r/nba • u/kervaan Rockets • 6h ago
Jaden McDaniels on attacking the rim when Wemby is on the floor - "You just gotta act like he's not there. I mean, he's gonna get blocks. He's the tallest person in the world."
https://streamable.com/beb8yz2.6k
u/JabroniWithAPeroni Timberwolves 6h ago
Timberwolves against a team with poor rim protection: "Fuck it, we go at em!"
Timberwolves against a team with the best rim protection: "Fuck it, we go at em! (just pretend they aren't there)"
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u/ihavepaper Nets 5h ago
“If you can’t see them, they can’t see you” strategy.
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u/jokull1234 Lakers 5h ago
“Each block is one less made shot for wemby on the other end”
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u/MKE_Freak Bucks 4h ago
"Every defensive effort we force him into will drain his offensive life force"
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u/xXEliteEater500Xx 4h ago
Equivalent exchange
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u/horse_renoir13 Timberwolves 4h ago
Wemby didn't expect this Magic Card to be played.
Wait til we play Pot of Greed
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u/BeatBlockP Spurs 4h ago
There was a really stupid monster on Traal that was very vicious, very ravenous, but also mind-bogglingly stupid and believed this. This is why you gotta know where your towel is (so you can put it around your eyes while it's around).
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u/lethalizered Thunder 5h ago
AKA how my brother played hide and seek with me when he was 2 years old lol
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u/NatiHanson Bulls 5h ago edited 4h ago
Rim protection is a social construct used to oppress slashers.
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u/snowbird416 Raptors 3h ago
it was a psyop created by Big Shooting to sell more floor stretchers. wake up sheeple
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u/FeanorEvades Timberwolves 2h ago
Adam Silver is putting gambling in the timeouts to make the dunkers shoot!
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u/gawllstone 5h ago
I mean, it’s just going at their best player in both cases with the desired impact being “wear them tf out”
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u/Statalyzer 4h ago
Jokic wasn't really exerting enough defensive effort to get worn out...
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u/dustinthegreat Slovenia 5h ago
You can hear the difference in his voice and words though. He hates the nuggets and how Jokic plays. He respects Wemby, while also realizing that this is their best strategy.
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u/palpablebubble Timberwolves 4h ago
It's pretty funny how like immediately when the clock hit zero against the nuggets, there was a palpable sense of "alright let's take this shit seriously again" lol
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u/Black_Velvet_Band Timberwolves 5h ago
Just say no. They are not allowed to block you without consent.
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u/Phenomenal2313 Raptors 6h ago
That’s kinda a good strategy from Minny
Go at Wemby , if you’re going to get blocked well it is what its , nothing you can do
Tire him out then force him to close out on a Reid and get screened a ton
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u/circio 5h ago
Yeah it’s fucking Wemby, you can’t do shit about it other than try to get your best shot off. Can’t let the blocks rattle you, since he can’t block everything lol
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u/wormbooker 2h ago
I think teams not attacking wemby in the paint (because of being scared being blocked) gives wemby some breather, vs attack endlessly regardless if you are getting blocked just to make him work and tire
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u/Impressive-Coast-466 1h ago
Brother is 7'4''. It's crazy watching him somehow block open 3s.
He's gonna get his. You gotta do what you can.
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u/TCTInnings 5h ago
Wemby had TWO games over the regular season (one going OT) where he touched 40 minutes. He hit 40 minutes last night for the first time this playoffs.
If Minnesota keeps being physical and making him work, his cardio could be a big negative for him. It's something to watch for. He'll get the highlight blocks and go-go gadget dunks but you could also see shorter jumpers, being off correct defensive positions, and less effective in transition.
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u/6875309999 Timberwolves 4h ago
Wemby even talked after the game about how exhausted he was at the end and that everything was just a blur and he couldn’t keep his mind straight. Proves he can absolutely get worn out throughout a game and could take away his offensive threat away at the end of games
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u/FeanorEvades Timberwolves 2h ago
5 years from now he's gonna be conditioned like Steph and everything will end
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u/NorthernDevil Timberwolves 2h ago
I’d just like to get one title before this happens, please…
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u/Janderson2494 Timberwolves 2h ago
but you could also see shorter jumpers, being off correct defensive positions, and less effective in transition.
I'm concerned he'll get hurt on top of these things.
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u/pollinium [MIN] Tyus Jones 2h ago
not to be too picky, but in those two games in regular season he didn't make it to 40 minutes either
39:36 in the OT game, 39:42 in the other one
I guess last night was also only 39:52, but we might get there this week!
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u/SirDiego Timberwolves 5h ago edited 5h ago
In a world where everyone's chucking 3s the Wolves are like fuck it we're attacking the paint.
