Ant-agonizing the MVP! | Official Timberwolves (#6) vs. Thunder (#1) West Finals Thread

[Rigby.]

What’s so special about lob city and grit and grind grizzlies lol

Those the half a bar teams in his list and I think, compared to what the half a bar teams in this era, that's pretty crazy. You can really just compare those Grizzlies against the 8 seed Grizzlies this season. That team definitely outperformed this one, relative to the talent on both rosters.

I do think the league is by and wide deeper than it was in 2011-12, but the top teams make more sense back then. Houston's a 2 seed this year with no offense, no playmaker at PG, and didn't really have a go-to scorer coming into the playoffs. That's almost unheard of lol

 

[cartierhoe]

KD, westbrook and harden, and the Durant/Westbrook duo, were going up against Dirk, Kobe, Tim, Prime Bron/Wade/Bosh, and MVP/Unanimous era Steph. Not to mention battling the GnG grizzlies and the Lob City Clippers

What this OKC team is going through, isn't even in the same stratosphere

I mean it’s a nuanced discussion on both sides. Those OKC teams relative to the rest of the league were still an elite team. As flawed as they were looking back they were a constant juggernaut when healthy and made deep runs. Though I agree this OKC team hasn’t faced the talent those old OKC teams faced, but this is still just their 2nd playoff run together with this core. We just gotta give it time, but I don’t like to do the era comparisons anyway.

 

[Jplaya2023]

Ant needs to attack the pick and roll instead of settling for all those 3. Rudy is useless, he cant guard anyone on the floor and he cant even blx out or post up caruso. Randle has regressed. Minnesota needs to go small with Nas at the 5 and go from there

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

I know everyone rightfully giving Ant a hard time but OKC top 3 of SGA/JDub/Chet have severely outplayed Ant/Randle/Rudy. I still think Ant played fine and im not blaming him. In a playoff game against the best team in the league you can't have 20+ turnovers and give up 20+ offensive rebounds. Good teams are going to take advantage of those extra opportunities and good teams are going to limit those for the opponent. OKC just elite at taking advantage. Wolves were withing 5-9 points basically all night because any little push the wolves would make OKc would answer with offense or defense. This feels like a game the Wolves should have won but they didn't value possessions enough

Ant is still that dude, and anyone trying to center the scrutiny around what he did or didn't do can't see the forest for the trees. It's difficult for him being the only one who can consistently create his own shot on the team, especially with no playmakers to set him up.

But we about to have a discussion around Julius real soon, my bro.

 

[AVXL]

I still believe the knicks can come back and win the series, but I definitely feel like pacers will beat okc

Breh you crazy as hell. Nobody left is beating OKC 4 outta 7, nobody

 

[Loose]

The funny thing is, replace Julius with KAT and Minny probably wins this game.

But thry lose donte who was huge this game.

 

[Big Boss]

 

[Oldschooler]

He missed 3s he should make but beyond that I'm not gone front him too much. He played coy as hell but they loaded up to stop him and Dort out there basically getting away with playing football.

He shoulda made his shots though. That being said Randle was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy worse. by a considerable margin.

They loaded on Ant he played decoy the first half. You expect a player of his caliber to go at the rim hard and get fouled. He needed to be more aggressive. The criticism was correct that he looked gassed out there. Its inexcusable on a crucial game 2. If you're the main man you gotta go down swinging can't be pulling a Jalen Green out here.

 

[ROFL_GUY]

I’m not talking about career accomplishments I’m talking about the skillset Kobe had at that age

Kobe avg 40 vs Duncan spurs @21 wcf

 

[Loose]

If Wade is getting the same whistle SGA does in that series, dude would've had 25 a night...not to mention the absolute peak of LeBron's career. Dort is too short and Cason is too light.

Bosh against Holmgren would've been interesting though. The spacing advantage Bosh had back then doesn't really exist nowadays

Dub would do fine on LeBron bron is bron, heat doesn't have enough personel to defend this team. That team was good for its time but they'd lose. They also didn't really shoot 3s we'd defend them well

 

[Don Homer]

What’s so special about lob city and grit and grind grizzlies lol

Seeing as how the Grizzlies during that era were holding teams to under 90ppg for an entire season and postseason on average, i'd say they were pretty special.

Lob City had a confirmed HOFer in Chris Paul and Prime Blake Griffin (who was an MVP candidate behind KD and Bron)


So again, KD/Westbrook and Harden when he was there were usually playing, confirmed HOFers or MVP candidates, or insanely tough defensive teams JUST TO GET OUT THE WEST. And if they were to do that, they'd see Prime Bron with 2 more HOFers by his side


This year, OKC played the last remnants of the 2020's bytch n Whine Grizzles, Jokic (the only guy to take OKC to 7 games so far) and AntMan and Randle. And as u can see, this series is basically done. and when they get out the west, they're gonna see either Brunson or Haliburton

and we don't know if those 2 will be HOFers

 

[The God Poster]

I’m not talking about career accomplishments I’m talking about the skillset Kobe had at that age

The mark of a great player is improving. Ant has elevated his 3pt shooting so I have faith he’ll put the work in on the rest of his game.

On the flip I thought Giannis was on a trajectory after his championship to being an above avg ft shooter(due to his work ethic)

I was way off lol

 

[qnsfinest]

Breh you crazy as hell. Nobody left is beating OKC 4 outta 7, nobody

You really believe okc has been playing at a godly level that they can’t be beaten in the finals?

 

[Crude]

Jalen Williams gives me those token Black guy at a mostly White school vibes.

 

[BrehWyatt]

Ranlde was 1-7 with 5pts

And yall saying this is all on Ant. fukk outta here

Randle shat the bed too, but the best player on the team is supposed to show up regardless. That's how somebody earns the crown folks have been trying to hand him for a year and a half. Minnesota might have won this game if Ant made it a point to get just ONE OR TWO buckets in the first quarter.

Kudos to him for trying to make the right play and not get in the way of the bench's best effort of this series but at the end of the day, SGA's cousin led the Timberwolves in a game that, if they lost, would all but end their season. Think about that.

Welp, on to game 5.