Wolves at Nuggets R2G2

[WildWolf2813]

the bigger question regarding Murray is, if he's playing like this, should we want him suspended for game 3?

[Q-is-here]

New video coming out that Jamal Murray threw a towel at a ref the possession before. I think he should legit be suspended

I’m sure the heat pack was meant to hit the official, but it damn near slid right under Kats foot as he’s planting to go up for a layup. Super dangerous, but if they didn’t see it in game I doubt they’ll go back and suspend him. Maybe a fine though. Might be a worse punishment to make him head back into the Jaden/naw torture chamber anyways though.

How many defenses have forced top offensive players to want to actually quit? He was trying to get thrown out of the game! It's fucking amazing.

They held the I believe number one offense in the league (regular season) on the road to 35 points in the first half on like 30% shooting. I thought it was the best half of defense ever played in the history of basketball. You have to consider road and opponent and time (playoffs). That might be hyperbole but I can't remember better.

Good stuff. Whenever you compare things across eras in the NBA, you have to consider the context of that era. I'm sure there have been other defensive halves that were better in the sense that there were fewer points scored and a lower FG% yielded than what Wolves held Denver to.

But considering the type of team Denver is, their personnel, the way the modern game is played, and the fact they desperately needed the win on their home floor, it's not a stretch at all to say it was one of the best defensive halves ever played by anyone.

[FNG]

Did FNG really skip the game last night?!?

I think Gobert missing played a role in the Wolves dominance last night. Denver would have prepared for this game based on what happened in game one. So, Gobert missing not only through a wrench in their planned adjustments, but put a false sense of ease in the player's minds that the game should be easier. But even though Rudy is the anchor of our defense, it is everyone playing tenacious defense that makes this the number one defense in the league. Denver was not ready for it.

Ha, skipped it in real time, but stayed up WAY too late last night enjoying the replay! When I got the Rudy no-show news, I "uncanceled" my canceled plans and elected to watch it later. Glad I did...what a performance!

I read this take in the GDT, and also heard it in the post-game TNT analysis...that may have been the greatest defensive performance of all time. Did any of you have the basketball practice where the coach would have the starters play against 8 defenders? It was hell...every time the ball came to you, you would have at least 2 guys swarming around you. I have to believe that's what Denver felt like last night. When I watched the possession where NAW and Jaden harassed Murray at least 10 feet beyond the line for much of a possession told me that I was watching something special. Barkley said after the game about the series "It's a wrap". It's over. I don't know if that's true, but it sure feels like it. The best basketball player on the planet looks defeated, and Murray be be suspended.

Cool said last week that Porter Jr. was very dangerous when he sets his feet. Jaden made sure that never happened. MPJ went 1 for 7 on threes, and I think the 1 make was when Joker found him on a breakaway after a turnover. What a performance!

Somebody needs to report a crime. I don't know who stole Naz Reid's jersey and masqueraded as him on defense last night, but I sure like what he did. Where has this guy been?

The World Champions are going to be motivated to not get swept, and I don't know if we can expect the same kind of frenetic yet controlled defensive effort that we saw last night, so conventional wisdom might say the Nuggets take game 3. But the body language of the Denver players tells me they're defeated. They may not get off the mat.

[Q-is-here]

the bigger question regarding Murray is, if he's playing like this, should we want him suspended for game 3?

When you look at their bench, yes please, you want him suspended.

My question is how the hell does Mike Malone and Jamal Murray avoid technicals, yet Aaron Gordon got one. What did AG do - kill someone? Because I'm not sure how you allow Malone to charge onto the floor and get into a refs' face and not give him a tech, much less throw him out. Same goes for Murray and his series of antics.

Well, here's the good news. They obviously lost their marbles out there. People don't act that way unless they feel in their bones that they have lost control of the outcome. In this case, Murray and Malone were scapegoating the refs, but deep down they know they had no answer to one of the most overwhelming displays of defensive intensity ever put forth.

