The Minnesota Timberwolves have sent a serious statement so far in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
After dispatching Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns in the first round, Minnesota has dominated the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets so far and leads their series 2-0.
While Anthony Edwards has been playing lights-out and leading an effective Timberwolves offense, their defense has truly tamped down some of the best players in the game.
ESPN NBA analyst Chiney Ogwumike thinks Minnesota’s defense isn’t just good. It’s the best in the league.
“This is the best defense in the NBA,” Ogwumike said Tuesday on NBA Today. “The D stands for dawgs. They’re led by Anthony Edwards from Georgia and we know about them dawgs. Them dawgs are different. They had 12 blocks and also 10 steals. They had a defensive double-double as a unit.
Ogwumike then highlighted a play from Game 2 in which the T’Wolves defense was able to stymy Nikola Jokić and disrupt his shooting, leading to a bad Nuggets offensive possession.
“For those who say the NBA is about scoring, they are rewriting the script. They’re winning by peaking offensively but more so holding things down defensively. This is the defending champs that they’re doing this [to]. They’re doing this without the guy who’s likely to win Defensive Player of the Year [in Rudy Gobert].”
Indeed if Minnesota continues to play this way, that defense could very well lead them all the way to the NBA Finals.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.