Behind their elite defense, the Minnesota Timberwolves have gone on the road and stolen the first two games of their second-round NBA Playoffs matchup against the Denver Nuggets.
Veteran Timberwolves guard Mike Conley joined the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday to discuss the culture that led to the team taking pride in their defense:
Said Conley, “The culture that was built here is all about winning and doing it the right way. We take pride in our defense and when you have that atmosphere you can do a lot of great things.”
The Timberwolves’ core has been percolating for a handful of years now. Already having Karl-Anthony Towns, the team drafted Naz Reid in 2019, then Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels in 2020. The team tasted the playoffs in 2022 before adding defensive monster Rudy Gobert. After another season losing in the first round in 2023, the Wolves appear to have taken the leap.
Timberwolves dominating the Nuggets through two games
The Timberwolves cruised to a 106-80 beatdown on the Nuggets behind 27-point games from both Edwards and Towns. Minnesota’s perimeter defense suffocated the Nuggets as Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and crew were unable to manage any sort of offensive flow. While most people often associate great team defense with the quality of shot contests, Minnesota’s defensive dominance came as a direct result of their ball pressure.
During his 27-point performance, Edwards buried a three midway through the fourth quarter to give the Timberwolves a 23-point lead. After the shot went down, Edwards delivered a shrug that looked plenty familiar to NBA fans who know about Jordan’s iconic shrug during the 1992 NBA Finals.
But, despite Edwards’ offensive flash and ability to get a basket in the clutch, it was the defense that stole the show on Monday night.
In the halfcourt, the Timberwolves’ continue to relentlessly body up Jokic when he has the ball. Part of Minnesota’s bet is that their depth can outlast Denver’s. If the Timberwolves get into foul trouble, it will be at the expense of Jokic’s energy. It’s wild to see Jokic look – still very good – but human for the first time in three seasons. If Denver is to have any hope of getting back in this series, they’ll need Jokic to return to form as the all-world MVP player that fans have come to recognize.
Part of getting Jokic going will be getting Murray into a groove early. If Murray isn’t making shots or able to get into his space, the Timberwolves are better able to defend Jokic without having to worry about Joker being able to find the open man.
The Timberwolves coaching staff has nailed the scouting report on the Nuggets through two games. They have found flaws that other teams weren’t even aware existed.
Because of this, the Timberwolves are on the brink of history. Up 2-0 in back-to-back series for the first time in franchise history, Minnesota has a real shot to get back to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign.
Game 3 between the two teams takes place on Friday from Minnesota.
