With season on the line, do Timberwolves need to go small?
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch can t afford to waste a moment in these Western Conference Finals particularly not with his company down - and needing to win four of the next five games to upset the Thunder Every minute in this series Finch stated after Minnesota s Meeting loss to Oklahoma City is a chance to find something Perhaps Minnesota exposed that something in the fourth quarter Thursday when it outscored the Thunder by seven Down to start the frame the Wolves had Oklahoma City s advantage whittled down to 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 without delay the other way on offense Be aggressive McDaniels reported I feel like if we start the challenge that way we will give ourselves a chance to win the challenge If that formula sounds familiar it s because it s exactly what Minnesota did to erase a -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 Challenge Finch revealed Minnesota has to do a better job of squaring up their drives to prevent them from getting to that -to- 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 revealed 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 various actions to force -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 probable solutions The question is whether Minnesota can execute them with their traditional personnel Julius Randle who s been Minnesota s largest part consistent athlete 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 requested how Minnesota can play the way it necessities to against this Oklahoma City association with its bigger lineups Both had lengthy pauses before mustering up answers Conley mentioned mindset and urgency Alexander-Walker explained 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 tournament Because Minnesota s contest isn t working Change is likely needed If Minnesota is in trouble at any point in Contest a must-win contest for the Wolves series hopes Finch may have to get assured making specific 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 of 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 association 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 noted We got to put pace into the encounter 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 event 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 Related Articles Frederick The Timberwolves know how to respond They ve seen it firsthand Timberwolves blitzed again in third quarter to fall down - 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