Timberwolves favored vs. Mavs in Game 5: KAT, Ant or Luka under pressure? | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

Timberwolves favored vs. Mavs in Game 5: KAT, Ant or Luka under pressure? | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

live from New York it’s the show that is still recovering from a very contentious morning meeting oh first things first I’m very [Music] nervous are you will to guarantee a woles victory for the audience this is what bothered me in the morning guarantee yeah I’m supposed to guarantee a victory can a brother just believe can a brother just have confidence feel good about their chances yeah I mean can I just do that I got a guarantee a victory here’s what I’m telling you I am picking the Timberwolves and I am picking them with my chest out with Bas in my voice all right I’m picking them I believe they’re going to win now here’s the thing too I believe Nick they can win cuz I don’t foresee both Kyrie I don’t even see Kyrie necessarily having another bad game right he got some Flack not a ton but some people point out oh you said it was their Super Bowl was just a regular game to you were you not as motivated as you should have been right did you take them and Luca said they didn’t have energy either so I I don’t see both of them having bad games but here’s the thing for the Timberwolves while I’m picking them they can beat them if they don’t have bad games what they can’t do is have Carl Anthony towns have a bad game true all right because the first three games Luke and Kyrie both played well and they were decided by 13 points total all right obviously the timber wuls had chances to win either of those games so Carl Anthony towns is the key I believe he will come out he is on notice everybody in the country is watching him he will come out I think and play well I also think Nick they’re at home I know they lost the first two there are they going to lose three games at home don’t I don’t think so they were good home they were one of the best home teams in the regular season playoffs they haven’t playoffs they haven’t been but they didn’t lose three to Denver at home they lost two out of three so I think they get home and they’ve also been good with their backs against the wall I mean they they’re three and0 in elimination game so I got the Wolves okay so listen I I’ll get to the guarantee part in a bit because I guarantee no no no no no I said I I’ll get to that in a moment first I want to respond to your analysis with some of my own because I like the Mavs tonight uh live I think is going to play We Still question he’s questionable yes but given his comments he he spoke earlier today and said I moved around well it just it seemed and the fact that he avoided concussion protocol and I suppose I’ll give Dallas the benefit of the doubt that he wasn’t concussed it looked to me from my couch like that was a concussion uh they said it was just an X brain and an nextrain you can come back from in this amount of time it concussion be far harder we know kba’s going to play and I’m not acting like he is and he did look ready and so but I think that that was almost guaranteed in his first game back I don’t think that was because he came back too early from the AC joint I think just you haven’t played in a month you’re all of a sudden you’re in that level of game so I think he’ll be a little bit better but most importantly I think Luca and Kyrie are not going to shoot 33% from the field again Ag and while Dallas has been better on the road than at home Minnesota’s been worse at home than on the road and Luca is a already all-time great Road postseason performer from an individual statistics standpoint obviously he has to win more I understand that but LeBron Michael Elgen Jerry Durant Steph that is the entire list in NBA history of people with more road playoff 40o games than Luca donic and Luc is 25 years old so I like Dallas’s chances tonight I also go ahead W no I’m I’m waiting for the guarantee okay so here’s the thing you guaranteeing it well I am guaranteeing as much as one can guarantee about events that haven’t happened which is what I will get to that Dallas wins this series I think Brew hold on just wait a moment I Amit I’m being quiet I’m not even they don’t brw’s hesitation on guaranteeing this is because he can’t lit I get it you can’t literally guarantee it I get that so I propose wild wants us Stakes on these games and things like that I got Stakes if you feel as confidently as you feel but tento down is short of a guarantee I didn’t know I can’t guarantee right so how about this what about a dunce cap guarantee no no no hold on what about what is that if you feel strongly enough about you bring that in from home if you feel strongly enough about any game or like I just did with the series okay what that if you are proven wrong the next day in the a block you wear that we’re not what what what’s the problem here what’s the problem Wilds he didn’t want to do a guarantee with I can’t guarante so that’s right so it’s not K Irving LC I feel