2025 NBA PLAYOFFS West First Round: #3 LA Lakers vs #6 Minnesota Timberwolves (MIN leads 1-0)

[Movics]

Wonder why Silver gave Lakers two days off between games. Meanwhile 1st seed Thunder don’t have that luxury. Maybe to appease Lebron and give him more rest time? It does benefit him and his style of play, like how he benefited from the break and no travel time in 2020 en route to a bubble “championship”.

Yes, the bubble ONLY benefitted Bron and this longer break does NOT affect the Wolves positively.

[Bob8]

I brought many cogent basketball arguments. You chose not to listen and instead got passive aggressive and attacked my memory. That’s how you got banned.

I continue to talk basketball. I said you were wrong that Gobert got played off the floor in Game 1. 25 minutes and +14. Jackson Hayes played 8 minutes and was -11, Bob. Which center got played off the floor in Game 1, Bob?

You never responded, Bob. Now who doesn’t want to talk basketball, Bob?

Players of a team, who has won by 22 points, would by default have much better +/- than those, who have lost by 22. Or maybe you believe Gobert was with 2 points much better than Luka with 37 points?

Secondly +/- is about lineups not about individual players. Or you believe that Gobert was more important for the win that than Raz.

Gobert was not exactly game changer in game 1, he couldn't defend Luka in Q1 and he has played less than 2 bench players. Nobody expects Hayes to play big much in this series, he's a starter who plays far the least anyway.

So did Gobert get played off the floor? Yes or no? Gobert was +14 in 25 minutes.

Did Hayes get played off the floor? Yes or no? Hayes was -11 in 8 minutes.

Just Yes or No will suffice. You’re the one who said Gobert would get played off the floor. That’s why I’m asking Yes or No, simply.

AR was -25 and he still played 37 minutes. We all knew that Hayes is not going to play much in game 1, JJ wanted to play small ball against Wolves bigs and it didn't work out, because Wolves were able to stay honest on Luka and LeBron/AR incapable of making anything against Wolves D.

Raz has got a lot of Gobert minutes and Gobert has played 10 minutes less than in last playoffs, yes he was played off the floor. Raz was just that more impactful player in game 1.

But hey, if you believe his 2 points and 6 rebounds were crucial for Wolves winning, it's okay for me.

[thinktank]

Players of a team, who has won by 22 points, would by default have much better +/- than those, who have lost by 22. Or maybe you believe Gobert was with 2 points much better than Luka with 37 points?

Secondly +/- is about lineups not about individual players. Or you believe that Gobert was more important for the win that than Raz.

Gobert was not exactly game changer in game 1, he couldn't defend Luka in Q1 and he has played less than 2 bench players. Nobody expects Hayes to play big much in this series, he's a starter who plays far the least anyway.

So did Gobert get played off the floor? Yes or no? Gobert was +14 in 25 minutes.

Did Hayes get played off the floor? Yes or no? Hayes was -11 in 8 minutes.

Just Yes or No will suffice. You’re the one who said Gobert would get played off the floor. That’s why I’m asking Yes or No, simply.

AR was -25 and he still played 37 minutes. We all knew that Haynes is not going to play much in game 1, JJ wanted to play small ball against Wolves bigs and it didn't work out, because Wolves were able to stay honest on Luka and LeBron/AR incapable of making anything against Wolves D.

Raz has got a lot of Gobert minutes and Gobert has played 10 minutes less than in last playoffs, yes he was played off the floor. Raz was just that more impactful player in game 1.

But hey, if you believe his 2 points and 6 rebounds were crucial for Wolves winning, it's okay for me.

Who is Raz?

How can you expect to debate basketball well when you don’t even know the names of Wolves players?

Bob, Hayes got played off the floor and Gobert didn’t.

You’re welcome. Try to be at least a little objective.

Baby steps, Bob!

[Bob8]

That was the Mavs, a good team.

