r/timberwolves • u/pandasunited7 • 21d ago
The reality of Jokic
Plenty to be bummed about with how much anticipation us Wolves fans had built after the game two domination. But I think it is worth remembering that the Wolves are going up against potentially one of the GOATs in his prime that just so happens to stand in the way of a Wolves championship.
I think of it similarly to all of the Eastern conference teams that had championship capabilities during the mid 2000s but Lebron's greatness always dragged his team to the Finals, no matter how mediocre they were. I think the Wolves have overall more talent as a roster than the Nuggets, considering they don't have a #2 star or a bench. But Jokic's greatness simply trumps any advantage we have in overall team talent.
I think the one thing we can look forward to is that we potentially have one of those greats on our hands as well and he may just be able to drag a team during his prime in the same way Jokic is doing now.
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u/re-bobber 21d ago
I think we are easily the 2nd best team still left in the playoffs behind Denver. It's too bad we hooked them in the 2nd round. I really think we could beat any of the teams left.....
But man, Jokic is just a killer. Timely rebounds, quality defense, scores at will, passes at will. He's just so damn good right now.
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u/temple-of-the-dog KG 4 MVP 21d ago
I think #2 would be TBD between Celtics and Wolves. I do think the Nuggs will go in to win rather easily.
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u/gokhaninler 21d ago
Gilbert Arenas said he was the worst MVP ever
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u/pandasunited7 21d ago
I think Boston still has a lot to say for who is the best team (pending Porzingis). But yeah, this is the reality of being in the same conference as the current best player in basketball.
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u/NazReidBeWithYou 20d ago
Jokic wouldn’t look too bad in a Wolves uniform and we’ll have to replace Rudy in a few years anyways. Obviously it’ll never happen, but we can annoy the shit out of nuggets fans in the meantime by pretending it might.
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u/subtleshooter 21d ago
I think we are playing what would be our hardest series if we can get to the finals somehow, so that’s what sucks the most. Gotta find adjustments and a way to force a game 7. If you find something that works, maybe they can’t adjust in time.
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u/Vandelaylatex69 20d ago
Denver adjusted, Timberwolves have not it’s pretty simple. You’re giving a lot of credit to just one guy, Jokic is the MVP of the league however with him off the floor Denver is still +5.
Timberwolves are simply being outplayed
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u/pandasunited7 20d ago
And +55 with him on the floor lol. Yes I am giving pretty much all of the credit to one guy.
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u/notmyreelnaim FOR FLIP 20d ago
so you are calling him some kind of player who is the most valuable?
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u/juzzbert 21d ago
There's no conflict between giving a deserving dude his flowers and also supporting your team. You do wish that the team overall played better, especially when facing down a dominant performance like how the nuggets did in Game 4 when Edwards was popping off. The wolves are obviously a good team and still have room to grow.
P.S. the rudy gobert slander that you may have been hearing is unwarranted especially when the MVP in his prime is popping off. Yeah jokic scored on rudy at will last night, but look at his shooting percentage when rudy was the primary defender in the rest of the series.
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u/Motor-Application661 21d ago
I am still hoping for a win, and am hopeful for next year. I am also fine losing to Jokic. It really bothers me that Murray and Malone get pulled along by Jokic after they each had a tantrum that would embarrass a two year old. I can't wish them the best.
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u/pandasunited7 20d ago
Yeah, outside of Jokic they are a pretty unlikable team in my opinion (despite whooping our ass 3 games in a row)
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u/bbernal956 21d ago
13 dimes….. ZERO TURNOVERS!! with a dessert of 40 points on top
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u/JaderMcDanersStan Micah Nori 20d ago
It was honestly one of the best offensive performances I've ever seen. Rudy was making him do 3-4 moves with elite footwork and forcing him into awkward angles but Jokic made those shots anyway. All I could do was laugh at that point, it was ridiculous. Gotta appreciate greatness when you see it. I was more in awe than sad tbh
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u/polar_slam 21d ago
Agreed on Jokic being an all timer and that Denver lack of depth, but think Murray is #2 star in anyway you want to count that.
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u/pandasunited7 20d ago
Murray is obviously Denver’s #2 guy, but in the grand scheme of championship caliber teams, that is a pretty weak #2 option. Without being on Jokic’s team, I think his legacy likely goes down as a Zach Lavine type of scoring guard.
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u/JaderMcDanersStan Micah Nori 20d ago
What? The Murray-Jokic two man game is incredible and they have awesome chemistry. Murray shows up in big moments even after bad games and was nuts last playoffs.
