Are the Wolves an Elite Team in the West? | The Mismatch | The Ringer

Are the Wolves an Elite Team in the West? | The Mismatch | The Ringer

I think Minnesota has a lot to prove if they’re going to do it they’re going to do it behind having a historic playoff Defense you went to Clippers wolves which could be an extremely good playoff matchup and I think probably got more than you bargain for with that wolves performance if you were looking to be impressed with the team I got to imagine you left Staple Center now crypto Center

Pretty impressed with what you saw from Minnesota incredibly impressed from Minnesota uh I mean if there if you’re looking for a game that gives you a reason to believe in the Timberwolves as a legitimate finals Contender I think you would want to watch that Minnesota Clippers game last night that third

Quarter um tremendous defensive performance by them to help build that lead obviously offens offensively they were very good as well creating buckets Anthony Edwards uh Rudy goar at the basket on rolls to the rim they did a great job offensively but in the middle of that third

Quarter I I know it’s gonna it’s G to sound very expected coming for me Chris but as soon as Russell Westbrook came in the game they had Rudy goar helping off him staying in the paint and then when goar was out they had cat doing it to

End the third quarter and I thought it really just screwed up that Clippers offense they weren’t getting any paint penetration at all uh their individual Defenders were doing a tremendous job throughout the entire period even before Russ got put in the game Anthony Edwards McDaniels both against kawh Leonard

Forcing multiple turnovers creating hard shots for him not letting them get to the rim I thought overall that defensive performance by Minnesota and they’ve always been a great third quarter team this season uh really was a good example of what they could be come postseason time relying on their defense as their

Found foundation and then being good enough offensively when with Anthony Edwards when he’s on Mike Conley creating some good shots hitting threes off a screens they showed some versatility on offense in addition to having their dominant defense in that third quarter is it possible that Minnesota is just a uniquely bad matchup

For the Clippers we always see this when it comes to postseason time that there are some teams that it’s just it’s it’s matchups and and they’ve got big Wing Defenders they’ve got somebody that can guard the basket and they’ve also you’re not you’re not at a massive disadvantage

In terms of the point guard you don’t have some explosive point guard that is going to put Mike Conley uh on his make him a detriment to you um or their back or whoever they put out at their guard positions that they because of their size because they’re able to match the

Physicality and because of the length that they have on the wings that they are just they just happen to be uniquely equipped to deal with what makes the Clippers great and so that is a team that if I’m the Clippers I kind of want to steer clear of because there’s not a

Lot of teams that are uniquely equipped to deal with that but they just happen to be or am I overreacting and it’s just one game I mean it is just one game but I do think you’re right on when it comes to like projecting that matchup on paper because Minnesota has great Wing

Defenders I mean they have the best one arguably Daniels yes and then size most people like Kawai and Paul make make teams look small sure not them and they got you know a bunch of bigs they they’re rolling out there with goar and towns at

The same time or Nas Reed coming Off the Bench so I think with Minnesota they are a a difficult matchup for the Clippers um I mean it is just one game but ultimately I came away highly impressed by the Tim wolves last night and I mean the Clippers in their own right are

Still you know a a great team one of the teams that you can look at and say they as is are a finals Contender um but that third quarter I thought was you know pretty special for Minnesota last night if you’re looking for a reason to believe in them as a finals Contender

Yeah in terms of believing them as a finals Contender I think think it’s gotten to the point in the season where most of the rhetoric that you hear feels like people think that the the nuggets and the Clippers are on a collision course that these are the

Teams that when you hear most people saying who they think can come out of the West the Clippers have won a lot of people over in the past month and a half and obviously Denver is always going to be a pick to be there at the very end as

Long as they have joic and they are the reigning Champions that being said do you react in a way from watching that going you know what Minnesota should be in that mix too like we are people they have been fantastic all season long huh no I don’t think so

Chris no I I think I don’t think Minnesota it belongs in that class yet um I I mean you look at the Clippers side of things they have Kawhi Leonard who’s won championships and who is playing at you know I had him we’ll talk about the Bon Temps MVP poll later I had

