Wolves Devour Nuggets to Force Game 7 | The Mismatch | Ringer NBA

Wolves Devour Nuggets to Force Game 7 | The Mismatch | Ringer NBA

if you thought there was going to be any like signs of Hope for Denver Jaden McDaniels just did away with that going into the half and it was like this thing you felt like early in that game you felt like bro one team is moving at 200% and one team’s moving at about 25% [Music] just absolutely shocking result last night in Denver Minnesota 11 15- 70 Minnesota beats Denver to force a game seven they hold Denver to 30% from the field they hold Denver to 19% from three they outrebound them 62 to 43 an absolute utter domination in this game and now we are going to get a game seven this is uh what we expected at the beginning of the series is that we would probably see a game seven between these two awesome teams how we got there is certainly unexpected I mean a 45o blowout of all results just shocking and you know I didn’t see all of the game live last night because I was at the concert I rewatched it this morning morning and last night dude that first quarter run by Minnesota where they really built that lead the defensive intensity the offensive execution I felt like there’s there was one play that they had it was after the timeout that Denver called Denver called the timeout they’re down 26 to1 late in the first quarter and this timeouts called This is sometimes where you know the tone changes you come out playing a different way but Minnesota came out jayen McDaniels fights over a screen by joic to stick with Murray nasri and Anthony Edwards are flying around and help defense and then there’s another twom man game between joic and Murray within the same possession and again McDaniels fights over towns helps over on Yo on Murray on a drive McDaniels recovers blocks the shot and then Anthony Edwards got the ball dribbled It Up Hit the pull up three and I just felt like that play in the first quarter was reflective of the entire game where it was no letup from Minnesota and Anthony Edwards was just Sensational the entire game that one play that one sequence I felt like captured at all even after a timeout Minnesota came out with more more of an intense effort on on both ends just better overall play that one play I thought summed it all up well and the crazy thing Kevin is the game started off 9 to2 so you you just you just marked it 26 to 11 you could do the you could do the quick math they were on a 26 to2 run to two look that crowd in Minnesota gets the crowd of the playoffs award they were on I think so too Absol abute fire in this game and their team responded in kind and it was the weirdest sensation because as you’re watching it unfold obviously they get the Boost from Mike Conley and I thought it was hilarious after the game you know when Anthony Edwards is having to talk about everything that took place in this game one of the things he said was it’s simple we got Mike Conley back that’s it and then they asked Mike Conley about it and Mike connley said it was a team effort we won by 45 I I don’t know I don’t make that much of a difference right but but he he does though Chris he really does the point is it’s exactly what you want in a must-win game which is your crowd is on fire and you jump on the other team and end it quickly to where they’re going to have to be playing catchup the whole time so even if they they muster the effort to get back in the game it still just takes so much effort to get back in the game and focus on both ends to get back in the game that you’re usually able to hang on when you get up by that many points early in a game uh I know that we uh you know live in an NBA where no lead is safe but that felt different that felt like they stepped on their neck right away and then even at the end of the half when you much like how Murray had hit that crazy halfcourt three the half ends with this energy play where McDaniels grabs the offensive rebound and dunks it back in and I remember Ryan ruko who was the announcer saying you know if you thought there was going to be any like signs of Hope for Denver Jaden McDaniels just did away with that going into the half and it was like this thing you felt like early in that game you felt like bro one team is moving it 200% and one team’s moving at about 25% and that is you know if they lose game seven Denver’s going to look back on that crazy flat effort because while Minnesota was so locked in defensively so locked in offensively Denver was like lethargic you go back and you watch it because I went back and watched like the first quarter this morning PE these guys aren’t even like in defensive stances they’re like standing around where they’re supposed to be Porter’s lazy Gordon’s lazy you know the first play of the game they just throw a lob dunk to goar over jokic’s head like nobody was moving around with a level of you know they say you got to have like laser focus Minnesota brought to the table and Denver was just they were ridiculous they was just two different teams than what we saw that won those last three you know I think one of the most interesting Trends in this series you know hitting kind of the same note you are Chris when it comes to that intensity is think about over the this two-year run with Denver and even prior but this two-year run specifically with the fiveman starting lineup Aaron Gordon Casey P Jamal Murray Michael Porter and Nicola Nicola yic that fiveman lineup this regular season had a 13.6 net rating they were dominant playing together however in their three games against Minnesota during the regular season that starting lineup had a minus 14.3 net rating during the playoffs in the first round against the Lakers they were a plus 8.9 in this round against Minnesota they’re a minus 21.4 with a 106.5 offensive rating a 1279 defensive rating the fiveman Denver starting lineup That was dominant last regular season dominant last playoffs has really not played well against Minnesota now for nine games not just the six in these playoffs but three dur the season as well I I