kekgeek wrote: ↑Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:00 pm
If Mcdaniels doesn’t punch a wall are the wolves NBA champs? In kidding but wolves might have been a lot better than we think and just ran into a buzz saw round 1
You know I'm with you on this one, Kek! Every night that Denver puts up another routine double digit win against the cream of the NBA crop provides more positive evidence that TC has put together a roster that can compete for a championship (especially when you add in our 6-3 record against tough competition in the only 9 games this roster was together). NAW put in a great effort against Murray, but I think we all know our defense would have been better if the wall-puncher had been available.
As many of us expected, Aaron Gordon did to the great Jimmy Butler what he did to KAT and Durant...held him to a mere 13 points. He just won't let his man touch the ball, and the paucity of 3-pointers by his man illustrates his terrific perimeter defense. I wish I had jumped on the Vegas prop that Haywood Highsmith would outscore Butler!
I think Butler might be running out of steam. His shot seemed really flat and he was passive at times.
But yeah, Denver looked like a freakin' machine out there and it does sort of make you appreciate the fact we defended them about as well as anyone could.
Still, I take no moral victory from Denver's subsequent success. We effed ourselves by even being in the position to play Denver in the first round. Had we won some of those games against weaker competition late in the season or beat L.A. in the play-in game, we may have had a chance to win a playoff series.
I don't know how Butler even made it through the ECF. Vincent as well. They both really tweaked their ankles.
Even though the Wolves didn't win down the stretch, or easy games throughout the year, they had no business doing anything with a rusty KAT, a hobbled Slo-Mo, 30 games of figuring out how to incorporate Conley and NAW, a dumb Jaden, an injured Reid, and no actual backup PG because JMaC forgot what he was actually good at. The outcome was actually impressive.
Miami with a big win tonight. I think Spo is the best coach in the game and had a great game plan versus Jokic. Miami has home field advantage now, but more importantly has figured out Jokic. I think Miami is clearly in the driver's seat now.
KG4Ever wrote: ↑Sun Jun 04, 2023 9:57 pm
Miami with a big win tonight. I think Spo is the best coach in the game and had a great game plan versus Jokic. Miami has home field advantage now, but more importantly has figured out Jokic. I think Miami is clearly in the driver's seat now.
To me, Denver is still clearly the more talented team. But Miami has legit Finals experience up and down their roster plus Coach Spo. They just calmly took over the game in Q4.
As for Jokic, he is incredible. Besides being the best passing big man to ever play the game, he may also have one of the best shooting touches of any big, and that includes KAT. The kinds of shots he makes while off balance and being jostled are just incredible. Still, if you make him a scorer, it takes away his best skill.
We'll see what Denver is made of now. They really weren't tested like this in the West, having never lost a game at home. Now they lost home court advantage and have to go to Miami.
Miami has already beaten the two teams with the best records in Milwaukee and Boston and I think those two teams are more talented overall than Denver. I like the threesome of Butler, Adebayo and Spo better than Jokic, Murray and Malone.
He's unique, yes, but not one of a kind. There is a pattern here....A lot of these Finals teams in recent memory have brawny hybrid forwards that can play the 3, 4, or even 5 while being mobile enough to also switch onto guards.
Aaron Gordon - Denver
Grant Williams - Boston
PJ Tucker - Milwaukee (he was on Houston and Philly teams that went pretty deep too)
Draymond Green - Golden State
Jae Crowder - Phoenix
The Wolves really don't have a player like any of these guys. We certainly have plenty of length, but strength, brawn, and physicality is seriously lacking along our front line.
Good point, Q. It's one of the reasons I might be interested in swapping KAT for Brandon Miller and pieces. I've listened to a lot of interviews with Miller, and I'm not really concerned about his involvement with the gun incident. And I love how he stresses defense, and how comfortable he is with guarding at least 1-3. He's not brawny at all...yet...but he was an excellent rebounder in college and was able to defend bigger players inside. And scouts think he can put weight on his frame without losing the ability to defend the perimeter. And even though he crapped the bed in the championship game, he can shoot the three. A wing combo of Miller/Jaden/Ant could be elite defending the perimeter, especially with Gobert backing them up.