That's exactly the point, Mavs were a good team losing their first game in series by 22 points against OKC. What do you think were reactions after game 1? OKC in 4. Mavs are not good enough to have any chances. Okc are going to be in the Finals. They are just superior team, too athletic for Mavs doing anything. Sounds familiar? Even on Mavs board, Luka is fat, not conditioned enough, can't play D...

And then game 2 happened and everything changed.
Just maybe we should stop making big conclusions after game 1 and see, if Wolves D is really that good and they can shoot wide open 3s with 70+ %.

It is insane how definite people get after 1 game even though we've all been watching NBA basketball all our lives and have seen a million momentum shifts. I have my doubts about the Lakers abiity to defend, but I have no doubts the Lakers can and will play better on offense. This team is capable of putting up a 130 Ortg on any given night. They'll come back in game 2 with a plan of how to exploit how we're not sending help at Luka.

Lakers fans need to stop with the 3-point shooting luck thing. Yes, the Wolves could go cold, but when you're surrendering open 3s like that, you have to accept the consequences. It's not crazy for a team to hit 50% of their 3s when you leave every single 3 open or wide open. It's not a viable defensive strategy, it's just praying your opponent misses. If we were hitting contested threes like that, I'd understand Lakers fans calling it lucky.

Although I agree that Lakers left too many open shots, I still believe it was an outliner.

Wolves have 27 open 3s, shooting them 70+ %, Lakers have 21 open 3s, shooting them 47%. Shooting 70% open 3s doesn't happen very often. And when it happens, it's an guaranteed win.

[Jta444]

Wonder why Silver gave Lakers two days off between games. Meanwhile 1st seed Thunder don’t have that luxury. Maybe to appease Lebron and give him more rest time? It does benefit him and his style of play, like how he benefited from the break and no travel time in 2020 en route to a bubble “championship”.

Yes, the bubble ONLY benefitted Bron and this longer break does NOT affect the Wolves positively.

As I pointed out, the extra rest benefits Lebron’s style of play more because he is a fast-twitch player. He benefits from that extra rest time because he is not an endurance player, as we can see he easily gets tired he doesn’t even do closeouts on 3. He relies more on short speeds of burst.

So yea more rest in between games tailor Lebron more, he needs every bit of that rest because his conditioning is built for offense only. On defense he goes for highlight blocks that wows you but true fans and experts know he doesn’t play disciplined defense like closeouts, navigating screens smartly, correct reads. He is lazy and gets tired easily there. His IQ is more offense, on defense he isn’t good. Maybe he doesn’t try there because it’s not on the stat sheet. We know Lebron he is a stats player first and foremost.

[shrink]

Wonder why Silver gave Lakers two days off between games. Meanwhile 1st seed Thunder don’t have that luxury. Maybe to appease Lebron and give him more rest time? It does benefit him and his style of play, like how he benefited from the break and no travel time in 2020 en route to a bubble “championship”.

Yes, the bubble ONLY benefitted Bron and this longer break does NOT affect the Wolves positively.

Well, I agree it helps both teams, but I think it does help the Lakers more. Getting LeBron rest benefits his team more than getting Conley rest. And since Luka may need to play close to 48 minutes, an extra day of rest helps him too.

Plus the Wolves played eight players play 20-35 minutes. The Lakers played six guys, 25-40 minutes.

So while it benefits the Lakers, I’m not willing to call “conspiracy.” Any playoff game with the Lakers is a huge draw, so the NBA wants to maximize its revenues by playing them at the most profitable times. If this just happens to help the Lakers and extend the series, that’s more money in the NBA coffers when it’s time for the next tv deal.

[Movics]

Wonder why Silver gave Lakers two days off between games. Meanwhile 1st seed Thunder don’t have that luxury. Maybe to appease Lebron and give him more rest time? It does benefit him and his style of play, like how he benefited from the break and no travel time in 2020 en route to a bubble “championship”.

Yes, the bubble ONLY benefitted Bron and this longer break does NOT affect the Wolves positively.

As I pointed out, the extra rest benefits Lebron’s style of play more because he is a fast-twitch player. He benefits from that extra rest time because he is not an endurance player, as we can see he easily gets tired he doesn’t even do closeouts on 3. He relies more on short speeds of burst.

