Timberwolves pose a tall problem for opponents

It’s safe to say the Minnesota Timberwolves are a very tall, lanky and talented team and will pose a monumental challenge for the Dallas Mavericks when the two teams square off in the Western Conference Finals.

For starters, the Timberwolves hang their hats on the defensive end of the court where their vaunted defense was ranked No. 1 in the NBA this season. Trying to maneuver past their front line of Rudy Gobert (7-1) Karl-Anthony Towns (7-0) and Jaden McDaniels (6-9) and get to the rim is akin to trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Add that to the superstar status of shooting guard Anthony Edwards (6-4) along with the steady veteran hand of point guard Mike Conley (6-0), it’s no wonder there are some out there who believe the Timberwolves are in the process of building a dynasty.

“They’re long,’ Mavs coach Jason Kidd said following Monday’s practice. “If you’re challenging at the rim you’ve got to know Gobert is going to be there.

“Ant plays both sides of the ball. He’s going to play defense and he’s going to play offense. And you talk about Gobert and Kat and McDaniels, they’re a big team. When you look at their group, Conley is not small, but Conley is the smallest one on the floor.”

To reach the conference finals, the Timberwolves swept Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the Phoenix Suns in four games in the first round of the playoffs. Then, they rallied from a 3-2 deficit and pounded the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets by 45 points in Game 6 before storming back from 20-points down in the third quarter to close out the series in Denver with an impressive 98-90 victory in Game 7 this past Sunday.

Surprised? Not Kidd.

The first team the Mavs saw this season were the Timberwolves. The squads met in Abu Dhabi for a pair of preseason games. Minnesota won both contests, 111-99 and 104-96.

“They’re a very good team – well-coached,” Kidd said. “We got to see them in Abu Dhabi and we thought they were one of the best teams in the league then, and they showed that on the road in Denver winning Game 7. This is going to be a tough opponent.”

Minnesota is in the conference finals for just the second time in franchise history and the first time since 2004 when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

The Mavs and Timberwolves tip off their best-of-seven series on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Minnesota. Game 2 is also in Minnesota on Friday at 7:30 p.m. before the series shifts to Dallas for Games 3 and 4.

The Timberwolves, 56-26 and the No. 3 seed, allowed the fewest points in the league this season at 106.5 per game. They also held Phoenix to 95 and 93 points in two of their postseason victories over the Suns, and held Denver to 99, 80, 70 and 90 points in their four wins.

That includes amazingly winning three games against the Nuggets in Denver.

“Defensively, they’re one of the best teams in the league,” Kidd said. “Offensively, they get out in transition and they’re as good as anyone.

“Ant’s playing at an MVP level right now. They’ve got guys that can score the ball, and then Conley is the glue. He keeps those guys together. This is a great test for us.”

The test becomes even more challenging because Gobert is so effective as a shot-blocker that it’s as if he has a blanket over the rim. Gobert finished sixth in the league in blocked shots this season at 2.1 per game, and also won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year this season for the fourth time in seven years.

So, what makes Gobert so effective as a defensive player?

“I would say his timing, his positioning, his arm length, and his being able to just understand who’s coming,” Mavs center Dereck Lively II said. “If they’re going to come down the lane and you’re a right-hand finisher, he’s going to send you to his right hand knowing that you’re not going to go to your left.

“Or if he knows that you have a lot of athleticism, he’s going to meet you one step earlier so you can’t load up as far. So, just being able to know that he’s been doing this for a lot of years is going to make it that much harder, but it’s going to make it that much fun to learn.”

The Mavs do have some playoff experience with Gobert. When Gobert played for Utah, the Mavs beat the Jazz in six games in the first round of the 2022 playoffs, and they attacked Gobert and got him away from the rim by getting him involved in several high pick-and-rolls.

“We’ll see if we can get him in different places on the floor,” Kidd said. “But 90 percent of the time he’s by the rim, so we’ve got to figure out how to get him away from the rim to give our scorers a clean look at the basket.

“We’ll try to move him. He will get up and double-team sometimes, so we’ve got to be alert of that, too.”

The Mavs also have to be alert of Naz Reid, the 6-9 backup center who averaged 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in only 18.4 minutes and shot 53.7 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three-point range while winning the NBA’s Sixth Man Award this season.

“He’s given everybody issues,” Kidd said. “He’s one of the better players in this league. Sometimes he goes under the radar because of the star power with Minnesota, but he does his job at a high, high, high level.

“He shoots the three, also. Again, he can put the ball on the floor — to be that big. And he plays like a guard, so he gives everyone trouble, not just us. For us, we got to be able to make him uncomfortable at the three-point line. We can’t just give him freebies, because he’s shooting at a high rate.”

Most importantly, the Mavs have to find a way to contain Edwards, who averaged 25.9 points and 5.4 rebounds this season.

“I think when you look at Ant, just his ability to, one, command leadership at (age) 22,” Kidd said. “That’s pretty special. His talent, his smile is infectious. He has all the qualities.

“He is a star in this league. Again, his teammates trust him, and they should. He’s one of the best players in the world, but I think he is built to be a leader in this league and he’s showing that here in the playoffs.”

Edwards is somewhat similar to Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored at least 30 points in the last five games of the six-game conference semifinal series against the Mavs.

“Shai and Ant are talented scorers, so it doesn’t change in the sense of being able to exhale,” Kidd said. “You’ve got two guys who can flat out score. Ant (has the) ability to get downhill and finish above the rim, so you’ve got to get to him early.

“Ant’s ability, he will shoot the three a little bit more than Shai did in our series. So, we got to be able to guard him behind the three-point line and also guard him before he takes off.”

Kidd also praised the way McDaniels plays defense, comparing it to the way OKC’s Lu Dort hung close to Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.  He cited McDaniels’ length, ability to move his feet, hands, and desire to lock down the player he’s guarding.

“He wants to play defense,” Kidd said. “He’s one of the best defensive guys. Luka and Kai have gone from Dort to now McDaniels, so it doesn’t get any easier. We’re going to have to figure out how to get those guys shots.”

In addition, the Mavs will also have to figure out how to slow down Towns, who averaged 20.8 points and 8.1 rebounds during the regular season and converted 49.5 percent of his field goals and 36.6 percent of his attempts from downtown.

“Ant’s game compliments Kat’s game and vice-versa,” Kidd said. “When you talk about who’s team it is. . .you see Ant is giving praise to Kat, and Kat is giving praise to Ant. So, when you talk about great teammates, they play together at a high level.

“That’s up to them to decide who’s team it is. They’re just trying to find ways to win right now and they’re doing that at a high level.”

X: @DwainPrice