Stephen A. Smith Jumps on Timberwolves Bandwagon

Rather than just simply go off of momentum that Minnesota positively generated during a dominating game one performance against the Nuggets, Smith came with plenty of ammo and information to back up his stance.

“Here’s where I will tell you why I think Minnesota needs to be favored. Everything is not always about the numbers, but I’ll give you numbers. Did you know in six playoff games Anthony Edwards is averaging 33.5 against Denver…That’s number one. Number two, you see the big bodies they’re able to throw at Jokic, nobody else can do that in the league. The Minnesota Timberwolves can. I thought it was a brilliant move of their coaching staff to insert Karl Anthony Towns on Jokic, because even though he doesn’t have the girth, the mass, he has the height and quickness to stay in front of Jokic and make sure there’s some level of resistance, and you’ve got Rudy Gobert helping on the back end in case Jokic gets closer and closer to the basket.”

Timberwolves are healthy, Nuggets… not so much

Beyond just looking at what Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony Towns did in game one, Smith sees the Nuggets roster as problematic when considering what they are dealing with. Jamal Murray isn’t 100% for this series, and they are without a veteran like Jeff Green to help fill gaps.

A defender like that could be big for Denver, and Smith suggests that a presence in that ilk would have saved Kentavious Caldwell Pope from the embarrassment that Edwards displayed against him.

Smith also notes that Murray isn’t a defender capable of handling Edwards, and that’s what makes the Minnesota star such a difficult matchup. While he’s not a traditional point guard, he works with the ball exceptionally well, and his combination of size and quickness present matchup problems for the opposition.

Throwing in a slight jab at Aaron Gordon, Smith said “I don’t think Gordon wants that smoke on a night in and night out basis” after Edwards crossed him up in game one.

Anthony Edwards the Timberwolves Closer

It’s hard to overstate just how good Anthony Edwards has been throughout the playoffs this year, but he’s turned it up a notch when the game is on the line. In the 4th quarter alone he has averaged 10.8 points to lead the league.

His 69% field goal percentage in the quarter leads the NBA and his 57% three point rate leads the NBA as well. Going 14-of-14 at the charity stripe, he hasn’t missed in the final quarter either.

For a player that is as dominant as Ant Man has been for the Timberwolves, there doesn’t appear to be any stage to great for him. That’s an incredible reality at any age, but considering he is just 22 years old and is making his presence felt like this, the league has been put on notice.

There aren’t a ton of times that national voices like Stephen A. Smith are going to be all over a Minnesota team, but it’s become way too hard to ignore just how good this Timberwolves squad looks.