Minnesota Sports Forum

Who would you rather play and why?

I think we can beat either, but we have Denver's number. Joker gets his, but Jaden and NAW wrap up Murray. Our depth would also be a problem for them.

We can beat OKC but we would have to play better than we have so far. I believe the old adage that you have to have your heart broken before you can win an NBA title. I don't' think OKC has gone through that yet. It would be Ant's series to validate his greatness.

Would rather play Denver.

But I do feel like it would be a different series. Denver has run a shit ton of zone these playoffs.

I think we are seeing in these playoffs the team that are still alive are the ones that play nobody who sucks. Like Denver is the last team that plays I would say below average NBA rotation players

I think this will be fairly unanimous for Denver. I agree that we could beat either team, but I also think we will be sizable underdogs in either series. OkC won 68 games this season and Denver won 50, and they both seem to be playing quite well right now. I want Denver, but I think it's gonna be the Thunder.

Coolbreeze44 wrote: ↑Thu May 15, 2025 2:24 pm I think we can beat either, but we have Denver's number. Joker gets his, but Jaden and NAW wrap up Murray. Our depth would also be a problem for them.

We can beat OKC but we would have to play better than we have so far. I believe the old adage that you have to have your heart broken before you can win an NBA title. I don't' think OKC has gone through that yet. It would be Ant's series to validate his greatness.

You mean OKC's heart wasn't broken last year when they had the #1 seed and lost to Dallas in the Conference Semis? They fell short of expectations even more than we did last season. I don't think the fact we played one extra playoff series (which we lost of course) makes that much of a difference.

That being said, I agree with the consensus here that Denver would be the preferable opponent.

kekgeek wrote: ↑Thu May 15, 2025 2:27 pm Would rather play Denver.

But I do feel like it would be a different series. Denver has run a shit ton of zone these playoffs.

I think we are seeing in these playoffs the team that are still alive are the ones that play nobody who sucks. Like Denver is the last team that plays I would say below average NBA rotation players

And Aaron Gordon is now a legit 3-point threat, so that's different. Otherwise they have a lot of the same strengths and weaknesses. They are the devil we know.

FNG wrote: ↑Thu May 15, 2025 2:46 pm I think this will be fairly unanimous for Denver. I agree that we could beat either team, but I also think we will be sizable underdogs in either series. OkC won 68 games this season and Denver won 50, and they both seem to be playing quite well right now. I want Denver, but I think it's gonna be the Thunder.

Why do you think we would be a sizable dog vs Denver? If that were to be the case, I'm calling my mortgage banker as soon as the line gets posted.

From a storyline perspective, taking down MVP Shai and a league best near-70 win team would only add to ANT's repertoire. More "Face of the League" stuff! (I believe he would love to be the Face of the League, but just like he always defers praise directed at him to his teammates, he would not come out and say "I want to be the Face of the League").

Coolbreeze44 wrote: ↑Thu May 15, 2025 3:18 pm

FNG wrote: ↑Thu May 15, 2025 2:46 pm I think this will be fairly unanimous for Denver. I agree that we could beat either team, but I also think we will be sizable underdogs in either series. OkC won 68 games this season and Denver won 50, and they both seem to be playing quite well right now. I want Denver, but I think it's gonna be the Thunder.

Why do you think we would be a sizable dog vs Denver? If that were to be the case, I'm calling my mortgage banker as soon as the line gets posted.

Ha, you might get that chance, Cool! We handled the Nuggets well this season, but I think the emergence of Aaron Gordon as a 3-point shooter (46% since the all star game!) has really changed the way they play. And he missed a couple of the games against us this year. I recall Rudy guarded him last year and didn't worry about having to defend the 3-point line, and having him lurking around the basket really helped our defense...can't do that this year. And then there's the Jokic factor, and home court advantage. Finally, if we end up playing the Nuggets, they will be coming off 2 consecutive wins against the Thunder, and that will influence the line.

Personally I think a series against Denver would be dead even, but I think Vegas would have them at about -14o on the series...a bet on the Wolves would be a good one, I think. But I don't think we're going to get Denver. I think we will play OkC, and the books will have them at something like -155.

Murray questionable with an illness, I am sad.