think just there’s the way they’re getting off the starts the the way in which Minnesota is creating that edge but you got to extract the three they won Kevin because look they’ve got a 80o game and a 70o game logged into those numbers well well I mean yes yes yes like I mean if you want me to I can grab the net rating from their three win specifically I’ll do that right now so May 10th to May 14th that that I’ll grab specifically those games for the starting line up in this series you know what hey and you know what Denver fans would tell you pull the non Mark Davis games that’s Denver fans are they’re like oh yeah coincidence we’ve had our worst offensive games in the world when Mark D I love that somebody hates Mark Davis in those in those Plus in those three games Chris plus 16.3 okay so but but the point is that and that means in six out of nine of them no but it can be great it can be it can be it can not lineup problem is what I’m saying I’m not saying it is a lineup problem it’s just a weird Trend the fact that they’re negative against Minnesota of 30 teams they got beat by 45 the numbers are going to be crazy you know what I mean they got beat point is it happened during the season it’s happening now they’ve had two of their lowest point totals I mean look they hadn’t been held under 80 that was their previous and then they got held to 70 in this game uh Murray was a dog he was 1 for 10 in the first half ends up three for 18 um and then obviously uh they got the other guys chipping in for Minnesota McDaniels was brilliant he’s eight of 10 three of five from three their bench which had not been the advantage that we had thought it was going to be uh through the first games of the series was brilliant 36-9 in bench points I mean it’s just an utter incomplete domination and I mean ju Justin holiday 0 for five tonight Justin holiday went from shooting like Ray Allen to shooting like Justin holiday again well and the thing is it’s like and and I think this is one of the things that we have busted up Boston for it’s like and and look Dallas it felt this way too with the Luca thing which we’re going to get to which is why do I have to why does your back have to be against the wall for me to get your greatest performance right why why does it have to be that your back’s against the wall and it feels like Denver has really Played with Fire here now everybody expects I don’t know if you noticed but logic stood in the corner of the court for the entire fourth he never sat down Tire force it was like a bad guy in a movie and so of course everybody is sitting there believing like okay we know he’s got it in him the same way that we saw the Luca response in game five after the Dismal game four it’s like we know what’s coming and we will see but there were certainly some very good adjustments that were made by Minnesota that threw a wrench in things doubling was so good and having towns on go or having towns on jic rather than letting goar roome is the trick like it’s it’s a much it’s a they were and even Mike Anora said in their first quarter uh interview like basically we need to bring more doubles but we’re gonna let joic you know we’re not going to give him the extra attention and we’re going to and we’re gonna live with it obviously we need to do a better job on him but we’re going to live with it and in this game having goar as the RoR makes him a real Rim protection you know where he can’t be pulled away from the basket and they’re GNA have to go back to figuring out what they’re going to do with Aaron Gordon and how he can make that a problem for Minnesota the adjustments in this thing are going to be very fascinating because towns if he stays out of foul trouble and this is what Edwards was saying in his press conference he stays out of foul trouble yeah he’s he’s a very useful Defender on yic well that’s one of the reasons why you’re throwing double teams at him because it helps it helps keep towns out of foul trouble it gets the ball out of jokic’s hand quickly it turns him into a playmaker and they were they were sending those quick doubles from the top whether it it’s Conley or McDaniels or Edwards coming over to help on him they’re going they weren’t switching that Gordon joic to Man action like they were in past games because that’s typically how Denver would get goar onto joic and Minnesota just said no we’re not going to switch it we’re going to go under and maybe maybe game seven you see joic you know beat that under sometimes maybe he’ll take a pull up more I can’t imagine Aaron Gordon will be taking a pull up more you that’s advantageous to Minnesota unless he’s having a perfect shooting night like he did in game five so I mean I think for the Denver side of things the doubles the doubles are a little tougher to figure out though because it seems like Minnesota I’d be surprised if they don’t go back to that it might be the how do you get how do you get joic switched on to go Baran to me that’s the priority here how do you make that happen if they if they’re not willing to switch it maybe it comes from off ball instead of on ball right but uh I I think that’s going to be the priority there because that’s what shifted in those other games sure and that’s what teams you know that’s the adjustments and these are two great teams I will say this and one other thing Chris one other quick thought though like maybe the adjustment for Minnesota then cuz they weren’t really sending doubles when it was yic on goar maybe they just do that anyway maybe you still send doubles when it’s when goar is switched on to jic that could be that could be what they just end up doing anyway it doesn’t matter that you’re the defensive player of the year four-time Hall of Famer we’re still gonna double this offensive CR well and what was fascinating about Edwards giving Mike Conley all this credit and talking about how hey we had Mike Conley back and that was the difference is because second Spectrum had some crazy stats on this so you know he struggled in game five and they were running all these doubles