Timberwolves Q&A with the Rockets
By Trey Flynn
Dunking With Wolves (DWW) has a few questions for Space City Scoop (SCS) before the Timberwolves vs. Rockets playoff series begins.
Michael Knight – Expert at Space City Scoop – will be giving us the inside scoop on the Rockets
Twitter handle, @M_KnightSCS
Who is the most underrated player on the Rockets that could surprise Minnesota for this series?
SCS: Normally, I would say Luc Mbah a Moute. Unfortunately, he will miss the whole series, as I will get into later. Instead of Luc, I’ll go with Gerald Green. He was passed over by everyone this year and signed halfway through the year by the Rockets. He’s been an incredible offensive weapon who is certainly not afraid to shoot. Green has earned his playoff minutes over Joe Johnson, so watch out for him.
How do the Rockets plan on limiting the offensive prowess of Karl-Anthony Towns and the All-NBA type play from Jimmy Butler.
SCS: There’s nothing you can really do to stop those guys. The Rockets will try to do their best to contain them with Clint Capela and all of the perimeter defenders. Trevor Ariza and P.J. Tucker will likely take turns defending Butler while Clint will take KAT.
How does the loss of Rockets’ Luc Mbah a Moute for round one hurt Houston?
SCS: It really, really hurts the Rockets. They are still an incredible team, but Luc is one of the most underrated players on the team and in the league. He is likely the best perimeter defender on the team and has a much-improved 3-point shot. He comes off the bench and provides some serious intensity against second units.
Who do you think Houston will want to attack the most on the Timberwolves? Offensively and Defensively?
SCS: I feel like the Rockets will try to tire out the Timberwolves on both ends. Coach Thibs definitely uses his starters quite a bit, so working them on both ends of the court will wear on you during a series. For specific players, I’m not quite sure. As per usual, the Rockets will want to get big men switched onto Harden and Paul as often as possible, so look for quite a few screens to achieve that goal.
Does Houston have an Achilles’ heal?
SCS: The Rockets have fixed their main Achilles’ heel from the past few season: defense. They ranked No. 6 in defensive rating this year. If anything is still a problem for the team, it’s size. Starting 6’6″ P.J. Tucker at power forward isn’t always the best against bigger teams. He is a fantastic defender, but the size can be an issue at times. The Rockets still managed to be a good rebounding team, though, so we’ll see.
What is your prediction for this series?
SCS: I think the games will be closer than the spread may suggest, but I still see the Rockets winning in 5 games. I could see the T-Wolves winning their first playoff game back at home in quite awhile.