so I feel so strongly about it that if I’m wrong tomorrow to start the show all wear this well if you want to wear it I’m not wearing it I didn’t even love my green tie yesterday okay all right so that’s so Wilds you would have done that for the nuggets in the seven game series though that strongly you felt exactly so I’m just trying to see how strong I feel you oh well then there’s no risk there hair is different than y y’all can just fling it around shave my again I was willing to put that out there too high there are Noak he does Stakes that fit him do you mean he’s had a shaved head recently not that doesn’t doesn’t f you probably look great you probably Tred like I look awesome right he like this okay all right that’s fine so Brew is I’ll wear I’ll wear the uh the sweater with the colors you just will look out resend that’s not no I’m I’m very confident I but I can’t go out there and guarantee unless I was going to be out there playing and even then you can’t no I’m saying luk they cannot guarantee it I cannot see guarantee uh so here’s the good news for the Mavs as we move on no team has ever come back uh from down 03 in fact uh out of the 155 teams down 03 only 11 have gotten to game six ever but the Mavs lost again just just hypothetical should Dallas fans be nervous no they’re notless guys they’re they are they are the better team I don’t think it is massively better but I I they are the better team they have by a wide margin the best player in the series that player dust if we can show Luca off a loss in his playoff career what he does is score more points than any player in playoff history off a loss we have that there it is 34 points per game much less off consecutive losses and all Luca needs all he needs his whole career can a teammate score 20 when he doesn’t have a teammate score 20 he like most people would be has a terrible record it’s three and 10 when they do he wins two out of every three he’s 20 and 11 and so now he’s you’re in a spot where are is Kyrie going to have four consecutive bad games no is K is Luca going to have backto back to backto back subar efficiency games no and to the point you were raising earlier Minnesota this at home is not that scary and so e the whole idea of oh if they lose tonight they might have to face a game seven theoretically at home if we can show Minnesota home versus Road Minnesota at home this postseason is below 500 but if there’s a game seven now that would mean they lose game six too yeah if they were to lose game six guys you can’t say you I would think a mass fan would be nervous can I tell me if you agree with me brew and then I’ll shut up it feels to me like every series that we’ve ever talked about where it’s 3 everyone acknowledges the series is over and then the moment if we get a fifth game if the team down 03 wins game four then this exact conversation is the one that has had which is well if they now win tonight then all of a sudden and we do all these all these historyonics nobody other than you was saying that when the Lakers won game four no one thought going back to Denver now you’re going back to Minnesota where they have homecourt Advantage the rest of the series gotam they’ve got games to play with so I I look if they lose tonight you’re a tad bit nervous if you’re a MAV F because this has happened before not obviously they didn’t lose a series but going way back to 2003 Dirk nitzky was in Dallas they were up 3 on Portland when rashed Wallis Bon Wells couple other guys were there and Portland won the next three and then Dallas won game seven of course that was at home game seven was in Dallas so the fans at least the long time ones have seen this happen before and I think Nick the fact that the teams are pretty evenly matched if Minnesota wins this NE this game tonight I agree you don’t have to panic because you still got a loss to play with but I do think fans will start getting nervous if they if they force a game six and that would be the that would be the game cuz game seven I would I think a lot of people would like Minnesota well I I think and again you got a little I think irritated with me yesterday I didn’t mean it to I think every game in this series you’re going to like Minnesota and to be fair every game in this series thus far I’ve liked Dallas so I I get that that do there is a weird thing when you think when a person can say I think my team’s going to win the series four to2 but then before each game no one’s think this is going to be one of the two losses before each game usually then my team’s going to win this game the team that I thought was better and so I understand that also if there is a game six it’s not going to be I know he was invited back but it’s not going to be Mike and those guys in those seats it’s going to be momes back there for a game six and they’re not going to lose in front of Mahomes and crew give me a break you thinka will be able to get a FR May will but those specific seats Mahomes will be back in if there he be wearing the A1 guys also the best for the best player in a series