Win it for our guys, Wolves @ Nuggets GAME FIVE GDT

[Q-is-here]

I'm guessing significantly less spacing on offense didn't help much either.

The Wolves lose 46% of their three point makes without Edwards and Divincenzo.

And Ant is really the only guy who can shoot them off the dribble on the entire roster. You can't just plug-and-play with that stuff. Heck, not even in volume. For example, Ayo shoots about 1/2 as many as the two injured gunners.

Yeah, Ayo came back down to earth last night. He had a good game by the standard he was judged before Ant and DDV went out, so it's not like he played poorly at all. He just didn't go nuts like he had the previous two games. Unfortunately, we probably need him to go nuts (or close to it) again if we plan on winning the series.

[Coolbreeze44]

I'm guessing significantly less spacing on offense didn't help much either.

The Wolves lose 46% of their three point makes without Edwards and Divincenzo.

And Ant is really the only guy who can shoot them off the dribble on the entire roster. You can't just plug-and-play with that stuff. Heck, not even in volume. For example, Ayo shoots about 1/2 as many as the two injured gunners.

Yeah, Ayo came back down to earth last night. He had a good game by the standard he was judged before Ant and DDV went out, so it's not like he played poorly at all. He just didn't go nuts like he had the previous two games. Unfortunately, we probably need him to go nuts (or close to it) again if we plan on winning the series.

I think we need Randle and Jaden to step forward and carry us tomorrow night. Ayo is a good player, but Julius and Jaden have proven they can raise their games when Ant is out. Last night was going to be tough no matter what, but tomorrow these two guys can will us to victory. Jaden can't be shy about imposing his offense on the Nuggets.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I'm guessing significantly less spacing on offense didn't help much either.

The Wolves lose 46% of their three point makes without Edwards and Divincenzo.

And Ant is really the only guy who can shoot them off the dribble on the entire roster. You can't just plug-and-play with that stuff. Heck, not even in volume. For example, Ayo shoots about 1/2 as many as the two injured gunners.

Yeah, Ayo came back down to earth last night. He had a good game by the standard he was judged before Ant and DDV went out, so it's not like he played poorly at all. He just didn't go nuts like he had the previous two games. Unfortunately, we probably need him to go nuts (or close to it) again if we plan on winning the series.

I think we need Randle and Jaden to step forward and carry us tomorrow night. Ayo is a good player, but Julius and Jaden have proven they can raise their games when Ant is out. Last night was going to be tough no matter what, but tomorrow these two guys can will us to victory. Jaden can't be shy about imposing his offense on the Nuggets.

Randle, McDaniels, Ayo, Reid, et al. The Wolves are going to struggle to score. I just don't see a way around that. So they're going to have to play very good defense against a very good offensive team. And then get out and run in transition a bit... while limiting TOs to keep Denver from doing the same.

[FNG]

I'm guessing significantly less spacing on offense didn't help much either.

The Wolves lose 46% of their three point makes without Edwards and Divincenzo.

And Ant is really the only guy who can shoot them off the dribble on the entire roster. You can't just plug-and-play with that stuff. Heck, not even in volume. For example, Ayo shoots about 1/2 as many as the two injured gunners.

Yeah, Ayo came back down to earth last night. He had a good game by the standard he was judged before Ant and DDV went out, so it's not like he played poorly at all. He just didn't go nuts like he had the previous two games. Unfortunately, we probably need him to go nuts (or close to it) again if we plan on winning the series.

I think we need Randle and Jaden to step forward and carry us tomorrow night. Ayo is a good player, but Julius and Jaden have proven they can raise their games when Ant is out. Last night was going to be tough no matter what, but tomorrow these two guys can will us to victory. Jaden can't be shy about imposing his offense on the Nuggets.

Yeah, those would be my two also. Dane Moore talked about how our half court offense has been very good this season with Ju on the court and Ant off. Last night he was pretty good except for the 5 turnovers. We need a classic Ju 30/8/10 Thursday night without the turnovers. Ju has to be careful not to drive into traffic like he did at times last night.

And Jaden has been a catalyst at both ends this series, and needs to show up big tomorrow. I think we all agree he was not very good last night on offense, although he worked his butt off again on offense. His 1 for 14 on treys this series is a concern, but if he misses the first one, I want him to put the gun back in the holster...get his points in the paint instead like he did in the first 4 games.

I know this isn't a popular position here, but Mike might need more than the 17 minutes he got last nght. We had 26 assists and 25 turnovers last night, and only Mike was very good with 4 and 1 (Ayo was good also with 4 and 2, and will need close to 40 minutes I think). Protecting the ball will be key tomorrow, and we all know who on the roster is best at that.

[TAFKASP]

Fuck them, do it for TAFKASP!

Well, I gu3ss I'm just not that important.

I appreciate the support!

[Carlos Danger]

I would have been shocked if they won - in Denver and after losing two of their top players to injury. But I see some positives. First, what happened last night should be fixable. Stop the stupid turnovers and we should have been competitive.

