There’s nothing sportswriters love greater than when a sport is encapsulated by a single sequence, introductory paragraphs showing on a silver platter. Enter the thirty third minute of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ aggravating, 99-88 Sport 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors Tuesday evening.
Anthony Edwards had simply lower Minnesota’s deficit to 13, roasting a Kevon Looney change arrange by easy ball motion and an offensive rebound. Following a 31-point first half, the Timberwolves have been as much as 22 factors within the third quarter with 4 minutes nonetheless to go — an avalanche, by the evening’s requirements. With Stephen Curry nursing a strained hamstring within the locker room and the house group lastly making photographs, Goal Middle began to shake.
Alas, the backboard answered a ridiculous Jimmy Butler prayer…
How?! Jimmy.
📺 @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/dHMqJCZFQR
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) Might 7, 2025
…and Buddy Hield splashed dwelling a semi-open three on the following possession.
The Warriors shot 42.9 % from deep in Sport 1 whereas the Wolves transformed a pitiful 17.2 % of their threes. Was that margin alone insurmountable? Most likely. However on this vital juncture, the Wolves turned it over on a mad transition push, then missed two golden alternatives to hit cutters darting to the rim for should-be layups:
The Timberwolves’ Sport 1 Struggles Went Past Taking pictures
A 13-point deficit ballooned to 19, then stayed there till the fourth quarter, the place Minnesota’s intermittent comeback makes an attempt fell brief and felt shorter. Postgame, head coach Chris Finch didn’t deal with all of the Wolves’ missed jumpers like the rationale for a loss, however slightly as facet impact of their struggles.
“Our transition decision-making was diabolical,” Finch instructed the media. “Clearly, we couldn’t hit a shot, however I didn’t like the truth that we couldn’t repeatedly generate good photographs. We should always’ve been in a position to.”
Diabolical is the right phrase to explain Minnesota’s transition offense in Sport 1, so unhealthy it should have been malevolent. It registered extra turnovers than discipline targets on the break; thus, Cleansing the Glass calculated the Wolves misplaced 4.2 factors per 100 possessions because of transition play on Tuesday, a fourth percentile mark. (The common group positive factors about two factors of offensive ranking on the break.)
In Sport 1, Minnesota was killed by its lack of ability to make a 3-pointer. Any evaluation should begin there, although the excellent 48 % it shot from the midrange, per CTG, suggests it didn’t get the worst taking pictures consequence potential. We should additionally account for all of the factors the Wolves left on the desk in transition. It was a difficulty, just like the 3-point taking pictures, fastened throughout their Sport 2 victory, once they added 8.0 factors of offensive ranking on the break.
However Golden State didn’t simply pray for missed photographs and sloppy open-court play from the Wolves within the sequence opener. Head coach Steve Kerr’s protection banked on Minnesota being unable to create layups with sound inside passing. Edwards, Julius Randle and others missed tight reads whereas Rudy Gobert’s flaws as a play-finisher emerged as soon as extra. In doing so, the Warriors uncovered Minnesota’s greatest impediment to conquering a out of the blue wide-open NBA Playoffs. And although Anthony Edwards & Co. made progress on this division throughout Sport 2, they nonetheless have an extended option to go, beginning with Saturday evening’s Sport 3.
Check out the Warriors’ bottom assistance on these two possessions early in Sport 1 (sound on):
Golden State was comfy placing its weak-side defenders in susceptible positions. Certain, they must sink to the rim and recuperate to the 3-point line with Draymond Inexperienced (or often Looney and Butler) in such early assist, however do they actually must sink to the rim? Kerr doesn’t imagine that go is getting made. Whether it is, he doesn’t imagine within the catch-and-finish means of Gobert, who in reality shot simply 3-of-6 on the rim and fumbled two extra passes out of bounds in Sport 1.
This allowed Golden State’s weak-side defenders to subdue the specter of Minnesota’s skip passing. And once they weren’t forcing missed threes, they have been operating shooters off of the road. There’s no want for X-Outs or difficult rotations right here, which let the Warriors to remain of their shell and preserve Inexperienced near the rim whereas stopping the specter of future drive-and-kicks. In each of these clips above, the ball modified sides simply as soon as.
Whether or not Gobert was on the court docket, the Wolves encountered the identical points. As well as, some notable spacing imperfections and a definite lack of off-ball motion allowed Golden State to thrive in man or zone protection (sound on):
In fact, the Warriors’ protection deserves a ton of credit score for its Sport 1 efficiency. Inexperienced stonewalled drivers on the rim repeatedly, and this scheme wouldn’t have labored if his timing on rotations wasn’t pristine. It’s simple to micro-analyze each single possession on which the Wolves didn’t get a superb shot. These small particulars added up, although. Each tight-window go or potential lower that would have been made, however wasn’t, added as much as an infuriating offensive efficiency for Finch’s group. The taking pictures was the bitter cherry on prime.
