The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hoops Tonight - Timberwolves-Nuggets Reaction: Anthony Edwards EXPLODES, Wolves stun Jokic & Denver

Episode Date: May 5, 2024

Jason Timpf reacts to Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and the Minnesota Timberwolves' 106-99 Game 1 win over Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and the Denver Nuggets' in their second round matchup of the NBA Playoffs. Jason breaks down the biggest highlights, Anthony Edwards' dominant performance, and discusses what he expects ahead of Game 2. #volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer,

Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year.

It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Volume. The 82 game preseason is in the books, and now it's finally time for the real season. Don't miss out on any of the NBA playoff action at Draft King Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA. From the play in tournament through the finals, Draft King's Sportsbook has you covered with same game parlayes, live betting, odds boosts, and so much more. The Boston Celtics are currently the favorite at plus 160,

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P-G.org. Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 plus, age varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario, bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.com slash B-Ball for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. All right, welcome to Hoops Tonight here at the volume. Happy Saturday, everybody.

Hope all of you guys are having a great start to your weekend. Absolutely incredible game one of Minnesota, Denver. We're going to break down that game from the perspective of both teams. You guys know the drill before we get started. Subscribe to our brand new YouTube channels. You don't miss any more of our videos. Follow me on Twitter at underscore Jason LT so you guys don't miss show announcements. Don't forget about our podcast feed, wherever you get your podcast under hoops tonight.

And the last but not least, keep dropping mailbag questions in the YouTube comments so we can keep hitting them throughout the rest of the postseason. All right, let's talk some basketball. So before we get into any of the actual kind of dynamic of the way this game went down, one of the things I talked about in the series preview is Anthony Edwards is it's very difficult to kind of project forward for him. You know, those of you guys have been following the show know that for a couple of years now, I've been super, super high on Anthony Edwards and his long-term potential. But it is different from some of the other like all-time greats that come up out of, you know,

out of high school in the sense that like aunt didn't have nearly as much hype early on. And so, you know, it was kind of just in the last couple years where you start to look at it and you go, okay, this dude really has some potential as an athlete and with his competitiveness and the skill development that he's demonstrating that he could get to this crazy high level. But like, you know, usually you kind of project that sort of thing as in a mid to late 20s, right? Like how many times have we been talking about players in that mid-20s age group where we're just kind of waiting for them to figure it out? we're waiting for them to kind of get to that next level. And, you know, here's the thing going into this year's postseason run.

In the regular season, Minnesota was a less effective offense. They were, I think, 17th in offensive rating. And they famously would fall apart in the fourth quarters of games, especially in crunch time. They had one of the worst offensive ratings in the league when they'd get into clutch situations, right? And a big part of that was during the regular season, Anthony Edwards was not as efficient as a pull-up shooter, a pretty consistent theme over the last few years.

but every year he's gotten to the postseason, and I don't know if it's just his resilience athletically in these physical environments, or if it's his supreme confidence, or if literally he's just a gamer, but he gets into these situations and all of a sudden he's like a knockdown pull-up shooter. And when you combine that with like his unbelievable athletic advantages,

his supreme competitive spirit, it becomes a bona fide top-tier superstar in this level of basketball. And again, it makes it hard to, kind of evaluate Minnesota because he wasn't that in the regular season. He was somewhere in the seventh to 10th best player in the league in the regular season. Here in the postseason, he's been the best guy. He's been the best player in the playoffs so far. That's what Anthony Edwards has been. And like now at this point, I actually think he's a little bit underrated in the sense. I don't think people realize what we're witnessing with Anthony Edwards. This guy has legitimate

potential to be the best player in the world in the league that already. has Nicole Yokic in his 20s, Luca Donchich in his 20s, Janice and Denikumpo and Joe L. Embed, he's got the potential to pass those guys. And he's barely scratching the surface of what he can do in terms of managing his energy better through games, in terms of reading defenses better,

in terms of hunting easier shots. Like he had a baseline post-up kind of like bully ball play against Reggie Jackson in the early second half. That's going to be a huge part of his game in the few. just absolutely bullying small guards on the block every single time down the floor that he gets that type of matchup. The sky is the limit for this kid. And I don't think people have any idea how good he is already, let alone how good he is capable of being. 43 points tonight, seven rebounds, a steel in two blocks, 17 for 27 from the field,

three for seven from three, six for six from the line. Just an unbelievably dominant performance from Anthony Edwards. Nasree did a bunch of big shots in the second half as Minnesota, kind of started to pull away, and then Ant just slammed the door shut. Not just that ridiculous right shoulder fade over KCP on the left elbow, but that play after Michael Porter Jr. came out of the timeout and hit that three, and it just gets the inbound pass and just literally races past every single Denver Nugget like they're not even there for a wide open layup on the other end of the floor.

