On May 15, Beijing time, the Western Conference semifinals continued, and the Nuggets and Timberwolves ushered in the Tianwang Mountain matchup, and the first two games were tied 2-2. Before the game, Jokic of the Nuggets received the MVP trophy for the 23-24 season, and his mood was also very calm, which is really admirable. The Nuggets made an early effort in the first half, relying on a 22-18 run in the second quarter to open up the gap and lead by six points at halftime. In the third quarter, the Timberwolves once overtook it, but the Nuggets quickly blasted out 11-2 to regain a 7-point lead, Jokic continued to exert force, leading the team to continue to expand the difference, the Nuggets blasted out 38-30 in this quarter, Jokic scored 16 points in a single quarter, and scored 35 points and 12 assists in the third quarter, and the Nuggets have a 14-point lead. In the fourth quarter, Pope hit a three-pointer, Jokic split the dunk, and the difference came to 18 points, and the suspense of the game was not big. In the end, the Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves 112-97, leading 3-2 to win the match point, and are about to enter the Western Conference finals.
Three indisputable facts
First, Jokic is the best basketball player on the planet, and he is the second most dominant player since O'Neal. In the past three games, the Nuggets have won three in a row, from 0-2 to 3-2, Jokic scored 24 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks, 35 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, 30 points, 8 rebounds and 15 assists, and the shooting rate in all three games was above 55%. Jokic isn't a soft persimmon, Gobert is the best defensive player, and Towns is a top power forward, but Jokic plays them like play.
Kobe Bryant (teammates O'Neal, Gasol, Bynum) and Duncan (teammates Parker, Ginobili), James (teammates Wade, Irving, Bosh, Love), Curry (teammates Tang Shen, Dream Chasing, Durant), Durant (teammates Wei Shao, Harden, Curry, Tang Shen, Irving, Booker, Beal) are the best basketball players in the 21st century, but Jokic has the most influence on the game, it seems that he is not sweating at all, the opponent can no longer bear it, the impression brought to the fans is too shocking, and his teammates are Murray and Gordon, Porter, none of them have ever made it to the All-Star. The Nuggets were so lucky to get an epoch-making athlete with a second-round pick, and after retiring, Joshua is likely to squeeze one of the all-time centers such as O'Neal and Duncan out of the top 10 all-time.
Second, as long as the Nuggets stay healthy, there is basically no suspense about defending the title. The reason why the Nuggets lost in the first two games of the semifinals was mainly because they didn't play really at all, Jokic and Murray didn't seem to wake up, but as the Lions woke up, the opponent's trouble came. The Timberwolves have tried their best, but they still suffered three consecutive defeats, and in this battle of Tianwang Mountain, the Timberwolves have worked hard, but the Nuggets' defense is too oppressive, and the biggest problem is that they can't prevent Jokic.
When it comes to the Western Conference finals, whether the Nuggets play the Mavericks or the Thunder, it is estimated that they will crush the promotion, neither team has a super inside line, and there is no opponent in the East, the Celtics may create relatively big trouble on the outside, but after Porzingis is absent, Jokic will dominate the restricted area, is there anyone in the current team who is stronger than Gobert's defensive ability? But in front of Mr. Yue, it seems to be all toys.
Third, the Lakers should now see their true level, after the Lakers were eliminated, James said in an interview that the Lakers lost to Porter Jr., who is too accurate, otherwise it may not have the result. In fact, these words are biased, the biggest advantage of the Nuggets is Jokic, the Lakers were reversed by the Nuggets in 4 out of 5 games, not that the Nuggets are too lucky, but this is the embodiment of real strength, the more critical the moment, the Nuggets will really exert their strength, just like the death of the peak warriors, and only show their swords in the decisive stage. The Timberwolves now also feel the helplessness of the Lakers, although they once overtook and gave you a chance, but after the Nuggets get serious, they can take away the game in waves. To sum up, the Nuggets are still too strong, and Jokic is too strong.
Three incredible
First, the Timberwolves lost 3 games in a row with a 2-0 lead, although it is not a historical record, but it is indeed miserable, it can be said that these 3 games are a big rout, the Nuggets are definitely going to complete a big reversal, there should be no tie-break, series G6, the Nuggets are likely to advance to the Western Conference finals in Minnesota.
Second, Jokic scored 40 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 0 turnovers on 15-of-22 shooting, which is also one of the most incredible performances in the playoffs, he didn't score 50 points, but he sent 13 assists and 0 turnovers in the game, even a historical guard is difficult to do, but for Mr. Jokic, getting perfect data is so simple. Jokic had a game-high plus/minus of +21 and played 41 minutes, but he didn't feel like he was at his best.
No. 3, Edwards scored 18 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists in 5 of 15 in this game, 1 of 9 three-pointers, and cut 40+ in the last game. Towns finished with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists on 10-of-19 shooting, while Gobert finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks on 7-of-7 shooting.