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Post by levine on Apr 30, 2024 10:23:14 GMT -6
Ehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw6uSXlYHUI&t=340s&ab_channel=BleacherReportven Shaq and Chuck are starting to come around.
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Post by XRaySpecs on Apr 30, 2024 12:46:49 GMT -6
Starting to come around, but they still really don't know much other than general narratives. Rudy hasn't guarded Jokic (as the primary matchup) in the 2 years he's been here including in 5 playoff games last year. I get not knowing the ins and outs of all the teams, but they have to have at least watched a couple of the playoff games they were covering last year. How do they not notice that it was KAT mostly guarding the MVP of the league?
Dane Moore agrees with Chuck as Dane has mentioned that he'd put Gordon on Ant if he were the Nuggets too. Jim Pete disagreed during one of the broadcasts this year saying that Gordon can't keep up with Ant. If Gordon could keep up with Ant, his size and strength would be ideal, but can he navigate all the high ball screens from Rudy and KAT? Do they want Gordon chasing all over like that? MPJ might be able to guard KAT a bit in the same way that guys like Dillon Brooks do as MPJ is a taller, bigger guy and has improved defensively.
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Post by araxen on Apr 30, 2024 13:13:09 GMT -6
It'll be interesting to see how the whistle goes in this series. Ant is way more marketable out of all the players on both teams so we may have a whistle advantage this series. I could be dreaming though. lol
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Post by tmirvin on Apr 30, 2024 13:22:30 GMT -6
It'll be interesting to see how the whistle goes in this series. Ant is way more marketable out of all the players on both teams so we may have a whistle advantage this series. I could be dreaming though. lol It'll go like this: Jokic lowers his shoulder and initiates contact while backing down his defender - and-1. Kat bangs his defender while working his way to the hoop - offensive foul. Every time. I thought last year Rudy guarded Jokic quite often. Wouldn't kat be in immediate foul trouble if he guarded Jokic? Rudy is disciplined enough to not fall for jokic's antics.
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Post by XRaySpecs on Apr 30, 2024 14:06:09 GMT -6
I thought last year Rudy guarded Jokic quite often. Wouldn't kat be in immediate foul trouble if he guarded Jokic? Rudy is disciplined enough to not fall for jokic's antics. I'm pretty sure KAT guarded Jokic as the primary matchup in the playoffs. Yes, KAT did pick up some fouls, but he did a reasonable job overall and having him on Jokic allows Rudy to be in that lurker role he excels in. I remember KAT having some foul trouble in a couple of the games, but honestly, that's not much different than any other matchup for KAT. Obviously Rudy guards him occasionally as well, but KAT has been the primary guy to start the game on Joker when he's been available. KAT has been hurt a lot though and I believe Gobert guarded Jokic more in those games, but I know there was a game last year where Kyle started out on Jokic when they played in the regular season at Target Center.
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Post by levine on Apr 30, 2024 14:30:24 GMT -6
I thought last year Rudy guarded Jokic quite often. Wouldn't kat be in immediate foul trouble if he guarded Jokic? Rudy is disciplined enough to not fall for jokic's antics. I'm pretty sure KAT guarded Jokic as the primary matchup in the playoffs. Yes, KAT did pick up some fouls, but he did a reasonable job overall and having him on Jokic allows Rudy to be in that lurker role he excels in. I remember KAT having some foul trouble in a couple of the games, but honestly, that's not much different than any other matchup for KAT. Obviously Rudy guards him occasionally as well, but KAT has been the primary guy to start the game on Joker when he's been available. KAT has been hurt a lot though and I believe Gobert guarded Jokic more in those games, but I know there was a game last year where Kyle started out on Jokic when they played in the regular season at Target Center. Right. Its mostly KAT, but SloMo also takes turns guarding him.
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Post by Bonecrusher on Apr 30, 2024 14:58:33 GMT -6
I thought last year Rudy guarded Jokic quite often. Wouldn't kat be in immediate foul trouble if he guarded Jokic? Rudy is disciplined enough to not fall for jokic's antics. I'm pretty sure KAT guarded Jokic as the primary matchup in the playoffs. Yes, KAT did pick up some fouls, but he did a reasonable job overall and having him on Jokic allows Rudy to be in that lurker role he excels in. I remember KAT having some foul trouble in a couple of the games, but honestly, that's not much different than any other matchup for KAT. Obviously Rudy guards him occasionally as well, but KAT has been the primary guy to start the game on Joker when he's been available. KAT has been hurt a lot though and I believe Gobert guarded Jokic more in those games, but I know there was a game last year where Kyle started out on Jokic when they played in the regular season at Target Center. We played one game against Denver with Gobert, KAT and I believe ANT out as well. Gobert just got his ribs bruised, KAT was injured and I don't recall what it was for ANT. Plus it was a back to back for us. We still played them fairly close though. In this series the bench is going to be the biggest factor and I have to believe our bench is way deeper than Denver.
