Timberwolves or Thunder: Who do you believe in more? | The Athletic NBA Show

Timberwolves or Thunder: Who do you believe in more? | The Athletic NBA Show

Plant your flag the wolves or the Thunder Schleck who you got it is a really interesting one we talked about this on NBA Radio yesterday we did yeah on NBA insiders uh 10 to1 Eastern every Sunday morning it’s it is so interesting because they play so

Different and it’s so the wolves are in a matchup with the Thunder they’re counting on size and rebounding being the thing that’s going to carry the day for them for the Thunder they’re counting on playing fast and turnovers winning the day for them and it’s funny because the Wolves

Turn the ball over I think they’re like one of the worst teams all over and the Thunder are like one of the best teams in transition and one of the best teams at turning people over I think they have like 20 turnovers against th the other

Night which is like it’s not only like the stat of the game but it’s the stat of that matchup yeah is turnover battle between the two of those teams I also just don’t think the wolves have the big man to make the Thunder pay for playing small oh you don’t think

Rudy goon able to catch a pass ruin their lack of interior presence that look Rudy Rudy’s amazing at what he does he has the worst hands I’ve ever seen bad hands also there were some perplexing things about the way they that he defended specifically in that game because the matchup that have

Been doing is like they put their big on Josh Giddy and you keep your big in the paint in order to create just like muck up the Thunders offense goar was coming out to jot on the perimeter on like several occasions yeah which was okay and that’s to me

That that’s easily correctable but it was just like one of those things where was like does he not realize what the advantage is supposed to be created here he’s supposed to just be able to like ignore him on the perimeter and to be fair like you know they only scored 102

Points right yeah you know like the defense was pretty good um considering the turnover everything yeah yeah but at the end of the day the Wolves only scored 97 right and it was a struggle for both teams and what ended up winning out in that game was the turnover battle

Yeah they did win the rebounding battle but the Thunder have been losing the rebounding battle All Season they’re actually like counting on losing the rebounding battle but winning everything else and that that is the thunder strategy I I lean thunder in this situation just because I think what they

Do you can replicate over and over again especially the kinds of shots like Shay can get whatever shot he wants they just put so much pressure on the defense by all the driving without it’s not just it’s Jay it’s it’s it’s all those guys that’s the thing like for the Wolves

Only ant does that yeah you know like occasionally Kyle Anderson will do it even though it’s slow C I don’t trust driving the ball because he’s so turnover prone when he puts the ball on the floor um and if you can kind of build a wall or just get you know if if

L Dort can make things somewhat tough on on ant in in any kind of matchup like then yeah you really cut off a lot of their offensive Source in terms of getting a A diversity of shots right um attempts in that in that game because L was just all over him

Yeah well I think when you look at the Thunder I’m going Thunder and I think when you look at them it’s because not only can they they’re great three-point shooting team but that’s what makes them a great driving team right you have to be you have to be both right you can’t

Be a good you can’t be a bad three-point shooting team and a good driving team or else teams are just going to not close out to you and you’re not going to get your drives right so in that situation it’s the the the wolves have to contest the

Three which is going to open up up lanes for you know Jaylen Williams Shay like these guys to get downhill right which is going to put pressure on the rim where Rudy is at or cat is at whatever it is but they’re also a good passing team right and so they

Drive Elite pass off Drive kicked again puts the defense on a string more Closeouts right do you trust cat and Rudy to handle multiple closeout drives throughout a game well you know cuz I I’ve thought about this a lot with their defense and how it could apply to the to

The playoffs and the easy thing to do is just compare it to Utah right of like well goar had these issues in Utah and it was this this and that right like McDaniels ant Conley none of those guys are Donovan Mitchell in terms of the amount of drive like easy no dribble you

Know no like no moves right it wasn’t a crossover it was just a direct step drive straight line drive downhill yeah exactly um and so that should help it but the X Factor there is like are you going to get cat you know playing conservative defense because I

Think his issue is he he goes for like highlight plays on on defense all the time right he goes for the big block when you don’t need to do it like he puts people out of position his teammates out of position on the boards and stuff like that by doing that stuff

He goes for a steal when he doesn’t need to and now you have a sloppy close out and a direct drive right like I cat will be the key to how that defense holds up in a postseason series um like no like I I think I’m going to lean a little bit

To the Wolves just be like there’s not great experience but there’s some experience and that’s not a I’m not trying to make a knock on the Thunder here I just think like I want to see how they handle that pressure we also need to see how the

Wolves had like the Wolves will be a favorite this time and haven’t been a favorite in a playoff series since 2004 right like this group what like I know cat thinks they won the championship because they played Denver kind of tough and made it through the playing tournament but like that’s not really

They don’t really have experience so I you need to see the experience for the Wolves too I’m going to lean slightly towards them but I don’t feel great about it I think the Thunder are a better team there’s just there’s no experience to go off of yet if that

Makes sense yeah yeah it makes total sense I mean their core guys have not played a playoff series together yet yeah actually now that I I I change I’m taking the taking the flag out I’m planting it for the Thunder I just I’ve already changed my mind listen there’s

This there’s this these stats I was reading these today on my show down to dunk about the thunder scoring in the restricted area you know Shay is shooting 71.8% in the restricted area this season that’s stupid on six and a half attempts that’s better than like a

Lot of it’s better than yic that’s like that’s like DeAndre Jordan on the Clippers efficiency like that’s yeah lot years yeah Chet 75% at at the hoop this season and even even jdub jdub is 68.8% on I mean that’s high yeah I mean those three not only like are they Dynamic

Scores you know from three and then in the mid-range but when they get to the hoop they are going to score that’s a real problem for the Wolves then in that type of matchup you you have to be really sound and you have to find ways

To let Rudy just be around the basket the whole time because Rudy can’t he can’t sure but there if there’s three players that are 68% and above inside the restricted area that’s that’s tough that’s a lot of threats it’s tough if it’s one it’s tough if it’s one a lot

That’s a lot to handle yeah and can Rudy keep up with the speed of the Thunder throughout an entire playoff series no that’s why I changed my that’s why I changed the planting of the flag I know you’re yeah I just I can’t I zero integrity

The Athletic NBA Show discuss the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder.