Looking at the playoffs, the defending champions don't want to lose face, but Jokic is not afraid to ask for G7

The Paper

2024-05-17 17:14Posted on the official account of Shanghai The Paper

After losing the battle of Tianwang Mountain in G5, Edwards said to the caddie at the Nuggets home court: Wait, I'll come back to see you guys in the seventh.

Doing what is said and done, under the leadership of Edwards, the Timberwolves handed the Nuggets a heavy defeat 115-70 at home today. In the cheers of the MVP in the audience, the "new wolf king" was in high spirits, while Mr. Yue was a little discouraged, and even quietly withdrew from the game before the game ended.

When the big score came to 3-3, this round of 7 games and 4 wins series also became a decisive battle.

On the one hand, the youth storm led by Edwards led by the wolves, and on the other hand, the defending champion defense battle of Mr. Yoo and his old comrades-in-arms, even though this round of the series was full of ups and downs and excitement, it was finally time to end - one side was going on vacation early.

The defending champions lost in shame

When the game lasted just over two minutes at the end of the quarter, the main players of both sides were already out. The Timberwolves, who led by a large score, are still ruthlessly expanding their advantage, and next to the Nuggets' bench, the iron-faced Jokic has been standing on the sidelines.

Looking at the playoffs, the defending champions don't want to lose face, but Jokic is not afraid to ask for G7

On May 17, local time, Jokic, who was blue-faced, was standing on the sidelines. The picture in this article is from: Visual China

Before the whistle blew at the end of the game, he was already walking to the dressing room.

The final score was fixed at 70-115, which was tantamount to a slaughter for the defending champions who won three games in a row to regain the momentum - although it was not unacceptable to lose G6 away, but such a tragedy made the next Denver tie-break defense game suspenseful.

How miserable is the Nuggets? Let's start with a set of data:

The Nuggets scored only 70 points in this game, which is the lowest single-game scoring of any team in the NBA league since 2016, and the lowest single-game scoring of any team since Jokic joined the Nuggets;

The 45-point loss is the biggest loss in the history of the Nuggets, and it is also the largest loss margin in the playoffs for the defending champion team;

The Nuggets were 26-of-86 from the field, shooting only 30.2%, the team's lowest single-game in the regular season + playoffs this season; If you expand the scope to the league-wide, it is also the second-lowest single-game performance of a team in the regular season + playoffs this season.

To sum up, it is just a sentence, the defending champion lost without losing face.

In fact, to sum up the game, the Nuggets were forced to lose themselves by the Timberwolves' hungry wolf-like defense. They were supposed to be the older, more sedate team, but instead became frivolous and impatient. The 0-20 after the 9-2 lead basically set the tone for the game and also showed the embarrassment of the defending champions.

When the whole team was locked up, Jokic, the first person in the world, could reach the moon for nine more days, but it was in vain.

Jokic's 22 points and 9 rebounds were already the Nuggets' most normal player, but the two assists showed that his link to the team was cut to pieces by the wolves. In the previous 10 playoff games, Jokic had at least seven assists per game. And at the Timberwolves' target center, the interior Magic's teammates collectively went off target - Murray was 4-of-18, Porter was 3-of-9, and Pope was 2-of-6......

Mr. Yoo watched Downs, Gobert, and Reid consume themselves, and watched Murray get lost all night, probably calling out to his distant partners in Serbia: My little foal, basketball is too much fun.

However, in the post-game press conference, the MVP who admitted that this "destroyed" was still optimistic, and even joked, "We started the game with a 9-2 lead, yes, you know, they played badly during that time." ”

But Jokic, who has been standing on the sidelines in the last quarter, is not so easy to beat, perhaps, he already has a plan in his heart to deal with it, otherwise he would not have behaved so calmly, "Losing by 45 points is not something that happens every day, accept this fact, you know, I gladly accept it." ”

After Garnett, the Timberwolves have a "new wolf king"

The overall situation of the game has been decided, and Edwards used his fingers to compare the "seven": the first six games are like this, then, our G7 battle is decided.