So yea more rest in between games tailor Lebron more, he needs every bit of that rest because his conditioning is built for offense only. On defense he goes for highlight blocks that wows you but true fans and experts know he doesn’t play disciplined defense like closeouts, navigating screens smartly, correct reads. He is lazy and gets tired easily there. His IQ is more offense, on defense he isn’t good. Maybe he doesn’t try there because it’s not on the stat sheet. We know Lebron he is a stats player first and foremost.

I can recommend a professional if you need any help. My dm is open

[Bob8]

So did Gobert get played off the floor? Yes or no? Gobert was +14 in 25 minutes.

Did Hayes get played off the floor? Yes or no? Hayes was -11 in 8 minutes.

Just Yes or No will suffice. You’re the one who said Gobert would get played off the floor. That’s why I’m asking Yes or No, simply.

AR was -25 and he still played 37 minutes. We all knew that Haynes is not going to play much in game 1, JJ wanted to play small ball against Wolves bigs and it didn't work out, because Wolves were able to stay honest on Luka and LeBron/AR incapable of making anything against Wolves D.

Raz has got a lot of Gobert minutes and Gobert has played 10 minutes less than in last playoffs, yes he was played off the floor. Raz was just that more impactful player in game 1.

But hey, if you believe his 2 points and 6 rebounds were crucial for Wolves winning, it's okay for me.

Who is Raz?

How can you expect to debate basketball well when you don’t even know the names of Wolves players?

Bob, Hayes got played off the floor and Gobert didn’t.

You’re welcome. Try to be at least a little objective.

Baby steps, Bob!

Yes, I made a mistake, it's Naz.

Hayes is total non factor in Lakers, he's on minimum contract. Gobert is 4x best defensive player, getting 44 mio. Expectations are not the same. 2 points and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes for 44 mio player is pretty bad.

I wonder what kind of a team would have Wolves had, if they didn't give that much for Gobert? Probably far the best in the West.

[AbeVigodaLive]

So did Gobert get played off the floor? Yes or no? Gobert was +14 in 25 minutes.

Did Hayes get played off the floor? Yes or no? Hayes was -11 in 8 minutes.

Just Yes or No will suffice. You’re the one who said Gobert would get played off the floor. That’s why I’m asking Yes or No, simply.

AR was -25 and he still played 37 minutes. We all knew that Haynes is not going to play much in game 1, JJ wanted to play small ball against Wolves bigs and it didn't work out, because Wolves were able to stay honest on Luka and LeBron/AR incapable of making anything against Wolves D.

Raz has got a lot of Gobert minutes and Gobert has played 10 minutes less than in last playoffs, yes he was played off the floor. Raz was just that more impactful player in game 1.

But hey, if you believe his 2 points and 6 rebounds were crucial for Wolves winning, it's okay for me.

Who is Raz?

How can you expect to debate basketball well when you don’t even know the names of Wolves players?

Bob, Hayes got played off the floor and Gobert didn’t.

You’re welcome. Try to be at least a little objective.

Baby steps, Bob!

"I don't need to watch anything about the Wolves" ...

[Jta444]

AR was -25 and he still played 37 minutes. We all knew that Haynes is not going to play much in game 1, JJ wanted to play small ball against Wolves bigs and it didn't work out, because Wolves were able to stay honest on Luka and LeBron/AR incapable of making anything against Wolves D.

Raz has got a lot of Gobert minutes and Gobert has played 10 minutes less than in last playoffs, yes he was played off the floor. Raz was just that more impactful player in game 1.

But hey, if you believe his 2 points and 6 rebounds were crucial for Wolves winning, it's okay for me.

Who is Raz?

How can you expect to debate basketball well when you don’t even know the names of Wolves players?

Bob, Hayes got played off the floor and Gobert didn’t.

You’re welcome. Try to be at least a little objective.

Baby steps, Bob!

Yes, I made a mistake, it's Naz.

Haynes is total non factor in Lakers, he's on minimum contract. Gobert is 4x best defensive player, getting 44 mio. Expectations are not the same. 2 points and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes for 44 mio player is pretty bad.