How The Timberwolves Tailored In Sport 2
So, how a lot really modified in Sport 2? Did the Wolves’ course of really enhance or did it simply really feel like that as a result of they shot 43.2 % from deep and performed much less just like the Washington Generals in transition? The boring however true reply is each.
One plain improve was Minnesota’s motion, which got here firstly and finish of possessions. Finch was in a position to boost the offense with some early off-ball screens to get stuff shaking slightly than calling customary pick-and-rolls or dribble handoffs to provoke each time. It’s a minor element, however one which gave ball-handlers extra respiration room to function. Right here, Naz Reid comes off a pindown earlier than driving the ball and skipping it to Edwards:
considered one of MIN’s finest Sport 2 possessions, with the ball getting backward and forward to facet: pic.twitter.com/LDCuMeonRD
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) Might 10, 2025
The actual enchancment comes after Edwards’ catch. He retains the ball transferring and Nickeil Alexander-Walker can then make a secondary enterprise into the paint. Alexander-Walker captures the eye of 4 Warriors earlier than making one other kickout go to Reid, who’s relocated to the nook. The ball is now on its “third” facet of the court docket and Golden State’s shell is damaged. Open three.
So, a part of it’s higher decision-making on the back-end. Bear in mind, Jaden McDaniels took these two contested midrange jumpers in Sport 1 a couple of clips in the past after just one go on the play. A few of it’s stronger decision-making on the entrance finish; Wolves followers ought to really feel comfy about that, given the current play of Edwards. He was a powerful initiator in Sport 2, which isn’t an aberration however the brand new norm for him.
Beneath, as an alternative of charging into assist and hanging within the air to make a skip go, he holds Pat Spencer on his again and drives all the way in which underneath the basket. That pulls Butler, the weak-side helper, all the way in which in and makes the kickout go for 3 a routine play. Growth.
Ant’s drives have been a lot better and calmer in Sport 2, right here holding the defender on his again and forcing Jimmy Butler to sink additional into the paint: pic.twitter.com/xvPHVF7KFM
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) Might 10, 2025
That play got here with Gobert on the court docket, and to say nothing of his wonderful protection, he’s undoubtedly not a part of Minnesota’s finest 5 offensively. The Wolves posted a ridiculous 140 offensive ranking with out him in Sport 2 and their drivers benefitted from a large open paint. Plus, Reid is fairly freaking good.
I cherished this play, the place a easy lower by Alexander-Walker discombobulates Golden State’s assist and Edwards takes full benefit of it. With out Gobert within the paint, the Warriors’ margin for rotational errors is a lot thinner:
just a bit little bit of movement with 5-out offense did wonders for MIN in G2. NAW’s lower drags Jimmy out of the paint, complicated GSW’s assist protection, and Ant is decisive: pic.twitter.com/YMdfRYxhoR
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) Might 10, 2025
All good, proper? Not solely did Minnesota make threes and successfully push tempo in Sport 2, however Edwards’ drives have been stronger. Finch additionally noticed his offense transfer easily with out the ball and the zone Golden State employed was however a minor street bump. The Wolves have been dedicated to steady drive-and-kick alternatives and the Warriors’ shell was out of the blue penetrable.
And but, I’m left wanting extra. Even in Sport 2, they ceaselessly missed inside alternatives (within the half-court), even throughout their sizzling begin:
Gobert could also be the primary offender in these clips, however he’s been simply a part of the issue over the sequence’ first 96 minutes. Bear in mind, he wasn’t on the ground for that vital, sloppy minute of Sport 1, when an open Reid roll proved fruitless earlier than Edwards and Randle missed a straightforward connection.
The Keys For Minnesota’s Offense Transferring Ahead
Maybe, it was just because his group trailed by 20 within the third quarter and he was determined to drive some turnovers, however late in Sport 2, Kerr confirmed a extra aggressive hand. His defenders trapped the likes of Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo up the ground, betting Minnesota couldn’t benefit from 4-on-3 alternatives. Whereas the Warriors compelled a pair turnovers, it was largely too late to really decide. Thus, it’ll be attention-grabbing to see if Kerr returns to that protection in Sport 3 Saturday evening.
The Timberwolves can win this sequence with out taking part in good ball. Curry stays out till at the very least Sport 5 whereas Butler appears unable or unwilling to blow up off his injured glute. An inexpensive 3-point proportion and transition effectivity will probably be sufficient to get the job performed.
They’ll by no means cube defenses up with incredible inside passing or ending, however because it pertains to their final ceiling in 2025, they should be higher than they’ve towards the Warriors.
Within the meantime, we’ll see if they will string collectively possessions of side-to-side motion and slowly break the shell of a Golden State protection that, if nothing else, is a incredible problem for them earlier than the Western Convention Finals. How a lot can they compensate for a scarcity of dominant inside ending and high-level passing?
That’s what we ought to be awaiting in Sport 3 and past.
