Adelman knows what the Nuggets need to do to win the series.
The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves are heading into their third playoff meeting in four years, and head coach David Adelman already has his team locked in.
Before Saturday's Game 1 at Ball Arena, Adelman talked about the way he wants his group to approach the series opener and what makes these early matchups so important.
"These first games are always the most interesting because you see what both teams have prepared to do to guard each other and all those things," Adelman said. "So it's always an interesting game."
That mindset fits the moment perfectly.
The Nuggets finished the regular season at 54-28 as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, while the Timberwolves came in at 49-33 and grabbed the No. 6 seed.
Denver won the season series 3-1, closed the year on a 12-game winning streak, and enters the postseason rolling with a confidence level that Adelman has been building all season long.
How the Nuggets Plan to Stop Minnesota
Denver does not need to get creative against the Wolves.
The gameplan runs through Nikola Jokic, who averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists this season while becoming the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both categories.
Against Minnesota specifically, Jokic was dominant, putting up 35.8 points, 15 rebounds and 11.3 assists across four meetings on 65.3 percent shooting. The numbers against Rudy Gobert tell the story on their own.
If Gobert drops back in coverage, Jamal Murray and Denver's shooters feast from outside.
If he steps up to contest Jokic, cutters have room to work inside, and the Nuggets' spacing punishes any help that Minnesota tries to send.
On the other side, Anthony Edwards averaged 28.8 points per game this season and remains the Timberwolves' most dangerous player.
But he missed 11 of the final 14 regular season games dealing with right knee issues, and whether he can hold up physically through a full seven-game series against a team as deep and tested as Denver is a fair concern heading into Saturday.
Why Denver Should Win This in Six
The Nuggets have home court advantage, the most complete player in the sport, and a version of Jamal Murray that finally looks like an All-Star.
Murray averaged 25.4 points and 7.1 assists this year, earned his first All-Star selection, and was even better against the Wolves specifically, with 31.5 points per game on 43.6 percent three-point shooting.
Minnesota has enough talent to steal a game or two at Target Center, especially if Edwards gets going and Jaden McDaniels finds his rhythm defensively.
But Chris Finch and the Timberwolves still have not found an answer for Jokic, and when the best player in the series is on the other side, winning four games becomes really difficult.
Expect Denver to take care of business and close this one out in six games.