I always wonder what kind of a team would have Wolves had, if they didn't give that much for Gobert? Probably far the best in the West.

Who tf is Haynes? Sounds like a brand of boxers are those the boxers Lebron wears that you would love to sniff one day?

[TimberKat]

Yes, the bubble ONLY benefitted Bron and this longer break does NOT affect the Wolves positively.

As I pointed out, the extra rest benefits Lebron’s style of play more because he is a fast-twitch player. He benefits from that extra rest time because he is not an endurance player, as we can see he easily gets tired he doesn’t even do closeouts on 3. He relies more on short speeds of burst.

So yea more rest in between games tailor Lebron more, he needs every bit of that rest because his conditioning is built for offense only. On defense he goes for highlight blocks that wows you but true fans and experts know he doesn’t play disciplined defense like closeouts, navigating screens smartly, correct reads. He is lazy and gets tired easily there. His IQ is more offense, on defense he isn’t good. Maybe he doesn’t try there because it’s not on the stat sheet. We know Lebron he is a stats player first and foremost.

I can recommend a professional if you need any help. My dm is open

You also need to account for it's in LA, Wolves players aren't staying home for that extra day. Wolves would had been on the road for 5 or six days by the time they play.

[Bob8]

Who is Raz?

How can you expect to debate basketball well when you don’t even know the names of Wolves players?

Bob, Hayes got played off the floor and Gobert didn’t.

You’re welcome. Try to be at least a little objective.

Baby steps, Bob!

Yes, I made a mistake, it's Naz.

Haynes is total non factor in Lakers, he's on minimum contract. Gobert is 4x best defensive player, getting 44 mio. Expectations are not the same. 2 points and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes for 44 mio player is pretty bad.

I always wonder what kind of a team would have Wolves had, if they didn't give that much for Gobert? Probably far the best in the West.

Who tf is Haynes? Sounds like a brand of boxers are those the boxers Lebron wears that you would love to sniff one day?

My IPhone is correcting to Haynes.

Anyway it's enough for today, forum police is already counting posts.

[thinktank]

AR was -25 and he still played 37 minutes. We all knew that Haynes is not going to play much in game 1, JJ wanted to play small ball against Wolves bigs and it didn't work out, because Wolves were able to stay honest on Luka and LeBron/AR incapable of making anything against Wolves D.

Raz has got a lot of Gobert minutes and Gobert has played 10 minutes less than in last playoffs, yes he was played off the floor. Raz was just that more impactful player in game 1.

But hey, if you believe his 2 points and 6 rebounds were crucial for Wolves winning, it's okay for me.

Who is Raz?

How can you expect to debate basketball well when you don’t even know the names of Wolves players?

Bob, Hayes got played off the floor and Gobert didn’t.

You’re welcome. Try to be at least a little objective.

Baby steps, Bob!

"I don't need to watch anything about the Wolves" ...

If you don’t know last years’ 6MOY you don’t know NBA basketball. Period.

[thinktank]

AR was -25 and he still played 37 minutes. We all knew that Haynes is not going to play much in game 1, JJ wanted to play small ball against Wolves bigs and it didn't work out, because Wolves were able to stay honest on Luka and LeBron/AR incapable of making anything against Wolves D.

Raz has got a lot of Gobert minutes and Gobert has played 10 minutes less than in last playoffs, yes he was played off the floor. Raz was just that more impactful player in game 1.

But hey, if you believe his 2 points and 6 rebounds were crucial for Wolves winning, it's okay for me.

Who is Raz?

How can you expect to debate basketball well when you don’t even know the names of Wolves players?

Bob, Hayes got played off the floor and Gobert didn’t.

You’re welcome. Try to be at least a little objective.

Baby steps, Bob!

Yes, I made a mistake, it's Naz.

Hayes is total non factor in Lakers, he's on minimum contract. Gobert is 4x best defensive player, getting 44 mio. Expectations are not the same. 2 points and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes for 44 mio player is pretty bad.