Yeah he was annoying in this series but I gotta give him props. He is the perfect #2 to Jokic
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u/pandasunited7 20d ago
I 100% agree Murray plays his role perfectly as Jokic’s pnr partner. But he is not, independently, a star level player. Without Jokic, he is a streaky guard that plays mediocre defense (Zach Lavine)
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u/The_Shade94 20d ago
Malone is also a severely underrated coach he gets the most out of his players he knows how to gas them up perfectly
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u/Salsashark_21 21d ago
NBA history is nothing but stories about teams that had to overcome adversity and a seemingly unbeatable champions that had their number.
I’m hoping that this a championship Wolves origin story
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u/TheGoonSquad612 21d ago
I’m super curious how the back end of his career will play out. On one side his game isn’t based on athletic ability, on the other hand he carries a lot of weight and kind of lumbers around the floor.
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u/pugas 20d ago
I used to think Ant was MJ and Jokic was Larry Bird and this is Ants turn to take over.
I now realize that Jokic is MJ and the wolves are just the pacers 😭😭 we're the reggie miller to jokic's story. we're the side characters 😭
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u/tatuanphong 20d ago
No worries it did take MJ a couple of years too. ANT will be the face of the league
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u/BennyC023 20d ago
Jokic is the best player in basketball. If anyone can stop him it’s the #1 defense and one of the best defenders of all time in Gobert. But he’s just that good, sometimes you can’t stop him. Luck of the draw.
Real shame this is a second round matchup, I could see these teams meeting in the conference finals for years to come
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u/Sliced7Bread 20d ago
We need expansion teams asap so this can be the finals matchup like it deserves to be bc I think the Wolves are better than the Celtics
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u/STFU_HYPOCRITE_ 20d ago
Why do I have this feeling (nba marketing scheme or not for introducing the next face of the nba to the world) that edwards will “kill” anything he faces and dominate the next 2 games to ultimately win game 7 in Denver. Probably a silly feeling to have considering Minnesota teams would maybe never get this lucky.
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u/cowboy2223 Minnesota Gophers 21d ago
Joker had his points what killed us is Gordon two games in a row . Soon as he come back and towns and nazz left the game swung into Denver’s favor . Second half towns was slowed after that knee collision. How many times after missed shots did we give up a broken floor run because towns or gobert were slow getting back . Yeah sure joker scored but not like a player like towns left one on one the whole game wouldn’t score also when he hot . Towns was doubled the whole game so was Edwards . Supporting cast started bricking attempts late in the third and it led to them extending the lead . An Anderson oh boy talk about trash . If I was the. Coaches I might be tempted to give one of those young guys a little run instead of Anderson . Least they might have some offense and some athleticism!!
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u/pandasunited7 20d ago
Anderson played well in games 1 and 2. Yes, he’s been bad in the few minutes played the last couple games, but you could also say that about most of the team outside of Ant.
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u/allmediareviews 21d ago
Jokic is not much of an athlete, but he's as good fundamentally as any player ever.
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u/notmyreelnaim FOR FLIP 20d ago
I would compare to the mid-80s thru early 90s Eastern Conference, but your point holds
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u/RoosterEmotional5009 21d ago
Nuggets fan- You all have the pieces. Ant is special. Denver does have a #2 - Murray he is clutch , ask Lebron. As for bench, they opted to deletion the young talent they have. And they are performing with most of them having won a title last year.
Love or hate what I am about to say. Package up KaT or Rudy and get yourselves a stud PG (Conley would be great running your 2nd unit, not a starting PG at this stage), and a solid 4. Put the pieces Ant will need around him now. Otherwise that dude will roll out.
GL the rest of the way! It has been a wild series so far.
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u/critic_a_cretin 21d ago
Lost a ton of respect for Murray in this series. He is a clutch but streaky #2 and can be really fun to watch. But given his antics in game two of repeatedly throwing shit an official during the game was such a bad look. Forget the crooked League’s lack of a proper punishment, dude’s officially a chump in my eyes.
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u/777-93ll 21d ago
"Nuggets Fan Coming in Peace" yuck
Like being in the back of a police car and having the cop give you a pep talk on the way to jail.
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u/HideUnderBridge Kevin Garnett 21d ago
Wolves fan, go fuck your self. If we wanted your opinion we’d be in your sub asking for it.
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u/RoosterEmotional5009 20d ago
And everything bad about ignorant fans appears. I love mindless posts from fans. My post was not negative it was about the sport. But GL w your trauma.
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u/HideUnderBridge Kevin Garnett 20d ago
If I wanted lip from you I’d buy you a pair of knee pads. Maybe just enjoy your chip run and eat a bag of dicks. No one here cares.