You know, I got asked a mailbag question the two or three days ago. And Celtics fans are all mad because they're like, why are you comparing him to Jason Tatum? It was a mailbag question. But there's another layer to it. This is the debate of like, who's the next great American basketball player, right? Beyond the Luca Janice Yokic tier,

which is a group of obviously non-Americans, we have basically like Tatum and Anthony Edwards and like Zion Williamson. Like that's the group of guys that are kind of contending for that best young American player. When I was asked that mailbag question, the reason why I said Anthony Edwards, so definitively has to do with that supreme athleticism. This is the big thing I've been talking about in the Clippers Maverick series that just ended last night.

When you have an elite physical trait, whether it's Luca Donchich's size and strength or it's Kyrie Irving's quickness versus guys like Paul George and James Hardin that just don't have elite athletic traits at this phase of their career, it makes it a lot harder to get separation from top tier perimeter defenders in high stakes, physical, urgent, and intense environments. Anthony Edwards is one of the best athletes in the NBA. He is capable of, like, just that right shoulder fade over KCP at the end of the game, the one that kind of iced it, right? That fade away. If you watch him, KCP is defending it perfectly, bodying him, absorbing contact, keeping him in front.

If you watch a replay of that play, watch how much separation aunt gets. When he turns to fade, he gets so much lift. But even though that shot looks really difficult, to us because of how athletic he is. When he's up at the top of that jump, it might as well be a free throw for him. Like he's just got such great lift and balance that at the top of that shot, it's just his classic muscle memory and release.

Just like on that play, it's like, okay, Michael Porter Jr. hits a three. It's a, now we've got to try to contain here on this inbounds. It's like all this pressure setting up in the back court, but because he has that supreme physical gift of his athletes, athleticism, he's able to rip through them like tissue paper on his way to the basket. When you combine his supreme athleticism, his strength, I thought that first possession of the game when he was guarding Jamal Murray, we'll get back to it in a second where he's being

handsy and containing him is, it's the supreme athleticism, it's the strength, he's got good size, it's the supreme competitiveness, and he's putting in the work behind the scenes to turn himself into a polished score from all three levels of the floor. Just I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, I, I'm going to understate it because it's not possible to put into words just how impressed I am with this kid. I think he might be my favorite player in the post-Lebron era after he's done. I just love everything about this kid and I'm so excited to see what he is capable of accomplishing, not just the rest of the series, but the rest of his career. I was literally thinking like, this kid has a chance to do stuff like this for another decade,

if not longer. We are just barely scratching the surface of what Ant can be. So early in the game, I thought it was super fascinating. Minnesota did a similar thing to Phoenix in the first round, where basically in the Sunday game, the game that was the final game of the regular season, they put Anthony Edwards on KD, and they put Jaden McDaniels on Booker,

and then they put Mike Conley on Bradley Beale. And so we were all kind of planning on that series, like, oh, they're going to go into this series, and they're going to put those same guys in those same matchups. And it's like, nope, they came into game one and mixed it up immediately. And Ant moved over to Bradley Beal and they put Carl Towns on Kevin Durant. And it just was kind of like a random kind of tweak that we weren't expecting. They come out the opening tip tonight.

And all of the film during the regular season was a strong indicator. It was going to be a lot of Jaden McDaniels on Jamal Murray. And, you know, they go for just a couple of possessions with Ant on Jamal. And it works great. there's that early possession where ant fights over the screen, and then Jamal tries to ISO him, and like, Aunt literally had him in jail.

