Timberwolves-Nuggets series opener shows Minnesota was built to stop Jokić

DENVER — The silence was surreal.

One by one, simply seconds after younger Anthony Edwards and his mighty Minnesota Timberwolves completed their 106-99 win over Denver in Game 1 of the West semifinals on Saturday night time, the surprised Nuggets made their manner off the Ball Arena flooring with nary a sound between them. Michael Porter Jr. was first, adopted by Aaron Gordon, then Nikola Jokić, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jamal Murray. Dozens of different gamers and staffers adopted, however no phrases had been exchanged between them.

No messages of encouragement. No shouts of frustration. Nothing. From the tunnel the place all of them celebrated a title for the primary time in franchise historical past final June, they turned proper into the house locker room the place the Larry O’Brien trophy is on show inside that cup case with the white-hot highlight.

If that is how these Timberwolves are going to go about this grudge match, punishing Jokić with their parade of versatile huge males whereas unleashing Edwards within the type of manner that has him headed for the historical past books, then the defending champs received’t be including any extra {hardware} to the hallway anytime quickly. It was just one recreation, however this model of the T-Wolves is nice sufficient to win the entire rattling factor. And what a story that will be for Tim Connelly to inform.

When the architect of this Nuggets roster took the job as Minnesota’s president of basketball operations in May of 2022, his first order of enterprise was to discover a manner to cope with the Serbian celebrity who had received his second consecutive MVP award simply 12 days earlier than Connelly formally left Denver. Edwards’ expertise was already leaping off the display by then, so Connelly went to work discovering methods to complement the younger phenom with a dynamic rim protector who would function the inspiration of their protection.

The 47-year-old has a behavior of downplaying this storyline in media circles, insisting that his alternative to give up the farm for Rudy Gobert lower than two months into his Timberwolves tenure was extra holistic and complex than any kind of anti-Jokić agenda. Fine. But everybody round Connelly is way extra prepared to acknowledge the plain when it comes to this subplot, that he prioritized Gobert, Naz Reid (three-year, $42 million deal signed final summer season) and Karl-Anthony Towns (by resisting the urge to commerce him for enormous luxurious tax financial savings) as a part of a go-big-or-go-home plan that was put into place with Jokić and the Nuggets in thoughts.

It’s one factor to concoct this kind of technique within the boardroom, although, and fairly one other to see it play out on basketball’s largest stage like this. And whereas it didn’t work of their first-round playoff assembly final 12 months, when the Timberwolves fell in 5 video games to Denver and had been down 3-0 earlier than lastly taking a recreation, they’re off to a much more fascinating begin this time round.

As Jokić mentioned afterward, the trio of Gobert, Reid and Towns current the type of distinctive problem that’s able to leaving him weary and worn. If it’s not Gobert assembly him on the rim, it’s Reid and Towns pulling him out to the 3-point line the place they pose a severe menace (41.6 % and 41.4 % from 3-point vary this season, respectively). The solely actual reply to this drawback, Jokić quipped, is to by some means discover a manner to add a carbon copy of himself in time for Game 2 on Monday.

“Duplicate a clone of myself, and then I can be fresh when they sub another guy,” mentioned Jokić , who had 32 factors, 9 assists and eight rebounds however who was simply 11-of-25 from the sphere and had seven turnovers. “I don’t know. I think that’s why they’re good. They can play big. They can play small. …They’re long, physical. They rebound really well. They’re aggressive. I’m satisfied with the shots that I took. Some of them I missed. Some of them I made. So it’s a tough game, and they’re a really good defensive team.”

It’s that final half that makes this matchup such an uphill climb for Denver. While the Timberwolves’ No. 1 protection is essentially the most tried and true side of their identification, the Nuggets had been ranked eighth on that finish of the ground. The distinction, for Denver and the remainder of the league, is that Minnesota has a generational defender in Gobert who has lastly confirmed to be value each penny (and draft decide) of that controversial cope with Utah.

Gobert completed with six factors, 13 rebounds, three blocks and a plus-12 ranking that trailed solely Mike Conley (plus-20), nevertheless it was his late fourth-quarter block of a Jokić alley-oop try that supplied the perfect reminder of his worth. Having simply completed a putback that gave Minnesota a five-point lead with 3:16 left, Gobert manned the paint whereas Jokić took a move from Murray on the free throw line and instantly flipped it to a hovering Gordon.

On most nights, the high-flying Gordon finishes that play and sparks an electrical response from the Nuggets trustworthy. Only this time, Gobert timed his bounce completely and swatted Jokić’s lob away along with his left hand and sparked a break the opposite manner for Edwards.

Incredible two-way sequence by Rudy Gobert:

-Rolls laborious, met on the rim
-Finishes the putback
-Blocks the lob to Gordon
-Runs the ground to pave the best way for Edwards

Late 4th. On the street. In Denver in opposition to the defending champs. This is clutch basketball for the Timberwolves. pic.twitter.com/R8C2fbMeN3

— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 5, 2024

The Timberwolves guard was fouled whereas attacking the rim, hit the next two free throws for a seven-point lead, then noticed it swell to 9 factors when Gobert buried a midrange financial institution shot on the subsequent possession. For all of the fireworks that unfolded throughout that stretch, although, it was Jokić’s incapacity to full an important closing play that stood out essentially the most. And Gobert, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year who could also be on the verge of his fourth such honor, was nicely conscious of the deeper that means of all of it.

“I mean, to me, he’s the best player in the world,” Gobert advised The Athletic about Jokić, who was taken forty first general within the 2014 draft by Connelly throughout his nine-year stretch heading the Nuggets’ entrance workplace. “He’s quickly to be a three-time MVP for a motive, however I feel my talents are distinctive in the best way I can affect the basketball recreation. That’s why I’m actually grateful for Tim Connelly and all these guys for believing in me, bringing me on this state of affairs to assist this workforce grow to be a championship workforce and be a prime protection. That’s who I attempt to be on daily basis.

“I live for this. This is what I always dream about. I live for these moments. I work every day for these moments, so now I’m just trying to enjoy it.”

Make no mistake, the series opener was about Edwards above all else. His first six minutes had been spectacular, as he scored 11 of his 43 factors throughout Minnesota’s 18-4 begin whereas hounding the Nuggets’ Jamal Murray (17 factors; a minus-22 ranking) as he struggled to play by way of the calf damage that’s clearly nonetheless an issue. Edwards’ closing quarter (12 factors; 4 of 5 capturing) was practically pretty much as good — no play extra so than the Michael Jordan-esque spinning fadeaway that he buried over Caldwell-Pope to put the Timberwolves up 11.

“I mean I lost to these guys last year, and they are the defending champs,” Edwards mentioned. “They’re a tough workforce to beat, an awesome workforce (with) nice gamers. They’ve obtained the perfect participant within the league with Nikola Jokić. To me, they’ve obtained the perfect nearer with Jamal Murray, finest three-point shooter with Michael Porter Jr. So it’s powerful to beat this workforce.

“It’s not just my mentality — it’s the team mentality. We come in, and you know it’s gonna be a war. We just play within the game, and just stay within the game. They make runs. We’ve got to make our runs. It’s a fight. It’s gonna be a fight.”

Yet even past all of the shared historical past with the Nuggets, these Timberwolves have been as spectacular as any workforce left thus far on this postseason. They dealt with the Phoenix Suns of their first-round sweep, with Edwards outplaying the likes of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. And now, with Connelly’s scheme to gradual Jokić exhibiting a lot early series promise, it’s on the Nuggets to resolve in the event that they’re going to make any noise.

(Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)