(Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for HBO)
The Minnesota Timberwolves are bringing old-school basketball back.
They don’t take a lot of threes, they have plenty of size, and they play lockdown defense.
That formula has worked out perfectly for them, as they’re two wins away from making it to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in franchise history.
Moreover, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley believes they have one of the best defenses he’s ever seen.
Talking on NBA on TNT at halftime, he claimed that numbers don’t lie, and the numbers showed that even without Rudy Gobert, they had one of the best defensive performances in recent NBA history.
“We saw one of the best defensive teams I’ve ever seen. The stats don’t lie. … Even without Rudy, this is one of the best defensive teams I’ve ever seen.”
Chuck on Minnesota’s first-half defense pic.twitter.com/asPKDV1GNt
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 7, 2024
The Denver Nuggets finished the night with 80 points, and they couldn’t score more than 25 points in any quarter.
This is the fourth time in six playoff games that they’ve held their opponent to fewer than 100 points.
Anthony Edwards has made great strides on the defensive end of the floor, going from being a liability to playing lockdown defense against the opposition’s best player.
Also, just like Barkley pointed out, this team has plenty of length and size, with Mike Conley being their only ‘small’ guy playing heavy minutes.
Jaden McDaniels is an elite defensive player, and Karl-Anthony Towns has also improved as a defender, all while Rudy Gobert anchors the paint and Naz Reid keeps the grit and physicality on the court when he comes off the bench.
Offense wins games, but defense wins championships, and no one plays better defense than this team.
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