He could not break free. He could not get separation from him. And that's the whole other element of Ant's game that is barely flushed out from where it's going to be. He could be the best perimeter defender in the league. There is no player that can move laterally and contain a player with his hands and strength the way that Anthony Edwards can. Now, he was exhausted a lot tonight from what do you,

was asked to do offensively, and he took a lot of defensive possessions where he wasn't super engaged in this game. But like when he gets to that point, or he's, you know, mid-20s, supreme two-way, you know, athlete with the commitment on both ends of the floor, he could be the best perimeter defender in the league. This guy's the limit for this kid. But I thought it was so interesting because he's on Jamal and then they quick switch him off. It was almost like sending a message early. It was almost like sending a message like, by the way, Jamal, I'm coming for you. any time this game gets close. Like, if this game gets close, I just want you to know that you can't,

you can't break free from me, you know? And honestly, like, they switched back to Jaden and Jaden did damn near just as good a job. Now, Jamal over the course of the game kind of started to figure it out, setting them up for ball screens, doing a better job of working multiple screening actions to get Jaden caught on the screen. Yokic actually set some better screens. And so in the second half, Jamal was able to get some openings. This year, like, here's the thing.

Today is about Anthony Edwards and celebrating his greatness and his potential. This is going to be a long series. They, what, spotted Minnesota, 18 to 4 lead, I think at the start of this game. Denver's not going anywhere. They're going to have an answer. This is going to be a really tough series. But I'm more just kind of taking a moment to celebrate what Anthony Edwards did. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashed. reaching human potential. Either way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars. fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day. Yeah, yeah. But just so you all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed, correct.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Early in the game, defensive fastball completely shuts Denver down. I think they go up 18 to 4. It looks like this is going to be a much different type of series in terms of the defensive side of the floor, or excuse me, the offensive side of the floor for Denver

in terms of the types of players they're dealing with on the perimeter. But Mike Malone's second timeout gets called. And then out of the timeout, Denver starts to lean into something that I talked a lot about in the series preview, which is avoid Minnesota's half court offense as much as possible by defending and getting out in transition. And they went on a crazy defensive run to end the first quarter. There was like a 12 or 13 minute span where I think they had like 10, 12 points. It was a dominant defensive stretch from Denver.

They got 12 steals in this game. They had 26 total points on 14 Minnesota turnovers. That was really the only reason this game stayed close early on. All of the major metrics tilted toward Minnesota. Minnesota outshot them, 52 to 47%. They won points in the paint, 52 to 42. They out rebounded them, 42 to 34. They out rebound them on the offensive glass, 7 to 3.

They were the better transition offense. They had a 186 offensive rating in transition. Minnesota, or excuse me, Denver had a 143 offensive rating, although much better than their half court offense. And then the half court offense. Minnesota won the half court offense battle today, 106 to 100. and points per 100 half court play. So it was really a dominant effort from Minnesota from top to bottom.

What kept Denver in the game was their defense, getting steals, getting out in transition. That 26 points on 14 Minnesota turnovers, that was what allowed Denver to regain control of the game. And again, as we look forward for Denver, one of the most important things for them in this series is going to be like prioritizing their defensive focus. This is not a series you're going to win by grinding things down into the mud and playing in a rock fight. If you grind things down and play in a rock fight and stick in that half court environment, as I showed in the film session yesterday, it's a lot of hands-on perimeter ball handlers and top locking and shutting down actions with outrageous physicality. It's just going to be really, really difficult because one of the things I was texting with our production staff before, the show. When the league decided to kind of tilt things towards physicality there in the middle

of the season, it didn't just affect the regular season. These playoffs have been substantially more physical than previous playoff runs that I've watched. And that is a tweak that specifically favors teams like Minnesota that try to win with their defense. But looking forward for Denver, Denver has the ability to win with their defense as well. Honestly, it was one of the things that really impressed me about their first quarter kind of recovery from that Minnesota Blitz. When you talk about real championship teams, they can win in different ways. And what was fascinating is in the Lakers series, they won by out executing them in the half court. It was, we can, yeah, you're right. You've got a good five out offense.

LeBron and AD can do a lot of damage on our backline. You know, we're, but we can score on you easier than you can score on us. And that has to be kind of flipped in the Minnesota series to the sense where all their effort and energy has to be focused on the defensive end, and it needs to be more like, yeah, you're a great defense. That was cool how you did all this stuff to Jamal

and you did this stuff to Yokic and you got for some turnovers and did all this stuff. Great. But we can slow down your offense better than you can slow down our offense. And we can get out and transition and take advantage of that and have success. That's going to be a huge part of this series. finding ways to keep Minnesota's offense in the half court,

get stops and turnovers, and force out the other way in transition as often as possible. They did get out in transition more frequently in that first half than Minnesota is. Minnesota did, and that's something they can lean on moving forward. Back on the Minnesota side, I wanted to shout out Carl Towns and Nas Reid. Carl Towns in the early portion of the game, especially in that third quarter, was just unbelievable bringing the scoring pop. because in that first half, it was like all aunt and no one else could get anything going.

