60WinTim wrote: ↑Sun Apr 26, 2026 10:02 am
I don't know, FNG. I am not ready to waive the white flag just, yet. Ayo has shown he can fill some of the lost production. We might get a few more minutes from Bones, who had 7 assists in his 20 minutes last night. Shannon has shown in the past he can be impactful if called upon, and his handful of minutes at the end of the regular season and last night indicate he could be impactful again. I have a good feeling this team can still be competitive. And what an opportunity for Mike to possibly finish out his career!
Can the Wolves string out enough series for a possible return of ANT? We'll see just what kind of healing powers he possesses.
I get where you are coming from FNG I'm a big fan of Donte and he was playing so well.
Like Tim I'm not believing it's for sure over. This roster still has more options. Than last year IMO and Donte wasn't wasn't very good and Ayo is better than any non starter we had last year and Bones gives the wolves a ball handler player maker that can also get you buckets. TSJ could make an impact. Chances of guys including NAZ stepping up and they can continue the run? 20% is probably optimistic especially against any team that plays D and has rim protection and better depth than Denver has shown. I'm not expecting anything but the last time Donte went down in the payoffs his team won a championship and he was a key player. Different guys stepped up for Milwaukee. Again I doubt it happens but I do think the Wolves have the players and talent they COULD do something. Unlikely yes but not completely insane to have a little hope or belief.
Yeah, DDV had been terrific this post-season but he has a terrible history of post-season net rating and on/off rating before this one. I think he was just such a good fit with the rest of our starters and Denver doesn't have the type of players that can physically overwhelm him.
If we get by Denver, which I am not assuming yet, then TSJ absolutely has to be someone Finch is willing to roll the dice on for more than some measly 7 or 8-minute stint and I think Clark needs some time too.
The guards and wings that San Antonio and OKC roll out in their rotation is a completely different animal than Denver's. Bones and Conley are vulnerable to being physically overwhelmed on both ends against those teams. We will need the physicality and athleticism to match up and TSJ and Clark are much better equipped to do so.
kekgeek wrote: ↑Sun Apr 26, 2026 11:55 am
Didn’t really know where to put this but I thought it was interesting. I was listening to the All NBA podcast and they mentioned the wolves recent success and failures and there was a main key to all of this
In the wins, every team had no rim protection in Jokic, Nurkic, Hayes, Green and in the losses the teams did in JJJ, Livley and Chet outside of the one Jokic series.
Just thought that was a very interesting point going forward
Doesn't bode well then after Denver! But there is something freeing and stressful about being the heavy underdog. We REALLY need to hope we close things out in Game 5 or 6 against Denver.
kekgeek wrote: ↑Sun Apr 26, 2026 11:55 am
Didn’t really know where to put this but I thought it was interesting. I was listening to the All NBA podcast and they mentioned the wolves recent success and failures and there was a main key to all of this
In the wins, every team had no rim protection in Jokic, Nurkic, Hayes, Green and in the losses the teams did in JJJ, Livley and Chet outside of the one Jokic series.
Just thought that was a very interesting point going forward
Doesn't bode well then after Denver! But there is something freeing and stressful about being the heavy underdog. We REALLY need to hope we close things out in Game 5 or 6 against Denver.
Kek, I am not surprised by that since we seem to be so inconsistent on our outside shooting from game to game.
I might be the only one that is not expecting us to win this series. That might be Ayo's only game with more than 30 pts in his career. I remember this board going crazy after his triple double. It will be interesting to see how Denver sets their D on Monday night. If Ayo is hot again, I expect they will simply employ their Ant D against him and Ayo doesn't seem to have much of a left hand like Ant does. The early line is -10.5 which doesn't surprise me, but I wasn't expecting a line at all until the NBA comes back with a ruling for the scuffle.
kekgeek wrote: ↑Sun Apr 26, 2026 11:55 am
Didn’t really know where to put this but I thought it was interesting. I was listening to the All NBA podcast and they mentioned the wolves recent success and failures and there was a main key to all of this
In the wins, every team had no rim protection in Jokic, Nurkic, Hayes, Green and in the losses the teams did in JJJ, Livley and Chet outside of the one Jokic series.
Just thought that was a very interesting point going forward
Doesn't bode well then after Denver! But there is something freeing and stressful about being the heavy underdog. We REALLY need to hope we close things out in Game 5 or 6 against Denver.
Kek, I am not surprised by that since we seem to be so inconsistent on our outside shooting from game to game.
I might be the only one that is not expecting us to win this series. That might be Ayo's only game with more than 30 pts in his career. I remember this board going crazy after his triple double. It will be interesting to see how Denver sets their D on Monday night. If Ayo is hot again, I expect they will simply employ their Ant D against him and Ayo doesn't seem to have much of a left hand like Ant does. The early line is -10.5 which doesn't surprise me, but I wasn't expecting a line at all until the NBA comes back with a ruling for the scuffle.
