The Timberwolves are not a footnote

PLUS: Luka wins basketball games and the Knicks finally fall down.

Good morning. What a weekend. Let’s basketball.

Cloud in Romanel; Felix Vallotton; 1900

---

We Have Our Answer

Two weeks ago, on the cusp of Game 1 of Wolves vs. Nuggets in Denver, I wrote this:

[W]e’re going to get a stronger sense over the next few days as to whether the Timberwolves will be a footnote in the tales of the Nuggets dynasty, or if they are a main character, or if they can prevent a Nuggets dynasty.

Question answered decisively. Initially it looked like the Wolves were going to lay a smackdown for the ages on the Nuggets. But things flipped and a week later it looked like the Nuggets were on track to compete for their second straight championship, having gone up 3-2 in the series and then having gone up by 20 points in Game 7.

That the Wolves went down 20, looked widely awful in the first half, watched Jamal Murray hit every flavor of crazy shot … and stayed composed enough to slowly walk the Nuggets down in the second half, and then take total control down the stretch of the fourth in Denver and win the game is so remarkable.

The Minnesota offense was totally dead at halftime, and the Nuggets were largely getting the looks they wanted out of the Nikola Jokic-Jamal Murray pick-and-roll, the most deadly play in the modern NBA. The Nuggets were doing it pretty high, and the Wolves eventually decided to sag and dare Jokic to shoot. The three-time MVP went 2/10 from deep.

It never felt like the Wolves got totally comfortable on offense, despite really good second-half marks. Their efficiency late is totally tied to their defense, though. They were able to get in transition more as Murray and Jokic went cold and got sloppier with the ball, and even outside of transition they were able to find cross matches and force the help on Anthony Edwards to sell out even harder, getting other Wolves clean looks. Ant ended up with 7 assists and 1 turnover. He was getting rid of the ball quickly often (despite still taking 24 shots).

Heroes are always plentiful in these moments. Naz Reid had an all-timer sequence. Towns not only kept the Wolves in touch early, but had perhaps the biggest single basket in franchise history with his putback dunk late to seal the game. McDaniels cranked up the individual defense in the second half and smothered Murray. Rudy Gobert, who Charles Barkley said should have been benched at halftime, played some remarkable defense as the Wolves fought back and hit the craziest Rudy Gobert shot of all time.

Speaking of which, in an all-time great press conference, Ant and KAT talking about Gobert’s turnaround was the best moment.