at him he’s five for 15 18 points four turnovers they had a stat and this is because second Spectrum you know tracks this kind of stuff he had 102 touches that is the most times he had the ball the entire season maybe ever in his life with Conley back 64 touches last night the pressure he takes because there’s no one else to give the ball to Edwards has to be responsible for everything and so it made it easier for him they’re just running doubles at him get the ball out of his hands and now with Conley there and just being a guy that can facilitate the offense they don’t have another real like facilitator of offense and so it in the absence of Conley it put so much pressure on Edwards and so now him being off the ball and Conley being able to handle that role that’s why you know beyond whatever any number says it is essential that they have Conley and of course he was saying he couldn’t even walk for a game five just him being able to get out there and play makes it a different game for Minnesota and certainly something Denver is going to have to truly account for because they accounted well for life without Conley in game five obviously there’s nothing they did well in game six I mean they’re pitiful they’re pitiful on offense they’re pitiful on defense and so it’s like was that so extreme that we can just write it off and say okay we know that was not even a minor representation of what we know they’re capable of and so we can not expect that to be anything like it was in game seven or do you look at it as a real cause for pause that they had such a dismal effort such a great phrase cause for pause I know you love that it just feels like an equalizer and this is setting up to an epic game s that’s the way I feel about it like we’ve we’ve seen in this series Minnesota dominate twice we’ve seen Denver dominate once we’ve seen some close matchups I think we’re setting up for an epic game seven is what it feels like to me and while something you said like while you were talking about Conley made me think about the Edwards postgame presser Edwards you know talked like he said similar to you like Conley helped take the ball out of his hands pushed him off ball he didn’t have to worry about playmaking and he looked at the box score sheet he’s like oh I guess I still had four assists I did my job um but something he said within that context was like his mindset coming out tonight was to shoot everything and he’s like I only had 17 shots like like he didn’t have to shoot more and it just made me think about what I said to you after his 25 his 25 shot game 44 point Affair after game four where I said can he come out and do more and I think that this game seven could be that moment game seven could be that moment where where Ann comes out with that same mindset I got to come out and shoot everything this might be the 50-point game for Anne if Minnesota’s going to win game seven might be that if it’s a close down to the wire game where he does have to come out shooting everything Conley creating for him McDaniel’s helping with screening actions off ball towns hitting threes goar rolling but Anthony Edwards will have to be the guy just like yic will have to be the guide for Denver that’s what I feel like this is setting up to be is epic down and that’s what favors Denver is being in this type of spot before Beyond being on their home floor role players play better at home bench players play better at home typically the other teams don’t uh it was an absolute bloodbath in game six so the adjustments will be severe the attention to detail and focus like those those guys have been in must-win games and game sevens a ton of times a ton of times if if look the the line is already posted it’s five right now and I think that’s fair I think that’s fair I mean look I expect Denver and with the best player on their home floor to win a game seven if Minnesota pulls that off it is legendary truly sure it it’s legendary I mean because I outside of t- wolves fans who expects them to go win a game seven against joic on on his home floor right like the expectation is not high for that and so yeah we have seen this has been a fun series to me that’s why that’s why this is the moment for Edwards this is the moment for Anthony Edwards to take down yic to take down this guy that people are comparing to Larry bir if he does it at 22 though I think it’s much more like I think it’s much more likely that Edwards out of character struggles in a game seven than goes for Fe because I’m will I’m willing to be surpris well and there is just a there is an attention to detail and a focus that veteran teams that have been there a million times you will see a radically different Denver team than what we just saw we have SE when Denver’s back has been against the wall and we saw it in three must-win games for them that they played like it was a must-win they played three like it was a must-win they played Four like it was a must-win because you got to even up the series and they played five like it was a must-win so and and it is frustrating I think as a fan when it takes that to get that out of your team but I would fully expect that obviously this is this is do or die and you ain’t gonna see guys standing around on offense and giving up open dunks down the lane that’s not what happens in a game seven and I hope it is a hardfought you know slugfest game sevens are also usually lower scoring and that could favor Minnesota it could um because that’s how they dwell and they’re a defensive team and so I can’t wait to watch it I cannot wait to watch it excited I don’t I don’t know I don’t know what’s gonna happen but I can’t wait to watch it um yeah it’s going to be so awesome man I I can’t I I can’t believe we’re getting a game seven with the setup being a 45p point blowout I’m just so excited for Sunday I can’t wait [Music]

Verno and KOC look at the Timberwolves’ punishing 45-point victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets, then look ahead to the decisive Game 7.

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