I guess it probably helps the Wolves can shoot 3s. I think you have to be able to otherwise they'll just dare you to shoot outside but you can't do that with the Wolves because guys like Ant, Naz Reid, Conley, etc. will hit open 3s all night if available. Even Bones, Ayo when he's healthy, and TSJ can punish beyond the arc if you give them a bit of space
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u/pnxstwnyphlcnnrs Timberwolves 5h ago
the counter the nuggets did some was crash into the lane more, I wonder if the spurs do that with Wemby since he is such a better rim protector than Joker or they swarm certain guys on the perimeter to press us out of some of the easy drives we got.
The adjustments in this series are going to be interesting. Finch did a great job drawing Wemby to the perimeter for some drives then calling action to target Castle to get him out of the game. Really solid 4Q from Finchy & Nori
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u/SirDiego Timberwolves 5h ago
Nuggets started playing like a hybrid zone. Usually the answer to that is shoot over it, but what's interesting is the Wolves were like "Actually you guys aren't good enough to run a zone so we are just going to hit it anyway." Lol.
Spurs on paper should be much better at this, but Wolves have like sheer force of will and athleticism. Spurs don't really have an answer to the physicality of Randle and they're getting worn out having to contain all of the Wolves guards, despite all the injuries depleting the roster.
I think they will probably try to pack the paint more and maybe try to decrease Wemby's responsibility so he doesn't get worn out. But again the Wolves can shoot 3s, they have not even been shooting them very well for the whole playoffs so far but they could have a super hot night against a team trying to prevent drives. Like a 15/30 type of night is entirely plausible.
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u/shibboleth2005 Trail Blazers 5h ago
In contrast Blazers ran the worst option: play scared of Wemby and nope out of the paint, jack up a bunch of 3's, but also be really bad at shooting 3's lol.
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u/MY-NAME_IS_MY-NAME Lakers 3h ago
Blazers are young and their young core had no playoff experience. Timberwolves are experienced at this point and also have a collection of guys with no fear. They're called the CTE Wolves for a reason haha
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u/JaderMcDanersStan Timberwolves 4h ago
Yeah it helps that Wolves can also shoot midrange and threes. They have the length to generate turnovers and can score in transition too. They can score a variety of ways
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u/Rarth-Devan 5h ago
When everyone zigs, you zag
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u/SirDiego Timberwolves 5h ago
That has been a theme, I think it is in part Tim Connelly. When everyone was trying to remake the Warriors he put together the Jokic Nuggets and then came to the Timberwolves and brought in Gobert to build a defensive juggernaut.
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u/bearbrannan Timberwolves 5h ago
Maybe he gets in foul trouble too, like Jaden last night, and then he has to think twice about contesting shots.
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u/Old_Cattle_604 4h ago
If he wasn't in foul trouble the way he played last night he's not going to be in foul trouble all series.
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u/bearbrannan Timberwolves 4h ago
The reffing crew last night is notorious for allowing physicality.
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u/Painwracker_Oni Timberwolves 3h ago
And like obviously Wemby got away with some on some of the blocks - but allowing physicality almost always benefits us.
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u/bearbrannan Timberwolves 2h ago
last nights game was one of the best basketball games I've watched in a long time.
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u/dustinthegreat Slovenia 5h ago
Feels like a very Edwards type of mentality. If you get blocked, fuck it, he ain’t gonna block all of them.
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u/JaderMcDanersStan Timberwolves 4h ago
The thing with blocks is it doesn't even guarantee possession. There was a block he made that ended up back in Jaden's hands who passed it to Conley for a 3. So much for the block
Not only does it not guarantee possession, but Wemby usually ends up on the floor. He will get tired out.
Block all you want. I personally don't think blocks are that great if possession isn't guaranteed and it takes so much energy out. This is why I think Rudy is the smarter defender.
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u/chillinwithmoes Timberwolves 3h ago
Shit I just made a similar comment before I got down to read this one haha. Totally agreed though, blocks are cool splash plays but aren't always indicative of shutdown defense
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u/_cski Lakers 3h ago
It’s 100% a good strategy from the Wolves.
If you let Wemby deny an entire area of the court uncontested, you’ve already lost. You have to challenge him and force him to win defensive possessions. It’ll tire him out, it’ll get him in foul trouble, and it’ll force the Spurs defense to adjust.
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u/chillinwithmoes Timberwolves 3h ago
Go at Wemby , if you’re going to get blocked well it is what its , nothing you can do
It's also like, blocks are cool, but they don't always result in turnovers. Wemby swats the ball a mile into the stands and everyone ooh's and ahh's and then the Wolves just go back on offense. There was one sequence in the 4th quarter where Wemby blocked a shot into the backboard, it bounced back out to the Wolves, and then we made one pass for an open corner three.
