After losing to the Timberwolves in G1 in the Western Conference semifinals, the Nuggets' playoff journey may have just begun.
The Timberwolves and Lakers are completely two levels of teams. The two cores of the Lakers, one old and one brittle, although the thick eyebrows have played one of the best series of their careers against Jokic, but the decline in physical fitness in the final quarter is still obvious, and the Lakers rely too much on the thick eyebrows to score on the inside.
And James, apparently at this age, can't play efficiently and focused throughout the game. He can only choose to rest and paddle, and then expect his teammates to withstand this time period.
Therefore, the Lakers were "fired" by the Nuggets in the first three games, and the Nuggets played calmly, they knew where the Lakers' pain points were, and a little force could reflect the gap between the two teams. Although the first round was not swept, the Nuggets can be said to be bloodless.
But the Timberwolves, that's a whole other level of opponents. At the beginning of today, the Timberwolves used a wave of 18-4 to give the Nuggets an impressive downgame. Downs is the main defense of Jokic, Gobert, the DPOY, is responsible for the sweep, and whoever misses someone will be made up by Gobert, the defensive monster.
Because Gordon doesn't have the ability to shoot over, Gobert can let him go on the defensive end to help defend, and the Nuggets are stunned by the Timberwolves' bucket formation, which is just the Timberwolves' interior defense.
On the outside defensive end, the Timberwolves' configuration is also among the best in the league. Huazi and McDaniels took care of Murray, allowing Murray to hand in a 0-point answer sheet throughout the first half, the first time in his career playoff game.
The Timberwolves' defense is the first in the league, and the surprise sweep of the Suns in the first round relied on deterrence on the defensive end. Everyone thought that the Suns' mid-to-long-range shooting ability would make Gobert very uncomfortable, but sorry, Gobert can defend it now, and the effect is great.
Murray was able to single-point blast Russell or Reaves, but facing the Timberwolves' terrifying outside defense, Murray was beaten in the first game.
Including Jokic, he is no longer playing idle today, although he still has 32+8+9 data, but only 11 of 25 shots, forcing him to shoot 9 three-pointers and score 2. When you see Jokic blushing and fighting inside during the game, you know Jokic is starting to sweat too.
But the Nuggets are still the defending champions, and the big hole in the opening game was quickly filled, and after finding that Gordon was targeted, they quickly got the five-shooter lineup to open up the most space. The Nuggets bench had a positive plus/minus today, with Reggie and Holiday scoring not much, but both were critical.
And if you want to compare the bench lineup, the Timberwolves also have Reed, the sixth man of the season. Reed scored 16 points today, and one person scored more points than the Nuggets all off the bench. Fourteen of the 16 points in the final quarter were key to the Timberwolves' victory.
The Timberwolves and Nuggets kept biting to death in the final quarter, and Reed's wave of outbursts opened the score. And Huazi's two mid-shots in the final quarter were a real superstar moment.
The first mid-shot, the crotch pulled back + the big change of direction misled Gordon's center of gravity and pulled it out directly. A set of movements is neat, and when he is ready to break through, he should have a mind about what to do next.
The second mid-range shot, with his back to Pope, Jokic was ready to come over and wrap it up at any time. Huazi turned directly and hit a difficult backward shot, and Pope, who was defending him, waved his hand, and there was really no way to defend this ball.
At that moment, how many people really saw Jordan's shadow when he made a jump shot on the court. The goal was scored, and the Timberwolves pocketed the victory.
In the first divisional semifinals of his career, Huazi slashed 43 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 17 of 29, perfectly demonstrating what is called a real hard solution.
In the first 16 playoff games of his career, he averaged at least 29 points per game and shot above 60 percent from the field, and Edwards is the only player in history to achieve this feat.
The Nuggets take guard defense, and Huazi is bigger and faster than Murray and Pope, and there is no way to defend alone. Porter is the weakest defensive link in the Nuggets' starting lineup, and today Gordon defended Huazi, even if he was not passed, Huazi could be punished with a mid-range shot.
When the Nuggets really didn't have a move to pinch Huazi, a group of excellent shooters on the outside of the Timberwolves were waiting for their opportunity. Huazi alone can break the Nuggets' defensive system, which is something that neither Thick Mei nor James can do.
What is amazing is the improvement of Huazi, a season ago, Huazi was criticized for not being able to shoot, and the style of play is becoming more and more magical, only shooting three-pointers and impacting the basket. And a season later, Huazi's mid-pitch has become his killer move. The middle distance is worthy of the weapon of God.
It's only when you generate enough threats from mid-range that your attacking level can truly transform. When your opponent is defending you, they will have a hard time controlling the distance. If you get too close, you will be taken a step, and if you are too far away, you will be punished by medium and long throws.
The Timberwolves' excellent defensive resources give them the strength to compete with the defending champions. And Huazi's transformation from a star to a supergiant has infinitely raised the ceiling of the Timberwolves and made people have infinite expectations for this team.
The world was anxious to listen to the story of the young man, and Huazi snatched the microphone from the nuggets: "Now, you all heard it." ”