T-Wolves win Game 7, Knicks bow out, Can Luka lead the Mavericks to the NBA Finals? | NBA | THE HERD

T-Wolves win Game 7, Knicks bow out, Can Luka lead the Mavericks to the NBA Finals? | NBA | THE HERD

and Rick buer is now joining us live you know we talk about this 10 of the 11 top scorers are out three of the four teams that remain are excellent defensive teams there was a mid-season tweak um I think it makes the games fascinating and intense and physical I love that basketball but um was it as intentional as I’m making it out to be which is we’re going to swallow the whistles the All-Star game’s an embarrassment yeah we’re just going to get out of that kind of basketball because it feels like an intentional move by the NBA and it’s benefited defensive teams yeah well certainly the season didn’t start that way and right around the trade deadline allstar game uh or all-star weekend that’s when we started to see a a level of physicality that we hadn’t seen all season long yeah and there’s certain teams that are built for it and certain teams that are not and uh and the teams that are uh that are comfortable with that particularly on the wings th this is the biggest element that I’m seeing in the ter in terms of the teams that have advanced and the teams that haven’t is do you have not just one but two Elite Defenders and if we look at we don’t to go go any further than Denver Minnesota Minnesota with Jaden McDaniels and uh and and Anthony Edwards were just too much for Michael Porter Jr and Jamal Murray uh playing off the wings the only only ACC lished defensive player on the wings that Denver had was uh cavius Caldwell Pope and he was giving up some size and had to defend Anthony Edwards obviously is a handful so uh to me looking at what has separated teams and what makes Boston and in Indiana coming up really interesting is those matchups on the wings and how many of them do you have um ant didn’t play particularly well on one side but he did deliver defensively and I said I’m impressed with his selfawareness and I’m impressed that and I think sometimes there’s a difference Tom Brady talked about it this weekend there’s a difference between a star and a winner and the NBA’s always had stars but how many have their priorities in order Zion didn’t johnar didn’t to me antt and MJ exhibited this very early MJ wanted to win MJ gave up points to win it took a while it took Phil Jackson but I feel like don’t do it don’t do it I I feel like Michael was willing to give Kerr a shot and cach a jumper that’s how I I feel like ant wants to win more than he wants to have a brand that’s what I feel like watching him you don’t believe it you could have done you could have done all that and not evoke the name Michael Jordan why they why did you have to do that well because he’s great and his game looks like it a little bit not all the way a little bit by the way Caleb Williams looks like Mahomes it’s okay if you can’t handle the comp you’re not going to be a star in any League you got to be able to handle some comps okay but Anthony Edwards is saying I I’m not Michael Jordan and good on him for saying it look this is what I love about Anthony uh Edwards is that he is a willing student but he is still just learning the game and he reminds me a little bit of alen Iverson in terms of the role that he plays with uh with this team as what Allen did with the Philadelphia 76ers when they went to the finals which is he’s a little bit crazy he’s wildly talented uh he’s willing to listen and be part of what you’re trying to do but we’re going to find a way to create guard rails and have everybody else play hyper efficient basketball and do a lot of the uh the strategizing and the thinking I love that ant was is a willing playmaker I mean he has all the tools there’s no question about it and I think his personality they they’re outside of him and and one or two other pieces they’re kind of an old team and I think Mike connley in particular is just uh get feeds off of the energy and the rambunctiousness that Aunt uh Edwards has and that’s how it works but look Michael Jordan from the very beginning was the orchestrator and he was doing it at both ends and yet yes in order to win it all he uh adjusted his game and found a way to utilize the pieces around him but we’re just it’s way way way way too early to be putting ant Edwards in that conversation so I look at the Knicks and I they’re they they’re you don’t want to be too precious because you can only go so far with toughness resilience and uh defense I mean you you do need skill but there is something about the Warriors Dynasty and and the heat culture it’s hard to create and even harder sometimes to sustain and it’s a real thing with New York it’s a real thing and you could bring in the wrong piece here and it goes sideways those you know baseball a third of the roster and baseball is down in the bullpen half the NFL guys go to one side of the field the other half it takes one guy to erode culture in the NBA we’ve seen the heat get guys and get rid of them we’ve SE the Warriors get a D’Angelo get rid of him Jordan who is the right guy for New York to maintain the culture but get more skill on the wing it’s a fair question it’s not just on the wing I believe that actually the piece that they really need is they need a dynamic stretch four they need a christops porzingis type uh Carl Anthony towns fits the mold but to your point does he fit the chemistry there and I will say this is is the basic philosophy in the NBA which is you can you can handle one of those guys in your locker room if he gives you all the other things you need you can find a way to Corral and get the most out of that guy you don’t want to because then you have a committee and that committee is uh is gathering and having meetings in some part of your locker room and then that ends up festering so I believe that the Knicks could look at it simply from a need perspective obviously they are a little bit small on the wings uh that they could use a little more size there that that villain NOA Trio uh is overachieving for uh for their size and their General physicality but I think the one piece that they’re really missing is that stretch four type because if you look at the front line once Julius Randall was hurt uh Mitchell Robinson is not a threat from outside three feet uh Isaiah Haren Stein’s really not a threat from outside three feet uh and that’s why OG anobi had such a big impact because he was the closest thing to having a stretch four type but he’s 67 and two two 230 you’d like to have like a 69 610 guy 250 pounds who can stretch the floor and give you a little bit of Rim protection to me that’s the big piece that they need and having that culture um established now in New York I think they can afford to go go get a a guy who you may have to bring along and convince to be part of it all right so I’m not even going to ask you about Celtics Pacers I don’t think Indiana matches up defensively they met five times Celtics averaged almost 130 points let’s go to Dallas against Minnesota again excellent defensive teams I could argue the two best closers in the series are both Mavericks I would argue the best defenders in the series it’s a little bit of a wash the size Advantage goes to Minnesota um I think it’s a series where like Denver Minnesota they’ll be um coaching will matter tweaking will games will look different game to game I would go Minnesota your thoughts yeah it’s going to be without question a very intriguing series and you pointed out all the reasons why there there’s you really have a great defensive team the question that I have is can Dallas defend well enough against that size is Derek Lively and PJ Washington uh going to have an impact in the same way they did in the previous series and on the flip side can Minnesota score effectively enough uh in order to stay with them and it really comes down to what we saw at the End Dallas is at its best when it doesn’t become Luca and Kyrie Centric that is going to be the easiest way for Minnesota to win this series it’s when those two guys are are moving and moving the ball and they’re getting everybody involved that’s when Dallas is most dangerous and we saw it kind of come and go back and forth throughout that Dallas series I want to see if they can consistently go to that especially with donic being I would imagine that sprain knee is still going to give him some issues yeah uh but and if he’s compromised he needs to be able to move the ball I I I’m I’m leaning Dallas going into the series because of their ability to score and how PJ Washington and Derek Lively and Daniel Gafford and all those complimentary pieces uh came to get Derrick Jones Jr like all of those guys had big big moments and kind of bailed Kyrie and Luca out in the fourth quarter uh of of game six if they can continue that going I like their chances good stuff Rick buer could seeing you on a Monday Bud hey sorry to sorry to burst the bubble on on the Michael Jordan and Ed I I can tell that really well they kind of look it kind of demoralized you I I I don’t mean to do that we should be all happy today well yeah I don’t understand why people the media and I don’t understand it uh to me you know what’s the old saying it’s a tough men create tough times tough times create soft people soft people create soft times if young people can’t handle a comp of a great player they’re not built for it if Caleb Williams can’t handle the momes comp he ain’t built for it being compared to Jordan is a privilege and my take is yeah there’s some there’s sometimes I watch him and I see it now now Michael’s the best player probably of all time so it’s look at J M but I I don’t have a problem with comps because my takeaway is basketball players by and large are coddled in America anyway the Au systems garbage so it’s like occasionally it’s like when Rick Carlile ripped his team I was like that’s a football coach and by the way his team answered the Bell like the Pacers literally played with more mental strength yesterday than they had in a series so I’m not bothered by it but I do think I can’t watch Ant and not see a little Michael the look The Swagger oh n yeah for sure for sure no there’s there there are similarities I just the I guess the part for me is it it doesn’t fully respect all that Michael Jordan was you know we we’ve I I don’t know how he got to this place where was like he was just a dynamic scorer dunker like no he he was Defensive Player of the Year in MVP in the same season like he and he orchestrated everything the triangle doesn’t allow you to pile up assist by the way it operates but make no mistake he was the playmaker for that team he was the one that orchestrated everything Anthony Edwards does not orchestrate this team it’s why when and rightly so like the game that they got blown out Michael connley wasn’t there Michael connley is a vital vital he’s the he’s the Yoda of this team yeah and without that Anthony Edwards is simply not the same player and we never we were never there with Michael Jordan and saying he’s not this if he doesn’t have this guy that’s fair all right bues thanks my man there you go see hi everybody it’s me uncle Colin subscribe here to get the latest from the herd including exclusive behind the scenes videos and more wherever you may be however you may be watching thanks again for making us part of your day