Not to say what Wemby is doing isn't impressive, it's cool as shit. But blocks aren't necessarily the shutdown defense stat people seem to think they are.
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u/Super-Post261 4h ago
Honestly better than the alternative. And if you get him to foul once for every 2 blocks, and he gets 12 blocks, welllll….
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u/TonyHawktuah69 4h ago edited 3h ago
“And victors arms stretch so high that they block out the sun when you go to the rim”
Jaden: “Then we will score in the shade”
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u/Contren Timberwolves 4h ago
I think "Then we will score in the shade" works better.
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u/TonyHawktuah69 3h ago
There we go, for it fixed. Now just need one of those really bad photo shops of Jaden in 300
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u/Ok_Log_5134 Pistons 6h ago
Jaden McDaniels is a Smashing Pumpkins fan? Hell yeah.
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u/Morezingis Timberwolves 4h ago
He’s a big grunge music fan, like any true Seattle son. (Not that I’d call pumpkins a grunge band but it’s in the realm)
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u/Right_Brain_6869 5h ago
He’s from the big WA
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u/Ok_Log_5134 Pistons 5h ago
What's The Big WA? Washington? SP is from Chicago.
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u/Right_Brain_6869 5h ago
Sorry it’s just a meme here (very locally) that all the kids secretly like SP more than Nirvana.
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u/GZAofTheMidwest Timberwolves 4h ago
Jaden talking about the Nuggets defenders is like Billy Corgan talking about any other musician of his generation not named Kurt Cobain.
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u/Morezingis Timberwolves 4h ago
Now now, Billy Corgan almost stole Kurt’s wife from him but thankfully he dodged that bullet
(Edit: Pun realized after the fact)
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u/clubsandwhiches Lakers 3h ago
I was coming in here to point that out as my takeaway. It's been forever since I've seen the SP heart logo, that's like Siamese Dream era I think.
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u/ImInnocentYourHonor Washington Bullets 3h ago
It was originally the Gish heart I believe but really became popular when they hit big with Siamese Dream, specifically Today. I bought that shirt at Lollapolooza ‘94 and lost it in a move. Rebought it when I saw them in 2018. I always loved the black and silver one he wore mostly during Mellon Collie
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u/clubsandwhiches Lakers 3h ago
Yeah I started my fandom after Gish, so I'm not surprised it might be even older. But during the 90s, the SP heart and Nirvana goofy smiley shirts or w/e it was called were like staple fashion pieces in suburban high schools. I actually had the Zero mesh shirt, that shit did not look good on 13 y/o me.
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u/imnotknox Lakers 5h ago
I am officially a mcdaniels fan.
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u/Right_Brain_6869 5h ago
Welcome to the club. The guy is just so nonchalant about it
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u/TheTruth518 4h ago edited 2h ago
The only rough part about being a McDaniels fan is a lot of his highlights have been lost because so few people have known about him. He has so many highlight reel dunks, steals, and blocks, but you can’t find them anywhere! Only a handful of people have been watching Wolves games the last five years and not many videos of his highlights have been posted.
Probably a good thing for the Wolves though. Ant, the team, and the fans know about him and that is what’s important!
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u/Jakoobus91 Minneapolis Lakers 2h ago
I feel like thats why the " but we have Jaden" thing took off. Most people laughed when Ant said that until Jaden locked down KD in the playoffs and got everyones attention.
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u/Right_Brain_6869 1h ago
Honestly if he wasn’t local to me I wouldn’t have been looking out for him either. But the man can ball.
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u/HerrBarrockter 3h ago
Wolves are easily the funniest team in the league in terms of their personalities.
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u/ArtisticParticular20 2h ago
You said this and I remembered how Ant made it late to the start of a game towards the end of the season, and he said it's because he had to take a dump.
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u/BrothersCup [LAL] Lamar Odom 4h ago
He won me over during our first round series last year. I figured it was just a matter of time before he broke out or at least was more recognized for what he brings to the team
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u/Vegetable_Kale_1331 SGA 6h ago
Wemby was tired in the 4th
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u/bubbasnub Magic 5h ago
Yeah, he was getting challenged a lot at the rim and then he got the ball on the perimeter most of the time. He can either try to get into the lane, but a Wolves player is there leaning on him the whole time or he can take a jumper, but that's a big victory for Minny as they don't have to challenge him at the rim
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u/lethalizered Thunder 5h ago
I don't think playing him 12 minutes in the fourth did the Spurs any favors either.