On May 17, local time, after leading the Timberwolves to win the Nuggets 115-70 at home, bringing the score to 3-3, Edwards made the gesture of "Game 7".

He was a big part of the team's success.

The first quarter scored 14 points to set the tone for the game, and 27 points were the highest in the game; repeatedly attacked the Nuggets' interior and resurrected McDaniels; Defending Murray makes the opposition completely dumb......

In the choice to win or go home, Edwards put everything he had on his shoulders to carry the team, his face was like a peaceful lake, but his heart was already turbulent. And it is this momentum of not admitting defeat and not admitting defeat that allowed the Timberwolves to survive, so that this team, which is too young in the eyes of outsiders and has been blinded by three consecutive games, is still in the playoffs.

But in the interview, he gave everything to others - "everyone in our team is a leader", "the reason why G6 played well is that Conley is back", "the coach and all the staff did a great job".

A shot in the game is more like a microcosm of Edwards' performance in the whole court.

After a timeout after taking a big lead, Edwards walked up to his teammates and loudly reminded them not to be satisfied: "We took the lead, and now we feel good, but we have to keep our feet on the ground, keep the score open, keep going!" ”

When it is time to be arrogant, he spreads his hands to celebrate, which is the confidence that belongs to young people; When it's time to be cautious, he warns his teammates that that's what a future leader should do. How long has it been since we have seen a young man in this league who is so leaderable, daring to take responsibility, full of spiritual attributes, but extremely humble?

Regardless of whether he can deserve titles such as "contemporary Jordan" and "new wolf king", the 22-year-old Edwards has indeed begun to become a qualified leader. And, congratulations, he unlocked a small goal - he is the fifth-fewest players in the playoffs with 600 points + 100 rebounds + 100 assists since James, Jordan, Doncic and Maddy.

He led the team to beat the defending champions to the point of losing their armor and won the applause of the home crowd. At this moment, I couldn't help but think of the Timberwolves' dancing uncle fan. In 2003, he stripped and danced in the arena, and 12 years later, KG returned to the Timberwolves to dance again, and after another 9 years, I wonder if he is still watching the game in the target center? If you see this ball at the scene, it should be very gratifying.

After so many years of stumbling and stumbling, it is difficult to regain the glory of that time. Now, for Timberwolves fans, congratulations, your new Wolves are here!

Teacher Yue is not afraid to play G7

And the Nuggets caddy's promise is fulfilled, and Edwards and the Timberwolves are going to Denver again.

It was still a back-to-back battle, but after a big win, the team had more confidence.

Timberwolves head coach Finch talked about the changes in the team after the game, "To find our edge, to find our momentum ......" Of course, the team can go to G7 without his "chicken blood" - before G6, he and the team staff edited the winning game clips together for the players to watch, and the players also regained confidence.

Now, for the young Timberwolves, it goes without saying that they have the power and winning spirit, and experience may be a shortcoming they need to pay attention to. The last time the Timberwolves grabbed seven in the playoffs was 20 years ago, relying on Garnett's strong performance of 32+21 and winning 83-80 against the Kings. Edwards was only 2 years old at the time......

On the other side, the defending champions, the most recent tie-break was in the park, in the second round of the 19-20 season against the Clippers, when the G7 Nuggets had the last laugh, Jokic cut a triple-double and Murray scored 40 points.

Jokic has experienced four tie-breaks in the playoffs before, with a 3-1 record — a first-round tie-break win against the Spurs in 2019, a second-round tie-break loss to the Trail Blazers in 2019, a first-round tie-break against the Jazz in 2020, and a second-round tiebreaker against the Clippers in 2020.

So, there is a joke in the market that Jokic is not afraid of about G7.

Perhaps it is the magical bonus of the disciples, the Nuggets coach "Zhuge Ma Long" is already full of confidence, "The tie-break is the best word in the sports world, and our experience in the tie-break is very good." ”

Can Jokic hold Denver's home court with the defending champions this time?

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