The regular season Grizzlies' record is really strong, which is not a black, after all, the data is there. As one of the few teams that can significantly improve their record in a short period of time, the Grizzlies' entire tactical system has changed significantly compared to last season. If you take the timeline a little longer and talk about the current Grizzlies from the Conley era, you'll see that these are two styles entirely.
From heavily defensive position selection to current fast-paced offense and defense, Morant has made everything change. So now the Grizzlies should be positioned as a fast-paced team with passion, and speed is their key word.
The Grizzlies fight the Timberwolves, presumably a wonderful showdown. Because there are few similar vitality factions in the league, a duel is formed at the beginning. Yes, the Timberwolves have also played passionate this season. The sublimation of Edwards and Waterla, as well as Downs' change this season, have added a factor of passion to Minnesota. In the regular season, the Timberwolves are playing fast-paced physical flow. Constantly impacting, constantly counterattacking, using the vitality of young people to grind the opponent's physical strength, and then get the victory.
The styles of the two teams are very close, which tests the coach's ability to change teams. Or, in other words, which main force can transform again under the pressure of the playoffs and become a new generation of leaders. Whoever breaks the cocoon first can have the right to speak. Both the Grizzlies and Timberwolves are aware of this.
What are the advantages of the Grizzlies? It is a stronger secondary attack and fast attack counterattack ability. In the regular season this season, the Grizzlies averaged 17.7 fast-break points per game, the league's first. The Timberwolves are also strong in fast-range offense, but are averaging just 15.2 points per game, fourth in the league. So in comparison, the Grizzlies are faster and of better quality. If you look closely at the Grizzlies and Timberwolves, you'll see that the Timberwolves are fighting for the sake of chaos, because this tactic motivates all players as much as possible. The Timberwolves are full of young people who need to run to fully activate their advantage. And the Grizzlies? So are they. Under Morant's leadership, the Grizzlies' chaotic battle is more orderly. It can be clear that the Grizzlies' chaotic battle is to disrupt the opponent's position arrangement and bring the rhythm back to their own field. From this perspective, the Grizzlies are a bit more at a higher level because they have a first-hand advantage. They can have control, while the Timberwolves can't. Of course, you said that after a game or two, the Grizzlies can not eat the Timberwolves steadily, which certainly cannot be done, because the chaos of the Timberwolves is enough to deal with the Grizzlies. We're talking about the chaotic effect of their fights against ordinary opponents. From the results, it can also be seen that the Grizzlies' regular season record is to be better than the Timberwolves, which is the benefit of mastering the chaotic rhythm.
So what are the advantages of the Timberwolves? Quite simply, a higher quality shooter group. The Timberwolves seem to have always been proud of this feature, after all, we have never seen any center forward who can pull up the outside to shoot three points, and even win a three-point contest. The shooter pulls to the outside line, and the sense of space is naturally stronger. The Grizzlies also have shooters, but the range and projection quality can't be compared to the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves have the third-highest three-point rate in the league, a prolific team, with a slightly worse shooting percentage, ranking outside the top ten. This is also reasonable, medium efficiency with high-level output, the effect obtained is bound to not be too bad. You can find that this season, the Timberwolves' favorite tactic is to cover the three points in addition to the chaotic battles. Why? Because it works. Scoring well, saving stamina, and unleashing Downs' nature, why didn't the Timberwolves do that?
In the regular season, the Grizzlies and Timberwolves played each other, which was a tie. In their respective areas of strength, both sides have a good play. The Timberwolves' three-point status is coming, and the Grizzlies can't stop it. The Grizzlies' quick-attack counterattacks were fought, and the Timberwolves couldn't hold back. Therefore, both sides know that their advantages can restrain their opponents, and in the playoffs, how to continue to amplify this advantage depends on their respective ability to change positions. We have talked about a lot of their respective basic advantages, but combined together, it is necessary to look at the comprehensive level of both sides. Since this is the case, although the Timberwolves are dogs, they do not seem to suffer much against the grizzly bears. If you look at other teams in the West, they'd rather have the Timberwolves take down the Grizzlies, because the Timberwolves are easier to deal with, and the Grizzlies are obviously a little harder to nibble on.
When the two armies are at war, the team will inevitably give priority to more significant points of difference. The most prominent difference between the Grizzlies and Timberwolves at this stage is the defensive system, as we said before, the offense is chaotic, and the characteristics are similar, it is difficult to directly distinguish what gap. So it's basically more difficult for coaches to reflect the gap on the offensive end. So where's the gap on the defensive end? To be clear, the center is always the cornerstone of a defensive system.
The cornerstone of the Timberwolves is Downs. It's kind of funny to say, because Towns really doesn't quite fit this theory. Towns is not suitable for defense, and his contribution on the defensive end is almost equivalent to nothing. So the Timberwolves need to find someone else to improve their height and hardness. The Grizzlies' defensive focus is Adams and Jackson Jr. Adams is a large defender, cover position, body wall, these can play to Adams's advantage. But there is a drawback to this system, and their speed will be dragged down. Adams can't keep running, so who needs to support the continuation of this system when defending? The space type number four, this time reflects the role of Little Jackson. Jackson Jr. needed to delay so Adams had time to get back to work and the system could work. The Grizzlies have been experimenting this way in the early stages, but there is also a problem that Adams is not very friendly to the team's fast-break offense, which is also a headache for the Grizzlies.
So at this point, you will find that the Grizzlies can change the hole cards more, and the Timberwolves have few tricks that can be used. Understandably, it's a tough playoff ride for this team. Being able to make the playoffs is already a very difficult thing in itself. So they still have a lot of difficulties to overcome collectively, the simplest point is, if they encounter Morant's sudden attack, Downs's pinch cover, and pursuit, how to maintain high quality? This problem was solved, and the height of the Timberwolf was raised again. However, in this series, it is estimated that it is difficult to do. In the past, Towns' problems were not a day or two, this situation has been around for a long time, and it has not changed, and it is unlikely that a few games will have a good effect. Although the Timberwolves won first, this round of the series, it is still Morant who has the upper hand, and the Grizzlies have a better chance of winning.