J-Speaks; 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview: Celtics Versus Cavaliers

 

(1)   Boston Celtics versus (4) Cleveland Cavaliers
         (64-18)                                 (48-34)

Season Series: Celtics Won 2-1
Playoff History: BOS def CLE 4-2 1976 Eastern Conference Finals
                            BOS def CLE 3-1 1985 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
                            CLE def BOS 4-3 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals
                            BOS def CLE 4-3 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals
                            BOS def CLE 4-2 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals
                            CLE def BOS 4-0 2015 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
                            CLE def BOS 4-1 2017 Eastern Conference Finals
                            CLE def BOS 4-3 2018 Eastern Conference Finals

In order to reach the mountain top of any sport, which is winning that respective sport’s championship, you more often than not have to go through a certain opponent in order to get there. That has certainly been the case when the boys from “Beantown,” who have 17 NBA titles to their credit, tied with the arch-rivals from “Hollywood” for the most in NBA history and the boys from “The Land,” whose lone NBA title came in spring of 2016. The two squads face off again with the boys from “Beantown,” trying to get one step closer to competing for championship banner No. 18, while the boys from “The Land” are trying to build on winning their first postseason series without a certain four-time Kia MVP on the roster in nearly three decades.

For the Boston Celtics, they entered the 2024 NBA Playoffs as the prohibitive favorite to win it all based on their league-leading 64 wins and how they dominated not just the Eastern Conference but the entire National Basketball Association (NBA).

While they got a scare in Game 2 of their opening-round series against the No. 8 Seeded Miami Heat, falling 111-101 Apr. 24, 2024 (TNT) after winning Game 1 in 114-94 (ABC) three days earlier, the Celtics dominated the Heat the next three games, winning by 20 (104-84) Apr. 27, 2024 (TNT) and by 14 (102-88) Apr. 29, 2024 (TNT) in Games 3 and 4 on the Heat’s home turf. They closed the door on the Heat’s season with a 118-84 triumph to start May (TNT).

Headlining head coach Joe Mazzulla’s squad is the perennial All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who were magnificent in the opening-round versus the Heat, who crushed their championship dreams in the 2023 East Finals in seven games, where they dropped the first three games of the series, including the first two at home.

Tatum in the First-Round versus the Heat, registered a double-double in four of the five games, averaging 21.8 points and 10.4 rebounds with 5.4 assists, overcoming a rough shooting series, connecting on 41.6 percent from the field and just 29 percent from three-point range.

Brown was solid leading the Celtics in scoring versus the Heat with 22.8 points and seven boards on 52.2 percent from the floor but just 32.2 percent from three.

One Celtic that really emerged in the First-Round versus the Heat was six-year pro Derrick White, who went from averaging career-highs of 15.2 points on 46.1 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from three in the regular season to averaging 22.4 points on 57.7 percent from the floor and 47.7 percent from three.

White was especially remarkable the final two games of the opening-round where he scored an overall career-high of 38 points with three block shots on 15/26 from the field and 8/15 from three. White’s eight threes made in Game 4 not only tied a career-best in any game, it tied the second most in a Playoff game in Celtics history. 

The former San Antonio Spur scored 16 points on 6/8 from the field, including 4/5 from three in the opening period and had 22 points on 8/13 shooting and 6/9 from three in the opening half.

Most Points Without A Free Throw Attempt In Single-Game NBA Postseason History
Chuck Person (1991) 39 Points W/Pacers
Derrick White (2024) 38 Points W/Celtics
Russell Westbrook (2023) 37 Points W/Clippers
Lou Hudson (1970) 36 Points W/St. Louis Hawks

White followed up that performance scoring 25 points with five boards on 8/13 shooting, including 5/10 from three. His 13 total triples made in Games 4 and 5, the most in a two-game span in the storied franchise postseason history of the Celtics.

The Celtics took two of the three regular season tilts between them and the Cavaliers, winning both contests of a two-game set in Boston Dec. 12, 2023 (120-113) and Dec. 14, 2023 (116-107) respectively.

In the first tilt, the Celtics overcame a 15-point deficit for the victory, going 26/26 at the charity stripe.

The second win of the two-game set came behind the solid performance by Tatum who scored 25 points with 11 rebounds and a season-high three blocks. Brown chipped in with 22 points, five boards and two steals on 10/20 shooting.

Tatum versus the Cavs during the regular season averaged 26 points and 11.3 rebounds despite shooting just 38.7 percent from the field but 35.7 percent from three.

The Celtics will enter this series short-handed as starting center Kristaps Porzingis, who injured his right calf in the Game 4 victory and likely is out for this series.

That takes away not only the Celtics best low-post threat who can also stretch the floor with his three-point shooting. He averaged 12.3 points, five rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in four games played in the First-Round against the Heat on 40 percent from three.

“It’s something, not nothing, so it will take a little bit of time, for sure,” Porzingis said of is calf injury. “But I’m doing everything I can to speed it up because I want to be back out there as soon as possible. But understanding, like, the worst thing would be probably to reaggravate that. So being smart.”

“You would have to ask the medical people about the specifics of it. I’m kind of just following the plan. But I’m hoping for a return as soon as I start to get better.”

Not having Porzingis though is something the Celtics had to navigate during the regular season.

Celtics In    W/Porzingis                      W/O Porzingis
2023-24          43-14            Record            21-4
                        120.1             PPG              121.6
                        109.1          Opp PPG         109.4
                        49%               FG%             48%
                        38%              3-Pt.%           40%

Overall, the Celtics counting the Game 5 win versus the Heat are 22-4 without Porzingis on the season, including 10-3 against teams that made the 2024 Playoffs.

Patrolling the paint for the Celtics in the absence of Porzingis will be veteran big man Al Horford, Luke Kornet, and Xavier Tillman, who have proven more than capable of manning the paint, especially Horford.

Dating back to the regular season, the Celtics went 27-7 when Horford has started (26-7 mark in the regular season), which includes a 15-1 mark in the last 16 times Horford has started.

While protecting the paint will be important for the Celtics, what will be even more important will be mixing up their offensive attack from shooting from three and attacking the basket.

During the regular season, the Celtics outscored their opponents by a league-high 10.7 points from three-point range. In the opening-round against the Heat, the Celtics outscored the boys from “South Beach” by a plus-11.4. 

In Game 1 versus the Heat, the Celtics made a single-game franchise Playoff record 22 threes, going 22/49 on their triple tries. In the Game 2 loss when they scored just 40 points in the second half, the Celtics shot just 12/32 on their triples, while the Heat made a franchise single-game Playoff record 23 triples, going 23/43 from three.