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jr
Junior Member
Posts: 298
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Post by jr on Apr 30, 2024 15:18:30 GMT -6
It'll be interesting to see how the whistle goes in this series. Ant is way more marketable out of all the players on both teams so we may have a whistle advantage this series. I could be dreaming though. lol It'll go like this: Jokic lowers his shoulder and initiates contact while backing down his defender - and-1. Kat bangs his defender while working his way to the hoop - offensive foul. Every time.
I thought last year Rudy guarded Jokic quite often. Wouldn't kat be in immediate foul trouble if he guarded Jokic? Rudy is disciplined enough to not fall for jokic's antics. This is the way it's been called up to now, but two things might favor a change: one, Ant is getting a lot of "face of the NBA" attention, and two, Jokic has a few clips out there showing him being anything but a "face of the NBA". In interviews he's said in a number of different ways that basketball isn't that important. He's said it's just a game. When asked about celebrating after winning last year, he replied with his deadpan face that it's not that big a deal and he just wants to go home. He's the anti Jordan of basketball emotion. The NBA can't be too excited to put him on a winner's pedestal.
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Post by levine on Apr 30, 2024 15:42:47 GMT -6
It'll go like this: Jokic lowers his shoulder and initiates contact while backing down his defender - and-1. Kat bangs his defender while working his way to the hoop - offensive foul. Every time.
I thought last year Rudy guarded Jokic quite often. Wouldn't kat be in immediate foul trouble if he guarded Jokic? Rudy is disciplined enough to not fall for jokic's antics. This is the way it's been called up to now, but two things might favor a change: one, Ant is getting a lot of "face of the NBA" attention, and two, Jokic has a few clips out there showing him being anything but a "face of the NBA". In interviews he's said in a number of different ways that basketball isn't that important. He's said it's just a game. When asked about celebrating after winning last year, he replied with his deadpan face that it's not that big a deal and he just wants to go home. He's the anti Jordan of basketball emotion. The NBA can't be too excited to put him on a winner's pedestal. Plus his brothers...
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Post by XRaySpecs on May 1, 2024 12:02:58 GMT -6
I just booked a flight to Denver and got tickets for game 1. Gonna be behind the Wolves bench. Go Wolves!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2024 12:52:21 GMT -6
I just booked a flight to Denver and got tickets for game 1. Gonna be behind the Wolves bench. Go Wolves! Bring a clipboard in case Nori goes down.
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Post by jojo on May 1, 2024 16:39:19 GMT -6
As far as TNT crew is concerned, Shaq’s takes are totally worthless, and mainly self serving to make him look like the tough guy. Chuck’s are also pretty bad but mainly cause they’re outdated by the way the game is played. He’s still hung up on 3 point shooting being a sign of weakness, compared to post play. No awareness of the effect on spacing or clogging up the lanes. But he has a few good takes on players he likes.
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Post by tmirvin on May 1, 2024 17:04:36 GMT -6
I just booked a flight to Denver and got tickets for game 1. Gonna be behind the Wolves bench. Go Wolves! That's awesome! Have a great time and please jump out and protect finch if necessary. Haha, maybe that'll be Miller's job or Minot.
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Post by Nick K on May 1, 2024 20:25:48 GMT -6
I just booked a flight to Denver and got tickets for game 1. Gonna be behind the Wolves bench. Go Wolves! Good for you man!! Sounds like a blast. Bring us home a winner.
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Post by XRaySpecs on May 2, 2024 9:50:34 GMT -6
2 big keys to this series IMO:
1. Rebounding. The Wolves mostly crushed PHX on the glass. That's not going to happen vs. Denver. Getting 2nd chance points would be great, but Jokic is a great defensive rebounder and Jaden may not be able to crash in like he did vs. PHX (which was a great development) as MPJ just has a lot of size. Where I think they need to really focus though is keeping Denver off the offensive glass. If we can limit Denver to 1 shot, we've got a great chance to win games. We don't need to dominate the glass, but we can't get dominated either. Staying even on the glass is fine by me. KAT was great on the defensive glass vs. PHX so hopefully he locks in there again. Ant rebounded well vs. PHX too, but he'll have to lock in a little more on boxing out as guys like MPJ have more size than what PHX offered.
2- Fouling. The Wolves need to avoid dumb fouls. We're going to pick up fouls guarding hard, but avoiding those dumb ones away from the play will be key. We need KAT out there as much as possible. Just as important though IMO is getting Denver into foul trouble. Denver doesn't have great depth. If they can avoid fouling, they'll play their starters big minutes, but Jokic can't play 43 minutes if he's in foul trouble. My big wish for the officiating is to be consistent both ways. If they want to swallow the whistle, that's fine as it helps the Wolves play physical defense. If they want to call it tight, that could work too as we've got the depth to survive foul trouble better than Denver. What would be awful is calling it tight on Jaden and our guys like the regular season and then giving the playoff whistle. Also, Ant being aggressive to the rim would help get Denver in foul trouble.
