. This is where I contend sets that are getting him downhill in space (similar to what every other team in the league does), and teammates aren't just guessing when to drive or screen makes the most difference. No question, reps, and film all play a roll. Something we did not do for several years because we were trying to get into flow with Kat and D-Lo as primary initiators. To me there is no question Ant gets here sooner, had we locked in on O more. We had seen sporadically throughout those couple years, but a big reason why I was so confident in their offense despite the data btw is because they have all the tools/weapons to execute at a high level, they did a year ago as well (minus Kat injury, and post Conley trade). CF is one of the most amazing coaches I have ever seen, and to me we took the longest way possible to get back to basics of NBA O in 2024, which is simply getting your play makers (typically guards) in actions to initiate offense (drive and kick), and that's more or less every trip down, every team in the NBA today, though basketball is much more fun when you can mix things up, iike Kat in the post, or high low work with the bigs. Loved that no look Rudy drops to cutting Kat in one of those games, all of that comes from structure offense and actions we for some reason were adamant we could do without for multiple seasons, to the point where Finch spent all last off-season talking about needing more of. But we saw it for games last year, including the back end of the Nuggets series. It makes no sense to me to "save" that, because ultimately it's really effin' tough to stop Ant coming off a Rudy screen, with Kat spacing up top for a kick out three. That's talent and execution, it's not like we've added a new wrinkle to the game of basketball no one could have predicted.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2024 13:31:11 GMT -6
And how quickly has this become a big part of Ant's game? It seems like it's almost developed overnight. He has been a complete 2 way superstar in the playoffs so far. He was the best player in the series. He could barely hit Rudy rolling to the basket last year. Rube's is dropping those skips directly into the shot pocket, elite, elite passer. Way less impressive in the five out era, those passing lanes are there all game which is why the Hali stuff is the most watered pg-ing I've ever seen, versus when these looks were coming out of nowhere. Truly it was Double R, and LeBron hitting those at the time. We're the only team in the history of basketball that couldn't figure out the big/rim pressure element. That was Flip, and I do think DK would have, but efficiency was thought more important coming off the analytics era, we forgot the main driver of O rim pressure (typically a four or five). A big that can screen, roll or dive, and trail is much more a driver of consistent offense than a four setting a ghost screen and popping. I don't know how that even happened. Unless that's Michael Beasley, Rudy Gay, Griffin, someone that can catch and go off the dribble, even Kat to a degree off the catch, it's far too easily taken away. Nash/Stoudamire, Kidd/Martin, Paul/Jordan, KG/Marbury, C-Webb/Williams, Parker/Duncan The only way to really make it work against good d with a stretch four popping is if that guard is an explosive finish a la Ant, or Bron.
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Post by levine on Apr 29, 2024 13:36:49 GMT -6
This damn team...
Making me ENJOY watching Skip Bayless and KeShawn...
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Post by levine on Apr 29, 2024 13:45:27 GMT -6
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Post by Nick K on Apr 29, 2024 14:07:28 GMT -6
I really hate how much we give Rudy the ball. He just has hands of stone. I can't remember a player with worse hands. Anything below his chin is a disappointing adventure. And whatever you do don't throw him a bounce pass. Total futility.
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Post by Nick K on Apr 29, 2024 14:08:49 GMT -6
That Ant hammer dunk after tweaking both of his ankles and getting hit in the head by Beal was crazy. #flagrant Beal “going out like that” was great. #gg Loving that I lived to see the first sweep in franchise history.Amen to that!
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Post by Nick K on Apr 29, 2024 14:25:42 GMT -6
Micah Nori on Paul Allen's show: "I hope that [Finch] is able to go about in a normal way, whether he has a leg brace or something, so he can do what he needs to do. A worst-case scenario that I need to be prepared for is that he would have to sit maybe behind the bench with his leg, crutches, or whatever. Essentially, he would be the maestro pulling the puppet strings, and I would be Pinocchio, the frontman, but he would tell me what to do and what to say. Unless there comes a time when I act like I don't hear him and I want to try something (Nori let out a cackle after saying that) ... If you see me standing at midcourt for an elongated period of time, that means that I'm in trouble and I'm trying to get out of earshot from him."How good is that? Coming from guys who are really good friends.
Corliss Williamson and Elston Turner put together the defensive scheme used against Phx. Hat's off to both! Elston Turner used to guard Michael Jordan everyday in practice for a couple of seasons and he's been coaching as an assistant for 25 years now. Tough to beat that experience.
Best staff we've ever had and it's not even close.
Sorry Flip but Sid Lowe, Sichting, and Wittman just don't hold a candle.
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Post by Nick K on Apr 29, 2024 14:30:26 GMT -6
This is the version of KAT that is worth his new contract. Great shooting, rebounding, great defense. ZERO turnovers, not driving into traffic. And only a couple bad fouls. Yes. This version was great. Some switch flipped in his head tonight and I hope it stays flipped. He still had times out there where he was a bit out of control wrestling with the guy who was guarding him or who he was supposed to guard....but overall a very good game. Now I wish he'd shoot this many 3's (and more) each game. But he did it all tonight. He deserves his flowers for coming up big in a big game. Sure hope Finch is going to be able to be on the sidelines. I imagine there is going to need to be a surgury. He's going to miss crucial game planning time at a minimum. No way Finch misses a game. He'll be there calling all the shots. They will probably have a special chair for him to prop up his leg. I can just see them wheel him out for T.O. consults. :)
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Post by Nick K on Apr 29, 2024 14:34:52 GMT -6
The second half was one of the most fun halves of basketball all year. When Ant dunked all over Phoenix in the closing minutes I jumped off my couch I was so excited. When he's cooking, there's not much more that's more fun. We just simply were the better team all series long. It'll be interesting to see where Phoenix goes from here. They're beyond expensive and now have nothing to show for their "Big 3". KAT... What. A. Game. He was phenomenal all game long. He played so hard. I agree with everyone that this KAT is worth every penny. Finchy... that's classic Wolves right there. He angered the ancient tribe's gods whose burial site Target Center is built on. Says he doesn't care about the Wolves history, and then next game, boom. Torn patellar tendon on just an unbelievably unlucky sequence. That's the stuff that only happens to the Wolves.
BREAK OUT THE BROOMS! AWOOOOOOOOOO Ha. I hadnt thought of this. Maybe this was the curse's last grasp at getting to the Wolves. Best the gods could do is get the coach..not the players. Progress? Many years ago I had first heard the "Indian burial grounds" curse from you I believe! It had to be something.
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