The latest situation of the NBA playoffs, there are three teams in the Western Conference that have advanced to the second round of the playoffs, namely the Thunder, Nuggets and Timberwolves, which are also the top three teams in the West in the regular season. The Thunder swept the Pelicans 4-0, the Nuggets eliminated the Lakers 4-1, and the Timberwolves swept the Suns 4-0. At present, there are only the Clippers 2-2 Mavericks in the West, and it feels like the two teams are evenly matched, and it is possible to play a tie-break. The Nuggets and Timberwolves met in the second round of the playoffs, and the two teams had a 2-2 record in the regular season. Crazy win by 60 points! No. 1 in the league, playing the super triumvirate, the strongest defense is really sharp.
The Pelicans can't beat the Thunder, which is understandable, after all, Zion Williams is out with injury. The Suns with Durant + Booker + Beal were swept by the Timberwolves, which was the most humiliating in the league. First of all, the Suns' championship lineup, the super big three are all scorers, and they are all extremely expensive. The Suns are third in the league in total player salaries and luxury tax this season, behind only the Warriors and Clippers. Moreover, next season, the salaries of the Big Three of Durant + Booker + Beal will be as high as $150 million. Fans believe that the Suns have a deformed lineup, no defense, and except for the Big Three, the others are basically players with missing base salaries, and such a lineup of players is not suitable for the championship.
NBA reporters reported that the Timberwolves beat the Suns by a total of 60 points in the first four playoff games, and the Timberwolves exploded with rebounds from the Suns, with a rebounding difference of 20+ in the two games. No interior, no rebounding, no defense, the Suns' deformed lineup was indeed torn apart by the Timberwolves. Edwards broke through the Suns' defense, easily passed Beal, and he also dunked Durant to make it 2+1, which was very domineering. Edwards played against the Suns and cut all sorts of 30+ and 40+ with great ease.
In this year's playoffs, Edwards averaged 31.0 points (fourth in the league) + 8.3 rebounds + 6.3 assists + 2.0 steals (second in the league) + 0.8 blocks per game, shooting 51.2% from the field, 43.8% from three-point range, and 83.9% from the free throw line. Against the Super Big Three, Edwards played with superstar stats and performances, which is the talent and potential of the Super Champion. In the playoffs this season, Edwards ranked first in the league with 42 points in the fourth-quarter scoring list. Huazi really has the ability to have a big heart. Fans say that Edwards can play key shots, he is a big heart star, and the Timberwolves have a chance to compete for a championship.
According to statistics released by NBA reporters from American media, the Timberwolves averaged 118.3 points per game in the playoffs this year (first in the league), grabbed 46.3 rebounds per game (first in the league), and averaged 19.5 points per game (first in the league) by taking advantage of opponents' mistakes. And, the Timberwolves have a playoff offensive efficiency of 123.2 (first in the league). We all know that the Timberwolves defense is already the strongest in the league in the regular season, and each of their players is very responsible for defending well, so the Timberwolves' defensive efficiency has always been great. Now in the playoffs, the Timberwolves are becoming more and more offensive and defensive, and their goal is to challenge for the championship.
The Timberwolves are a civilian team, they are all soldiers, and the overall defense is good, which coincides with the period of Edwards' super rise, and this Timberwolves have the strength to counterattack the defending champion Nuggets. Edwards, Towns, Gobert, McDaniels, Alexander Walker, Conley, the Timberwolves have six players averaging double-doubles per game, while their overall shooting percentage is over 50%. It's a complete and perfect competitive team that wins by team basketball, not individual heroism. In the playoffs last year, Edwards faced the Nuggets with an average of 32 points + 5.1 rebounds + 5.2 assists + 1.8 steals + 2.0 blocks per game (the Timberwolves lacked major generals last year and couldn't beat the Nuggets).