Denver Battles Minnesota in Western Conference Semifinals
We have the first 2nd round matchup set and this should be a great series. The Denver Nuggets will battle the Minnesota Timberwolves for a chance to advance to the Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets took out the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Minnesota swept the Phoenix Suns to advance to the next round. Denver is trying to repeat as NBA champion and this series against the Wolves will be a tough one. The Minnesota series was the only one that was completely wrong. In my first round picks, the Suns were chosen to upset Minnesota. Anthony Edwards has arrived and he’s looking like the potential face of the league. Can Edwards continue to raise his game and lead this Wolves team and beat the defending champions? Will Denver continue to show why they’re the defending champs and advance to the Western Conference Finals?
Nikola Jokic will likely take home his third MVP crown in four years soon. We know he will get his and possibly average something near a triple double. The health of Jamal Murray is something to keep an eye on. Murray was questionable for Game 5 against the Lakers due to a calf strain. Murray played and he played well in Game 5, but could this be a lingering issue moving forward? Will the ongoing legal battles with his brothers affect Michael Porter Jr.? Last season, their depth was what helped propel Denver to the championship. Will this series show how much the Nuggets miss the likes of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green?
If Karl Anthony-Towns didn’t have knee surgery towards the end of the season the Wolves could’ve been the top seed. Anthony Edwards took the reigns and showed why he’s an MVP candidate. Rudy Gobert played great in the absence of Towns also and they finished a game behind the Nuggets and Thunder. Minnesota spent most of the season being near the top of the Western Conference. You could see in the Phoenix series the confidence of Edwards continued to grow. Denver will put multiple people at Edwards to make sure he doesn’t get hot. Rudy Gobert will have to show why he’s won Defensive Player of the Year multiple times while defending Jokic. Can the Wolves pull off the upset against the defending champions? Who will step up in this series against Denver?
Who Wins?
Denver are the defending champions, but they do have their share of flaws. Minnesota is a team on the rise and believe they pose the biggest threat to Denver. Jokic will get his and most likely, Jamal Murray will come up huge also. For Denver, they will need Aaron Gordon or Michael Porter Jr. to be the third scorer. The Nuggets have the best starting five in the league, but the Wolves have the better bench. Naz Reid is one of the best 6th men in the league and he will need to continue his great play in this series. Could the injury to Wolves Coach Chris Finch affect the team? This will be a great series and wouldn’t be surprised if it went seven games. In the end, it’s hard to pick against the Nuggets and I’m not going to. Denver Wins Series 4-3
