Roundtable: Previewing Timberwolves vs. Rockets

Previewing the Timberwolves vs. Rockets game in the form of a roundtable with Dunking with Wolves.

1. Who will be the unlikely round 1 hero for both the Timberwolves and the Rockets?

Adam Ziobrowski: The Timberwolves unlikely hero will be D-Rose. He looked good against the Nuggets and I feel like his experience off of the bench will be a big reason why. For the Rockets, look out for another experienced man in Trevor Ariza. His physical play could wear down the Wolves defense.

Ali Siddiqui: For the Rockets, Ryan Anderson. He is questionable for game one with an ankle injury, but once he is back he will be the unlikely hero. With Luc Mbah a Moute out for the series, Anderson will get extra minutes. He is also a 38.2 career 3-pt shooter.

For the Wolves, Derrick Rose. He has been playing better as of late and given his playoff experience, Tom Thibodeau could give him decent amount of minutes.

Paul Ibrahim: I’ll take this question more to be the most under the radar MVP for each team. I think for both teams, the under the radar MVP’s will be the power forwards. For the Timberwolves, I’d say it has to be Nemanja Bjelica. I think the Timberwolves will find themselves in desperate need to spread the floor in this series, and that may result in Bjelica seeing more minutes with the starting five at power forward. With PJ Tucker, the most versatile of the Rockets’ Centers likely defending Towns for a good portion, this will leave Capela or Nene, the designated rim protectors, on Nemanja Bjelica. Bjelica will be needed to spread the floor, offering a viable threat from three and opening the lane for drives and Towns post-ups.

Ben Beecken: The Timberwolves will need to rely on Karl-Anthony Towns. Jimmy Butler will play well but will be unlikely to take over games as he has in the past as he’s obviously still getting his conditioning and lift back after March knee surgery. If the Wolves are to have a “hero”, it’ll have to be Towns.

On the Rockets side, they need James Harden to stay engaged on both sides of the floor. There isn’t much concern that the league’s likely MVP won’t do just that, but if he decides to attempt to lockdown Andrew Wiggins and remains as efficient as he can be on offense, he’ll be the MVP of this series, too.

2. How should the Timberwolves go about stopping — or at least slowing down — Chris Paul and James Harden?

Adam Ziobrowski: To stop or at least slow down Chris Paul and James Harden the Wolves need to stick Butler on Harden and Teague on Paul. Those two need to stick to them like glue and can’t be afraid to play physical with them. Really, they need to stick to the basics. Contest every shot and fight around screens without getting caught in them, we’ve seen how well Harden and Paul connect on step back threes coming off of screens. 

Ali Siddiqui: Chris Paul. James Harden is having an MVP-caliber season, averaging 30.4 points per game and 8.8 assists. It is a given that he is going to have a very huge impact. Therefore, it is very important to not let his supporting cast play very well.

Paul is a very good player, but not quite as good as he used to be, so slowing him down is especially not going to be as difficult as slowing down Harden. Yes, Jimmy Butler will be guarding Harden more, but even at his worst Harden is still capable of scoring a lot. Just don’t let Paul or others have big games either.

Paul Ibrahim: As we all know, the Rockets’ Offense thrives on efficiency, as they minimize the volume of mid-range jump-shots and they maximize the amounts of three-pointers and feet from the basket shots. They get these shots easily through forcing the opposing teams’ worst defender to switch onto Chris Paul or James Harden, and if the defender stays back they either throw the lob to Capela or step-back to take the three. The first step to ameliorate this obliteration is to lock down the paint. Never give the point guard the outlet to lob it to Capela or Nene. Second, Towns and Gibson will need to be able to competently defend the perimeter. This is a tall task, but without switchability the Wolves have no chance to stop the Rockets from scoring 130 points every game this series.

Ben Beecken: As the saying goes, the Wolves need to make other members of the Rockets beat them. The trick is not allowing them to shoot open 3-point attempts all series long, because they will beat them if that’s the case. Really, the best thing the Wolves can do is clog passing lanes and rotate quickly on the perimeter, forcing indecision from two extremely dynamic players in Paul and Harden. They won’t stop them, but slowing them down is theoretically possible.

3. With the Rockets’ Luc Mbah a Moute out for round 1, who will be the Rockets’ most important defender?

Adam Ziobrowski: Luc Mbah a Moute won’t be the Rockets most important defender, that will be Clint Capela on Karl-Anthony Towns. As of right now Towns is the spark on the Wolves offense. After his monster game on Wednesday he’s riding a hot streak, Capela needs to buckle down on KAT.

Ali Siddiqui: Trevor Ariza. He has been a good defender throughout his career and will be facing Andrew Wiggins, who is the Wolves third leader scorer. Consistency has been a problem for Wiggins, but when he’s on, he’s on.

