NBA Wolves

[KEN W]

Big game tonight at 9:00. Wolves and Denver for first place in the West. Winner should get the number 1 seed in the tournament.

ESPN and Ballysports.

[KEN W]

First time in Minn Pro Sports History. A sweep of a 7 games series. Wolves sweep Suns 4-0.

Never done by the.....
Lakers
Northstars
Twins
Wild
Wolves
Lynx

Only downside was Timberwolves head coach ruptured his patellar tendon after colliding with guard Mike Conley late in the team's series-sweeping win over the Phoenix Suns Sunday night. Finch was helped off the court and later left the arena on a cart. The Timberwolves confirmed the nature of Finch's injury.

[KEN W]

Next up.....

Wolves at Denver Thursday May 4 if Denver wins tonight.

or Saturday May 6 if the Denver/Lakers series goes 6 or 7 Games.

[Steve-o]

I dropped out at half-time, but it looked like the game was hard fought the whole way.  Right before the half, the Suns seem to have the momentum and we're staying ahead of the Wolves.  When in the game did that change?

[Gunner55]

Suns got it to 6 but it never got any more than that. They were still up 2 starting the 4th, T'wolves took a time out ~ 2 minutes into the 4th & they got Edwards & Towns back in then. The Suns then went 3+ minutes without a basket but the T'wolves didn't push the lead to 4 until there was only ~ 2 minutes left. A couple stupid fouls & turnovers by the Suns sealed it.

[KEN W]

Edwards scored 40 points.....31 in the second half. 

Kat had 28 

[Gunner55]

  They quit doubling Edwards all the time early in the 3rd quarter & I think it made him mad. He made his 1st 3 not long after that & hit 2 more before the period was over. Then when they started to come out to guard him, he started going to the basket. KAT was good from deep all game. Denver finished off the LAL last night, so it's the Nuggets on Saturday, time still TBD.

[Gunner55]

Ant man goes for 43 & Naz Reid had 14 of his 16 pts in the 4th while the T'wolves shoot 71% in the 2nd half  to take game 1 from the Nuggets. 

[Steve-o]

I didn't see that coming after the cold shooting 1/2 way thru the 1st and all thru the 2nd - but they kept it close at the half.
That technical foul on Ant was

I wish Kat would stay out of foul trouble.

[Gunner55]

Yeah, Murray's pistol shooting taunt towards KAT was way worse than the 1 Ant got the T for. It seems like either Gobert or Towns is in foul trouble every game. Their plan of continually switching between McDaniels, Towns, & Gobert guarding Jokic worked pretty good yday. He still had 32 but he was 11-25 & only 2-9 from deep.

[Steve-o]

Denver will adjust.  What will the Whoofies do?  We'll see soon enough.

[KEN W]

Wolves have a much better bench. Denver wears out by the 4th quarter. Jokic outweighs Gobic and Kat and the refs let him elbow his way down the lane. BUT he never comes out for a rest and wears out. As long as they can stay close for 3 quarters they have a good chance.

[Gunner55]

Jokic had 7 TO's too, that doesn't usually happen.

[glenn57]

T-wolves steal 2 in Denver 

[Steve-o]

Boy, I didn't see this coming when they traded all those 1st-round draft picks for Gobert last year and the team was struggling to stay healthy enough to play together and form an identity.

My biggest grief with NBA basketball is the unwillingness and refusal of the greatest athletes in the world to play defense.  Any season the Whoofies had talent and promise, they were one of the worst defensive teams in the league.   

But, at least this year, with this team...  this is something different.

My other gripe about the NBA is the way offensive players get away with lowering their shoulder into a guy when they drive the lane, and its a foul on the defense.     Yeah, I know the rule, but it doesn't pass "my" eye test.

I don't know nothin about nothin, but I thought a key part of the game was the Whoofies giving Jokic a taste of his own medicine.  He had to work for everything he got in game 1 and they went right at 'em in Game 2.  The difference last night was the refs let 'em hammer on each other.  It reminded me of the glory days of the Celtics/Lakers rivalry. 