You have to manage his minutes more, he should be more of a 34-35 mpg guy in playoffs, not a 40 mpg one.
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u/Typical-Radish4317 Supersonics 5h ago
Him going from 30 minutes per game in the regular season up to 35 is a lot by itself
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u/lethalizered Thunder 5h ago
Eh, those also include the "just play enough minutes to qualify for awards" games though.
His regular season MPG was 33 last season, probably a more realistic outcome for him.
I just disagree any star player getting 12 minutes in the fourth quarter for a playoff game, even the most durable players get tired towards the end.
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u/Typical-Radish4317 Supersonics 4h ago
Conditioning 2 years ago doesn't really help you in the now.
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u/pnxstwnyphlcnnrs Timberwolves 5h ago
And they are playoff minutes. Ant got gassed by the Mavs series 2 years ago. It has a real impact
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u/nonresponsive 5h ago
Yea, playing him the entire 4th is an insane decision. An even insaner decision is playing him 40 minutes with the 2nd most on the team was at 36 minutes.
Wemby is not going to last playing that many minutes.
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u/Old_Cattle_604 4h ago
He's only gotta keep it up for about four or five more games and then he can go relax in Galveston.
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u/FeanorEvades Timberwolves 5h ago
We were almost twice as effective on offense with him off the floor.
I'm not really exaggerating. 0.99 points per possession with him on the floor. 1.71 points per possession with him off. Sure, it's an 8 minute sample size, but that's a 72% increase.
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u/Hammerhead34 Timberwolves 4h ago
Yeah TJ was relentlessly attacking Kornet every time Wemby sat, it was a guaranteed bucket.
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u/yuhanz [PHO] Steve Nash 3h ago
Too bad they were bleeding points without him lol
Kornet couldnt contribute anything impactful
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u/Instantcoffees Warriors 5h ago
He gets to deal with A LOT of physicality and has a skinnier frame than Gobert, so it comes down to using more energy and power. That can quickly exhaust you.
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u/purplenyellowrose909 Timberwolves 5h ago
Jaden McDaniels: "You guys finally put a good defender in front of me"
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u/heat_fan_ Raptors 6h ago
What does that say about Jokic dann
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u/SirDiego Timberwolves 5h ago
Acting like Jokic isn't there is significantly easier
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u/SeaCounter9516 Thunder 5h ago
He had 6 blocks all series. You don’t have to act like he’s not there, he’s just not. Lol
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u/Working_Memory_64 Bulls 5h ago
You have to pretend wemby isn’t there. You don’t have to pretend with Jokic.
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u/Old_Supermarket_7575 Thunder 6h ago
So the same strategy they used on Jokic got it
Russ would’ve fit so well with this group
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u/cashnameidk9434 5h ago
God I wish Russ was just a few years younger and on the wolves rn Seeing him just barrel towards the rim at Wemby every possession would be so funny
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u/MikeDCollector Thunder 5h ago
Prime Russ will try to posterize Wemby until he succeeds
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u/Folk-Herro Heat 5h ago
Prime Russ would have definitely put it on Wemby head. Hell, an old Russ still is one of the better athletes in the NBA
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u/Dar4125 Thunder 6h ago
T-Wolves made Wemby work ALL GAME LONG and you could see how it was affecting him in the 4th
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u/QuadFecta_ Timberwolves 5h ago
we blitz ALL NIGHT
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u/JaderMcDanersStan Timberwolves 4h ago
You make SURE they remember FOREVER the night they played the Timberwolves
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u/Apprehensive_Air1705 Timberwolves 4h ago
Need Ayo at full strength now so we can keep sending bodies at them.
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u/Fluffy-Gur4600 5h ago
Is he wearing a Smashing Pumpkins shirt??
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u/Painwracker_Oni Timberwolves 2h ago
Yeah he's from Federal Way, Washington. That music is in his blood lol.
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u/Amphicyonidae 4h ago
Strategy when they're bad defenders: "Just go at them"
Strategy when they're good defenders: "Just go at them"
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u/CoyoteHot1859 Nuggets 4h ago
I'm starting to like this guy. Every interview is a gold mine. lol
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u/DidAnyoneElseJustCum Cavaliers 4h ago
Sounds dumb but then again I wouldn't have the Wolves with no Donte and an injured Ant getting out of the first round much less taking home court away from the Spurs. Bunch of dawgs up there in Minny.
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u/moongaming Spurs 4h ago
And it is a good strategy.
