Timberwolves VS Nuggets G3
G3's blowing penalty scale is different from G1G2, and the body contact is more tight, which weakens the strength of the single defense, which is good for the Nuggets, especially good for Murray. It's hard to tell what the scale will be after the series, and that's not something we're trying to solve here.
Objectively speaking, the Nuggets did make a lot of adjustments, and the sense of urgency was completely different from the previous seven games. There is a very direct comparison round, the same position, Edwards singles out Gordon, the Nuggets' intensity on G2 is very loose, G3 has stepped up at all levels, the upper line is better, there is a high-intensity swipe in the bottom corner to slow down, and the weak side to the middle is also advanced.
Here's G2:
Here's G3:
The defensive strategy that the Nuggets came up with in G3 is probably what they are good at. Blocking and dismantling delays the ball carrier, piles up people on the strong side, and prevents the front from breaking through and shrinking the middle. These efforts succeeded in slowing down Huazi, disrupting Conley, and forcing the Timberwolves to do some tough ball handling, and the expected "self-blowing" consecutive fouls of the Timberwolves also appeared in the latter part of the game. In the third quarter, the Timberwolves were defended for 24 seconds, which should be regarded as the epitome of the Nuggets G3's defensive intensity, and the shortcomings of the Timberwolves' handling of the ball were also exposed.
Did Gobert's return make the Nuggets' defense any better?
The reality is that the Timberwolves' offense is just as difficult to play when Gobert is away. G2 Li Kaier played the de facto No. 5 position on the offensive end, and this point played a dream-chasing effect. As a result, the G3 Nuggets gave him the same treatment as the king of the arc, and the others didn't run too well off the ball, and they didn't do more about the hand-to-hand cover around Kyle Lee.
How can the Timberwolves break the Nuggets' improved defense?
G3 Timberwolves made 1 of 6 three-pointers in the bottom corner, and only scored 1 is outrageous, with only 6 corner chances, which shows that the Timberwolves did not do a good job of transferring the ball when the Nuggets contracted the middle and stacked the strong side.
Although the Wolves' ball handling performance can fluctuate from match to match, if the opponent is a card open strategy, it is still necessary to improve the transfer of the ball between the strong and weak sides, even if there is a certain risk of error. Conley and Huazi, or Downs and Huazi, are placed on the strong and weak sides respectively, using Conley's transfer ability at the top of the arc to quickly transfer the ball from the strong side to the top of the weak arc, and then using Huazi and Downs' fixed-point shooting to punish the Nuggets' basket protection, which may be a way to attack the enemy's weakness. Without an outright delay or a shrinking deceleration at the three-point line, the Nuggets' basket guards are not good for these two men.
In addition, the wolf's misplaced eating did not have an effect. The Nuggets will pile people on the strong side, and it is indeed difficult for the Timberwolves to eat small or small as G1G2 casually. But the Nuggets used Big Holiday to directly lead the defense of Reed in the connecting section, and this group of pairs was not punished at all. Reed's explosive form from the last game was lost, and some goals that didn't look difficult were scored.
The ripple effect is that Malone can rest assured that he can use more big Holiday with better projections and put Watson on the bench. Reed needs to play aggressively and not let the pair with a weight difference of more than 30kg unscathed.
The Nuggets failed to defend well in G1G2, and the inherent flaws of the lineup, strategy, and attitude were all problematic. G3: They have the right medicine and have taken this end up. Whether it can be maintained depends on the response and state of the Timberwolves. The wolf has a history of inexplicably blowing himself up, but he also has the explosive power that no one can stop when he goes crazy.
What is more difficult for the Nuggets to break the game is actually the offense. G1 has Gobert, G2 doesn't have Gobert, and both positions have defended the Nuggets. Before this game, Murray looked deeply affected by the injury and could not be reversed, after all, his slump was not only exposed in front of Jaden and Walker, but also did not play an advantage against Reaves in the first round.
But Murray did pull back sharply in G3. Blowing free throws to help him out of the game is one thing, Jaden has 3 fouls in the first half, and Jayden's entanglement with Murray looks more hardcore than Walker. The Nuggets' technical and tactical adjustments are another one. However, none of this fully explains why Murray was suddenly able to score those highly difficult goals with a personal label:
1 against 3 rebounds;
a jump shot that is completely covered and relies entirely on staying in the air to create space;
Murray's resurgence naturally makes Jokic and the Nuggets much easier to play.
In addition, there are two X-factors, one completely random and the other very weird.
