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MINNEAPOLIS — There is a coldness and truth to Jaden McDaniels that Jaden McDaniels speaks on, and that is Jokic and Denver has NO defense.
When Jaden sat in front of his locker after Game 2, hoodie pulled over his head, and started reciting the names of Denver defenders for whom he has no respect, he did so with an icy, emotionless look in his eyes, and spoke facts! Denver has no inside defense and doesn’t defend on the…. They hope you get suckered into taking long bad shots. Today’s NBA has fallen in love with the
Three Point Shot and forgot how to attack the paint & rim, where the shooting percentage is must better. McDaniels figured it out and exploited the inside defense of the NBA’s weakest defender, Nikola Jokic’. This kid can’t jump over a telephone book and never puts his hands up to defend the rim. He plays “Hope Defense” meaning just hopes you miss the shot. About time someone speaks out about the weak defensive 7’2 Denver Center. and shows his team how to beat all offense of player, that the League claims is the best player…… with NO defense! The Timberwolves had 68 points in the paint. and could have had about 80 points, if they had not missed six layups because they were so surprised on how easy it was to get to rim on the WEAK defenders of Denver Nuggets!
Hot heads are easy to dismiss. The volume of the message often stands in inverse proportion to the threat posed by the messenger. If Spinal Tap turned the volume dial up to 11, McDaniels never rises above a 4. That is why he must be taken seriously. He sat there and listed the Nuggets one by one, using their full names, and telling the world that the Minnesota Timberwolves did not fear them. He did not raise his voice because he didn’t have to. The words packed enough of a punch on their own.
“They’re all bad defenders,” McDaniels said.
The uncommonly blunt trash talk put the typically media-averse McDaniels in the spotlight for two straight days. He tried not to sweat the hornet’s nest he’d kicked up, but even he acknowledged that it was hard to avoid the swarm when it was constantly popping up on his phone. Wolves coach Chris Finch said he spoke to McDaniels about the remarks and challenged him to rise to the
occasion that he created.
“Now you gotta go back them up,” Finch said before the game.
For those who know McDaniels, it was never a question. He is at his best when there is a personal vendetta involved. Fueled by Gatorade, fettucine Alfredo and pure disdain for the Nuggets, McDaniels walked the walk all over Game 3 on Thursday night. He scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and locked up Nuggets star Jamal Murray all night long, leading the Timberwolves to a 113-96 victory that put them up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
This was McDaniels at his merciless best, injecting pettiness and grievance into a rivalry already brimming with both. He was the tip of the spear for a defense that rediscovered its menacing form from two years ago, when the Wolves beat the Nuggets in seven games in the Western Conference semifinals. Minnesota held Denver to 11 points and 14-percent shooting (3 for 21) in the first quarter, led by as many as 27 points in the third and never trailed in the game. He also did exactly what he said he was going to do on offense, attacking the rim over and over again, going 8 for 10 inside the 3-point arc and cooking Nikola Jokić anytime he got near the paint.
When the Timberwolves were struggling to hit shots in the first quarter, McDaniels went 4 for 6 for nine points, getting a raucous Target Center crowd on its feet. And when the Timberwolves needed stops, McDaniels picked up Murray 94 feet and held him to 16 points on 5-for-17 shooting.
If McDaniels and the Timberwolves keep attacking the paint & rim they should win this series 4-1.
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