bullied the Clippers and Lakers, and quietly occupied the first place in the league
In this year's NBA, most of the games have come to an end, the Timberwolves, Thunder, Clippers and Nuggets are all in the first echelon, and it is not easy to fall behind, but their rankings are also constantly changing. The three kings have played well in this game, they have already locked up the first place on the second team, and it will not be difficult to reach the next round, while the Lakers and Warriors are also in good form, they have won seven of their eight games in a row, and they also started their journey north in December. According to some of the best reviews of the season in the United States, the Clippers and the Nuggets in the West are undoubtedly the most likely to win the championship, after all, both teams have rich playoff experience, and upsets like Minnesota and Thunder are likely to be overlooked.
In fact, the strength of James, Durant and Curry is declining, while newcomers such as Alexander and Edwards are constantly improving, making their performance in the playoffs blank. Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, was treated as a scoundrel for a while ago, first using Wiggins to pick Russell, then Gobert to get 10 draft picks, then using 5 picks, and then using another draft pick, which made the Timberwolves look like nothing had changed. But this season, Forest's strong development has surprised everyone. After 53 games played, they defeated the Clippers and Lakers 37-16.
Just take a look at Nottingham Forest's strength on paper. This season, the Timberwolves have an overall defense of 1086。Since November, Minnesota has been the most effective team in the league, and Cleveland is the most effective team in the league, conceding an average of 100-110 goals per game! Compared with the strong defensive ability, the Timberwolves' offensive power is really not very good, their offensive efficiency is 18th in the league, the average score is 21 in the league, and the assists in the game are also 16th in the league, this number seems very unreliable, but sometimes, the statistics can also deceive, not to mention that the Timberwolves' current average per game is only 982. Ranked 25th on the list! To put it bluntly, because the Forest team is the strongest team in the league, they don't become a burden to the team, but have the ability to drag each other into their own rhythm and then beat each other in one game!
Just some time ago, Minnesota newspapers did a poll on the teams they think the Timberwolves would face in the first round, and these are all about the Timberwolves' biggest rivals. Putting those results aside, let's look at a few numbers. This season, the Timberwolves and the Clippers have met twice, the Timberwolves have 21 wins, and the Clippers have 4 wins, but the Clippers' two home courts have won by relying on the advantage in the restricted area! Minnesota and the Lakers have met twice, the first time with 2 wins and 2 wins, James and Bushy Eyebrows scored 59 points, but the whole team was overwhelmed! Seven wins in one game. Including the Warriors, who are hopeful of reaching the Finals, Minnesota won three of their six games. They haven't lost a single game yet! Quite simply, it's Downs and Gobert, they're no match for Edwards, and they're not something they can compete with.
Honestly, against the Timberwolves' twin towers (three tall players, and Reed on the bench), it's a tough team to play against. First of all, Gobert is truly a dominant presence defensively, averaging 21. The average shot time is 96, 2nd in steals and assists, and a top 10 player in defense, Gobert's only downside is that he is not fast, but he has Daniels, Walker, Lee Kyle, and Gobert. Downs, on the other hand, is a power forward who can easily play the power forward position, and he shoots 227+51.8%+43.8 percent, that's the best example, without his speed, without his height, without his height, without his precision, without his strength, without his shooting without Durant's kind of irregular steals.
And Edwards, is the most important thing! This season, Edwards averaged 258 points 52 rebounds 5With 3 assists, it doesn't look like a particularly impressive performance, but this season his ON off index is above +12, which is at the level of a superstar. Unlike younger stars like Tatum and Alexander, Edwards shoots well, three-pointers are good, and most importantly, he has more courage to attack when he's in the most dangerous moments, he's physical, but he's a little worse when it comes to free-throwing. In addition, veteran Conley controlled the court, forward Daniels was the best 3D, Lee Kyle was the team's playmaker, and Reed scored 167 seconds and 13 points against the Grizzlies, which is really unbelievable! Towns is the player with the most three-point shots in the NBA this season, followed by Reed!
To tell you the truth, I don't see any shortcomings with the Timberwolves, actually, they're as small as Edwards. The Timberwolves have had fewer injuries this season than they have in recent years, and the number of rotations has increased, and as Edwards has established the team's style, the benefits have been realized quite quickly. Major U.S. newspapers believe that the Timberwolves won't win the championship with last season's Nuggets, but there's no doubt that the Timberwolves are considered the most underestimated team. Yes, it's a difficult thing for the Twin Towers to dominate the playoffs, and can the Forest pull off another miracle this season?