The randomness X factor was that Gordon responded with a three-pointer, and although he only made three three-pointers in the game, those three three-pointers were concentrated at the start of the second half. The main matchup between the two G3 starters vs. starters was at the beginning of the two halves, the first half was basically a tie, and in the second half, when the Timberwolves made halftime adjustments and the starting lineup was about to catch up, Gordon punished Gobert with three consecutive shots.
The Nuggets obviously intended to let Gordon go online to participate in some tactics, but they did not refuse the jump shot that Gordon was released on a large scale in the process. This kind of thing has no analytical value, and if Gordon keeps going this way, then the Timberwolves really can't prevent it.
The weird X-factor is Gobert's rotation time. In the first half, Gobert only had one foul, but only played 13 minutes, completely avoiding the connection between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter, and by the time he returned midway through the second quarter, the Timberwolves were already 25-42 behind.
Forget about G2: The Timberwolves can defend against the Nuggets without Gobert. G3's Downs has reduced his intelligence, and the fact that Downs has a floating defense quotient in different games does not need to be analyzed.
In addition to Gobert's time not being full, the Timberwolves also suddenly took out McLaughlin, who was in the previous DNP. It's a hint that the Timberwolves want to do as much trial and error as possible in G3 — "I'll try it again with and without Gobert and see if G2 is real." If McLaughlin can use it, then the vacuum at the No. 1 position in the back section can be filled. ”
Compared to the Timberwolves' low-intensity rotation, the Nuggets clearly have a better idea of what G3 means to them. After Malone took out Watson, the two sets of lineup space placed by the Nuggets in the transition section were okay:
13 transitions, Reggie, Big Holiday, Pope, Porter, Jokic;
Two-four transitions, Murray, Holiday, Braun, Porter, Gordon.
The first set didn't have any obvious space weaknesses, and the second set Braun and Gordon were a little closer, but he threw them all in the open spots this time.
Of course, in the face of the Wolves' defense, the offense in the second and fourth quarters is still worrying, and Malone's approach is to beat Jokic hard. In the first half, Jokic had a break of only two and a half minutes, and the second half was less than three minutes, which can be described as full.
In terms of developing offensive posture, the Nuggets have also adjusted.
First and foremost, the frequency and quality of the cover have been greatly improved.
In this game, Jokic was whistled for a covering foul once, and was whistled for a covering foul but the challenge was successful. Jokic had a lot of cover on the edge of the scale, most of which were fairly clear, and there were a few foul risks. This matter will be variable in G4, and if Jokic comes up with a few screens and fouls, the rhythm of the whole court will be different.
Murray was in great pain with Jayden and Walker, and the best way to remove these two men from Murray's side was to block them. Once the cover stops the two, Murray has more room to play, not only to give himself a chance, but also to play Jokic more easily. G2's Jokic struggled to catch the ball in the hinterland, while G3 made it a lot easier.
It's not just Jokic who covers hard, everyone else does the same. Gordon gave Murray a solid cover that gave Murray a three-point shot with the ball against Downs.
Murray made a back cover before halftime, allowing Jokic to gain a position advantage and go straight into the hinterland.
Gordon's cover for Jokic this time allowed Jokic to complete a ball-holding shot to Gobert in the pit.
In addition, Pope and Reggie's lower screens have also appeared more than once to help Jokic catch the ball.
Second, the Nuggets are more calm in handling the ball, and the puzzle pieces are no longer blindly throwing, and they are more concerned about finding core players to deal with.
Reducing the baud as a top of the arc point may have helped a little with this. Compared to playing the Lakers, the Nuggets need to be more patient in this round, because it is really difficult to get the front board. In addition, Murray's handling of individual offense is also better than that of G2, both as a point of contact and when an individual offense is encountered.
Third, when Jokic was on the line with the ball on his individual offense, the Nuggets paid more attention to clearing the space on his side to avoid the swipe interference when Jokic walked inside.
Murray's recovery, space upgrade, Gordon and others giving three-point responses, setting up high-quality coverage, the whole team handling the ball calmly, and reasonable offensive positioning, etc., the Nuggets' series of adjustments have made them work around Jokic and Murray's offensive system again.
G3 brought the Nuggets back to life, 0-3 and 1-2 are completely different worlds, and this round of the series is in suspense again. G4 continues to play on the home court of the Timberwolves, who still have a chance to go to Denver with match point in hand. The two teams have shown their best offensive and defensive forms in different times in the first three games.
Perhaps G4 will be the real strongest and strongest extreme collision, and it will also be the most critical one to decide the direction of the series.