That means Tatum and Brown along with White, Jrue Holiday, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard will have to make sure they mix it up offensively from shooting from three and getting to the foul line through post ups or attacking the basket.

For the Cavaliers, this postseason has already been a success by earning their first postseason series win since 2018, the last of the second stint of now four-time Kia MVP LeBron James when they took down the No. 5 Seeded Orlando Magic in seven games.

That First-Round series victory also represented the first without James on the roster since 1993, where they took down the then New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets in five games. It was also their first in a best-of-seven series without James on the roster since they defeated ironically enough the Celtics in the 1992 East Semis. The Cavs led by then All-Stars Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, Sr. and then reserve in the late John "Hot Rod" Williams in seven games, ending the Hall of Fame career of three-time NBA champion Larry Bird. 

Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s team last season, after winning 51 games in 2022-23, lost in embarrassing fashion in the opening-round versus the New York Knicks 4-1.

It took the Cavs as mentioned seven games to defeat the Magic in the First-Round, where all four of their victories in the best-of-seven series came in the comfy confides of Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

“I mean, this is always, you know, definitely a special moment, you know for this group in particular whose been through so much this year,” Coach Bickerstaff said of his team’s series win over the Magic, which also was their fourth straight Game 7 victory dating back to 2018.

“A group whose been, you know, left for dead multiple times by a lot of people this year. You know for them to come together in this moment and figure it out. It’s more about the group than it is, you know, me. And I think we’re most proud of that. But you know we’re not done. We’ve got a ways to go.”

Leading the Cavs into the Second-Round for the first time in six seasons was their perennial All-Star headliner Donovan Mitchell, who in the Game 7 series clinching victory (106-94) on Sunday afternoon scored 39 points with nine rebounds and five assists on 11/27 from the field and 15/17 at the foul line.

He overcame a rough shooting first half going 3/13 from the floor, including 0/5 from three scoring 15 points on 9/10 at the foul line.   

That performance was on the heels of 50 points on 22/36 from the field in the Game 6 loss at the Magic (103-96) on Friday night (ESPN). Mitchell was the only Cavs player to score in the final 14 minutes of Game 6 scoring the final 22 points, including all 18 of the team’s points in the fourth quarter.

To put this into clearer context, Mitchell was 7/13 from the field in the final period. The rest of the team was 0/6 from the field with six turnovers.

Things did not look good for the Cavs in Game 7 as they trailed by as many as 18 in the first half of Game 7. The Cavs used a 12-4 run to close within 53-43 at the half and outscored the Magic 63-41 in the second half, where they led by as many as 14.

Mitchell starting backcourt teammate Darius Garland, who had 21 points with seven assists on 10/17 shooting in Game 6 overcame a two-point effort on 1/9 shooting the first three quarters on Sunday scored 10 points on 5/6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Caris LeVert, who struggled for much of the opening-round against the Magic scored 15 with five boards off the bench. Max Strus scored 13, hitting 3/6 from three.

“We showed a lot of fight,” LeVert after the Game 7 victory. “We showed what we’ve been showing all year long. We just kept fighting.”

“We’ve been there several times this year, not just games, but just as a unit. We’ve been banged up. We’ve been injured. But we got a next-man-up mentality and we just never quit.”  

Evan Mobley had a strong double-double in the Game 7 win with 11 points and 16 rebounds with five block shots.

In the Cavs loan victory over the Celtics during the regular season (105-104) Mar. 5, 2024 (TNT), they overcame a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Celtics 34-17 in the final period.

Mitchell, who was on the shelf that night because of a knee injury, and Mobley was lost in the third quarter because of an ankle sprain, reserve Dean Wade led the way with 23 points off the bench with eight boards on 8/11 shooting, including 6/9 from three. He scored 20 of those 23 points in the fourth quarter.

Garland, despite going 6/20 from the floor in that victory, had a double-double with 16 points and 11 assists, including going 3/8 from three. LeVert added 10 points with five assists and three steals off the bench in the victory.

For the Cavs to have a chance of pulling off the upset over the mighty Celtics, they will need Mitchell, who has scored at least 30 points in 23 out of his 51 career Playoff games to not only score at an efficient level but facilitate for his teammates.

Mitchell’s 23 games scoring at least 30 in his postseason career is one shy of Tatum (24 out of 99 career Playoff games) for No. 9 amongst active players.

In the two-game set in “Beantown,” where the Cavs went 0-2 as previously mentioned, Mitchell averaged 30 points with 7.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 50 percent from the floor, but just 33.3 percent from three.   

While Mitchell averaged 28.7 points with five rebounds and 4.4 assists in the First-Round versus the Magic on 45.5 percent shooting, he only shot 25 percent on his triple tries. He made up for that by getting to the foul line 7.3 times and shot 82.4 percent on those attempts.

“You know, we can be better,” Mitchell said after the Game 7 victory over the Magic. “I hate to be that guy. But like, you know, this was great. This was phenomenal. A great win. Great series. Great test for us mentally, physically but, you know, we can and we will have to be better to beat Boston. No disrespect to Orlando because they’re a phenomenal team with a lot of great guys. But you know, I feel like this was just big for us as a group. But we really don’t have time to celebrate.”

He did close the series in style totaling 89 points, the second most in Game 6 and 7 of a best-of-seven series in NBA Playoff History. Mitchell in last two games of the series versus the Magic shot 33/63 from the field but was just 5/17 from three-point range.

Being efficient with his offense and facilitating for his teammates will be important for Mitchell and the Cavs because the Celtics will be throwing a plethora of defenders from perennial All-Defensive selection in Holiday, White, Brown, and even Tatum at times.

“This is why I’m here. It’s my job,” Mitchell said following the Game 7 win versus the Magic on Sunday. “I don’t mean this as disrespectful, but it doesn't really mean much. We didn’t come in just to win the First-Round. We accomplished one goal, now we have to do it again. That’s the mindset.”

That means Garland, LeVert, Strus, Isaac Okoro, Sam Merrill, and Georges Niang will have to be efficient from the perimeter if they will have any offensive success against an elite defensive team in the Celtics.

Garland, who averaged just 14.9 points and 5.4 assists in the opening-round versus the Magic on 44.9 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three-point range will need to play with the same offensive aggression that he did in the fourth period on Sunday.

Like the Celtics, the Cavs will be without their starting center to start this series I Jarrett Allen, who has been on the shelf the final three games of the opening-round with a rib injury that was reaggravated in Game 4 after taking an elbow from the Magic’s Franz Wagner in the third quarter.