[KEN W]

Great defense in the first half. Held Denver to 80 pts.....lowest of the season.

Wolves have the number 1 defense in NBA this season and playoffs.

Yeah as I said above.....the refs let Jokic do whatever he wants down the lane. But last night Kat leveled a guy in the lane that was clearly an offensive foul and no call.

And then the Denver head coach was out on the floor nose to nose with the ref at the the free throw line. Should have been at least a technical and possible ejection.

[Steve-o]

Maybe its just the "homer" in me, but I thought the refs called more on the Whoofies in Game 1 than the Nuggets.  Last night they "let 'em play" as they say.   

I loved Shaq's comment when they panel was arguing about all the charges (or not).  Shaq said, "I won 5 rings running over guys."  He wasn't lying. 

The Whoofies have it all, they are big and physical inside, they have outside shooting, they play ferocious defense, and they rebound.

It was good to see KAT NOT get all wrapped up the drama of what refs were calling or not.

[Gunner55]

T'wolves got beat on the boards 50-42 but they hold Denver to 34.9% from the field while shooting 50% themselves. Turnovers were 19-12 in favor of MN & it was 39.4% to 30% from 3 in our favor. Murray, who killed 'em last year in the playoffs, got frustrated early because he couldn't get any calls. All that without the soon to be 4 time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Gobert.

[KEN W]

Yeah......Gobert had a baby boy yesterday in Minneapolis. 

[KEN W]

If they just wouldn't start the games so darn late. I can't stay up till midnight to see the end. Have to watch the 4th quarter in the morning before I know the final score.

[KEN W]

How can Murry throw a heating pad out on the floor during play into the mix of players under the basket and not get a technical foul and ejection???? Commissioner should suspend him for the next game. That's dangerous. And there is video showing him doing it. The cry baby shot 3 for 18 from the field.

 "This wasn’t a game. It was a message. This was George Foreman–Joe Frazier. Mike Tyson–Trevor Burbick. Rocky Balboa–Clubber Lang."

[Gunner55]

  It looks like he avoided suspension but they're going to get a nice chunk of his cash.    https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/05/08/jamal-murray-fined-for-tossing-objects-onto-court-during-nuggets-timberwolves-game   

[KEN W]

 

[Steve-o]

Yeah, this is starting to NOT pass the smell test.

Hopefully the Woofies are in control of the series, but if things go the other direction...

Game 1:  Ant stares at a guy after a play, says nothing, and gets T'ed up.  A Nugget shoots his finger guns after hitting a big shot over KAT and gets nothing.

Game 2:  Coach runs onto the court and screams F-bombs into the ref's face and gets nothing.  Murray throws a foreign object onto the court during play and gets nothing during the game.

If the refs don't get control of this series, and the Wolves continue to dominate, I worry it will get to be physical and chippy - like a at the end of a blow-out hockey game.  Someone is goona get hurt.

[LPS]

Glad the Wolves are doing so good.  We may watch the next game too.  BUT it sure takes away from the Vikings talk and theory's on KFAN in the morning.   

[Steve-o]

Yeah, it is a rarity for a MN sports franchise to actually be selling "winning" this time of year instead of always just selling "hope."

[Gunner55]

I still wouldn't be shocked to see him draw a suspension at the beginning of next season, especially if it continues. A bit surprised the coach didn't get fined too.

[KEN W]

NBA wasn't going to suspend Denver's best player when they are down 2-0 in a playoff series.

Don't know how much he gets paid and if a $100,000 fine makes a difference. But it was the most a player can be fined.

[Steve-o]

I'm trying to remember...  I thought there was a basketball or hockey playoff game in the not to distant past where a star player was suspended for a game.

I might try to see if I can dig that up.

[Gunner55]

  Not so sure Murray is Denver's best player but he does avg 20 pts/gm & you're right, they're not going to suspend him with the Nuggets being down 2-0.