Him in my top five for MVP I didn’t see where he finished I haven’t looked yet I want to be surprised when you say it on the Pod later um but um I think with they have James Harden who’s been to game sevens in the Western Conference finals against Juggernaut Warriors teams

Uh they have Paul George who is an all NBA a talent and they have perhaps the best coach in all of basketball and tyo with a great rotation as well Minnesota they are they have a lot of guys who have been in the postseason you know largely go Baron Conley but Edwards

Despite you know having some success in the postseason he’s still young he still has a lot to prove the Clippers have Elite ISO scorers and Kawhi Leonard and James Harden Minnesota has ants it’s and like after that they don’t they don’t have the depth of guys who

Can be used to just crush mismatches on their side when it comes to those endgame situations so I think Minnesota has a lot to prove if they’re going to do it they’re going to do it behind having a historic playoff defense they’re going to have to do it like the

Pistons did 20 years ago where they had an amazing defense anchored by Ben Wallace and taan Prince and chony bips at the point of attack and all those great Pistons teams in ‘ 04 and their offense needs to to be clutch good enough that that’s where Bops really

Made his name right big shot Bops that’s where he that’s where he did it was in the postseason so I think Edwards Conley they’re gonna have to have guys kind of you know just be clutch in endgame situations and show that they don’t need to have that star ISO scorer behind

Edwards that they can be good enough offensively and dominant defensively to go all the way but the Clippers are so much more proven on their side of things compared to Minnesota I think a lot of wolves fans would even agree with that well and the other thing is as youve

Mentioned a couple different times in your game that you went to last night they got their work done in the third quarter so the fourth quarter became inconsequential and that’s where they have really struggled this year Minnesota has had a rough go in fourth quarters and we know when it gets

Playoff time to your point about how it’s like Edwards and then all right who else is going to get it done for me we know how playoff games go that the margins are so thin that these teams end up knowing each other so well and that once

You get to games four five six those games are going to come down to the last couple minutes of the game yes and so who who can be Mr big shot right for Minnesota like Chanty BS became for Detroit right in their finals run so

Like who who can who can be that for Minnesota it might just be ant ant might just reach an even higher level come postseason time that’s possible POS like this could be a this could be the year of Anthony Edwards that’s what it could turn into where he becomes that guy um

But you know I I guess we’ll see who elevates their play in the postseason from Minnesota offensively because they’re going to need to have that because their defense is going to be great I have no doubts about their defense at all people people last night I tweeted out how goar is the defensive

Player of the year favorite right now it’s been I said it’s amazing to see him reaching an even higher level defensively now these surrounded by great perimeter Defenders compared to Utah and you know some people always respond well he’s going to get played off the floor in the postseason like I I

Just I just don’t think I don’t think that’s fair at all I think you’re just not watching The Wolves right now if you feel way because it’s so different with this team they they have more support if goar does get pulled out to the perimeter they can still have cat inside

They can still have McDaniels as a help Defender inside they still have size if offensively he is being helped off of or not respected I think he’s a better finisher at the basket now than he was in his Utah days he had a finish against the Clippers on Monday where like he had

He received the ball around the free throw line dribbled a couple times to get into for the paint for a finish he can put the ball on the floor once if he needs to before if he dribbled once it was like going nowhere he’s gotten better at some of those finishes to

Punish smaller guys whereas in past years he wasn’t capable so I think goar has improved in the ways that and the rosters improved around him in the ways that I don’t think he can get played off or neutralized in quite the same ways that he did with the Jazz um so I don’t

Even worry about that with Minnesota at all it’s more it’s purely about do they have enough Firepower on offense with spot up shooting reliable spot up shooting do they have enough ISO scoring it it’s not even anything to do with goar cat it’s just about really I think

Or or Edwards for that matter it’s about everybody Else he

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor and Chris Vernon discuss whether the Timberwolves can be considered an elite team in the West.

Check out the Bill Simmons YouTube channel: youtube.com/billsimmons

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