2024 NBA Playoffs: West Semifinals: #2 Denver Nuggets vs #3 Minnesota Timberwolves (MIN WINS 4-3)

[docholliday99]

The Nuggets still have no one that can guard ANT.
The Wolves didn't have anyone that could guard Jokic tonight, either, but ANT has been unstoppable all series. It's really been incredible.

Was the same as last year's playoffs too, unstoppable. Looking like the same issue showing up again, ANT's getting his cause you can't stop him, so just work on taking the rest out - and he doesn't have his Pippen yet.

I much preferred the Wolves in game 2, though I'm not sure it was just an aberration.

Originally had the Nuggets in 6, this series certainly hasn't been a let down.

At the expense of a mob coming for my throat, I do wonder how much of game 2 was driven by the Nuggets being caught off guard by the Gobert absence. Not saying the Wolves are better without Gobert on defense, that's obviously not true. But you have to wonder if the Nuggets came to play one way, were met with a different personnel and game plan, and got knocked out early.

Certainly better with Gobert on defense though they might be better on offence without Gobert when they go 5 out. As for game 2, I'm leaning towards your last point and Denver may have just been caught with their pants down. Certainly impressed with how they got kicked in the teeth and and then came together as a team to win the next 2 - that game 2 might have been what they needed to shake the cobwebs out of their heads, Braun and Holiday have really stepped up in the roles/contributions that Brown/Green were last season.

On Minny's part, they really stepped up in game 4 - enough to win imho - but Jokic's passing...wow, sometimes I'm not sure how he was able to even see some of those passes, let alone make them. How can anyone question that he's not the MVP? He's just impressive.

[MoneyTalks41890]

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In that way, he is the heir apparent to Dion Waiters.

I really can’t get on ANT he actually showed up and showed out too bad no one else did. ANT is becoming my favourite player outside of the Nuggets. Just love his game

For sure, Ant is an incredible player with a relatively unlimited ceiling given his size and athleticism and skill set at 22. I just found some of that comical.

[QPR]

There are games where Jokic will get 15 assists and nothing really stands out, and then you get a game like last night where he only had seven, but it felt like every single one was a dagger into Minny's heart

[TheFire]

Ant is clearly to me the next great American superstar.

[TinmanZBoy]

I am still not clear who is going to win this series… originally I picked Minny in 6, still stay with this pick… Minny just have to play better,

[Bobbymcgee]

Looks to me like KAT and Gobert have folded under pressure.

[GeorgeSears]

Looks to me like KAT and Gobert have folded under pressure.

The Nuggets bench stepped up in games 3 and 4.

23 points in game 3 (A blowout win so there was a lot of garbage time here).

27 points in game 4.

If the Nuggets bench gets 20+, they're usually going to win.

[Rubio9Guy]

The 3 game set will be decide by Minnesota's offense. If Gordon and Denver's bench shoots like that, nothing Minnesota will be able to do.

That likely will regress, but there's no guarantee Minnesota's offense improves.

[mcmurphy]

The ridiculous thing is that if Denver wins this series, from the realGM-users who have to belittle Jokic's victories will starting threads disparaging Minnesota

wolves fan, don't listen to them and (in my opinion) if KAT recovers and Daniels, in addition to the defense, becomes only acceptable in attack it becomes very tough for Denver win this series... Minnesota is a real tough and strong team with a real Batman in Ants.

[Rubio9Guy]

The ridiculous thing is that if Denver wins this series, from the realGM-users who have to belittle Jokic's victories will starting threads disparaging Minnesota

wolves fan, don't listen to them and (in my opinion) if KAT recovers and Daniels, in addition to the defense, becomes only acceptable in attack it becomes very tough for Denver win this series... Minnesota is a real tough and strong team with a real Batman in Ants.

I wish people could just have logical/rational discussions.

Instead, someone has to be a scrub and suck. Someone has to be blasted instead of just realizing two really good teams are playing and someone has to lose.

[No-more-rings]

People need to stop fooling themselves, Denver is definitely now favored to win, I know homecourt hasn’t mattered this series but it will if it goes to 7. Denver simply has the best player in the league, and Denver’s team as a whole is simply more battle tested in big series. Gobert had been overrated for years, and he has been an underachiever in the playoffs, and KAT has historically just been a joke in the postseason. Yeah it’s not a given either way, but I’m saying it’s like 70% for Denver now that they’ve woken up.