I wonder what kind of a team would have Wolves had, if they didn't give that much for Gobert? Probably far the best in the West.

Just one of the mistakes you made. Let’s get you to realize some others.

Game 1:
Wolves win by exactly 22 points.
Gobert plays 24 minutes, exactly half the game.
Gobert is +14, 63% of the teams’ margin of victory.

And this is getting played off the floor to you?

How can you look yourself in the mirror in the morning with a straight face? You’re living in a dream-world!

In no way, shape, or form is that getting played off the court. None whatsoever.

Lakers lose by 22.
Hayes plays 8 minutes, 15% of the game.
Hayes is -11, exactly half the teams’ margin of loss.

THAT, is what getting played off the floor looks like.

Sounds like Lakers need a 44 million dollar center right about now!

[Upperclass]

Luka and Bron may just sit in the post game 2 and Gobert, Randle and Reid would likely have 3 fouls each going into halftime

[Tukkerwolf]

Luka and Bron may just sit in the post game 2 and Gobert, Randle and Reid will likely have 3 fouls each going into halftime

McDaniels is the key. And indeed I think he'll get into foul trouble quickly tomorrow and that will give Luka the opportunity to unleash LeBron and Reaves.

[Shaka_Zulu]

AR was -25 and he still played 37 minutes. We all knew that Haynes is not going to play much in game 1, JJ wanted to play small ball against Wolves bigs and it didn't work out, because Wolves were able to stay honest on Luka and LeBron/AR incapable of making anything against Wolves D.

Raz has got a lot of Gobert minutes and Gobert has played 10 minutes less than in last playoffs, yes he was played off the floor. Raz was just that more impactful player in game 1.

But hey, if you believe his 2 points and 6 rebounds were crucial for Wolves winning, it's okay for me.

Who is Raz?

How can you expect to debate basketball well when you don’t even know the names of Wolves players?

Bob, Hayes got played off the floor and Gobert didn’t.

You’re welcome. Try to be at least a little objective.

Baby steps, Bob!

"I don't need to watch anything about the Wolves" ...

He also keeps saying it like the Lakers lack of scoring ability vs Wolves game 1 with Bron, Reaves and others like its a total fluke. Just missed open shots. Like defensive ability, the length/athleticism advantage or schemes aren't repeatable.


Lakers have scored less then 100 pts 9 times this season.


3 of them was vs Wolves.



JJ Reddick has his homework cut out for him to gameplan against that.

[thinktank]

Who is Raz?

How can you expect to debate basketball well when you don’t even know the names of Wolves players?

Bob, Hayes got played off the floor and Gobert didn’t.

You’re welcome. Try to be at least a little objective.

Baby steps, Bob!

"I don't need to watch anything about the Wolves" ...

He also keeps saying it like the Lakers lack of scoring ability vs Wolves game 1 with Bron, Reaves and others like its a total fluke. Just missed open shots. Like defensive ability, the length/athleticism advantage or schemes aren't repeatable.


Lakers have scored less then 100 pts 9 times this season.


3 of them was vs Wolves.



JJ Reddick has his homework cut out for him to gameplan against that.

He doesn’t talk about defense at all. Zero.

[cupcakesnake]

That's exactly the point, Mavs were a good team losing their first game in series by 22 points against OKC. What do you think were reactions after game 1? OKC in 4. Mavs are not good enough to have any chances. Okc are going to be in the Finals. They are just superior team, too athletic for Mavs doing anything. Sounds familiar? Even on Mavs board, Luka is fat, not conditioned enough, can't play D...

And then game 2 happened and everything changed.
Just maybe we should stop making big conclusions after game 1 and see, if Wolves D is really that good and they can shoot wide open 3s with 70+ %.

It is insane how definite people get after 1 game even though we've all been watching NBA basketball all our lives and have seen a million momentum shifts. I have my doubts about the Lakers abiity to defend, but I have no doubts the Lakers can and will play better on offense. This team is capable of putting up a 130 Ortg on any given night. They'll come back in game 2 with a plan of how to exploit how we're not sending help at Luka.

