Thunder or Timberwolves? Who’s the bigger NBA Finals dark horse? | Hoops Tonight

Thunder or Timberwolves? Who’s the bigger NBA Finals dark horse? | Hoops Tonight

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So you guys don’t miss any of our content over the course of this season all right let’s talk some basketball who do you believe in more the Thunder or the Timberwolves as a championship Contender this is a tough one and we’ve had this conversation before I think

That OKC has a lot of advantages I think that in this series they pretty clearly have the best player on the floor sgaa is playing at an unbelievable consistent Superstar level I think that they clearly have the higher level of overall offensive perimeter skill when you just

Consider that they’re going to play five out a whole lot of time and so many dudes can handle so many dudes are quick good athletes the spacing is just clearly better whereas Minnesota although cat is obviously a super skilled big they still are running these two big looks with a very conventional offensive

Five and they are really just like a quick athletic team I’m looking forward to seeing them with Gordon Hayward when he debuts after the All-Star break because to me the biggest red flag about this team in the playoffs arguably at the very least there’s a couple other ones experience as we talked about

Strength physicality in the front court but particularly playing Josh giddy 25 minutes a game just doesn’t do it for me I think that when you have a guy who is not a plus athlete not a plus touch shot maker certainly not a plus Defender and then really struggles to knock down open

Catch and shoot jumpers like that guy’s just going to get played off the floor in a playoff series it doesn’t matter how snazzy how sick of a passer he is there’s too many exploitable weaknesses there particularly against Minnesota we saw the Minnesota Timberwolves do what any Rudy gobear anchor defense loves to

Do more than anything in the world which is Park Rudy in the paint have him as a full-time helper say let’s put him on the weakest shoot on the team who can just sit in the corner and Rudy doesn’t have to guard that guy and that’s what

They did against Josh giddy if it’s Gordon Hayward who brings all the same good traits the playmaking the ability to create in those drive and kick situations to handle out of pick and roll he does all of that but he’s better in terms of the scoring on Ball and then

He also will actually knock down 40% of his catch and shoot jumpers so maybe seeing that realized changes my opinion on this because I have concerns about Minnesota Jason last time we were on with you or maybe the time before that you harped on Minnesota clutch offense

And that has become more and more of a concern to me as of late it really matters that you’re a damn good half court offense if you want to make a deep playoff run and they just aren’t and in the clutch in particular they haven’t been but ultimately I still think they

Are a much more mature basketball team in terms of playoff experience they are much more physically mature I mean they are just so much stronger and More Physical I like the depth for both of these teams so that’s not necessarily a huge difference maker for me and I

Really do believe that this defense is going to be elite regardless of the matchup I wonder a little bit if like the Thunder could attack cat in space because they have so many quick guys who can handle the ball and they can run really those four perimeter players at

All time lineups and then Chad at your five who’s super skilled from the perimeter too but you mentioned The Rock fight and it does feel like in those hyper physical environments Minnesota still just fares a little bit better and they’ve been there before but I don’t know it’s really close for me here

Because OKC is pretty clearly the better offensive team and I don’t necessarily see that changing but I do think Minnesota can kind of grind people down with Elite defense and then just enough of that half court shot making from from Ant and Cat it’s very close between

These teams and Minnesota does scare me in some hypothetical matchups like five out against the Clippers five out against the Warriors five out against the Thunder if Gordon Hayward uh you know is really effective in those lineups like I think that’s the kind of way to to beat Minnesota is to draw them

Out but I do just have more confidence in Minnesota and they’ve been really impressive in their last 10 they’re number one in net rating they’re number five in offensive rating number one in defensive rating and they do just have physical advantages where like you know in those scenarios offensively and in

Certain possessions like the Warriors do scare me but they’re going to crush him on the glass like goar 71 79 wingspan Town 7 foot 7 wingspan McDaniels is somewhere between 69 and 611 with a near seven foot Wing they’re huge Anthony Edwards is a tank you know what I mean

They’re just they’re big and physical and I think their track record’s kind of proven this regular season uh they’re 20 and 11 on the road they have the best record in the league versus teams that are above 500 like yeah I do worry about this offense stalling out in a half

Court setting uh spacing issues because of Rudy goar Carl Anthony towns disappearing on a big stage right now they’re 20th and clutch offensive rating 107.9 that’s the fifth lowest of any current uh eight uh top eight seed any current playoff team that’s in there and OKC that’s not a problem they have the

Number one half court offense in basketball they have the number three clutch offensive rating this year like OKC just doesn’t have those offensive uh weaknesses Minnesota does but I like their track record I like their defense more I like their continuity and I don’t

Know man I I kind of like The Vibes of this team I don’t know man I like I like the in Minnesota right now to say the least you guys uh did you guys see the uh the shirt that Mike connley was wearing the other night the the finchy