Second, Ayo sure seems to be a player on the rise and ready for an expanded role (similar to NAW a year ago). He should be able to fill DDV's shoes fine going forward.

Third, TSJ gave us some nice minutes. If he can backfill what Ayo was supposed to be off the bench - again, we should be ok.

Finally, some of our stars have yet to shine. Specifically - I'm looking for a big game out someone like Reid or Gobert. I know Reid has something injury wise going on and probably isn't 100%. But I feel like those are the two guys who could really turn the tide if they get going. Kyle Anderson looks like an unplayable corpse to me. I wouldn't mind seeing someone else (anyone) get the handful of minutes Finch has been allocating his way.

Carlos! Long time, no see!

I think we may see more Jaylen Clark in the next game, as he needs to relieve Ayo from guarding Murray when Jaden sits so that Ayo can focus more on generating offense. Plus one of the strategies is to wear out Murray as time goes on. Having Jaden and then Clark draped all over him every second he's on the floor has to be exhausting.

You might be right about Clark. But with Edwards out, I feel like we need to find some scoring. I don't know what happened to Anderson...I seem to recall he got poked in the eye a couple years ago when he was with us. He's just turned into a human version of a casserole (blah). Miami didn't play him much in last year's playoffs and he wasn't getting much time from Finch this year until both Edwards and DDV went down. Looking at his playoff stats the last two years, I just don't think he has another (higher) gear. I hope Finch tries something else. I don't see Finch turning to young guys because that's not what he's done in the past. Maybe Jingles still has something left in the tank. IDK. But we need about 15 decent minutes out of someone or a combo (Bones, Clark etc.).

[FNG]

I keep going back and forth about Jaden's actions during these playoffs. I have to admit I've been enjoying them, and on balance, they may have fired himself up more than Denver in Game 4. But I think we can also all agree that the Nuggets' defense looked entirely different in Game 5 than it did in the first 4 games. Denver surprised me in Game 4 by not showing a pulse after Jaden's remarks, but last game was different, and Jaden has to take a lot of the blame for waking them up. Who wins a game still has mostly to due with talent, but emotion plays a role too. And Jaden woke up both the crowd and the Nuggets, and the combination had them playing with a lot more heart than they had shown before,

But I actually find some optimism in this. After facing a hostile crowd Monday which, although he denies it, may have played a role in his poor play, he now gets to play in front of a supportive crowd. I know Denver is favored by 5 1/2, but a boozy 8:30 Target Center crowd might be just what we need to turn things around. It's going to be critical to get off to a good start to keep the crowd in it.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I keep going back and forth about Jaden's actions during these playoffs. I have to admit I've been enjoying them, and on balance, they may have fired himself up more than Denver in Game 4. But I think we can also all agree that the Nuggets' defense looked entirely different in Game 5 than it did in the first 4 games. Denver surprised me in Game 4 by not showing a pulse after Jaden's remarks, but last game was different, and Jaden has to take a lot of the blame for waking them up. Who wins a game still has mostly to due with talent, but emotion plays a role too. And Jaden woke up both the crowd and the Nuggets, and the combination had them playing with a lot more heart than they had shown before,

But I actually find some optimism in this. After facing a hostile crowd Monday which, although he denies it, may have played a role in his poor play, he now gets to play in front of a supportive crowd. I know Denver is favored by 5 1/2, but a boozy 8:30 Target Center crowd might be just what we need to turn things around. It's going to be critical to get off to a good start to keep the crowd in it.

Honestly, I think the Wolves being without the two primary three point shooters (and most dynamic offensive player) did more to make Denver look good than anything else.

They can clog the paint A LOT more without Edwards and Divincenzo.

[FNG]

I keep going back and forth about Jaden's actions during these playoffs. I have to admit I've been enjoying them, and on balance, they may have fired himself up more than Denver in Game 4. But I think we can also all agree that the Nuggets' defense looked entirely different in Game 5 than it did in the first 4 games. Denver surprised me in Game 4 by not showing a pulse after Jaden's remarks, but last game was different, and Jaden has to take a lot of the blame for waking them up. Who wins a game still has mostly to due with talent, but emotion plays a role too. And Jaden woke up both the crowd and the Nuggets, and the combination had them playing with a lot more heart than they had shown before,

But I actually find some optimism in this. After facing a hostile crowd Monday which, although he denies it, may have played a role in his poor play, he now gets to play in front of a supportive crowd. I know Denver is favored by 5 1/2, but a boozy 8:30 Target Center crowd might be just what we need to turn things around. It's going to be critical to get off to a good start to keep the crowd in it.

Honestly, I think the Wolves being without the two primary three point shooters (and most dynamic offensive player) did more to make Denver look good than anything else.

They can clog the paint A LOT more without Edwards and Divincenzo.

No question that was critical also, but it also seemed to me that Denver was far more aggressive on the perimeter than they had been, and that's all about effort more than scheme. We'll have to see which version of Denver shows up tomorrow.