to choke it away is I don’t want to say unprecedented but incredibly rare even the famous 3-1 that was not the best player in the series okay but Durant did it in the Conference Finals if you think he’s better than Steph but I that year I don’t think people did Steph was a unanimous MVP That season on 73 win team he he was viewed as a better I in that moment I think Steph was view is the best player in the world in that moment he just unanimous MVP can I how about this one this one you’ll you’ll engage with last time they had well the last time they had their backs up against the wall in Minnesota Denver can close it out they’re up by 50 at one point that yeah yes so so I know Luca’s a great you know playoff performer on the road but the last time we saw Minnesota here they really decided to stomp Denver and I was really I was like oh so you’re saying if they stomp Dallas tonight stop stop yeah so I think that that Denver team was understandably in a very emotional and energy Place different spot than this Mavs team that Denver team treated this entire playoffs like ah we’ll win when we have to I guess and and to be for to their credit it worked until it didn’t they did have a 20-point lead in game seven and then all of a sudden it got away from them the they were the defending champs they also their second best player was having a bad postseason they had a lot of things working he actually really banged up possibly whatever it is and we know he was at least somewhat banged up maybe was really banged up that is not where Dallas is Dallas understandably did not have the intensity just like by the way Boston didn’t have the intensity of Indiana in that game four with no halberton it’s just that Boston was able to steal it at the end like that is to me it is very difficult human nature didn’t have the intensity of the Lakers Up 3 in that series but that’s what they have to fight against because because they do have such room for error they’re going to have to fight against that again tonight okay uh Under Pressure feels like cat was under the most pressure in game four which player is under the most pressure tonight I’d be shocked if you two didn’t agree with me it’s Carl Anthony town oh I disagree really like to me it is clear on him if we know Anthony Edwards is obviously their best player but if he struggles yeah he’ll catch a little flag but you know what eventually everybody will come around he’s 22 he’s learning he got him to the Conference Finals all right so he he will be fine Carl Anthony towns is the one that all summer I don’t think he will get traded if they lose but he’s going to have to hear the rumors they will be out there they might listen to some teams I don’t know if they’ll shop him a little bit um so what would a trade even look like I don’t he will get traded a lot of people are talking that’s what I’m that’s why I don’t think they do it and look C is 29 is he 29 he’s still young he’s never been past the first round until this year so I think they’ll look at it like look he can learn as well and they just got to work with him to stop making the dumb fouls and look I’ll say the the numbers are clear I said it yesterday seven- one when he gets 18 or more points two and five when he scores under 18 but here’s the interesting thing Nick when he scores more he fouls more so I don’t know if that’s related it seems like that would be related to level of aggression in the seven games or eight games where he’s had 18 or more points all all of them he had at least four fouls all right one of them he fouled out just the recent game and three times he had five fouls in the games he goes under 18 points in four of them he is seven games in four of them he only had two fouls that’s interesting and one only one he had just like not like he gets less just like an offensive I mean I know you don’t have put you on spot but I wonder if it’s like an offensive foul well he gets every type of foul player I there’s no it felt like in this game where he fou out he had five totally different types of fouls but wild no I thought it was I thought it was ant so here’s ants numbers that we broke down games one and two versus games three and four that he felt like he was coming on but you’re like oh good he’s now at his Peak except in the Phoenix series he scored 33 36 and 40 in Denver granted they were losses scored 43 and 44 and in this series he’s yet to score 30 he’s at 29 he’s been knocking on the door but are we going to see an amazing performance are we going to see 25 and just like oh great but stop with the Kobe Jordan stuff well I know he’s 22 then stop with thean I do but you can’t then stop then why are people doing it because hold on real quick because they know that Michael Jordan didn’t win a playoff series until he was 26 years old how old was Michael Jordan when he crossed up when he scored 63 against the Celtics he was 24 years old okay so in but he was very he was how many years in the league was answer me this when people compare want when people compare him to Jordan do you think