2025 NBA PLAYOFFS West Semifinals: #6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs #7 Golden State Warriors (MIN leads 2-1)

[Capn'O]

It's kind of shocking to me how talented these young teams are yet how bad they are at overall game management and decisionmaking. Was it always this bad and I was just too young of a viewer to realize?

There were fewer of these super young combo teams when I was growing up.

Thinking of the LJ/Mourning Charlotte Hornets or early Shaq Magic. In both cases, yes. It took a few cracks for those players to break through.

[ArksNetsSince99]

Randle has been great down the stretch with his decision making. Really nice playoffs from him so far.

He’s been very un-Randlesque all playoffs. Playing great.

I'm telling you guys - he started off every year badly and ended every year playing like this. He's just been injured the past two playoffs.

So in retrospect would you prefer to Keep current Randle and Divo instead of KAT ?

That’s a serious question not a hate bite at Knicks

[Mk0]

Cool of Draymond to show up big tonight. He really needed to silence the haters.

[Statlanta]

Can’t believe I’m saying this but I feel bad for Jimmy man

Nah he forced himself onto a team running on fumes of a 37 year old 6"3" guard with a ton of miles.

He deserves this.

[cupcakesnake]

Playoff Jimmy can't win with these cats

Wolves can win without him though

[durden_tyler]

Can’t believe I’m saying this but I feel bad for Jimmy man

Nah he forced himself onto a team running on fumes of a 37 year old 6"3" guard with a ton of miles.

He deserves this.

Still a better decision the final years of his prime—- rot in Miami or play with a West contender?


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[Mamba Mentality]

lmao at Draymonds statline I didn’t realize it was that bad

[cupcakesnake]

He’s been very un-Randlesque all playoffs. Playing great.

I'm telling you guys - he started off every year badly and ended every year playing like this. He's just been injured the past two playoffs.

Randle's evolution into a more dynamic/less static player was happening that last season in New York for sure. In the middle of the season before he got hurt (after the OG trade) Randle was showing all the same stuff he's now showing with the Wolves.

Keep Randle moving towards the basket in your offense, and he can make good things happen. He's a really nice mix of rim pressure and playmaking.

[ArksNetsSince99]

Playoff Jimmy can't win with these cats

Wolves can win without him though

He was right at the time , whether you like it or not

[levon]

Can’t believe I’m saying this but I feel bad for Jimmy man

Nah he forced himself onto a team running on fumes of a 37 year old 6"3" guard with a ton of miles.

He deserves this.

Still a better decision the final years of his prime—- rot in Miami or play with a West contender?


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GS is not a realistic contender. If he stays in Miami they're likely in the second round now too. That being said, Miami did a really poor job building around him in the tail end of his prime.

[cupcakesnake]

Playoff Jimmy can't win with these cats

Wolves can win without him though

He was right at the time , whether you like it or not

Can you just let me enjoy the moment?

[ArksNetsSince99]

Nah he forced himself onto a team running on fumes of a 37 year old 6"3" guard with a ton of miles.

He deserves this.

Still a better decision the final years of his prime—- rot in Miami or play with a West contender?


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GS is not a realistic contender. If he stays in Miami they're likely in the second round now too. That being said, Miami did a really poor job building around him in the tail end of his prime.

You both forgot the main aspect , Ws is willing to pay him , Miami wasn’t

[Mk0]

Podz is so shameless
jfc dude..

[jkvonny]

Can’t believe I’m saying this but I feel bad for Jimmy man

Nah he forced himself onto a team running on fumes of a 37 year old 6"3" guard with a ton of miles.

He deserves this.

Still a better decision the final years of his prime—- rot in Miami or play with a West contender?


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He should've returned back to Minnesota!

[doogie_hauser]

Almost at the point declaring Ant to be the third best player in the world after Joker and SGA.

He talks the talk and walks the walk, like all the greats and legends of the game did in the playoffs.

Ant is not better than Giannis

Giannis hasn't won a playoff series in ages..

It's not all his fault obviously but he just doesn't seem to have much of an impact in the playoffs anymore. Just my own opinion. I am probably wrong and or maybe guilty of recency bias.

[ArksNetsSince99]

Wolves can win without him though

He was right at the time , whether you like it or not

Can you just let me enjoy the moment?

OK , sorry

[jokeboy86]

This is mostly to T-Wolves fans but what would Ant have to do to pass KG as best T-Wolf? I would assume to most T-Wolves fans he's passed Love a while ago and has passed or is on the brink of passing Towns very shortly. Obviously a ring would automatically do it but otherwise would it take an MVP or Finals appearance to pass KG or does he also need more time spent with the team. Also in defense of Garnett as far as team success other than '04 his teams were nowhere near as talented as the teams Edwards has played on.

[Capn'O]

He’s been very un-Randlesque all playoffs. Playing great.

I'm telling you guys - he started off every year badly and ended every year playing like this. He's just been injured the past two playoffs.

So in retrospect would you prefer to Keep current Randle and Divo instead of KAT ?

That’s a serious question not a hate bite at Knicks

It's complicated.


Short answer: I think the trade was good but I wish things could have gone differently with iHart.


Randle is a true power forward. He should not play center and needs to play next to a defensive center. I would have wanted to run it back with the full squad but when iHart left and Mitch's injury timetable was uncertain (also, he's a part time player now) we needed a guy who can play C _at all_. KAT can, even if he's not that defensive stopper. If iHart had stayed, my preference would have been no KAT. Just run it back healthy. But we didn't have that choice.

With iHart gone, I think you have to do that trade if you have the option. OG is really solid at PF so we had that position covered. Over the summer I was looking at guys like Goga Bitadze and your Day'Ron Sharpe who I think would have eaten half the C minutes adequately but there were a lot of half cocked options compared to iHart.

Then when you trade for KAT instead of looking at defensive C options, you change the identity of the team somewhat. We probably still have some tinkering to do or hope that a guy like Hukporti comes along. He looked really good around February but he got hurt.

[sp6r=underrated]

It's kind of shocking to me how talented these young teams are yet how bad they are at overall game management and decisionmaking. Was it always this bad and I was just too young of a viewer to realize?

There were fewer of these super young combo teams when I was growing up.

Thinking of the LJ/Mourning Charlotte Hornets or early Shaq Magic. In both cases, yes. It took a few cracks for those players to break through.

This is normal.

Shaq's teams were very shaky in the 90s. Shaq-Penny Magic got swept in 3 straight years, 2 of them as the higher seed. From 97-99 Shaq had some talented Lakers teams that went out 1-12 against the Jazz-Spurs.

Even the 1st year they won the title they still had some hiccups struggling to put Portland away in G5/G6 and almost getting knocked out in G7 before showing their championship mettle.

Early Duncan spurs struggled a lot in 01-02, quitting like dogs in WCF and then blowing 4th Quarter after 4th Quarter in 02.

The Thunder from had bad luck from 13-16 but from 2010-12 they made a lot of mistakes at the end of games. The history of the NBA is full of talented, young teams. Some figure it out, ala Shaq-Kobe and some never do.

[okboomer]

Playoff Jimmy can't win with these cats

Wolves can win without him though

Rofl, no one from that team is still on the Wolves .