“ There's no better team to face in the first round than a team you've struggled against all year. » To hear Karl-Anthony Townshis Wolves would almost be varnished to have to struggle with Suns to begin their playoff campaign.
An Arizona team which beat the Minnesota team three times, including twice in April, in as many confrontations. Which is not nothing because it is the only team in the league, with the… Bulls, that the Wolves have not beaten this season. But as Anthony Edwards says: “ They won three games in the regular season, the regular season is over. »
Things get serious for these two teams, with different dynamics (compared to last year) and styles of play, which could play off each other match after match and thus stretch the series.
PRESENTATION OF THE WOLVES
The holders: Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert
The replacements: Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kyle Anderson, Monte Morris, Jordan McLaughlin…
The coach: Chris Finch
From mid-November and almost continuously until the beginning of March, the Wolves occupied first place in the West, before having to let go in the final sprint. This demonstrates the consistency of a team which has never lost more than two games in a row this season.
The leaders can congratulate themselves on having focused – somewhat by force of circumstances due to contractual situations – on stability after a disappointing first year of experimentation, linked to the arrival of Rudy Gobert. The Wolves returned from the offseason with other intentions: to defend hard, to take inspiration from the Frenchman in this area and to display more offensive fluidity.
Result: Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, whose time in the infirmary was not too detrimental, were both selected for the All-Star Game, while their pivot is heading straight for a new trophy. best defender of the year. And that Naz Reid has established himself as one of the favorites for the title of best 6th man.
The strong point
– An iron defense. The Wolves have not lost the No. 1 spot in this register. With 108 points conceded on 100 possessions, Chris Finch's men display the best defense in the country. The defensive issue has been the common thread of the Wolves' season, like Anthony Edwards, under the influence of Rudy Gobert, who has continued to show progress on this side of the field. With Jaden McDaniels, the defensive specialist on the wings, Minnesota will have weapons to hinder the three scorers opposite.
The weak point
– Energy to channel. We remember the incident involving Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson, the problems with fouls and the frustration of the KAT, Jaden McDaniels who broke his hand while hitting a wall… So many events which shook the end of last season for the Wolves. “ We have a very emotional team, a lot of guys who can get lost in the game, with the referees, confidence level or otherwise, on and off the game. We have to put our ego, our mistakes aside and be able to go forward », Claims Mike Conley, the team's true stabilizer.
PRESENTATION OF THE SUNS
The holders: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkic
The replacements: Eric Gordon, Royce O'Neale, Josh Okogie, Drew Eubanks, Bol Bol…
The coach: Frank Vogel
Quite a different trajectory for the Suns who had to sacrifice reconstruction booster Chris Paul to get their hands on Bradley Beal. And set up a trio as frightening as it was improbable with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, recovered a few months earlier. Without a real leader, therefore, to run this ambitious machine on paper.
And the machine worked, rather well even considering the circumstances: the frequent visits to the infirmary of one or the other, in particular of the latest arrival, Bradley Beal. The three men were only able to play together for half a season, for a record of 26 victories and 15 defeats. But the most important thing is that the trio played 18 matches in a row together to finish the season (12v-6d).
The strong point
– Three formidable attackers. Some describe the Suns as the Wolves' potential nightmare. It must be said that with their three fiery attackers, who have the particularity of being very comfortable at mid-distance, Phoenix has a strike force undoubtedly unequaled in the league. When a tight end to the match presents itself, with an isolation game which imposes itself more naturally, Frank Vogel will be spoiled for choice, finding the hottest of the three. Durant, Booker and Beal showed enough intelligence during the season to step aside for the benefit of another.
This is particularly the case of the last mentioned that we have not heard complaining (unlike Eric Gordon for example) while his volume of shots and points has been considerably and logically reduced compared to his best individual years. in Washington. He has, at his side, two men who have the habit and experience of long runs in the playoffs, all the way to the NBA final.
The weak point
– Lack of experience and continuity. If this series were to be played solely on collective experience, there is a clear advantage to the Wolves. Because the Suns have seriously reduced their squad during their offseason to surround their trio. Despite this reset, the Suns found enough automatisms to flirt with 50 victories. Without, however, ever playing the leading roles in the West. In other words, the Suns advanced almost hidden, sometimes in spite of themselves. Because more than once this season, we saw Frank Vogel's men lack reaction, especially when they were physically pushed around, thus collapsing on multiple occasions in the fourth quarters. We imagine that Chris Finch and his staff took note of this.
THE KEY TO THE SERIES
– Size management. For Rudy Gobert, the Wolves must play big and use this size: “ It's one of our strengths. They want to play to their strength, we also have to play to ours and find ways to have an impact on them with our size. » Jusuf Nurkic alone will not be able to contain the racket opposite. We imagine Kevin Durant having to, as in the regular season, defend Karl-Anthony Towns. With the risk, if the Wolves push their interior to play in the post, that KD does not resist physically.
But the Suns will also have plenty of matchups to exploit. Already on the leader position, where Mike Conley could be exposed against a back stronger than him. Rudy Gobert, through defensive changes, will frequently find himself on a smaller and more mobile side. It will be interesting to see how the Suns try to involve him and create gaps for their shooters. The Wolves will also have to defend hard behind the arc, especially on Grayson Allen, the most skillful player in the league who could behave as an X factor, but also at mid-distance.
REGULAR SEASON
Phoenix 3-0
November 15: Phoenix – Minnesota (133-115)
April 5: Phoenix – Minnesota (97-87)
April 14: Minnesota – Phoenix (106-125)
VERDICT
Minnesota (4-3). While they do not have the favor of American forecasts, the Wolves proved throughout the season that they had turned a corner defensively and collectively. This series, facing a declared candidate for the title, can be the validation of the project launched with the large-scale transfer of Rudy Gobert. The Wolves may not have as much big-moment experience or individual talent up front, but their cohesion and consistency work in their favor, as does the home-field advantage and rotation players who showed much more guarantees.
DIARY
Game 1: Phoenix at Minnesota, Saturday April 20
Game 2: Phoenix at Minnesota, Tuesday April 23
Game 3: Minnesota at Phoenix, Friday April 26
Game 4: Minnesota at Phoenix, Sunday April 28
*Game 5: Phoenix at Minnesota, Tuesday April 30
*Game 6: Minnesota at Phoenix, Thursday, May 2
*Game 7: Phoenix at Minnesota, Saturday May 4
(* if necessary)