Allen is coming off a career-year in the regular season behind averages of 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on 63.4 percent shooting (4^th NBA) and followed that up with averages of 17 points and 13.8 boards on 67.6 percent shooting in four games in the First-Round against the Magic.

That puts the spotlight on Mobley, who had his ups-and-downs during the regular season. He has shown over his first three NBA seasons the ability to control the paint on both ends. But he will have to do it at a high level in the Semis against the Celtics. In the opening-round against the Magic, Mobley averaged 12.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and three blocks on 47.9 percent from the field. Those stats will have to rise if the Cavs will have a chance to compete against the Celtics. 

He especially will have to be the Cavs anchor at the defensive end, where they ranked in the Top 10 in points allowed during the regular season and were No. 2 in opponent’s field goal percentage at 42 percent during the regular season.

“We know who we are-a team that’s a contender,” Mitchell said. "We did what we’re supposed to do. In the grand scheme of it all, we just took seven games. So, for us coming into Boston, I’m pretty sure everybody thinks they’re going to com in and kick our ass. We just need to be who we are.”

Yes, they are facing a much healthier team than their opening-round opponent. Yes, they are without their starting man in the middle. But the Celtics still have their star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. A strong supporting cast in Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Sam Hauser, and Payton Pritchard.

The Celtics also have the most important thing going for them, motivation of finally breaking through and winning a title, which they have yet to do only making it to the Finals once (2022) and reaching the East Finals in five of the previous seven seasons.

They have proven to be the best team in the league this season. They have the team to win title No. 18 and it is their time to get the job done. They also have the motivation to play better at home having gone just 14-14 in the postseason at TD Garden over the past two-plus springs. They did go a remarkable 37-4 during the regular season on the home floor. 

The Cavaliers are a good team that has a star player in Donovan Mitchell who has proven on any given night he can light up the scoreboard. The Cavs have proven they can slow down some of the best offenses in the league over the past three seasons.

They have yet to prove they can score at an efficient rate to keep up with the likes of the Celtics. Also, their supporting cast outside of Mitchell, Niang, and Strus, and little used Tristan Thompson has gone this deep into the NBA season.

The Cavs, after flaming out in the opening-round against the Knicks got over the hump of winning a Playoff round for the first time in half-a-dozen springs. But the Celtics have the more balanced squad who as mentioned are on a mission to win their first title since 2008.

Prediction: Celtics in five games.  

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 4/30/2024 1 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter With Scott Van Pelt” from Washington, D.C. With Tim Legler; 4/30/2024 & 5/2/2024 12:30 a.m. “Inside the NBA,” TNT, presented by Kia With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal; 5/1/2024 7 p.m. “TNT NBA Tip-Off,” presented by Carmax With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal; 5/2/2024 1 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” from Los Angeles, CA with Linda Cohn and Stan Verrett; 5/5/2024 9:30 p.m. NBATV’s “Playoff Central Live,” With Lauren Jbara, Steve Smith, and Dennis Scott; 5/5/2024 www.nba.com story, “NBA Playoffs: What To Expect In Celtics-Cavaliers Series,” By John Schuhmann; 5/7/2024 6:30 p.m. "TNT NBA Tip-Off," presented by Carmax With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Stephanie Ready; http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameid/401588514; https://www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head_gl/cavaliers_vs_celtics_game_log_pl.htm; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/splits/_/id/4065648; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/splits/_/3908809/donovan-mitchell; https://www.nba.com/game/cle-vs-bos-0042300201; https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/cle/cleveland-cavaliers; and https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/bos/boston-celtics.  

J-Speaks: 2024 East Semifinals Preview: Knicks Versus Pacers

 

(2) New York Knicks versus (6) Indiana Pacers
              (50-32)                                  (47-35)

Season Series: Pacers Won 2-1
Playoff History: NYK def IND  3-1  1993 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
                            NYK def IND  4-3  1994 Eastern Conference Finals
                            IND  def NYK 4-3  1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals
                            IND  def  NYK 4-1 1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals
                            NYK def NYK 4-2 1999 Eastern Conference Finals
                            IND  def NYK 4-2 2000 Eastern Conference Finals
                            IND  def NYK 4-2 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Whether it was in the middle or end of the 1990s. The start of the 2000s and the middle of the 2010s, at some point the boys from “Hoosiers” country have faced off against the boys from the “Big Apple.” For both squads in their drive to a championship have had to go through one another. They meet up again where the contrast of styles and those that occupy the lead guard spot will be at the center of this latest tilt between the two squads in the postseason.

While it took one game longer than they had hoped-both the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers shook off disappointing Game 5 setbacks and closed the door on the seasons of their respective opening-round opponents in the No. 7 Seeded Philadelphia 76ers (47-35) and the No. 6 Seeded Milwaukee Bucks (49-33) to setup the eighth postseason series set between the boys from the East coast against the boys from the Midwest.

In their first seven postseason series tilts between the Knicks and Pacers, it was defense, grit, and toughness that took centerstage.

This tilt features the high octane, run-and-gun, find the open-player, sharp-shooting offensive attack of the Pacers led by their lanky, pass-first two-time All-Star floor general, who was head of the snake of a team that led the NBA in scoring at 123.3 points during the regular season.

Tyrese Haliburton, who helped the Pacers win their first Playoff series in a decade was sensational during the regular season where he averaged 20.1 points and a league-leading 10.9 assists on 47.7 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range.

In the series against the Bucks, Haliburton like he had during much of the second half of the regular season, particular since he returned from a hamstring injury that shelved him for 10 games, there were times he did not play to the level he did at the start of this season.

While he only averaged just 16 points, 9.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds versus the Bucks on 43.5 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from three, his playmaking and leadership at such a young age of 24 kept head coach Rick Carlisle squad’s offensive attack moving at the high pace. He also when called upon made it happened to get the Pacers over the finish line for the win.

In the Pacers 126-113 overtime win Game 3 versus the Bucks, Haliburton had the fourth triple-double in Pacers Playoff history with 18 points, 16 assists, and 10 rebounds. Despite shooting just 8/22 from the floor, including 1/12 from three-point range, Haliburton hit the go-ahead field goal plus a foul that wound up winning the game for the Pacers with 01.6 seconds left in OT.

In the Game 6 series clinching victory (120-98) on Thursday night (TNT), Haliburton had his third double-double of the series with 17 points and 10 assists, with six boards on 7/16 shooting (2/10 3-Pt.).

“It’s my first time in the Playoffs. It’s a hell of team over there and it’s just exciting to win this one,” Haliburton said to Bally Sports Indiana’s Jeremiah Johnson after the Game 6 victory over the Bucks about winning the team’s first Playoff series since 2014 East Semis over the Washington Wizards in six games, which snapped their five First-Round Playoff series losing streak. “So, we’re going on to Second Round. Be ready to go.”

