Timberwolves coach Chris Finch can’t afford to waste a moment in these Western Conference Finals, particularly not with his team down 2-0 and needing to win four of the next five games to upset the Thunder.
“Every minute in this series,” Finch said after Minnesota’s Game 2 loss to Oklahoma City, “is a chance to find something.”
Perhaps Minnesota found that “something” in the fourth quarter Thursday, when it outscored the Thunder by seven.
Down 22 to start the frame, the Wolves had Oklahoma City’s advantage whittled down to 10 with three minutes to play.
Jaden McDaniels noted Minnesota had success getting the ball out of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands with the use of multiple defenders and then, when that resulted in stops, pushing immediately the other way on offense.
“Be aggressive,” McDaniels said. “I feel like if we start the game that way, we will give ourselves a chance to win the game.”
If that formula sounds familiar, it’s because it’s exactly what Minnesota did to erase a 24-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Thunder in overtime back in February. On the floor during that chaotic comeback? McDaniels, Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham.
So … not Minnesota’s traditional starting five, or anything close to it. It was a small-ball lineup willing and able to both play a scrambling defensive scheme and run out in transition at every given opportunity.
That worked, and Minnesota’s base defense – an elite weapon for much of the year – has been rendered ineffective through two games of this series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are getting wherever they want with relative ease against Minnesota’s drop pick and roll coverage. Those two hit one midrange shot after another in Game 2.
Finch said Minnesota has to do a better job of “squaring up” their drives to prevent them from getting to that 10-to-12 foot range. But that’s not feasible in a pick and roll coverage in which Gobert is drifting back toward the paint.
“Shai is one of the best in the world to get to his spot and rise up. Our bigs have got to be up. Our guards have to be ready to switch stuff to where you take away the middie,” Wolves guard Mike Conley said. “It’s no longer one of those we’ll settle for a mid-range shot type series. You can’t give that up to these guys. These guys make that shot.”
McDaniels also suggested Minnesota mix up its coverages against the pick and roll action, perhaps going under the screen on some actions to force 3-point attempts or playing a high-wall look in which the defender guarding the screener is up at the level of the screen, taking away the driving lane and forcing Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander to play more east and west.
These all sound like potential solutions. The question is whether Minnesota can execute them with their traditional personnel, Julius Randle – who’s been Minnesota’s most consistent player this postseason – didn’t play in the fourth quarter Thursday. Gobert played less than half the final frame.
Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were both asked how Minnesota can play the way it needs to against this Oklahoma City team with its bigger lineups. Both had lengthy pauses before mustering up answers.
Conley mentioned “mindset” and “urgency.” Alexander-Walker said “all five guys have to be on a string.” Again, those sound easier to achieve with smaller lineups.
That may just be the answer in this specific matchup. Minnesota’s roster has been praised for its depth and versatility. Finch has been tentative to dig beyond his top eight veterans for answers in key spots throughout the season. But maybe Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark need legitimate playing time if the Wolves are to beat the Thunder at their own game.
Because Minnesota’s game isn’t working. Change is likely needed. If Minnesota is in trouble at any point in Game 3 – a must-win contest for the Wolves’ series hopes – Finch may have to get comfortable making some uncomfortable decisions. Or perhaps he’ll be even more proactive than that.
This is the first series in which the Wolves may not have the most talented roster. Style may need to determine rotations.
“I think the main theme just leans back to matching that intensity. They’re a very aggressive team on both ends of the floor. They play very hard, and so we can’t rely on just our talent to get us to where we need to in this series,” Alexander-Walker said. “We got to put pace into the game and in the fourth quarter, I think that’s when we felt more life. You can kind of even hear it in the building. There’s parts in that second quarter as well when we made that run. Putting pace into the game for us and being aggressive with the time that we have, it helps us.”
At the very least, at this point, it can’t hurt.
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