(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
The Denver Nuggets won’t join the list of back-to-back champions, at least for the time being.
Their role players didn’t step up to the task in a close-out game, and while Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic were as good as per usual, that just wasn’t enough.
That’s why Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe believes their opponents deserve plenty of credit.
Talking on ESPN’s “First Take,” Sharpe praised the Minnesota Timberwolves for the way they played defense and took the role players out of the game.
.@ShannonSharpe gives the Wolves all the credit
“They won three games on the Nuggets’ home court. That’s the reigning defending champ with a three-time MVP on their roster.” pic.twitter.com/xJVZxEKj5o
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 20, 2024
But more than that, he also wanted to praise them because everybody showed up and did their jobs, with as many as six guys scoring in double-figures.
Playoff teams need to be deep; you can’t have just two or three guys to get the job done.
The Timberwolves have the reigning Sixth Man of the Year in Naz Reid, the Defensive Player of the Year in Rudy Gobert, and two of the most underrated players in the game in Mike Conley and Jaden McDaniels.
Karl-Anthony Towns, while inconsistent, has the scoring ability to be a major factor, and they have a legitimate superstar blossoming in Anthony Edwards.
The Timberwolves took the defending champions to seven games, winning three games on the road and in Denver’s altitude, and that’s no minor task.
They held them to just 37 points in the second half of a close-out game, and they should get all their flowers for punching their tickets to the Western Conference Finals after that epic performance.
The post Shannon Sharpe Says 1 NBA Playoff Team Deserves A Lot Of Credit appeared first on The Cold Wire.