Exactly. Ayo kind of came crashing back down to earth after that triple double against Utah. The element of surprise no longer exists and Denver can train their gunsights on Ayo. The question is whether it's a bazooka or squirt gun, LOL. Either way, we are going to need others to step up, as Ayo probably isn't going to go for 40+ again and even 30 seems like a lot to expect.
Doesn't bode well then after Denver! But there is something freeing and stressful about being the heavy underdog. We REALLY need to hope we close things out in Game 5 or 6 against Denver.
Kek, I am not surprised by that since we seem to be so inconsistent on our outside shooting from game to game.
I might be the only one that is not expecting us to win this series. That might be Ayo's only game with more than 30 pts in his career. I remember this board going crazy after his triple double. It will be interesting to see how Denver sets their D on Monday night. If Ayo is hot again, I expect they will simply employ their Ant D against him and Ayo doesn't seem to have much of a left hand like Ant does. The early line is -10.5 which doesn't surprise me, but I wasn't expecting a line at all until the NBA comes back with a ruling for the scuffle.
Exactly. Ayo kind of came crashing back down to earth after that triple double against Utah. The element of surprise no longer exists and Denver can train their gunsights on Ayo. The question is whether it's a bazooka or squirt gun, LOL. Either way, we are going to need others to step up, as Ayo probably isn't going to go for 40+ again and even 30 seems like a lot to expect.
The thing is the Wolves are going to play different without Edwards out. I'd expect the ball to be moving more. Ayo isn't gonna just be taking the ball at the defense he seems like more of a supercharged NAW taking what is there and pressing the issue with his speed. Denver hasn't really shown themselves capable of playing defense for extended periods of time and while you both are right this series isn't over the Wolves still only have to win 1 more game in this series. Other players are gonna have to step up to do it.
The thing with this team right now is that Ayo doesn't have to score 30+ to carry them.
Are we really going to be surprised if any of Randle, McDaniels, Bones, or even TSJ score 25+ in this next game?
I'm gonna sound like a homer saying this, but I'm truly just trusting what the evidence has shown me which is that the Nuggets don't have an answer for this team. Out of 16 quarters Denver has clearly won 3 of them. The rest of been standstills or Minnesota won them.
Minny has the clamps on their offense and the biggest factors for that are still healthy. Denver has an ORTG of 105.2 in PS and 102.3 in the last 3.
We're holding the regular season's best offense to the worst rating of the post season!
Can Denver win game 5? Of course, but they're not winning this series. They don't have an answer. Adleman is in over his head, Jokic has lost his composure, Murrary doesn't have the stamina to win in the 4th quarter and Gordon can't stay healthy. Everyone else on their roster is ass
Last edited by AussieWolf3 on Sun Apr 26, 2026 7:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I’ll just say this. Last night’s win was perhaps the Wolves’ finest hour in the Connelly/Finch era. To lose Donte within a minute of the opening tip, then lose our star before the second half and still win fairly handily in game 4 of the opening round against a very good, highly motivated Denver team is special.
Moving forward without Donte or Ant, I can’t see this team getting past the 2nd round. And honestly, we might not end up getting out of the first round in spite of our 3-1 lead. But hats off to this team and our coach for a great, gritty win last night and a generally surprising 3-1 lead in this series against the #3 seed in the West that I believe won 10 in a row before the playoffs.
I’ve been pretty down on this team and have never liked the roster construction. But the Ayo acquisition was brilliant and the guys on this roster have shown a lot of heart the past three games.
Last edited by Lipoli390 on Sun Apr 26, 2026 7:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Check out this calm, analytical assessment of the Nuggets coaching. . It’s actually hilarious. It’s what a number of us would sound like if we didn’t censor and filter our own posts. .
AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 26, 2026 6:58 pm
The thing with this team right now is that Ayo doesn't have to score 30+ to carry them.
Are we really going to be surprised if any of Randle, McDaniels, Bones, or even TSJ score 25+ in this next game?
I'm gonna sound like a homer saying this, but I'm truly just trusting what the evidence has shown me which is that the Nuggets don't have an answer for this team. Out of 16 quarters Denver has clearly won 3 of them. The rest of been standstills or Minnesota won them.
Minny has the clamp on their offense and the biggest factors for that are still healthy. Denver has an ORTG of 105.2 in PS and 102.3 in the last 3.
We're holding the regular seasons best offense to the worst rating of the post season!
Can Denver win game 5? Of course, but they're not winning this series. They don't have an answer. Adleman is in over his head, Jokic has lost his composure, Murrary doesn't have the stamina to win in the 4th quarter and Gordon can't stay healthy. Everyone else on their roster is ass
This. The Wolves know they haven't accomplished anything yet. They'll finish the job within the next 2 games.
. It’s actually hilarious. It’s what a number of us would sound like if we didn’t censor and filter our own posts. 