Shirt um I don’t know man I like the I like the energy of Minnesota a lot um is a bit of a copout Minnesota’s huge and that ultimately is the distinction to me I believe in the defense I believe in their physical and athletic advantages in in a grimy nasty playoff environment

Where it’s tough to get a bucket I think Minnesota is is equipped to deal with those environments so this is gonna come off as like OKC slander which I don’t intend it to because here’s the thing I I’m super super high on Oklahoma City in the

Big picture um I even love the Gordon Hayward pickup I mean to put it simply he’s just a way better basketball player than than Josh kiddy and so and so you basically turned what was a weak fifth guy in your best five into essentially a guy who was arguably perfect maybe not

Positionally but at least in terms of like veteran guy who could do all the little things well in terms of like a connectivity type of piece like I I think it just makes a ton of sense I also like I I I was literally uh uh thinking about this last night this this

Thought hit me randomly because our next question we’re gonna be talking about Kendrick Perkins and his mythological Superstar trade that he says it’s G to happen this summer but uh I was I was thinking about this last night I was like man like what if the Bucks just go up in

Flames in like a really ug L way and then next year they try it again and it’s just as bad and then all of a sudden the Bucks look around and they have no assets in a bunch of old role players and then Yannis goes like I want

Out of here you know who’s getting him right Oklahoma City is like they’re they’re throwing seven or eight first round picks at him and and like that’s literally the position they need so bad is that that power forward position and like that that’s could get really really scary and obviously who knows maybe

Yannis would prefer a bigger Market but like I just look at it like man I was thinking about that last time I was like oh God that could be completely terrifying um but to put it simply within the lens of this season I think the Timberwolves are a significantly better playoff threat um

And I’m before I even go any further I’m just going to spit it back to you guys let’s quit looking at this as Minnesota versus Oklahoma City uh Carson which team has a better chance to beat Denver yeah Minnesota like it it’s it they they match up so

Much better physically like again like I Oklahoma City has had some advantages in the regular season against Denver but Denver’s been kind of a mediocre regular like they’re going through another one of those like kind of patches right now where they could give a on any

Given night and like guys are hurt and like I think I think Denver would eat Oklahoma City alive in a playoff series personally so Logan would you take Minnesota or Oklahoma City against Denver oh easily Minnesota yeah so like that like let let’s just stop beating

Around the bush here for a second like like Carson you actually said earlier when we were talking about uh the Warriors like you’re everything has to be looked through the lens of how do we beat Denver and and I just don’t I I I just don’t think Oklahoma

City has anywhere near the physical presence they need to hang in that series for seven games and I mean we literally just saw Minnesota like as as much as the issues that they can have offensively at the end of games they also have the ability to just completely

Lock up the other team late in games we literally just saw this against the Clippers the other night and even with some of their half court offense stuff there’s a physical imposition to where it’s like oh you finally get a stop but Rudy goar just Taps the ball out they

Have another offensive rebound they can have another go at it there’s a look at like there’s a pretty consistent theme i’llbe it in only two series but like Anthony Edwards his athleticism just translates to a really really good NBA playoff player I I it just and then and

Then then there’s always just the NBA history part like it like it would you rather have the young inexperienced small team that has a ton of talent or the big strong veteran team that has a ton of talent like like let’s just let’s just let’s just get down to

The to the nitty-gritty here so like I I I think I think I would take Minnesota over them and and to be clear I’m not I am so high on Oklahoma City long term I just think I think there are really really good team that is that is lacking

Some specific things that I think are necessary to succeed in the NBA Playoffs uh did you guys have any follow-ups there or can we move on just real quick I mean literally nobody guards the Nuggets better than the Minnesota Timberwolves because they have the perfect formula of cat can hold up

Physically as a post Defender with jic that’s not to say that he’s going to make him like actively uncomfortable but he holds up better than like most teams number one post- defense option which then allows goar to disrupt things as help to disrupt all of those lobs and

Bounce passes to Aaron Gordon they have the athletes on the perimeter so I do think that that’s ultimately what it comes down to like joic would take OKC’s lunch every single possession he literally said like Chad you need to get fatter and that’s very real for that specific matchup so I agree definitely

On that everything’s going to go through Denver and Minnesota it would still be a long shot but they just have a better formula Logan any follow-ups I completely agree I mean I just think that they the physical imposition Minnesota is one of the most physical and athletic teams in the

League it’s just it’s going to if there’s one thing that’s been proven too I mean that’s going to directly translate to to good on playoff basketball and I think they match up well physically against and any team they’re going to run into and uh yeah I wouldn’t pick it but I can definitely

See Minnesota giving them giving them Trouble N

Jason Timpf and the guys from Nerd Sesh dive into the years from young rising superstars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the Wolves and Thunder in the mix for the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed, could either team make a run at an NBA Championship?

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