they’re actually saying he will be in the goat conversation I don’t think he’ll ever be to me it was similar it was similar to when it happened with Kawai a couple postseasons ago when it was they were not comparing him to early Jordan like they are with Anthony Edwards they were comparing him to Second three Pete Jordan because because of the mid-range game and because of the footwork and all of that I don’t I don’t think the Jordan I think the Jordan comps have been in part because there’s that silly split screen on the internet where they cut their faces down the middle and you feel like some facial now I got a Kobe comp coming out out of nowhere I just went on like was similar to and and right but they are I don’t think people are saying Anthony Edwards is going to be like you said in the discussion or in a lot of people’s eyes the clear greatest player ever I do think though that it is absolutely fair to talk about hey guys at 22 who have been the best 22 year olds he is even if they get rolled tonight in that conversation for the best 22 yearold ever for the in the of the list of the best 22y olds we I know I I’m doing a little mini project on it I know I know what they I know what they are Leon is from a team success standpoint as the best guy the clear Head of the Class I was say magic I was well Matt is the best guy I said if you think magic was the best guy I think Kareem was best on his best guy on his team but so magic and Kobe as the second best guy massive team success they had won multiple championships by the time they were 22 years old other than that it’s like Amari stmy with the Suns had an unbelievable run when he was 22 Kevin Durant made a Conference Finals when he was 22 right in line with this it’s not a long list so that’s the Anthony Edwards so I agree with you brew I don’t think he is under really any pressure tonight I think he is on a free roll part of itow because of his age and because they have already overachieved by beating a team that some said no one was going to beat in a seven game series I think that was their mini championship I think it is clearly Carl Anthony towns and I heard all those numbers Bruce said and do you know what stuck out to me the most wait a minute there have been seven games games this postseason this guy hasn’t cracked 18 points half the games he hasn’t cracked 18 points I went back that NBA GM survey MH they have been who do you want to start a franchise with they have been they’ve done it that was a while well but no but hold on a second so LeBron’s LeBron won it eight times Giannis has won it four Duncan three and then Shaq won it once Anthony Davis won it once Joker won it the most recently here are the two-time winners of it and you’ve heard those names Kevin Durant Luca and Carl Anthony towns wanted in consecutive yeah that was like SE topic for some reason well it was it wasn’t for some reason it was because as a freshman at Kentucky he had multiple quadruple doubles it was because he was the number one pick of the draft and by the second year it was like oh my God this guy is at around 7t tall he shooting 42% from three and now what we have if we can show his regular season in playoffs it is no longer a tiny sample size of the playoffs where everything is worse markedly worse on the offensive end and that doesn’t even get to the biggest Bugaboo which is a foul problem so bad your own teammate says to you at a celebratory press conference you got to stop effing Fallon bro and like and so it’s him if he doesn’t want to be a man that guy sure was talented wonder why he didn’t put it all together he’s got to come through in these spots I think he now I think Anthony Davis was held in higher regard at this point but he’s kind of where ad was before he won his championship you know like again ad was held in higher regard because he’s a much better Defender but I think ad it was like he puts up numbers he can’t lead a team to any type of significant playoff victories and if if they were to come back and be able to win this Championship I think everything about cat assuming he plays well but also ad even in New Orleans while they only won one series his numbers in those playoffs were unbelievable cat is a much more skilled offensive player no question about it but it he like I said I think he’s got a number one kind of talent but he’s not the number one mentality and part of it is the silly fouls I mean that’s just not High basketball IQ thanks for watching subscribe here to get more from the show and to check out clips from other shows on FS1

Nick Wright, Kevin Wildes and Chris Broussard discuss Game 5 of Western Conference Finals between the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks. The FTF crew decide which player is under the most pressure and if Mavs fans should be nervous if they lose.

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Timberwolves favored vs. Mavs in Game 5: KAT, Ant or Luka under pressure? | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

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