The Minnesota Timberwolves won Game 7 of their series with the Denver Nuggets, and will play the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Colin Cowherd and Ric Bucher ask if Luka Dončić can lead the Mavericks to the NBA Finals, and if Anthony Edwards is the most exciting player in the NBA. Plus, they discuss the New York Knicks losing to the Indiana Pacers In Game 7 and if they need to revamp their roster.

#TheHerd #NBA #Timberwolves

SUBSCRIBE to get all the latest content from The Herd: http://foxs.pt/SubscribeTHEHERD
The all-new FOX Sports App, built for the modern sports fan: https://tinyurl.com/y4uouolb

►Watch the latest content from The Herd: http://foxs.pt/LatestOnTheHerd

▶The Carton Show’s YouTube channel: http://sprtspod.fox/SubscribeCartonShow
▶First Things First’s YouTube channel: http://foxs.pt/SubscribeFIRSTTHINGSFIRST
►UNDISPUTED’s YouTube channel: http://foxs.pt/SubscribeUNDISPUTED
►Speak’s YouTube channel: http://sprtspod.fox/SUBSCRIBEtoSpeak
►The Skip Bayless Show YouTube channel: http://sprtspod.fox/SUBSCRIBESkipShow
►What’s Wright? with Nick Wright YouTube channel: http://sprtspod.fox/whatswright/youtube

See more from THE HERD: http://foxs.pt/THEHERDFoxSports
Like THE HERD on Facebook: http://foxs.pt/THEHERDFacebook
Follow THE HERD on Twitter: http://foxs.pt/THEHERDTwitter
Follow THE HERD on Instagram: http://foxs.pt/THEHERDInstagram
Follow Colin Cowherd on Twitter: http://foxs.pt/ColinCowherdTwitter

About The Herd with Colin Cowherd:
The Herd with Colin Cowherd is a three-hour sports television and radio show on FS1 and iHeartRadio. Every day, Colin will give you his authentic, unfiltered opinion on the day’s biggest sports topics.

T-Wolves win Game 7, Knicks bow out, Can Luka lead the Mavericks to the NBA Finals? | NBA | THE HERD

The Herd with Colin Cowherd
https://www.youtube.com/c/colincowherd