It is safe to say that Stephen A. Smith may be regretting his early prediction for the Minnesota Timberwolves versus Denver Nuggets series. The well-known media personality was quick to jump on the Minnesota bandwagon after a dominating start saw Chris Finch’s side jump out to a 2-0 advantage in the series.
“I believe the Minnesota Timberwolves are gonna sweep the reigning, defending NBA Champions,” said Smith on ESPN after Minnesota’s 106-80 win in Game 2 of the series.
The defending champion Nuggets responded with one of the their best games of the playoffs in a one-sided 117-90 win in Game 3.
Smith had predicted the Timberwolves would go on to sweep the Nuggets but now seems to have changed his tune.
“Denver: ‘You must have forgot about us.’ Yes, I did. My apologies,” said Smith on ABC. “Minnesota: I might have blew ’em up a little bit too much. We’ll see.”
"Then you see what happens last night. And you're like, 'Well damn.'
Denver: 'You must have forgot about us.' Yes, I did. My apologies.
Minnesota: I might have blew 'em up a little bit too much. We'll see." https://t.co/PnxTPG5lQ6 pic.twitter.com/e8C13nvqOx
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 12, 2024
Many NBA analyst have the Timberwolves progressing in this tightly contested Western Conference semifinals matchup but it takes a bold man to predict an outright sweep. Led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets currently boast one of the most dynamic offenses in the league.
According to Smith, one of the main factors behind his prediction was the Wolves outstanding defense over this playoff run. Denver averaged just 89.5 points per game over the first two games, a significant drop-off from the 114.9 points they averaged during the regular season.
A critical Game 4 is set to take place on Sunday at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