In the two losses in the opening round to the Bucks, the Pacers registered just 20 and 25 assists respectively in Games 1 and 5. In the Game 1 loss where they young Pacers showed their Playoff opening jitters registered just 94 points (109-94) Apr. 21, 2024 (TNT). In their Game 5 loss (115-92) at the Bucks Apr. 30, 2024 (TNT), the Pacers scored a season-low 92 points, and registered just 25 assists.

To put this into clearer context, the Pacers during the regular season were held under 100 points only once.

In the Pacers four wins, they registered 38 in Game 2 (125-108; TNT); 32 in Game 3 (121-118 OT; ESPN); 33 in Game 4 (126-113; TNT); and 33 in Game 6 series-clincher (128-98; TNT).

It is not surprising because of that high-level of offensive execution that the Pacers registered 120-plus points in their four wins against the Bucks in the opening-round.

That high level of scoring goes beyond the playmaking of Haliburton but because of the incredible depth the Pacers have from the other four starters behind Haliburton and the best scoring bench in the NBA during the 2023-24 season. 

Siakam, who the Pacers acquired in the middle of January from the Raptors, who helped win the 2019 title, started the opening-round in grand fashion averaging 36.5 points and 12 rebounds with four assists on 65 percent from the field and 50 three-point percentage (4/8 3-Pt.). He came back down to Earth in Games 3-5 averaging just 14 points, 7.3 boards with four assists on 42 percent from the floor and connecting on just 1 of his 11 triple tries.

Siakam was solid in the Game 6 triumph over the Bucks with 19 points and seven rebounds.

Turner battled four-trouble in Game 6 and registered just five points with five boards. In the Pacers’ three wins in the middle of the series, the longest tenured Pacer of nine seasons was a serious presence in the paint and as a shooter. In the Game 2 victory, Turner had 22 points with seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks going 9/15 from the floor and 3/6 from three. In Game 3, Turner scored 29 with nine rebounds on 10/21 from the floor and 4/10 from three (5/6 FTs). He scored another 29 with nine boards and three blocks on 10/17 shooting, including 7/9 from three.

The seven made triples by Turner are the most by a starting center in a Playoff game since two-time Kia MVP of the Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic. Turner also tied single-game franchise record in the postseason with Chuck Person (1991), Hall of Famer and NBA on TNT television color analyst Reggie Miller (1995, 2000), current Los Angeles Clippers perennial All-Star Paul George, and current Knick Bojan Bogdanovic (2018).

While they may be overlooked compared to star teammates and well knowns in Haliburton and Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith have been solid as starters on both ends and made big plays on both ends.

Flanking Haliburton in the starting lineup is veteran Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, Aaron Nesmith, and Andrew Nembhard, who were solid in the opening round versus the Bucks.

Nembhard averaged 13.8 points and 4.7 assists on 59.6 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three-point range. While his shooting was down in the First-Round versus the Bucks (35.1 FG%, 30.8 3-Pt.%), Nesmith averaged 11 points and played solid defense, especially in the Game 6 clincher on Bucks All-Star swingman Khris Middleton, holding him to just 14 points.

Along with a strong starting five, the Pacers have the best scoring bench in the league led by veteran lead guard T.J. McConnell. Former Knick Obi Toppin, and Ben Sheppard.

In the Game 6 clincher versus the Bucks, the Pacers reserves outscored the Bucks bench 50-10. Toppin led the way off the bench scoring a Playoff career-high 21 points on 8/15 shooting, including making three triples with eight boards. McConnell also was great off the pine with Playoff career-highs of 20 points and nine assists with four steals on 7/9 shooting, making both of his triple tries.

Also, in the clincher for the Pacers, Nesmith scored 15 on 3/7 from three. Nembhard scored 14 with two steals.

“Not being in the Playoffs since the bubble and not being able to, you know, advance since 2014, you take great pride in being able to advance and extend our season and play in the Second-Round,” McConnell, who is in his fifth season with the Pacers said in his postgame presser about being able to play in the East Semis.

In their three-games season series against the Knicks where they took two of the three tilts, the Pacers outscored the Knicks by an average of 123.3-115.3.

Haliburton in the season-series against the Knicks averaged 19.3 points and 13.3 assists on 51 percent shooting from the floor.  

In their six-game defeat over the Bucks, the Pacers had an average of 30.7 assists/turnover ratio, the highest for any team in a Playoff series at least in the past three decades. This is on the heels of a record-setting 2.38 assist/turnover ratio, the highest in the 47 seasons where turnovers have been tracked in “The Association.”

Amongst the 20 players that totaled at least 25 assists in the postseason through Thursday’s Playoff action, Siakam (25/3), Nembhard (28/5), McConnell (27/6) and Haliburton (56/16) had the second, fourth, and five highest assist/turnover ratios, respectively.

Valuing the basketball to that level is how the Pacers averaged 2.4 more field goal attempts in the opening-round than the Bucks.

For the series against the Bucks, the Pacers were a plus-7 on the boards (263-256); plus-14 in paint points (276-262); plus-17 in three-pointers made (84-67) plus-10 in points off turnovers (75-65); plus-88 in bench points (184-96) and plus-33 in fastbreak points (71-38).

So far through the First-Round of the 2024 Playoffs, the Pacers lead in assists (30.2) and bench points (30.7). They also ranked No. 2 in scoring (113.0) and made threes (14.0).  

Doing these small things is how the Pacers will give themselves a chance to defeat a Knicks squad that has thrived in these areas during the season and how they advanced past the First-Round over the 76ers.

“We’re a true team. We’re a group that needs each other,” Coach Carlisle said of how his team has been successful this season and will have to continue to be against the Knicks.

The Pacers have their sensational floor general, so do the Knicks in first-time All-Star and fellow top All-NBA candidate in Jalen Brunson, who elevated his game in the regular season despite injuries to teammates like fellow All-Star Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson.

Brunson continued his stellar play in the opening-round against the 76ers where he averaged 35.5 points, nine assists and 4.5 boards. While he struggled with his shot overall at 42.9 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three-point range, Brunson made up for it by shooting 77.8 percent at the foul line on 10.5 attempts.

In the Game 6 clinching victory at the 76ers on Thursday night, Brunson had 41 points with 12 assists going 13/27 from the floor, making three triples and 12/16 at the foul line. It was his third double-double of the series. He registered his fourth straight 30-plus point game, including his third consecutive 40-plus point game, the second longest such streak in Knicks Playoff history. Only Hall of Famer Bernard King had a longer such streak of four straight 40-plus point games set in the 1984 Playoffs.   

