Stephen A. Smith predicts Wolves will 'win it all'

"I'm willing to say this right now... I think that the Denver Nuggets are on the verge of getting swept."

May 6, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) loses control of the ball / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Monday night's defensive masterclass by the Wolves has set the sports world ablaze.

The Wolves crushed the defending champion Denver Nuggets in a 26-point blowout to go up 2-0 in the second round series. The series now comes to Minnesota where the Wolves will aim to wrap up their second straight playoff sweep.

There is certainly a long way before Minnesota sports fans can dream of sweeping the defending champs but that's not stopping the national talking heads from scrambling to board the Wolves bandwagon. Enter ESPN's Stephen. A Smith.

"I'm willing to say this right now... I think that the Denver Nuggets are on the verge of getting swept," Stephen A. said Tuesday morning on First Take.

The ESPN commentator didn't stop there though, he (unsurprisingly) took it one step further.

"I believe that the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to win the world championship," continued Smith. "I think they are going to win it all."

.@stephenasmith says the Timberwolves are the new championship favorites 👀 pic.twitter.com/umtHDwqFMu

— First Take (@FirstTake) May 7, 2024

The Wolves were dominant Monday night throttling the Nuggets opening up a 32-point lead late in the second quarter. Minnesota's No. 1 ranked defense stifled the Denver offense holding them to 35% shooting from the field and 30% from three-point range. Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray was a 48% shooter in the regular season but has been held to 28% from the field in the opening two games of the series.

"They put them brothers under lock and key. That's what I saw last night," said Stephen A. "Denver couldn't do nothing. I ain't seen defense played like that in d*** near 35 years."

"I have not seen a defense like that, like what I saw in the first half last night - as great as Boston is defensively, it's going to require every bit of greatness from the Boston Celtics. Dallas or OKC, good luck," continued Smith. "Because I'm looking at this team without Rudy Gobert that forced [Denver] to 35% shooting, 30% shooting from three-point range. ... Mad love and respect to the Denver Nuggets, they're the reigning, defending champions. They're legit. But something special has developed in Minnesota. I got the Minnesota Timberwolves winning it all."

Game 3 between the Nuggets and Timberwolves is Friday night at the Target Center with tip off set for 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.