It has to be said that this year's play-offs really slapped the experts. The two teams ranked 10th in the East and West eliminated the 9th place team and got the opportunity to compete with the top team for the 8th place in the West Division. But to this day, the good guys no longer dare to predict the outcome of the play-offs, but there is too much uncertainty in a tiebreaker. That's what tomorrow's Timberwolves vs. Thunder will do.
The Thunder's game yesterday shattered people's predictions. Pre-game expectations are overwhelmingly skewed towards the Pelicans, who won the playoffs in the same pattern last year, and this year are still Ingram, McCollum and Valanciunas, so there's no reason why they can't make it to the first round. However, there is a precedent for bulls, and people dare not say it to death.
But the course of the game was a big surprise. The Thunder led 32-29 in the first quarter and 39-24 in the third quarter, establishing an early lead. Alexander, Josh Giddy and Dort all scored 20+, making it feel that a new Thunder trio is on the horizon. The Pelicans also scored 20+ points by Ingram, Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III, Valanciunas had 16 points and 18 rebounds, and McCollum scored 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting, personally covering himself with the fate of missing the playoffs for the first time in his career.
The Timberwolves are finally ready for the full roster. Gobert will have a comeback, and his return will make Towns no longer alone, and will make the scene against the Lakers where Anthony Davis cut in 24 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks will not be repeated. One offense and one defense, the two can form one of the strongest interior linemen in the league. The Timberwolves' roster will see a new twist, and Prince will return to the bench. The Timberwolves were able to face the Thunder at their highest level.
The Timberwolves and Thunder have played four times, and the Timberwolves have won three times, two of which came in three games at the beginning of the season. The Timberwolves still had the strongest roster at the time, winning both games by more than 10 points. However, the third Timberwolves lost by 7 points, and the fourth Timberwolves won by only 2 points, reflecting the difficulty of the Timberwolves without Downs and the rapid change of the Thunder.
The Thunder's firepower is concentrated on the outside, which is a weak defensive area for the Timberwolves, but it can explode with the Thunder. The Timberwolves can also field lineups such as Conley, Edwards and Lee Kyle , and can compete with the opposing Alexander, Giddy and Dort. Dort was not consistent enough among the Thunder's trio, and there were several consecutive double-doubles in the regular season, but there were also a few single-digit scores, with a total of only 14 games scoring 20+ games in a single game. However, he is a defensive player, once labeled by Harden, one of the league's 3D players, and he may not be able to score 20+ points in a single game against the Timberwolves.
For Alexander, if the Pelicans are unsuccessful, the Timberwolves will not wrap up, but just cut off their connection with their teammates, adhering to the principle of "if you have the ability, you will kill me". Dort took the lead, and the task of defending Edwards was given to him, and the Timberwolves had to go through a purgatory. The Timberwolves have the 10th-best defense in the league, limiting opponents to averaging more shots per game (88.7) than the Thunder, and limiting opponents to shooting percentage (47.1%) but outperforming the Thunder. The Thunder are not as unbalanced as the Timberwolves, but their offensive and defensive efficiency hovers in the league, and there is a good fight on both sides.
The Timberwolves are 22-19 at home and fourth from bottom in the entire Western Division; The Thunder's 16-25 on the road is tied for 7th place with the Grizzlies in the entire Western Division. From this point of view, tomorrow's game is bound to be very exciting.
The Timberwolves and Thunder (SuperSonics) have only met in one playoff game, the second time the Timberwolves have stopped in the first round of the playoffs seven times in a row, and the Timberwolves lost 3-2 to the then Thunder, then known as the SuperSonics. That time the SuperSonics were twice overtaken, but were tenaciously tied by the Timberwolves, and it wasn't until the crucial fifth game that the Supersonics won 97-84. At that time, the Timberwolves were still led by Garnett, Marbury and Gugliotta.
The Thunder are strange to say, meeting the same team in 2 consecutive play-off games. Like the Pelicans, the Timberwolves were the teams that made the playoffs last year through the playoffs, and they were also the teams that went out in the first round. The Thunder went 13-8 at the end of the season to achieve a 40-42 win rate of nearly 50%, and these two teams played in a row.
What's more, if the Thunder make it to the playoffs, it will be the youngest playoff team in history, with the 2009-10 and 2010-11 Thunder ranked behind 23.6 and 24.1, respectively. If so, the 3 youngest teams in history are all owned by the Thunder, which is also a small record for the team.
Next, will the Timberwolves beat the Thunder and make the playoffs for the second year in a row, or will the Thunder beat the Timberwolves, rebuilding for several years, and become the 10th team to win two consecutive away games? See you tomorrow. (Hairy Daddy/Supine Push-ups)