“No matter what the situation is, we’re going to attack it,” Brunson said of the upcoming tilt against the Pacers.

If there is anyone that understand the work Brunson put to become the bonified star that he has become is Coach Carlisle of the Pacers and Haliburton, who was Brunson’s teammate for the 2023 Team USA World Cup squad.

Haliburton in speaking with the press over the weekend said he is “excited” to go up against Brunson and Hart, who also was a part of that USA World Cup squad, who have become good friends.

“We talk all the time. Literally, the first call that I had after making the Playoffs was with Jalen. We Facetimed for a while,” Haliburton added. “So, pretty good friends. But you know, it’s competition. Fully excited to play against those guys.”

The feeling is mutual as Bruson said to the press that he has “all the respect in the world,” for Haliburton and how he goes about his business on the hardwood. How he “plays the game the right way.”

Back in 2021 when Coach Carlisle was the sideline leader of the Dallas Mavericks, Brunson was a role player in their First-Round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, who they lost to in seven games after leading the series 3-2.

In that Game 7 setback, which was Coach Carlisle’s final game with the Mavericks, Brunson watched from the sidelines playing just 10 minutes in that Game 7 defeat (126-111), scoring just two points.”

“Jalen Brunson is a guy you would never bet against,” Coach Carlisle said of the former reserve guard, who eventually became a starter in his final season with the Mavericks in 2022. “You just don’t bet against that guy. I don’t know if anybody saw this coming, what he’s achieved for two years now, but if you know him and you know his character, you’re not surprised. You’re not shocked.”    

Besides Brunson, head coach Tom Thibodeau’s team have gotten strong play all season and in the First-Round of 2024 Playoffs from fellow former Villanova Wildcats in Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, along with OG Anunoby, Miles McBride, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Robinson.

Hart in the regular season averaged 9.4 points, and career-highs 8.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 43.4 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three. He rose all of his numbers in the opening-round against the 76ers of 16.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists on 43.2 three-point percentage. He registered four double-doubles in the series, including getting one in the Game 6 clinching 118-115 victory on Thursday (TNT) of 16 points with 14 boards, and seven assists, going 3/5 from three, including the game-ceiling three late in the final period.

Brunson and Hart’s other Villanova teammate in DiVincenzo had a stellar regular season, especially shooting the ball from three-point range, where he set a career-high the single-season franchise record 283 made threes.

DiVincenzo had his ups and downs against the 76ers but showed up in clutch moments. In the Knicks comeback victory (104-101) in Game 2 Apr. 22, 2024, DiVincenzo scored 19 points, going 4/8 from three, including the go-ahead three with 13.1 seconds left in regulation.

While he had his struggles in Games 3-5, going in total 8/28 from the field, including 3/17 from three-point range, DiVincenzo scored a series-high 23 points with seven assists, three block shots and two steals on 8/18 from the field and 5/9 on his triple tries. He began Game 6 going 3/5 from three in the opening period, where the Knicks led by 22 and led 36-22 after the first quarter. They overcame a 10-point deficit in the third period for the close win.

When the Knicks acquired Anunoby at the close of 2023, the began 2024 with a bang as they went 14-2 in January and positioned themselves to be a serious threat in the Eastern Conference.

They lost Anunoby to elbow surgery for two months after that along with Randle due to shoulder injury suffered in late January, that eventually required season-ending surgery.

In the opening-round, Anunoby was solid on both ends averaging 15 points and 6.8 rebounds on 51.3 percent from the field. 

In the Knicks, Game 4 victory (97-92) last Sunday, Apr. 287, 2024 (ABC) at the 76ers, Anunoby had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds with three blocks. In the Game 6 clincher, Anunoby had a near double-double with 19 points and nine boards with two blocks on 8/17 shooting.

While the Knicks went 20-3 io the regular season with Anunoby in the lineup, the only game he played one game against the Pacers, which was in November 2023 while still with the Raptors. He missed the other two meetings following being dealt to the Knicks.

He figures to log a lot of minutes against former teammate in Siakam and against Haliburton.

This might be the series the Knicks miss having Randle as well as Bojan Bogdanovic, who the Knicks acquired at the Feb. 8 trade deadline from the Pistons. But Bogdanovic will be on the shelf because of a left foot injury suffered in Game 4 that required surgery and ended his postseason.

That means Miles McBride (11.3 ppg, 48.1 FG%, 43.3 3-Pt.%); Hartenstein (10.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 60 FG%), and Robinson (3.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 46.2 FG%) will have to continue their fine play in their respective roles to keep up with the deep Pacers.

This also might be a series where we might possibly see Alec Burks and Precious Achiuwa, who the Knicks acquired respectively from the Pistons and Raptors.

For the Knicks also, it is up to them to keep the tempo slow and dominate the glass, especially on the offensive boards.

In the opening-round against the 76ers, the Knicks averaged 5.9 more field goal attempts because of how they dominated the offensive glass, a jump from a league-best of 3.9 more shot attempts per game during the regular season.

The Knicks were a plus-26 overall on the boards (283-247) and a plus-42 in Second Chance points (115-73); and plus-40 in paint points (258-218) in the First-Round against the 76ers. The Knicks though were a -10 in made threes (81-71).  

In their three-game season-series, the Pacers were a plus-45 in points from three-point range (150-105) and a plus-51 in bench points (130-79), which includes the play of former Knick in Toppin, who was dealt for scraps to the Pacers last summer.

This series will be a contrast of styles where the Pacers want to make this a high-octane scoring race to see if the Knicks can keep up. The Knicks want to make this a crawl where they make the Pacers have to execute on both ends and make them pay if they fail to block out or are impatient offensively. 

The other factor is experience. The Knicks made it to East Semis a season ago and have the focus to get even further this postseason. The Pacers advance past the opening-round for the first time since 2014 and while they did display that this stage is not too big for them when they got to The Finals of the inaugural In-Season Tournament back in December 2023, they showed their inexperience in IST Finals where they were taken down by the eventual IST champions in the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Knicks have not reached the East Finals since 2000. The Pacers have not been to the East championship round since 2013.

Prediction: Knicks in seven games.

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 4/29/2024 12:30 a.m. “Inside the NBA” TNT, presented by Kia With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal; 5/3/2024 1 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter” from Los Angeles, CA With Linda Cohn and Stan Verrett, and NBA analyst Austin Rivers; 5/3/2024 www.nba.com story, “NBA Playoffs: What To Expect In Knicks-Pacers Series,” By Steve Aschburner and John Schuhmann; 5/6/2024 7p.m. “TNT NBA Tip-Off,” presented by Carmax With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal; www.nba.com;  https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4396993/tyrese-haliburton; https://www.espn.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/ind/indiana-pacers; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/4396993/tyrese-haliburton; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3133628/myles-turner; http://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3934673/donte-divincenzo; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3934719/og-anunoby; and  https://www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head_g/knicks_vs_pacers_game_log_pl.htm.  

