LaLover11 wrote:cupcakesnake wrote:LaLover11 wrote:Lakers matchup up better than the Wolves
If this is a joke this is a pretty good joke.
If you're being serious, it's still a pretty good joke.
I honestly do want to know why you think differently
Well I'd start with what we've seen from these matchups recently.
- LA just got its first win in 13 tries. They're 1-12 against Denver in that span.
- Minnesota has gone 4-4 in the regular season over the past 2 seasons. They played in them in the playoffs last year missing McDaniels, SloMo, and Naz, while also having Gobert and Towns playing through injury. That series went 4-1.
The Lakers are a team that likes to bludgeon you with size, and use that same size to protect the paint on defense (usually at the expense of 3s). The problem here is that the Nuggets are bigger than the Lakers so that defense doesn't bother them. The Nuggets are unusually cold from 3 this series, but otherwise, the Nuggets have been able to do what they want offensively.
The Timberwolves do have the size advantage over the Nuggets. Towns is the same size as Jokic, and Gobert is even bigger. While the Lakers have to experiment with Rui/Lebron bodying Jokic to activate AD's rim protection, the Wolves can keep a much bigger body on Jokic without needing waste Gobert on that. The Wolves also have much larger perimeter defenders to fluster the Nuggets guards. Just look at what the 6'10" Jaden McDaniels (and Ant and NAW) are doing to the Phoenix guards right now. Unlike the Lakers, the Wolves don't have big weak spots in the defense to attack. Against the Lakers, you can bank on D'Lo getting stuck on screens, and Austin Reaves having some quickness issues in certain matchups. The Wolves just have extra size and speed everywhere. Mike Conley is the only size matchup you can attack, and he's a clever little demon. Teams haven't found a way to attack Towns all season.
Defensively, Minnesota is simply one of the best defenses in the last 20 years. LA is an average defense.
Offensively, LA and Minnesota are around the same overall but with stylistic differences. Both teams want to bludgeon you with size (but the Wolves have better size). Both teams don't shoot a ton of 3s (but Minnesota shoots more 3s and shoots them better). LA has better possession management with Lebron. LA wins the free throw battle. Minnesota has more defense busting though because Ant can puncture the defense off the dribble, and Towns shooting threat really messes teams up.
Just think of little matchup things and how Minnesota is clearly better suited to guard them. Murray/Jokic pick & roll with Aaron Gordon in the dunker spot? Wolves have a 6'10" guy on Murray, and good luck throwing the duck in lob to Aaron Gordon because guess who's guarding him? Rudy Gobert. When these teams have matched up healthy, Minnesota is the only team that has been able to take them out of their comfort zone a bit and counter their favorite plays.