Lakers fans need to stop with the 3-point shooting luck thing. Yes, the Wolves could go cold, but when you're surrendering open 3s like that, you have to accept the consequences. It's not crazy for a team to hit 50% of their 3s when you leave every single 3 open or wide open. It's not a viable defensive strategy, it's just praying your opponent misses. If we were hitting contested threes like that, I'd understand Lakers fans calling it lucky.

Although I agree that Lakers left too many open shots, I still believe it was an outliner.

Wolves have 27 open 3s, shooting them 70+ %, Lakers have 21 open 3s, shooting them 47%. Shooting 70% open 3s doesn't happen very often. And when it happens, it's an guaranteed win.

The Wolves can obviously shoot worse. I'm just saying: when your strategy is to give the other team open 3s, you have to live with the results as being part of your game plan. The Lakers packed the paint and got bombed to death. I've been saying this since before the series (including to you), that this is exactly the kind of thing the Lakers defense is vulnerable to. So yes, the Timberwolves could shoot worse on wide open shots, but pardon me if I roll my eyes a bit at the amount of Lakers fans on the internet trying to write this off as pure shooting luck. More than anyone else, the Lakers leave it up to the shooting luck gods whether they win or lose that day.

What's the 70% number by the way and where are you getting it from? I know a lot of people are reacting to Keith Smith tweeting about all the T-Wolves shot being open (27 wide open, 15 open), but I haven't seen that actual tracking data. I also usually find it surprising what tracking data at NBA.com usually classifies as open or wide open. Are you saying that on "wide open" shots, the Wolves hit 70%? Could you point me towards the data, I'm just curious in general and would like to know how to check on that in general. EDIT: nevermind, figured out how to do the math at NBA.com

[Bob8]

It is insane how definite people get after 1 game even though we've all been watching NBA basketball all our lives and have seen a million momentum shifts. I have my doubts about the Lakers abiity to defend, but I have no doubts the Lakers can and will play better on offense. This team is capable of putting up a 130 Ortg on any given night. They'll come back in game 2 with a plan of how to exploit how we're not sending help at Luka.

Lakers fans need to stop with the 3-point shooting luck thing. Yes, the Wolves could go cold, but when you're surrendering open 3s like that, you have to accept the consequences. It's not crazy for a team to hit 50% of their 3s when you leave every single 3 open or wide open. It's not a viable defensive strategy, it's just praying your opponent misses. If we were hitting contested threes like that, I'd understand Lakers fans calling it lucky.

Although I agree that Lakers left too many open shots, I still believe it was an outliner.

Wolves have 27 open 3s, shooting them 70+ %, Lakers have 21 open 3s, shooting them 47%. Shooting 70% open 3s doesn't happen very often. And when it happens, it's an guaranteed win.

The Wolves can obviously shoot worse. I'm just saying: when your strategy is to give the other team open 3s, you have to live with the results as being part of your game plan. The Lakers packed the paint and got bombed to death. I've been saying this since before the series (including to you), that this is exactly the kind of thing the Lakers defense is vulnerable to. So yes, the Timberwolves could shoot worse on wide open shots, but pardon me if I roll my eyes a bit at the amount of Lakers fans on the internet trying to write this off as pure shooting luck. More than anyone else, the Lakers leave it up to the shooting luck gods whether they win or lose that day.

What's the 70% number by the way and where are you getting it from? I know a lot of people are reacting to Keith Smith tweeting about all the T-Wolves shot being open (27 wide open, 15 open), but I haven't seen that actual tracking data. I also usually find it surprising what tracking data at NBA.com usually classifies as open or wide open. Are you saying that on "wide open" shots, the Wolves hit 70%? Could you point me towards the data, I'm just curious in general and would like to know how to check on that in general. EDIT: nevermind, figured out how to do the math at NBA.com

https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/shots-closest-defender-10

Number of wide open 3s made and % is really wild, no one even close to Wolves. Yes, Lakers have played with fire but nobody could have expected something like that. That's like playing against prime Steph and Klay.