Put yourself in the shoes of a 6’4 ball handler who can burn like a flame and burn up almost any defense at will. What is your worst nightmare, the absolute worst scenario you could face?
The ideal antidote to everything in your scoring repertoire is length. Imagine a lanky 6-foot-9-inch tall with a 7-foot wingspan trying to crowd your space and limit your peripheral vision with active hands and long arms. Having just one defender with such a profile is already difficult enough to deal with.
Now add another defender to the mix. He is short (6’5) but has a large height and wingspan difference (6’9 – plus 4). Aside from the fact that he’s a little smaller, this additional defender can practically pretend to be the identical twin of the first defender. Both are lanky, stocky, have similar hairstyles, and even wear the same type of headband.
Not only do you both have to deal with swapping individual reps against you; both Do they jump on you the moment you cross the half-court line?
If you can, put yourself in the shoes of Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray on the following possession.
That’s just one example of the defensive attention Murray has received throughout the team’s series vs. minnesota timberwolves.
There are warnings that should not be ignored. sick calf He got nervous when the Denver Nuggets lost in Game 4. Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. It would be disingenuous to pretend he’s playing completely healthy. But that doesn’t take away credit from the Timberwolves, how they adjusted their game plan with an emphasis on limiting the trio of Murray, Nikola Jokic, and Michael Porter Jr., and so far Murray Most Impactful (In 2 games, he averaged 12.5 points, shot 29.2% from 2-point range, 25% from 3-point range, made only 5 free throw attempts, and had a true shooting mark. It was 36.5%.
Wolves assistant coach Mika Nori said the same thing after the game. — Even before the second game took place — We took the time to explain to Wolves fans our extensive plans for each of the major options mentioned above. For Murray in particular, it was followed almost exactly on the above possession.
The Timberwolves have proven to be completely unstoppable against the Nuggets’ unstoppable force. To stop a generational offensive player with exciting co-stars and a supporting cast capable of creating an advantage, you need defenders of the same generation, who can put out other fires and also prevent their attacks. We need a high-level stopper that can. It is lit first, establishing a schematic connection for the entire roster.
This intertwining of factors is on display for the Wolves, who led the regular season in points per game (106.5) and opponents points per 100 possessions in non-garbage time (108.9 – 6.7 points better than the league). Recorded defense.average, per cleaning the glass). Taking efficient shots against them proved difficult. Opponent effective field goal percentage (eFG%) was 51.7% all season, leading the league in opponent eFG%.
They have limited their scoring in their six playoff games so far. phoenix suns The Nuggets totaled 98.7 points per game in non-garbage time and 107.1 points per 100 possessions. They are reaching a level of defensive bliss at the most opportune time. And they accomplish that by relying on a proven formula: solid defense, physicality, a tool-rich skill set and a coaching staff to prepare them. For any situation or opponent.
The first possession of this second round series set the tone.
Besides Anthony Edwards’ tenacious defensive effort against Murray, you’ll probably notice a few things that shed light on the Wolves’ scheme. As expected, and in a return to what they themselves tested in last season’s first-round series against the Nuggets, it wasn’t Rudy Gobert guarding Jokic. It was Karl-Anthony Towns, and Gobert was roaming away from Aaron Gordon.
There are two reasons for this alignment.
- This allows Towns to stay close to Jokic, preventing Jokic from making decisions as a release valve, and in some cases even allowing him to fully touch the roll (he can’t jump over screens at the point of attack). (It is also necessary to allocate capable personnel.)
- That places Gobert in a primarily driving role. Won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the fourth time in his career.: As a help-side roamer, he protects the rim, prevents lobs and kickouts, and covers potential cutters and drivers.
The Timberwolves used last season’s game against the Nuggets as a field test of sorts to see if this approach makes sense.They almost certainly saw the Lakers attempt it themselves with the tandem of Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis (even if that attempt may be over exaggerated and its execution was flawed).
But they took every data point they collected over two seasons and created a near-perfect scheme to counter the Nuggets’ reliance on the offensive lifeline. In a way, this was an answer to the dilemma coach Noli posed regarding Jokic’s acquisition. Either a scorer or a passer:
This ploy often leads to Jokic in this series. Neither scorer or A passerby, but instead a passive observer.
Notice the difference when Towns flinches and pays too much attention to Murray around the ball screen. That allowed Jokic to dictate the half-court possession.
Even if the short-term goal wasn’t to completely remove Jokic from the equation, it was at least to do everything possible to get the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible. Double from the top, 1 pass away — and trust their rotation and overall defense on the strings.
The series isn’t over yet, but it feels like the Wolves have unleashed the culmination of their plans for these scenarios., And perhaps even the ultimate possibility that former Nuggets (and now Tim Connelly) executive Tim Connelly put them together. There’s a reason why even Porter wasn’t saved. Of the Nuggets’ Big 3 scorers, he’s arguably the most at risk of going wild at any given moment — and often all he needs is a three or two. Just that.
The explanation of the spirit that trained Porter was simple.
Valid phrases in the clip above: finish work quickly. Occasionally, every time Porter tries to take a screen off the ball, a top-locked Porter will deny the ball completely. At the very least, locking up the top and blocking his path to a pindown or split cut will significantly delay his actions and allow the defense to take appropriate steps to divert his line of sight around screens. .
The Nuggets may still score in other ways, but in many cases they would prefer someone else to take the shot rather than fire up Porter.
But even if the Nuggets’ big three was the main focus of the Timberwolves’ game planning, it would be too narrow to praise it if it only refers to a specific aspect of their approach. only Gobert was praised for their otherworldly defensive performance.
Gobert is essential, but it’s a testament to their depth, preparation and overall chemistry even without Gobert. Not available in game 2 Thanks to the birth of his child, they still managed to build an absolute wall around the Nuggets offense, holding the Nuggets to 88.9 points per 100 possessions in Game 2.
With the series up 2-0 and the series heading to their home court, the Timberwolves crashed their well-oiled offensive machine and took the driver’s seat from the Nuggets. They’ve been uphill for Denver, an insurmountable hill. I’m not going to forget that Jokic and his great basketball brains will find answers for this defense, and that Murray will get back into shape and Porter will get loose and hit multiple rhythm threes.
But this season, the Timberwolves look awfully like the team of destiny in the Western Conference — not because it was foretold, but because they’re trying to keep it going.