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Post by Bonecrusher on May 2, 2024 13:37:52 GMT -6
2 big keys to this series IMO: 1. Rebounding. The Wolves mostly crushed PHX on the glass. That's not going to happen vs. Denver. Getting 2nd chance points would be great, but Jokic is a great defensive rebounder and Jaden may not be able to crash in like he did vs. PHX (which was a great development) as MPJ just has a lot of size. Where I think they need to really focus though is keeping Denver off the offensive glass. If we can limit Denver to 1 shot, we've got a great chance to win games. We don't need to dominate the glass, but we can't get dominated either. Staying even on the glass is fine by me. KAT was great on the defensive glass vs. PHX so hopefully he locks in there again. Ant rebounded well vs. PHX too, but he'll have to lock in a little more on boxing out as guys like MPJ have more size than what PHX offered. 2- Fouling. The Wolves need to avoid dumb fouls. We're going to pick up fouls guarding hard, but avoiding those dumb ones away from the play will be key. We need KAT out there as much as possible. Just as important though IMO is getting Denver into foul trouble. Denver doesn't have great depth. If they can avoid fouling, they'll play their starters big minutes, but Jokic can't play 43 minutes if he's in foul trouble. My big wish for the officiating is to be consistent both ways. If they want to swallow the whistle, that's fine as it helps the Wolves play physical defense. If they want to call it tight, that could work too as we've got the depth to survive foul trouble better than Denver. What would be awful is calling it tight on Jaden and our guys like the regular season and then giving the playoff whistle. Also, Ant being aggressive to the rim would help get Denver in foul trouble. I think the NBA realized that the series that already happened were very entertaining for fans so I think the whistles will be only very egregious fouls.
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Post by araxen on May 2, 2024 14:27:16 GMT -6
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Post by araxen on May 2, 2024 22:16:00 GMT -6
The game is at 6PM on Saturday. They just put up the time on the twolves website finally.
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Post by Nick K on May 4, 2024 17:24:38 GMT -6
Nice start! 18-4 but it's early. We're defending like crazy and Denver is scrambling. I wonder how they counter?
We need to keep it up, protect the ball and rebound.
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Post by Nick K on May 4, 2024 18:08:08 GMT -6
Finch is at the end of the bench protected by the scorers table. Leg straight out but protected. Kind of neat how they did that.
Well after a great start we've played as bad as we possibly can. McD, Gobert, Conley, Reid and NAW haven't showed up and can't buy a basket.
I love us in the 2nd half when we start making some shots.
The officiating is horrifying once again.
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Post by Nick K on May 4, 2024 18:31:21 GMT -6
We are way too careless with the ball. Anybody not Kat or Ant better start stepping up.
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Post by Nick K on May 4, 2024 19:57:46 GMT -6
Well, Reid and Conley come thru in the 2nd half. We played as bad as we could and get the win. Ant was Ant. 43-7-3. Kat had another nice game. We finally took care of the ball in the 2nd half and it made all the difference.
Based on this first game Denver has to be thinking they are in trouble. Maybe we can return the favor and win in 5.
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Post by quinn on May 4, 2024 20:13:37 GMT -6
I would like to dedicate this win to Gersson Rosas.
We could've been looking at yet another draft that the Wolves screwed up. We could've been thinking about all of the what-ifs that would've existed. We would've continued to be the laughing stock of the league botching draft pick after draft pick. We could have drafted a guy who was a social media star that now can't stay on the court for Charlotte.
But Gersson Rosas drafted Anthony freaking Edwards. A franchise changer. The type of player that gets stadiums built. The type of player that reinvigorates a city. The type of player that becomes an icon.
That was one of the greatest single-game performances I've ever seen by an athlete. Ant carried us from start to finish. He was not going to let us lose this game. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that Ant is becoming a top 5 player in the league. What a truly spectacular performance. What a win.
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Post by RAHchills on May 4, 2024 20:25:42 GMT -6
Denver tried to exert some physical dominance and the Wolves seemed to be able to take the punch and keep things close.
Loved Ant’s aggressiveness AND loved that others stepped up in the second half.
Loved KAT stepping up in the third and Naz Reid stepping up Iin the fourth.
Loved the win despite the officiating… the no call hacks on Ant, then the stare down “taunt” T on Ant followed by Jamal Murray’s finger guns non “taunt.” Actually did love that Reggie Miller got upset about that…
And especially loved the clamps when it counted in the fourth. Rudy’s faint on Jokic followed by the lob rejection was a huge play. In the moment, Rudy seemed to be getting worked all night, but that defensive stop was massive.
Really glad they pulled out the W tonight.
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Post by levine on May 4, 2024 23:05:43 GMT -6
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