The regular season of the NBA new season has been contested for almost 30 games, and the pattern of the two major regions in the east and west has gradually become clear. On the Eastern Division, the Eastern Three Musketeers Bucks, Celtics and 76ers played steadily, ranking in the top three in the East, and their winning rates were all above 7 percent. The Heat won a wave of 4 consecutive victories and quietly rose to 4th in the East, as the champion of the East, the Heat itself is very strong, but they are very low-key, do not fight or grab, the Heat team at the beginning of the season is still ranked at the bottom of the East, and now it has climbed up unconsciously. Previously considered the biggest dark horse in the Eastern Division, the Orlando Magic, has recently suffered a wave of decline, not long ago experienced a wave of 4 consecutive defeats, falling to 5th in the East, the young dark horse team wants to stabilize the record, there is still a certain difficulty.
However, the two super dark horses in the Western Conference are still standing, the Timberwolves and the Thunder, ranking in the top two in the West. The Nuggets, known as the "Big Devil", may be preserving their strength, they did not show the same dominance as last season's playoffs, and they have never been able to cross the two hurdles of the Thunder and Timberwolves this season. The Thunder team is really strong this season, their away record is 9-4, the winning rate is the first in the league, and in some basic data, the Thunder are even more proficient, ranking among the best in everything, ranking third in the league in steals per game of 8.5, ranking first in the league in blocks per game of 6.6, ranking third in the league in shooting percentage of 49.7%, ranking second in the league in three-point shooting rate of 38.6%, and ranking first in the league in free throw shooting rate of 85.3%, which can be described as a combination of offense and defense.
Despite this, the Thunder can only be ranked second in the West, the first-ranked Timberwolves, has been at the top of the Western Conference for a long time, compared to the Thunder, the Timberwolves are not a budding dark horse team, they showed signs of dark horses last season, successfully entered the playoffs, and the first round in the absence of McDaniels, brought a lot of pressure to the Nuggets. The Timberwolves have evolved again this season, and their roster itself is not full of young players, but also veterans like Conley and Gobert. The 36-year-old Conley also set a career-high three-point shooting percentage this season, reaching 45.9%, ranking seventh in the league and being one of the team's outside cores. Of course, the absolute soul of the Timberwolves' outside line must be the star Edwards, who is only 22 years old, but shows super strength.
Compared with other new generation of young guards in the league, Edwards' strength lies in his physical fitness, strong athleticism, he can easily impact the basket and take off to wreak havoc on the basket, and he can also make difficult jump shots against the opposing defense, this kind of scoring ability is a superstar must have, and Edwards is not afraid of big scenes, key ball ability is very good, this season, his three-point shooting has also improved a lot, shooting 38.1%, 2.6 percentage points higher than the career average. In addition, Edwards' defensive ability is also among the top among guards, after all, he is super athletic, his single defense is very intimidating, he can contribute 1.4 steals per game, ranking 12th in the league, when talking about his defense, Edwards also said: "Defense is about my self-esteem, I don't want anyone to score on my head." ”
In the offseason this summer, the Timberwolves offered Edward Wise a five-year, $260 million super contract, and the effect of the big contract was immediate, and it also inspired Edwards to make further breakthroughs. At such a young age, he became the star of the super dark horse, leading the team to the first place in the West, and the Timberwolves' home record this season has reached a terrifying 13-1, second only to the Celtics in the league. 13-1, leading the team to the first place in the West! This is the reason why you can get a five-year, 260 million max salary contract, as a champion, Edwards' starting point itself is not low, but his attention at that time was much inferior to Zion Williams the year before, compared with Wembanyama this year, and Edwards's ceiling may be higher, from his game, even see a little Jordan's shadow.
Of course, the Timberwolves have been able to go all the way this season, and it is certainly not the credit of Edwards alone, the Timberwolves themselves rely on the interior and defense, and their two-tower core lineup is also crucial. Last offseason, the Timberwolves spared no expense, and the stud chips were exchanged for Gobert, which made fans very puzzled. This season, the combination of Gobert and Towns is getting better and better, the two have a very high ceiling on the inside, and the two themselves are different in attributes, which are completely compatible, and Towns has even become a defensive titan under the influence of Gobert, if this season's Timberwolves can still make a breakthrough in the playoffs, then last year's Gobert trade is not a loss. Do you think you have any hope of winning the championship?