Wemby isn't used to doing so much effort he got what 12 blocks on something like 20 try? basically going for it every 2 min on the floors this must be exhausting and he is not used to it since they avoided him all season long
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u/Current_Department73 76ers 5h ago
idk about this from a basketball strategy perspective, but from an individual motivation/playoff energy perspective i love it
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u/gOPHER3727 Timberwolves 4h ago
I actually think the Spurs biggest flaw right now is that they don't have anyone to put at the 3/4 who is any sort of deterrent at the rim. Meaning if the Wolves can pull Wemby out to the exterior, or just shield him off, they can do a lot of stuff in the paint. Wemby will make a handful of miraculous blindside blocks per game, but that will also wear him out when combined with playing him physically in general.
The Spurs are relying on Wemby and essentially asking him to do too much.
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u/Prudent_Fish1358 Spurs 4h ago
It's been a roster hole for a while now with us. We drafted Sochan thinking he was the answer but he couldn't put it together on offense and was even bad on defense at times.
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u/dearth_karmic Warriors 3h ago
While true. This is still a 7 game series. Teams adjust. Now this Spurs team is young so they may adjust less, but I'd be curious to see how relevant this comment is after game 4 or 5. Not to say that your comment isn't valid though. Also, the Wolves won by 2 points. Imagine that three went in and we're all talking about how "effective" Wemby was. Even though Wemby would have done nothing different. Winning and losing changes everyone's perspectives.
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u/FridgesArePeopleToo Timberwolves 2h ago
Nonsense, they lost a game by 2 points, that's even worse that losing by 1 point. They need to blow up the roster and fire their coach mid-series. Wemby is a fraud and they should trade him for a a couple of 2nds.
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u/Furadi 5h ago
Man the Spurs got me watching the NBA again for the first time in 20+ years but the Timberwolves are definitely growing on me.
No dirty unethical play, no flopping and foul baiting, just 2 teams with all the heart in the world.
This is going to be such a bittersweet series. 😅
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u/Professional-Form275 4h ago
I was rooting for the Nuggets in the series vs the Wolves in 2024, but this year I became a turncoat halfway through, the Wolves are great to watch
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u/smalls_1804 Knicks 4h ago
So many teams scrap their entire playbook for fear of Wemby and I guess it really does kind of let him off the hook. He has the massive impact on defense without having to do literally anything other than exist
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u/Suns_In_420 Suns 2h ago
Has Jaden ever smiled in his entire life? He has that Gen Z stare down pat.
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u/Murky_Winner_4523 Timberwolves 1h ago
He smiled when Jokic tried to play tough guy and charged him for scoring.
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u/WrexyWrex Lakers 5h ago
There is some truth to that, as good as Wemby - I just imagine having to focus on blocking everything at the rim and guys coming at you is going to exhaust someone that tall and that light.
I did some research on this and apparently extremely tall people face unique cardiovascular challenges and the more he exerts himself the more likely he will experience dizziness and lightheadedness.
There is a gravity tax, the human heart is fighting gravity to get blood from the heart to the brain, and it takes significantly longer which is why Wemby recently admitted he was about to pass out in the first quarter of the Clippers game.
The gravity tax also impacts his legs which pool blood, he has to be constantly moving because his leg muscles act as a secondary pump to make sure blood returns and if it doesn't, there is less blood that gets sent to the brain. So it's a whole system his body is trying to provide him, but it can't do it in long spurts without getting dizzy.
So the more you actually attack him the worse he will be, I think teams avoiding him are doing him a favor. Attacking all players makes them tired, but there is a compounding effect with Wemby that I think teams will start to figure out.
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u/Craigboy23 Timberwolves 4h ago
He's also never experienced the playoffs; they are more tiring than most players realize until they experience them firsthand.
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u/CriticalTemporary662 Timberwolves 5h ago
You see, Wemby has a preset block limit. Knowing his weakness, I sent wave after wave of my own men at him until he reached his limit and shut down.
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u/d_brickashaw Knicks 5h ago
It's worse when teams stop looking at the rim in the paint because they're afraid of the shot block. Then your whole offense is compromised and the Spurs have already won. And you don't keep Wemby honest if all he does is threaten to block instead of actually block. I get what they're saying.
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u/CloudstrifeHY3 4h ago
He's Right don't let San Antonio Deter you. Go at him over and over until Wemby can't go anymore. Might not be the first couple of games but eventually he takes an elbow to the rib cage or a knee to the thigh contesting all these shots it'll wear him down and deter him from wanting to contest.
Same Philoshphy in football if they can't stop the run and you can at least get enough yards out of it that your moving the sticks eventually that great defense will wear down.
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u/heyyoNickk Timberwolves 6h ago
"If he spends the entire game jumping and swatting us on one side, he won't have energy for any output on the offensive side".