[dWadeOwnzYou]

Here's my non-Magic Johnson take. If the Denver Nuggets win the 1st QTR its an automatic win. If not, they're really making it hard on themselves unnecessarily as seen in the Laker's series.

I have to give props to Jokic's fandom. They're really the most diehard fans to a point where it becomes obsessive, analyzing every critical play, watching his highlights over and over and then defending him to no end, whether his team is down or on top. Maybe that's why he gets the most hate? I've never seen this kind of enthusiasm for any other stars in the league...not even Lebron.

[Hans1984]

These playoffs are so boring. So many lackluster performances. Except 2-3 games it has been a letdown so far.

I suggest maybe watch the games. It's been a great playoffs imo. OKC/MIN breaking out in the West and trying for jump start their dynasties. Mavs trying to figure it out. DEN struggling massively but trying to find their groove again. East is wide open. NYK and IND having a battle and we're seeing the CAVS stepping up against BOS. See how that goes. There's been some really good games and series so far and it'll only get better.

Too many games that weren't close.

[Exp0sed]

I don't think I've seen it talked about but I noticed it in a Nuggets game earlier this season. When Denver gets up double digits in the 2nd half and is protecting a lead, when the other team scores Jokic will literally let the ball just bounce wherever out of the net until the official grabs it or he eventually grabs it. Since the clock keeps running (until final 2 minutes) but the inbound 5 seconds hasn't started yet, it's just a free drain of the clock. The worst part is that in the game I watched earleir in the RS (can't remember the opponent), one of the opposing players realized he was doing that and tried to take the ball out of the net and give it to the ref, and got called for a delay of game LOL. It's kind of genius but a little cheap.

I swear Jokic killed at least 2-3 minutes in this game doing this.

he's been doing it all season
i don't know if he started it, I saw a few other players use this strategy during the season here and there but he's def the most consistent.

fwiw, I'm guessing the league will close this loophole by changing the rule but nevertheless as long as those are the rules, it's just another testament to his high I.Q and discpline. a true ATG.

[Exp0sed]

Ant is clearly to me the next great American superstar.

I don't think there's any American superstar even close to him at this point tbh. he's already the best American superstar, not just the "next"

[Exp0sed]

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crazy thing is, if Jokic could really jump like that then he would have developed like any other player basically...his lack of vert is part of what made him the player that he is , with his particular skill set

[liquidswords]

Did anyone else think Ant should have had more touches in the 4th? I felt like they went away from him at times especially when they needed to cut into the lead (and couldn't get a stop)

[og15]

MPJ has been a ghost this series, he needs to show up this series. Gordon will eventually come back down to earth

Uhm, he had an excellent game 3, and today the Wolves focused on him, ran him off three point line well. The Wolves actually defended this part of the Nuggets' offense well, it's just that Goron, Holiday, Jackson and Braun shot 8/11 from three, which is pretty crazy. If you are the Wolves, even though virtually all of these were wide open shots, you have to live with that. Especially since the Joker-Murray 2-man game killed them on top of that. If Ant doesn't play this well, this is another huge blowout game, so kudos to him.

Yup, league average on wide open three's is like 40%, so if a group of players who aren't necessarily deadeye shooters shoot 73%, even though they are wide open three's, it's still a big boost, on average you would expect them to miss at least 3-4 more of those (4/11 = 36%, 5/11 = 45%), which would have been painful for Denver as that is 9-12 points, but the average is just that, the average.

[AleksandarN]

This is pretty sick coming from Twolves media. I mean it is sick. I get some people don’t like Murray but this is reaching the bottom of barrel type.

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[Jaqua92]

I am still not clear who is going to win this series… originally I picked Minny in 6, still stay with this pick… Minny just have to play better,

There's no way Minnesota wins this series now imo, especially in 6.

Denver isn't dropping 3 straight at home. And they won't lose a game 7 at home.

The series is more than hallways over. Murray looks healthy, Denver has figured it out, and I think this one is done