Wolves vs. Nuggets Second Round Preview

So, its a great time to be a Wolves fan! Minnesota took down Phoenix for their first series sweep and for their second ever first round series win.

How did Minnesota win their second first round series ever?
Well, its actually fairly simple. The Wolves were allowed to play their game, they played smothering defense which leads them to play team offense. When they are allowed to play at their pace, the team can spread the floor on offense and really pack a punch. 
Minnesota's defense has been good all season long, but in the first round they stepped it up a notch. They faced a challenge from a team that they didn't even sniff a victory against in the regular season. In order to turn the tide, they put together a tough game plan for the first two games. The Wolves decided that they shouldn't try to focus their efforts on shutting down Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, or at least directly. Instead, they focused on playing tight defense on the role players and their two next best players, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen. Along with playing tight man-to-man defense, they would allow all five Wolves players to switch onto any of the Suns' players, including Gobert onto Durant at times. They were able to do this because of the ability to clog the passing lanes around the court. Minnesota was so tough on defense, that Phoenix was hardly able to bring the ball up the floor at times without seeing trouble. This completely knocked the Suns' off their gameplan and the offense down a notch. Minnesota was then able to capitalize on that to sink plenty of shots when they needed to. They were even able to gain the open shot opportunities that other teams wouldn't dream of allowing. That is how they beat the Suns. 

Nuggets Series Preview
This one will be even tougher then Phoenix. While the Suns presented the challenge of a prolific offense that was one of the NBA's best during the regular season, they didn't pose much of a threat on defense. What they lacked on that end of the floor, Denver gains and more. The Nuggets also have more of a surgical offense, which is especially tricky with Jokic being a shooter that can sink the ball from anywhere on the floor. Obviously, Minnesota's gameplan will have to start with defense again. The Wolves will have to limit the other 4 players on the floor and play stifling defense in order to keep the Nuggets in check. When Minnesota has open shots, they need to hit them - as several players like NAW and Naz Reid could definitely find themselves open. I would expect Ant to be double-teamed at all times, and potentially them putting lots of contact on KAT as well to try to get him in foul trouble. The Wolves will need to keep their heads this series and try to keep the emotion out of the game, we can't afford players like Jaden getting technicals even if its the other team's fault. All eyes will be on this series, especially Ant now that we have swept the Suns and made waves in national sports media. They need to take it in stride.
Both teams will be mostly healthy so they can't bank on anyone not being present, so we will see the best of both squads.

Series Schedule
The series will begin on Saturday, May 4th in Denver for game 1. The schedule will be as follows:
Game 1: @ Denver 5/4 6 PM CT
Game 2: @ Denver 5/6 9 PM CT
Game 3: vs. Denver 5/10 8:30 PM CT
Game 4: vs. Denver 5/12 7 PM CT
Game 5: @ Denver 5/14 TBD*
Game 6: vs. Denver 5/16 TBD*
Game 7: @ Denver 5/19 TBD*
* If necessary
Games 1, 2, and 4 will be broadcast on TNT and Game 3 on ESPN. The other three will be decided later. All games will be national televised in the conference semifinals, which means there will be no simulcast from Bally Sports North. 

Here we go in the 2nd round!!!

#WolvesBack