NBA (DR)
LeBron James has been on vacation for a few weeks now, but he still diligently follows the playoffs.
Moreover, he has just given his verdict on this surprising Timberwolves team.
He sees them as a unique strength in the league, which could explain their qualification to the conference finals.
Unlike last season, LeBron James will not be able to reassure himself by saying that his Lakers were eliminated by the future champions…
After taking a severe 4-1 in the first round against the Nuggets, he saw his tormentors get eliminated on their floor in an anthology Game 7.
The questioning will therefore have to be profound this summer in Los Angeles.
Despite the dismal failure of the Suns’ Big 3, Rob Pelinka would not be against the idea of bringing in a Trae Young or a Donovan Mitchell, even if the latter file looks almost impossible due to the strained relations between the King and its former franchise .
LeBron James cashes in on the form of the Timberwolves
In short, before thinking about what’s next, LeBron is still in the playoffs and he just talked about it in his weekly podcast with JJ Redick, who will perhaps become his next coach.
He notably explained what, in his eyes, made the Timberwolves strong in the title race. The key to their success would be physical:
Minnesota is one of the few teams, if not the only team, that makes the field feel smaller. All thanks to their size.
There’s Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels. They crisscross the terrain with their size.
When you attack the basket against them, you feel like the court is tiny. The best thing to do against this is not to have a player monopolizing the ball.
When you hold on to the ball too much, they all extend their arms and suddenly the pitch is cut off. You have to be quick in everything.
The movements, the attacks on the basket, the exits towards the shooters… You don’t have time to do anything on a possession, because they can lock you up in just a few seconds.
LeBron James is adamant the Timberwolves are especially terrifying because of their size.
While observers doubted the arrival of Rudy Gobert, his association with Karl-Anthony Towns is today a defensive strength for the team.
The King therefore advises the Mavericks to play fast at all times to counter the centimeters of their opponents.
LeBron James doesn’t necessarily like playing against the Timberwolves because of their size. And if the King, with his vision of the game, finds this problematic, we understand why the Suns and the Nuggets bit the dust…