J-Speaks: 2024 Western Conference Semifinals Preview: Nuggets Versus Timberwolves

 

(2) Denver Nuggets versus (3) Minnesota Timberwolves
            (57-25)                                          (56-26)

Season-Series: Tied 2-2
Playoff History: MIN def. DEN 4-1 2004 Western Conference First-Round
                            DEN def. MIN 4-1 2023 Western Conference First-Round

Six seasons back, the boys from the “Colorado Rockies” lost out on the No. 8 and final Playoff spot in the Western Conference to the boys from the “Twin Cities.” They have not missed the Playoffs since, and last season took down their Northwest Division rivals on their way to winning their first NBA title in franchise history. Over the past two regular season, these two division rivals split their four-game regular season series. Now the two lock horns again, this time in the Western Conference Semifinals with the boys from the “Colorado Rockies” trying to move one step closer to back-to-back titles, while the boys from the “Twin Cities” are seeking to reach the Western Conference Finals for the just the second time in their postseason history.

At the close of the 2017-18 season, the now defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets lost out on the No. 8 Seed in overtime (112-106) at the Minnesota Timberwolves, missing the postseason for a fifth consecutive spring.

Head Coach Michael Malone’s squad has made the Playoffs in the ensuing six seasons since, including this one and last season captured their first title in their history.

They came back even more improved this season winning a franchise-record tying 57 wins and were in a battle for the No. 1 Seed in the West with the aforementioned Timberwolves and young Oklahoma City Thunder, who overtook the Nuggets and Timberwolves for the top spot in the West.

The Nuggets took down the No. 7 Seeded Los Angeles Lakers in an epic five games series where the Nuggets needed every bit of their chemistry and connectivity that they have developed over the past handful of season to get by a very game Lakers squad.

Leading the way for the Nuggets was their two-time Kia MVP and reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic (28.2 ppg, 16.2 rpg, 9.8 apg, 59.1 FG%) who was brilliant in the First Round against the Lakers registering double-doubles in all five games of the series, including two triple-doubles, bringing his career postseason total to 18. He also registered two games of 20-plus points and 20 rebounds, which included a performance of 27 points, 20 boards and 10 assists in the Nuggets 101-99 victory in Game 2 (TNT) versus the Lakers on Apr. 22, 2024. 

As great as Jokic was in that win, the Nuggets were on the winning side of things thanks to Jamal Murray, who capped his 14-point fourth quarter with the game-winning jumper at the buzzer over the Lakers’ Anthony Davis right in front of the Nuggets bench falling on the seat of his shorts. It capped a 20-point performance by Murray, who went 6/8 from the field in the final period after going 3/18 shooting the first three quarters.  

Murray nearly duplicated the same outcome making the go-ahead jumper with 03.6 seconds left to cap another comeback win for the Nuggets in 108-106 Game 5 (TNT) series-clincher versus the Lakers on Monday night. It was the crowning finish of a 32-point performance by Murray, who shot 13/28 from the field, including 5/10 from three-point range with seven assists.

“This one’s a little better,” Murray said of his second game-winning shot of the series to NBA on TNT’s Allie LaForce after the Game 5 win. “I’m speechless…It’s a dream come true; you know? All these fans on your side and to get it done in this fashion, you know what I’m saying? I don’t know what to say. I’m just happy for us.”

Outside of his two heroic fourth quarter performances, Murray shot just 36 percent from the floor in the other 18 quarters. While he averaged 23.6 points, 7.2 assists, and 4.6 boards for the series, Murray only shot 36 percent from the field in the other 18 quarters in the opening-round.   

It was also a performance that almost did not happen because Murray entered action with an injured calf and had to convince Coach Malone and the Nuggets medical staff, he was good enough to play. Murray convinced them and because of Murray’s heroics, the Nuggets advanced to the West Semis.

“I didn’t want to sit,” Murray, who had his 17^th 30-plus point game of his postseason career, third in Nuggets Playoff history said to LaForce about not wanting to miss Game 5 versus the Lakers. “I think the training staff, they were just really cautious with it. They did not want it to get worse. And I was like, ‘I’m not going to leave my brothers out there.’”

“I got a little emotional in the back because I was like, ‘I’m not sitting. I don’t care. What it is we’ve got to figure out. And I’m just thankful that they let me play and I was able to get this opportunity and actually put the ball in the hoop.”

The series was not cakewalk for the Nuggets, who had to overcome halftime deficits in all five games against the Lakers, including coming back from double-digit deficits in the first three games to go up 3-0. They were behind all of Game 4 at the Lakers last week and dropped Game 4 (119-108) Apr. 27, 2024 (ABC) needing to go back home and take down the Lakers as mentioned two nights later.

What also proven in their series against the Lakers by the Nuggets was that the remaining three-fifths of their starting five in Michael Porter, Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Aaron Gordon is pretty good.

A big reason why the Nuggets took down the Lakers once again is the continued excellence of Porter, Jr., who managed to keep his focus in the series despite dealing with personal issues off the hardwood with one brother recently sentenced to prison for his role in a fatal car accident and his brother in now former Toronto Raptor Johntay Porter being permanently banned from the NBA for gambling.

Porter, Jr. scored 20-plus points in the final four games of the series, which included double-doubles of 20 points and 10 boards in the Game 3 triumph (112-105) Apr. 25, 2024 (TNT) at the Lakers to put the Nuggets up in the series 3-0, going 8/16 shooting. That game on the heels of 22 points with nine boards on 8/13 from the field, including 6/10 from three. In the Game 4 loss at the Lakers, Porter, Jr. was a bright spot with 27 points and 11 rebounds on 10/20 shooting with four made triples. In the Game 5 clincher, Porter, Jr. had 26 points on 8/12 from the floor, including 5/7 from three.

For the series, Porter, Jr. averaged 22.8 points and 8.4 rebounds on 55.3 percent from the field and 48.8 percent from three-point range.

Gordon, who nearly averaged a double-double himself against the Lakers in the First-Round with 13.8 points, and 9.8 rebounds with 4.6 assists on 52.8 percent from the field, got off on the right foot in the series with a near triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in Game 1 victory (114-103) Apr. 20, 2024 (ABC).