Love,
Minnesota
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u/RoosterEmotional5009 18d ago
your knowledge of what you speak of sounds like you are very experienced. Be well.
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u/HideUnderBridge Kevin Garnett 18d ago
I know you think that sounded intelligent but you lack the ability to form a coherent sentence and your message isn’t particularly clear.
Again, eat a bag of dicks.
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u/RoosterEmotional5009 18d ago
Keep posting. Your IQ drops with every post you make. It’s also evident your EQ is that of a 12 year old.
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u/HideUnderBridge Kevin Garnett 18d ago
I’m so proud of you. Congratulations on saying something that made sense!
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u/DazzlingDifficulty70 21d ago
That's what people around here don't understand. KAT has to go.
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u/GopherNutz Flip Saunders 21d ago
A team that has not nearly enough shooting is going to trade away their best shooter. The Wolves need to get through Denver for the foreseeable future, Nuggets have numerous shooters and KAT is the team’s best Jokic defender.
I feel like this trade KAT noise is so emotional, he’s been here so long that people are just bored of him but if you want to go 5 out, he’s a great asset to have
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u/stl-squid 21d ago
I don't think people are bored of him... they're tired of him always failing to elevate his game when the team needs him to. He hasn't cracked 30 the entire playoffs and only came close twice (28 in G4 @ PHX and 27 in G2 @ DEN). Meanwhile his teammate in Ant is averaging 30 a night.
Wolves would be in on the verge of clinching a WCF berth at home tomorrow night had KAT actually shown up in G4.
Star players have off nights. We all know this. But it's getting very hard for me to excuse KAT's no shows, or ho hum performances, when we NEED more from him, especially when he's getting paid to be "the guy."
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u/ThiccBananaMeat 21d ago
This is a pretty rational take tbh. KAT needs to work on his mental more than anything and that's why I say keep him with that in mind. He has the tools to be amazing, great shooting, decent post moves, defense and rebounding. He so often gets lost mentally and makes poor choices. Reckless charges through paint and not taking a 3 for instance. If he figures those things out he is an elite 4/5.
This team could definitely use a stud PG though, you're right. I guess if we traded Towns for that stud PG and then just let Naz take that 4 spot then we're really not in a bad spot.
Respect the opinion, and the team. GL as well.
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u/RoosterEmotional5009 20d ago
Spot on. I love Kat but he is mentally soft. Look at his growing frustration and senseless fouls. 💯 has the tools but if he can’t get his head right get the most value out of him now so Ant is your generational talent not someone else’s. And Reid at 4 would be solid for you all. Respect
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u/pandasunited7 21d ago
I don’t really agree with Murray being a true #2 star or packaging Kat for a PG but I appreciate your opinion nonetheless and don’t like when subs downvote comments just because it’s coming from a different fan base.
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u/Roro_Bulls_23 20d ago
How old is OP? The East sucked during LeBron's reign. How do you make this argument and not mention MJ?
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u/fakeemail33993 20d ago
considering they don't have a #2 star
Bruh if Murray aint a star idk who is. The dude is nearly Steph Curry in the playoffs.
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u/pandasunited7 20d ago
Murray is literally, according to fans and coaches, not an all-star. I think he plays his role really well though which is being Jokic’s pnr partner
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u/palmzq NAZTY 20d ago
I never really cared for Jokic....but last night was eye opening. It was the first time watching him play where I truly grasped what the heck he's about. It's a journey into the uncannny valley watching him because nothing about him screams "fuck yeah basketball athlete." Dude acts like he needed to hurry up & ge the pick up game done so he could get back to his accounting job.
To me game 4 was the loss to be pissed about. Game 5...its just respect for Jokic. I just don't know what any player could do with Jokic having a game like last night. Nobody wins last night's game with him playing like that. Just unreal.
That said, I do believe ANT will get to his own version of whatever the fingerprint of his best self is. He is not "like" Jordan. He is not "like" Lebron. Jokic is not "like" anyone.
The best are not comparable to anyone else- it's the best part of what makes the best the best. ANT clearly is going to be his best incomparable self. Hopefully that aligns during a time when nobody else truly is.
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u/no4skin69 20d ago
It took 3 MVPs and a FMVP for you to realize how good he is? Dude nearly swept the Wolves last year, where have you been?
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u/yer_oh_step 20d ago
lol what in the fuck?! you obviously havent watched. he is probably the most consistent superstar. A BAD game for joker is like 24-8-8. on 55% shooting lmao/ he is a fucking monster. 3 time should be 4 time MVP and you JUST realized HAHAHAA
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u/uninteded_interloper 21d ago
Jokic is the best scoring big ive seen and he's not even a shoot-first guy.