[Wolvesfan21]

I’m sure the heat pack was meant to hit the official, but it damn near slid right under Kats foot as he’s planting to go up for a layup. Super dangerous, but if they didn’t see it in game I doubt they’ll go back and suspend him. Maybe a fine though. Might be a worse punishment to make him head back into the Jaden/naw torture chamber anyways though.

How many defenses have forced top offensive players to want to actually quit? He was trying to get thrown out of the game! It's fucking amazing.

They held the I believe number one offense in the league (regular season) on the road to 35 points in the first half on like 30% shooting. I thought it was the best half of defense ever played in the history of basketball. You have to consider road and opponent and time (playoffs). That might be hyperbole but I can't remember better.

Good stuff. Whenever you compare things across eras in the NBA, you have to consider the context of that era. I'm sure there have been other defensive halves that were better in the sense that there were fewer points scored and a lower FG% yielded than what Wolves held Denver to.

But considering the type of team Denver is, their personnel, the way the modern game is played, and the fact they desperately needed the win on their home floor, it's not a stretch at all to say it was one of the best defensive halves ever played by anyone.

Agreed. It wasn't that they just missed shots which can be flukey in a small sample like one half, they were forced into missing shots. Several 24 second shot clock violations plus the blocks, deflections and steals. Denver looked like a crappy JV squad that shouldn't be on the floor and that was because of the Wolves defense.

Then consider they have the MVP, defending champs, were on home floor in a must win and in the playoffs. I cannot be more impressed with our team right now. But they got to do it again and again. So we'll see.

[FNG]

https://twitter.com/JonKrawczynski/stat ... 2500790659

Will somebody please inform Finchie this is a meaningless stat with small sample sizes . Anybody else think he insists on bringing up this irrelevant stat in so many post-game press conferences just to annoy us here?

[AbeVigodaLive]

Karl Anthony Towns has been ripped often.

Here. Other forums. Social media. Talking heads. Basically everywhere. Let's be honest, it's been justified at times.

The man deserves A LOT of praise right now.




[Note: Amazing how a single call or two can change a player's trajectory. Would an offensive foul on Murray have changed the trajectory of the night for Towns and the Wolves? Maybe. Maybe not. Meh. It was good to see the guy get a good whistle for a change and have a great night. Hopefully, he gets the credit he deserves or it.]

[Coolbreeze44]

the bigger question regarding Murray is, if he's playing like this, should we want him suspended for game 3?

There was a funny nugget on NBA radio this morning regarding Murray and his antics. Someone said the biggest punishment they could give him was to not eject him and make him bring the ball up against NAW for the rest of the game.

[Q-is-here]

the bigger question regarding Murray is, if he's playing like this, should we want him suspended for game 3?

There was a funny nugget on NBA radio this morning regarding Murray and his antics. Someone said the biggest punishment they could give him was to not eject him and make him bring the ball up against NAW for the rest of the game.

But there is actually some real truth in the downside of him not getting ejected. If he had been ejected in a game they were going to lose anyway, he's probably back playing in Game 3. Now it seems that he could potentially be suspended for Game 3!

(P.S. they sure as hell better suspend him. There is literally no precedent for this so whatever the NBA decides becomes the precedent going forward. This absolutely cannot be just a hefty fine. He has to be suspended for at least one game if not the rest of the series).

[Q-is-here]

Karl Anthony Towns has been ripped often.

Here. Other forums. Social media. Talking heads. Basically everywhere. Let's be honest, it's been justified at times.

The man deserves A LOT of praise right now.




[Note: Amazing how a single call or two can change a player's trajectory. Would an offensive foul on Murray have changed the trajectory of the night for Towns and the Wolves? Maybe. Maybe not. Meh. It was good to see the guy get a good whistle for a change and have a great night. Hopefully, he gets the credit he deserves or it.]

He does deserve the praise. I need to go look it up, but I'm pretty sure this is by far his best statistical post-season in his career. So this isn't just a matter of being surrounded by better players and coaching, but he himself has elevated his play. He's truly been that #2 guy that we needed on offense next to the #1 guy in Ant. It's been awesome to see.