Paul Ibrahim: Even with Luc Mbah a Moute healthy, I believe Clint Capela is the Rockets’ most important defender. He is an excellent rim defender as well as a competent perimeter defender, giving him switch-ability in the pick-and-roll. I would expect him to cover the Timberwolves starting power forward, presumably Taj Gibson, so he can stay near the paint and double as the rim-protector to prevent any Timberwolves penetration. As we have seen with poor results against the Jazz and 76ers this season, when lane penetration is blocked, the Timberwolves struggle to make-shots, as they are forced to take contested mid-range jumpers and three-pointers, both areas from which they have been wildly inefficient.

Ben Beecken: Clint Capela. The Rockets’ big man has played well against Karl-Anthony Towns in their previous matchups, and if he’s effective on both ends of the court in this series it will spell trouble for the Timberwolves. He’s superior to Towns on the glass and is an outstanding pick-and-roll defender. Given that a big series by Towns will be the key to a successful series for the Wolves, Capela’s performance will be important to watch.

4. How do the Timberwolves help Andrew Wiggins snap out of his poor play as he begins the most important stretch of his NBA career?

Adam Ziobrowski: This one is tough. I don’t think it is so much what the Wolves can do for Wiggins to snap him out of his poor play, it’s what he can do for himself. His teammates have confidence in him, that is not the issue. I think sometimes when he puts up an ill-advised shot he gets in his own head and if he can put up less of those that will help him.

Ali Siddiqui: Set more screens for him. His strength is driving to the basket. His shooting has taken a step back this year.

Paul Ibrahim: There is no textbook way to get a player to snap out of a slump. Some would say to try to shoot your way out of it, but as we’ve seen this year from Wiggins that clearly doesn’t work. My ideal role for Wiggins in this series is to be an off-ball, offensively potent wing who is the third scoring option. If Wiggins can approach a 20-ish usage for this series, with the majority of his shots coming from slashes and cuts, where he’s been very effective, I think the Timberwolves’ offensive ceiling on a good day is the same of the Rockets.

Ben Beecken: Wiggins has actually improved his all-around game of late, despite having what was overall a disappointing season. Wiggins’ rebounding numbers have been up of late, and his assist and steal rates ticked up in the latter part of the season as well. He still hasn’t found his niche as the third-wheel on offense, and that’s the biggest issue. In a short series, it’s vital to have a confident and consistent third scoring option and Wiggins isn’t exactly that. Hopefully, his clutch free throws at the end of the Denver game on Wednesday will help him turn things around.

5. What is the weak link of the Houston Rockets, and how will the Timberwolves attack it?

Adam Ziobrowski: As a group there is no weak link of the Rockets. However, PJ Tucker is the Rockets weak link as a player. I think Taj Gibson will be able to handle him on both ends of the court and give the Wolves another consistent scoring option. Oh, and have you seen his defense as of late? Good luck, Tucker.

Ali Siddiqui: Their defense will not be as good without Mbah a Moute, so getting Karl-Anthony Towns more touches will be more key than usual. Taj Gibson too. Look for both for get more involved than normal.

Paul Ibrahim: The generic answer would be James Harden’s defense, but I’m going to go past that. The weak link for the Rockets are their bench units. The Rockets will likely go 8-9 deep in the first round, with the likes of Gerald Green, Eric Gordon, Joe Johnson, and Nene getting the majority of the bench minutes. Gerald Green has seen an uptick in offensive production and efficiency as a Rocket, with the asterisk that his defense remains sub-par. Similar story for Eric Gordon. Joe Johnson, on the other hand, has remained a slightly below replacement-level defender, but has been drastically inefficient in the 23 games he’s worn a Rockets uniform. Nene has been a constant solid rim protector and defender while maintainging himself as a viable post-threat. The best chance for the Wolves to attack this is to try and let Nemanja Bjelica play more on ball, and avoid letting Derrick Rose drive too much.

Ben Beecken: The Rockets don’t really have a weakness…maybe health and lack of a recent rhythm as a team? They do have a number of players nicked up and haven’t played their full lineup in some time. Outside of that, Houston is top-10 in almost every category on both sides of the ball. They did only rank 18th in the league when it came to offensive rebounding, but that’s more by design and a function of how Houston plays transition defense than anything else.

6. As a Wolves fan, what would you consider a “successful” Round One appearance, short of winning the series?

Adam Ziobrowski: In my eyes a successful round one trip is simply playing in round one. It’s been a long time since the Twin Cities have experienced meaningful basketball and although the Wolves did not get the seeding they looked primed to get I think getting there and getting a feel for playoff basketball is successful. Besides, this will only benefit the team more in years to come.

Ali Siddiqui: Winning a game. Obviously the more the better, but given that the Rockets have the best record in the league and the Wolves are in the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, getting one win would make this a successful series. Next year though, the expectations will be much higher. This team was already capable of being the third seed had Jimmy Butler not missed 17 games with the injury.

Paul Ibrahim: I hate to be a downer, but there is no fathomable way for the Wolves to win this series so let’s get that out of our minds. In my mind, if KAT, Wigs, and Tyus play solid games, and don’t shrivel-up when put under pressure, that is the ideal playoff series for me. It would also be nice if we could take a game at Target Center.

Ben Beecken: A realistic, successful goal for the Timberwolves would be winning two games and taking the series back to Target Center for a Game 6.