And then Carl Towns kind of provided that support there in that third quarter. And then when Kat picked up that fifth foul running into Jamal Murray while he was shooting, he had to come out of the game. And Nas Reid came in and he was unbelievable, not just hitting threes, which you knocked down two of them. But one of the big things with Nas is he's an excellent close-out attacker. And he will catch with the defender closing out at him, read those angles, rip through and get all the way to the rim. He was super active on the glass as well.

I thought his offensive rebound tip dunk that he had in that, I think it was in the third quarter run, if I remember correctly. No, it was in the fourth quarter. If I remember, I think it was in the fourth. But that tip dunk he had, that was a huge momentum play in that game

after he had just scored on the previous possession. Big times, you get 36 points out of that power forward spot between Carl Anthony Towns and Nas Reid. Really, really impressive stuff. I thought Mike Conley hit a couple of huge shots. two big threes in the third quarter run started on kind of like a break rhythm one on the left wing and then he hit another just big time effort for Minnesota their defense is going to be an issue for Denver in this series they're going to have to figure it out on the on the Denver side again

a couple things Jamal Murray I think the debt I think the real giveaway with him uh moving forward in this series is he's got to just work better on on setting up his man for screens if he tries to work too much connected to the defender uh connected to connected to Nikiel Alexander Walker, connected to Jada McDaniels, it's just going to be really difficult for him to make shots. Those guys are just, as I said in the series preview, an entirely different class of perimeter defender than Austin Reeves, right? You're dealing with just an entire different universe of basketball player, right?

So the big things for him are going to be, one, capitalizing on the transition opportunities we're there, but two, work harder to set up his man for screens. That means like multiple screening action. And so a lot of times what you can do is come off of the ball screen, then retreat dribble, and just go off the other side. That gives Yokic a chance to flip the angle. And chances are when you come off the ball screen and hit a retreat dribble, Jaden or whoever it is is going to have to take a really hard step in that direction, and you'll have an advantage going back the other way.

The other thing, working from floater range, this was something I talked about in the series preview. I think pull-up jumpers, the rear-view contests from guys like Jaden and to kill Alexander Walker and Ant are going to be a lot more difficult deal with. Like that shot that Jamal Murray made in game five to beat the Lakers, Austin Reeves almost blocked it. The Jada McDaniels types are definitely going to block them. So a big thing for Jamal, I think is going to be working downhill into floater range. Got a missed one off the back room in the first half. Had a really nice floater in crunch time, though, that he made that he made look easy. I think that's a shot that he can lean on more frequently.

Nicole Yokic is going to have to look to score as much as humanly possible. I think he looked a little, he looked a little just, he was adjusting to some of the physicality, not a super efficient game by his standards, 11 for 25 from the field. I talked about in the regular season, Nicole Yokic was just not as good of a jump shooter this season as he was last year. And I still think he's the best player in the world, even without a dominant jump shot. But that's a shot that he's going to have to make in this series. He was two for nine from three tonight.

And again, that was something all season long. he just wasn't making them the same way he did last year by percentage. And he's going to have to hit him. I think if the nuggets are going to have a chance to come back and win this series. I'm going to stick with my pick for now. I think Denver's going to respond in game two. Again, I think Denver's going to find ways to slow down Minnesota's half-court offense over the course of this series.

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever overreact to a game one. That said, super impressive win for Minnesota. Can't put into words how impressed I am with Anthony Edwards, and I'm so thankful that we got several more games of this series. This is going to be a fun one. I'm looking forward to it. Next game two is on Monday. So I've got a couple series previews I need to do. I finished my prep for Nick's Paisers.

I'm recording that one actually right after this. That's going up tomorrow morning. Then I have to do Thunder Mavs, but I'm going to try to find some time either on Sunday or Monday morning to do a film session for game two of Timberwolves Nuggets. I always have a better feel for the game after I have a chance to kind of look back over the film. So just keep an eye on our YouTube channel and on my Twitter feed. And when I do do that film session, I will put it. I'll make sure I tweet the links out. But I'm going to work hard to try to get that out Monday morning. So it has some time to breathe before the game. All right, guys, that is all I have for today. As always, I sincerely appreciate you

guys for supporting the show. We will be back tomorrow morning with a series preview on Nick's Pacers. I will see you guys then. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite unhumored me with Robert Smygel friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Cliford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human.