1-0, took away a valuable win from Denver and snatched home advantage back from the mighty Nuggets. Once upon a time, the number one spot in the West was topped by "Wolverine", and they were just defending their honor. This victory is an Edwards-style victory! Perhaps from this game onwards, Edwards will be truly reborn.
In this year's playoffs, Huazi played five games, swept the Suns 4:0, led the Nuggets 1:0, and never tasted defeat. The Timberwolves' No. 1 defensive prowess in the league doesn't seem to be in vain. In the five games he has played, Huazi has averaged 33.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 1 block per game, with a shooting rate of 53% and a three-point shooting rate of 44%.
Compared with Kobe's playoff average of 25.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, Huazi can be said to be the peak of Kobe's statistics this season. And Huazi is a player who dares to take the responsibility on his shoulders, he hit the inside again and again, 37 free throws in 5 games, 32 free throws, and the shooting rate is 86%, which has become a difficult scoring point on the court, and the 44% three-point shooting rate has also become a super difficult point for defenders to defend.
This Timberwolves team is very similar to the Lakers in 2009: Gobert + Towns - Bynum + Gasol, swing forward Reid - Odom, perimeter gate McDaniels - Ariza, old point guard: Conley - Fisher, ace attacker Edwards - Kobe. No matter where you look at it, this season's Timberwolves are a strong contender for the championship. From the main force to the substitutes, they are all elite-level existences.
Edwards said he wanted to destroy everything in front of him, he didn't care about anything but winning, and he didn't want to make friends with other players. The Timberwolves have yet to win a championship in their history, so Edwards' hunger has always been there, and he knows exactly what he wants. That's the core reason why the Timberwolves were able to win away from the Nuggets.
Maybe this time the Nuggets really miscalculated, and Zhuge Malone still has a time to lose his eyes.