In Game 3, Gordon had the best game of his postseason career with Playoff career-highs of 29 points and 15 rebounds on 12/18 shooting.

In Game 5, Gordon had 13 rebounds and six assists to go along with seven points.

Caldwell-Pope, affectionately called “KCP” had his struggles in the opening-round against the Lakers.

He got off to a solid start in the series with 12 points on 4/10 from three with three steals in the Game 1 victory. His other double-figure scoring performance by the former Laker in the series came in Game 4 with 14 points with four steals. In the Game 5 clincher, Caldwell-Pope battled through an ankle injury and registered just five points going just 2/10 from the field, including 1/6 from three.

In their opening-round matchup a season ago with the Timberwolves, the Nuggets outside of blowing the doors off their division rivals in Game 1 (119-80), each game after that was very highly contested as the Nuggets prevailed in Games 2 and 3 by nine points each. The Timberwolves staved off elimination with an overtime victory in Game 4 (114-108) but the Nuggets took the series back home with a 112-109 win to take the series 4-1.

The Nuggets though enter this series tilt against a Timberwolves squad that seemingly with players that matchup well in three key spots. They have the presumptive four-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year in Rudy Gobert to go against Jokic. A cleaver and solid veteran lead guard in Mike Conley to tangle with Murray and NBA All-Defensive selection to be Jaden McDaniels to go up against Porter, Jr. and at time Murray.

“We see them four times a year. We saw them in the Playoff last year,” Murray said of the Timberwolves. “We know what they like to do, and they know what we like to do. I think the series will be decided on who can do a better job of taking away the strengths of the other team.”

In their season series this season, Jokic was a handful for the Timberwolves and Gobert, like he is against the rest of “The Association” with averages of 33.3 points and 11.8 boards on 58 percent from the field. What the Timberwolves did take away from Jokic was his playmaking abilities as he only averaged 4.3 assists in the four-game season-series against the Timberwolves.

In their last tilt in Denver, CO on Apr. 10, 2024 (ESPN), Jokic was dominant as a scorer, rebounder, and passer with 41 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists with three steals on 16/20 from the floor and 7/12 at the foul line.  

“Nikola always embraces the physicality,” Coach Malone said of his two-time MVP center. “He never shies away from it. Rudy Gobert is going to be a Hall of Fame player one day. Rudy Gobert is going to be regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation. And it just speaks to how great Nikola is. I don’t think anybody in the NBA can guard Nikola one-on-one.”  

For the Timberwolves, this is their finest season in two decades, which saw them win 56 games, their second most in a season in their history, just two short of their 58-win mark set in 2004 where they went on to the Western Conference Finals and lost in six games to the Hall of Fame trio of Shaquille O’Neal, the late Kobe Bryant and head coach Phil Jackson led Los Angeles Lakers.

The Timberwolves two decades back were led by the trio of Hall of Famer and that season’s Kia MVP Kevin Garnett; Latrell Sprewell; and current Boston Celtics assistant coach and three-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets and Celtics Sam Cassell.

The 2024 Playoff version of the Timberwolves is led by possible future Kia MVP in Anthony Edwards and perennial All-Star big-men in Karl-Anthony Towns and the aforementioned Rudy Gobert.

Over the course of his young career, Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 out of the University of Georgia has shown flashes of being this league’s next face or one of its headliners, especially in the postseason. 

Back in the 2022 First-Round, which the Timberwolves went down in six games to the then No. 2 Seeded Memphis Grizzlies, Edwards averaged 25.2 points on 45.5 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three. In the five-game setback to the Nuggets the next spring, Edwards averaged 31.6 points five rebounds and 5.2 assists with two blocks and 1.8 steals on 48.3 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from three.  

In that Game 5 setback, Edwards had a chance to send the game into overtime but his three-point attempt at the final buzzer missed.

Edwards and the Timberwolves have used those two setbacks as fuel to put on the display they did in the First-Round of the 2024 Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns.

During the regular season, the Suns won the season-series over the Timberwolves 3-0, winning by an average of 15.7 points and allowing on average of 118.3 points.

In authoring their first postseason series sweep (4-0), the Timberwolves held the Suns to 103.3 points, holding them to under 100 points in the first two games of the series.

The story of the series though was Edwards and how he was the shining star against a Suns squad that featured established stars in Kevin Durant, Edwards’ childhood basketball idol, and fellow perennial All-Stars in Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

After averaging just 14.3 points with six boards and 3.7 assists on 31 percent from the field and 27.3 percent on his triple tries, Edwards averaged in the four-game series sweep 31 points, eight rebounds, 6.3 assists, and two steals on 51.2 percent from the floor, 43.8 percent from three, and 83.9 percent from the charity stripe on 7.8 attempts.

Edwards got things rolling in the Timberwolves’ 120-95 win in Game 1 versus the Suns on Apr. 20 2024 (ESPN) scoring 18 of his 33 points in the third quarter, going 8/11 from the field in the period. He finished the contest also with nine rebounds, six assists and two steals on 14/24 shooting, including 4/8 from three.

In Game 2, Edwards struggled scoring just 15 points on 3/12 shooting with five boards and eight assists in the team’s 105-93 victory three nights later (TNT).

On this night it was Edwards’ teammates that shined like McDaniels, who had Playoff career-high of 25 points with eight rebounds on 10/17 shooting. Conley scored 18  with two steals on 7/13 shooting, including 3/6 from three. Gobert, who followed his Game 1 performance of 14 points and 16 rebounds with 18 points and nine boards with three steals. Towns scored 12 with eight boards and Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 10 with five assists.

In Games 3 and 4, the Timberwolves, who have been known for their defense this entire season put on an incredible offensive display in closing out the Suns in their house.

In their 126-109 victory in Game 3 Apr. 26, 2024 (ESPN), Edwards led the way with 36 points, nine boards, five assists, and two steals going 12/23 from the field and 11/11 at the foul line. He scored 18 of his 20 second half points in the fourth quarter, going 5/7 from the floor and 8/8 at the foul line.

Gobert had his second double-double of the series with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Town also had a double-double with 18 points and 13 boards on 7/16 shooting, including 3/5 from three. Alexander-Walker added 16 points with five assists, going 4/10 from three. Conley scored 15 with seven assists on 3/7 from three. Naz Reid added 13 points off the bench.

In the Game 4 series-clinching win (122-116) two nights later (TNT), Edwards scored a Playoff career-high of 40 points with nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks going 13/23 shooting, including 7/13 from three and 7/10 at the free throw line.