Mmmm, we may already have a much cheaper version of Miller in Josh Minott. Granted, Miller has a much more impressive body of work in college as a shooter and scorer, but I think Minott showed a lot of potential and upside in his G-League stint as well as the limited amount of playing time he got with the big league team. And Minott is also a good rebounder.
Something to keep in mind if you really like Aaron a Gordon. Tim Connelly acquired him in a trade that looks pretty good.
Also I would say Kyle Anderson isn’t too far from fitting into that mold while also being able to play as a true PG which is pretty valuable.
KG4Ever wrote: ↑Sun Jun 04, 2023 9:57 pm
Miami with a big win tonight. I think Spo is the best coach in the game and had a great game plan versus Jokic. Miami has home field advantage now, but more importantly has figured out Jokic. I think Miami is clearly in the driver's seat now.
Isn't it crazy that they had a great game plan against him that seems to be working... and yet he still went for 41 / 11 / 4 on 57% shooting.
KG4Ever wrote: ↑Sun Jun 04, 2023 9:57 pm
Miami with a big win tonight. I think Spo is the best coach in the game and had a great game plan versus Jokic. Miami has home field advantage now, but more importantly has figured out Jokic. I think Miami is clearly in the driver's seat now.
Isn't it crazy that they had a great game plan against him that seems to be working... and yet he still went for 41 / 11 / 4 on 57% shooting.
The guy is just so damn good.
He's had three straight seasons with a PER, BPM, and VORP all greater than 30.0, 12.0, and 8.8 respectively.
Literally no one since the 3-point line came into existence has done that before, although Jordan was close.
Offensively he has to go down as one of the best to ever play.
The ONLY reason I don't consider him a top 5 all time player is because he can't make game-changing plays defensively. He's made himself into a very solid defender, but he can't turn the tide of a game because of his defense or make a clutch steal or block in the final 3 minutes.
KG4Ever wrote: ↑Sun Jun 04, 2023 9:57 pm
Miami with a big win tonight. I think Spo is the best coach in the game and had a great game plan versus Jokic. Miami has home field advantage now, but more importantly has figured out Jokic. I think Miami is clearly in the driver's seat now.
Isn't it crazy that they had a great game plan against him that seems to be working... and yet he still went for 41 / 11 / 4 on 57% shooting.
The guy is just so damn good.
He's had three straight seasons with a PER, BPM, and VORP all greater than 30.0, 12.0, and 8.8 respectively.
Literally no one since the 3-point line came into existence has done that before, although Jordan was close.
Offensively he has to go down as one of the best to ever play.
The ONLY reason I don't consider him a top 5 all time player is because he can't make game-changing plays defensively. He's made himself into a very solid defender, but he can't turn the tide of a game because of his defense or make a clutch steal or block in the final 3 minutes.
I didn’t watch the game but I did see watching the extended highlights Denver went through a stretch in the 4th they didn’t score much for a while. Overall Denver shot over 50% from the floor and almost 40% from 3. Did Miami figure out Jokic and Denver or did Miami actually you know like actually score points? Miami didn’t reach 100 points in game 1 and scored 111 in game 2. Miami took just 2 FTs in game 1.
FWIW I would absolutely have a basic plan to let Jokic get his and let other guys beat me.
Do people really think when they see Jokic only had 4 assists that he wasn’t passing the ball? Guys just weren’t making shots. Btw, Denver lead most of the game while most of their starters had horrible games. Pope fouled a 3 point shooter twice, Porter Jr was lost on defense all game long and looked disinterested, and Jeff Green contributed 3 minutes of the worst, laziest basketball I’ve ever seen played at the NBA level. And I watch a lot of Wolves basketball.
