Cam Johnson’s Playoff Primer

Cam Johnson used a 24-minute playoff primer released April 17 to frame Denver’s first-round series with Minnesota as an early test of matchup discipline and half-court execution. (wondery.com) The bracket had Denver as the West’s No. 3 seed at 54-28 and Minnesota as No. 6 at 49-33, with their first-round series listed at 0-0 entering opening weekend. (nba.com) (basketball-reference.com) Johnson’s episode also touched the play-in field, including the Charlotte Hornets and Stephen Curry, before turning to what he called lessons from playoff series he has already played in. (wondery.com) The series gives Denver’s top-ranked offense a direct test against a Minnesota defense that finished eighth in defensive rating. Denver posted a 122.6 offensive rating in the regular season; Minnesota allowed 113.5 points per 100 possessions. (basketball-reference.com 1) (basketball-reference.com 2) It also puts two teams from the Northwest Division on a short-turn playoff schedule after Denver finished seventh in adjusted net rating and Minnesota finished 10th. Those numbers point to a tighter matchup than the seed line alone suggests. (basketball-reference.com) The half-court angle Johnson highlighted starts with Denver’s shot creation. The Nuggets led the league in offensive rating at 122.6, while Minnesota ranked 12th offensively at 116.8 and leaned more on getting stops and playing faster. (basketball-reference.com 1) (basketball-reference.com 2) Bench depth is another variable in the matchup, but the regular-season gap was narrow. Denver averaged 35.7 bench points per game and Minnesota averaged 35.0. (statmuse.com 1) (statmuse.com 2) The regular-season meetings leaned Denver. Basketball-Reference’s team logs show the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves on Oct. 27, Nov. 15 and Dec. 25, all by at least 11 points. (basketball-reference.com) (basketball-reference.com) Minnesota still entered with a profile that can stress Denver over a long series. Anthony Edwards led the Wolves at 28.8 points per game, while Rudy Gobert averaged 11.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. (espn.com) Denver’s side of the equation is more familiar and just as demanding. Nikola Jokić led the Nuggets in points at 27.7, rebounds at 12.9 and assists at 10.7, giving Minnesota a central matchup problem every possession. (espn.com) That is why Johnson’s primer settled on this series so quickly. The bracket says No. 3 versus No. 6, but the numbers say Denver’s offense and Minnesota’s defense are meeting in the first round instead of later. (wondery.com) (basketball-reference.com)