Things did not start off well for Edwards, who scored just nine points on 2/8 shooting, including 1/6 from three in the opening-half, including 4/6 at the foul line. He got it going in the third quarter with 15 points on 5/8 from the floor and 4/5 on his triple tries. Then finished things off in style with 16 points on 6/7 from the floor, including making both of his threes in the fourth quarter, which also included a massive dunk that turned out the lights on the Suns’ season.

Towns registered his second double-double of the series with 28 points and 10 rebounds on 11/17 from the field, including 4/6 on his threes. McDaniels scored 18 and Conley added 10 with seven assists.

Last season, the Timberwolves struggled to put this all together in terms of the pecking order between Edwards, Towns, a fellow former No. 1 overall pick and Kia Rookie of the Year, and Gobert.

This season and in these Playoffs so far, the Timberwolves have found that pecking order in Edwards, who is just 22 years old as the head of the snake and Towns and Gobert, with Conley following behind.

Towns in the opening-round versus the Suns averaged 19.3 points and 9.5 rebounds on 53.1 percent from the field and 52.9 percent on his triplet tries. Gobert averaged a double-double of 15 points and 11 boards versus the Suns on 61.3 percent shooting.

In speaking with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt following the Game 3 win, Edwards shouted out Alexander-Walker and McDaniels saying that both of them have played at a “high-level” to start this postseason.

“I just want to kill everything in front of me. That’s the main thing pretty much. That is all there is to it,” Edwards said to Van Pelt about his mentality on the hardwood and how it has evolved in his basketball career.  

He also said how “thirsty” he was to end the Suns season in Game 4, which he and his teammates did and they did it against one of the best star trios in Durant, who will be Edwards’ teammate for USA Basketball this summer in Paris, Booker, and Beal.

“It felt great,” Edwards, who said to the “Inside the NBA” on TNT crew of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal. “I’ve got the upmost respect for KD, man. Like he comes in and compete every night. I’ve watched every last one of his games since I’ve been about 5 [years old]. So I love that guy, man, and I’m excited to play with him this summer. Talk a little trash and let him know I sent him home.”

When asked by Johnson, fellow University of Georgia alum about the most satisfying moment of the Game 4, it was the play of Towns, who made a brief appearance during Edwards’ postgame interview with “Inside the NBA” crew.

“Like a lot of people think it was me the reason we won. Without KAT in that second half, we wouldn’t have been close to winning man. So, big shout out KAT.”

Last postseason, the Timberwolves felt they lost to the Nuggets because they did not have McDaniels, and Reid, who were both on the shelf due to injury.

Both have comeback and were superb in the regular season and were solid in the First-Round against the Suns, especially Reid, the 2023-24 Kia Sixth Man of the Year.

McDaniels, leading candidate to make one of the two All-Defensive squads when they are announced later on this postseason averaged against Suns 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds on 50 percent from the floor. Reid averaged 9.5 points.

Alexander-Walker chipped in with 12.3 points and 1.8 steals against the Suns, while Conley averaged 11.8 points and 6.3 assists on 36.4 percent from three-point range.

The Timberwolves others will provide a big advantage in this upcoming series against the Nuggets, whose second unit of Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Reggie Jackson, Justin Holiday, and DeAndre Jordan did not produce much in the opening-round against the Lakers.

“They have championship pedigree,” Towns said of the Nuggets. “They’ve got guys who, almost all of them, have been there, winning a championship with them.”

The only issue facing the Timberwolves entering this series is whether they will have their head coach with them on the sidelines.

Late in the fourth quarter of their First-Round clincher at the Suns, Conley bumped into Head Coach Chris Finch’s leg and he suffered what turned out to be a ruptured patella tendon in his right knee in the closing seconds of Game 4.

Coach Finch had surgery on his right knee on Wednesday and the plan is according to a report from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin for Finch to sit in a seat slightly behind the rest of the courtside seats comprising the Timberwolves bench when they play Game 1 of the West Semifinals at the Nuggets on Saturday night (TNT). The scorer’s table that will be to Finch’s right should serve as a barrier to protect him from any careening players along the sideline.

“I feel pretty good, all things considered,” Finch said following his surgery. “The plan is to try to be here all along. Just see how I felt day by day and then just kind of figure out logistically how it might work being on the bench and with the other coaches.”

While Coach Finch will still coach his squad, he said that he will lean heavily on assistant coach Micah Nori for the many mobile responsibilities that will come during Game 1 and throughout the series.

“I’ll be on the bench, but the game interaction, the game flow will be largely run by Micah,” Finch said. “And I’m obviously not in a position to be able get up, call timeouts, interact with the players, that kind of stuff. But being right there with the coaches and the players in the huddles, that stuff will be the same.”

They battled it out for the final Playoff spot six seasons back as both were trying to rise to the level that they are now not just in the Western Conference but in the entire NBA as two legit title contending teams.

When the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves met the in the opening-round in 2004, it was the boys from the “Twin Cities,” the No. 1 Seed then in the West led by the aforementioned Kevin Garnett that took down the Nuggets, who were led by then rookie and future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony in five games on their way to their first West Finals berth, which they lost in six games to the aforementioned Lakers.

Last season, it was the Nuggets who were the No. 1 Seed in the West and as previously mentioned took down the Timberwolves 4-1 and they won their first title in their history.

The two teams meet again and while the Timberwolves are much improved, the Nuggets have home court advantage. They have the better duo in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray coupled with a stellar complimentary trio of Michael Porter, Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. They also have the kind of continuity that has been their go-to, especially in close games, which got them past the Lakers and will definitely be on their side against the Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves though have better depth in Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Naz Reid to go alongside Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, and Mike Conley. They also have the defensive mentality that has served them well this season and so far in these Playoffs.

Prediction: Nuggets in seven games.

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 4/27/2024 12:30 a.m. ESPN’s “Sportscenter With Scott Van Pelt,” from Washington, D.C.; 4/29/2024 10 p.m. “Los Angeles Lakers versus Denver Nuggets,” Game 4 2024 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel, First-Round TNT, presented by Nerdwallet with Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford, Allie LaForce; 4/29/2024 12 a.m. “Inside the NBA,” TNT, presented by Kia With Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal; 4/30/2024 www.nba.com story, “NBA Playoffs: What To Expect In Nuggets-Timberwolves Series,” By Shaun Powell; 5/4/2024 www.espn.com story, “Timberwolves Chris Finch Will Coach Courtside After Surgery,” By Dave McMenamin; www.nba.com;  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Denver_Nuggets_seasons; https://www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_headgi/timberwolves_vs_nuggets; https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2024-nba-western-conference-first-round-suns-vs-timberwolves.html; https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/den/denver-nuggets; https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/min/minnesota-timberwolves; and https://ww.nba.com/game/min-vs-den-0042300231.