MILWAUKEE -- It has become a trope to call the National League Championship Series a chess match, and it certainly is that. But for Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, this was no little move. It wasn't pushing a pawn ahead a square. It was moving your knight, right from the start, and putting the enemy on defensive.
That move: Roberts started 35-year-old, lefty-mashing, slow-running David Freese as his leadoff hitter against Milwaukee Brewers lefty Wade Miley. Miley, as you might recall, was making his second straight start, though in Game 5, he surprised most everybody by being strategically pulled after one batter.
"You just don't know how it's going to unfold," Roberts said before the game. "With the way that we structured the lineup, and the guys we have on the bench, it just kind of gives us a little bit of flexibility on how we want to use the guys on the bench."
Freese had started exactly three regular-season games as a leadoff hitter in his 10 big league seasons. He's no Willie Wilson. Freese has only eight career stolen bases and zero since 2015. Roberts told him to stick with his usual approach, and so Freese began the game by lining a 2-2 Miley offering over the right-center-field wall.
Yet Leonard and his teammates would say that's off-base and that the two-time All-Star is just rounding back into shape and getting his bearings. If anything, this is merely the beginning of Leonard's basketball rebirth.
In just the second game of the season, Leonard pieced together a dominant stretch in the third period, logging 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in just eight minutes of playing time. The scores -- aided by coach Nick Nurse and guard Kyle Lowry's effort to get him the ball in advantageous spots -- came in a variety of ways, mixing in a dunk with a face-up jumper, then a turnaround jumper, a three, and then finally finishing with a layup. And it was during free throws he shot that quarter that the MVP chants first began.
"It's a little early [for those chants]," he said, while explaining that he appreciates the sentiment
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got his wish." data-reactid="16" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; color: #26282a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Jimmy Butler got his wish.
The star forward’s antagonism toward the Minnesota Timberwolves was one of the most surreal storylines of the NBA offseason, and the team’s fans predictably took notice with a healthy dose of jeers. However, they also took notice of Butler dropping 33 points, which naturally led to MVP chants for a player that had booed only an hour earlier.
Minnesota fans let Butler and Thibs hear it
Minnesota fans got their first chance to let Butler hear their displeasure on Friday during the Timberwolvers’ home opener at the Target Center against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They did not disappoint.
Yahoo Sports NBA ✔@YahooSportsNBAMixed reaction by @Timberwolves fans during Jimmy Butler's intro
(via @TheNoujFOX9)
trade talks reportedly falling through with the Miami Heat, the Timberwolves’ primary trade discussion partner, it’s looking like Butler might be staying in the Twin Cities longer than anyone was expecting." data-reactid="22" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; color: #26282a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Butler has made every attempt to bail from the Timberwolves short of holding out from regular season games, skipping the NBA preseason and cursing out just about everyone within reach in the organization. Now, with trade talks reportedly falling through with the Miami Heat, the Timberwolves’ primary trade discussion partner, it’s looking like Butler might be staying in the Twin Cities longer than anyone was expecting.
As much as the fans verbally assailed Butler, they also seemed very aware that it takes two to tango in a trade request stand-off.
reportedly raised the asking price for Butler after the forward’s infamous “you f—ing need me” practice, all but assuring he would stay in Minnesota for the time being." data-reactid="24" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; color: #26282a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The crowd reserved a healthy serving of boos for Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau, who has been roundly criticized for his handling of the team’s Butler situation. The coach reportedly raised the asking price for Butler after the forward’s infamous “you f—ing need me” practice, all but assuring he would stay in Minnesota for the time being.
RandBall ✔@RandBallAnd boos for Thibodeau
boo Butler every time he touched the ball in the opening minutes of the game. However, that would soon change." data-reactid="27" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; color: #26282a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The boos for the team didn’t even end once pregame introductions were over, with fans making the effort to boo Butler every time he touched the ball in the opening minutes of the game. However, that would soon change.
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