The second game of the series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Phoenix Suns is already full of topics. In the first quarter of the game, Towns, who was the core of the interior offense, received his third foul early, which directly put him on the bench for the entire second quarter, and the Suns once established an 8-point lead, which looked like the situation was not good. The referee blew to this point, it was really a showdown, and it was clear that he wanted to forcibly maintain the suspense of the series. But as the game deepens, the Timberwolves' height and defensive advantages are becoming more and more obvious, you know, their forward line is McDaniels, who is 2.06 meters tall, and in some teams, this height can top the No. 5 position.
The 23-year-old McDaniels is also really competitive, this game, he stepped up in the team's most difficult time, 10 of 17 in the game with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, and even played the trick of passing Gobert without looking at people's backs and helping the latter dunk, and the young man's plus/minus reached a game-high +21. In the case of Edwards' poor hand and Towns being troubled by fouls, McDaniels' performance injected a shot in the arm for the Timberwolves, proving with practical actions that the Timberwolves are so worth the money with a five-year 136 million contract and their early contract extension.
In addition to McDaniels, Gobert's performance is also still stable. The French gate played 39 minutes, handed over 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, turning himself into a wall of sighs between the Suns and their own baskets. Even the free throws that he is not good at, Gobert played exceptionally in this series, hitting 12 of 14 free throws in two games, which directly extinguished the Suns' desire to adopt foul tactics. The Timberwolves' three-high lineup mainly plays a "one force down ten", defense first, taking into account offense, Booker finally broke the defense, and blew himself up when the team needed him the most to chase points, and received his sixth personal foul off the court, Vogel did not drag his feet and threw directly to admit defeat.
In stark contrast to Booker's red-warm self-detonation, it was the dedication and dedication of veteran Mike Conley on the Timberwolves' side. Conley said to his teammates before the series began: "I don't think there's anyone on either team who wants to win the championship more than I do. I selfishly told my teammates that my brothers should win for me and help me. While I still have gas in my tank, take a shot! I'm running out of time!" The words are full of longing for a championship ring, and the point guard who was the first to get a 100 million 5 contract in the NBA did not lie down there, only pressured his teammates, and the 36-year-old Conley squeezed his last drop of oil.
When both the inner and outer cores were struggling, it was Conley who scored 12 points in the second quarter to stabilize the situation for the Timberwolves, and only then did he have a big comeback in the second half and lay the foundation for the victory. In this game, Conley was 7 of 13 in the game, contributing 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, the veteran really gave it his all, and when the Suns were ready to give it a go in the final quarter, it was also one of his actions that proved that he was the one who wanted to win more - in the face of a sideline ball that was almost impossible to save, Conley threw himself out, and used a classic Rodman saving posture to turn the ball back, and Conley, who fell heavily to the ground, saw Gobert carry his expectations and go to the basket and caused a foul and hit both free throws. This moment was really tearful.
It can be said that even if the referee forcibly pulls the Suns, but the iron still needs to be hard, from the main players to the role players, the Timberwolves are the side that wants to win more, and the goddess of victory naturally favors them. So, in your opinion, is there still a suspense in this series, and will Conley Sr. get his wish?