The Timberwolves finally won a game in the Western Conference Finals. How did the Timberwolves avoid the sweep? It was a mixture of delayed defensive adjustments, a carefree attitude, and the Mavericks missing shots.
How Did the Timberwolves Avoid A Sweep
This past week or so has been a roller-coaster of emotions for the Timberwolves and their fanbase. In Game 7 on the road, the T-wolves pulled off one of the best victories against a defending champion that we have seen over the last 20 years. As Nikola Jokic stated in the post-game press conference, the T-wolves were constructed to defeat the Denver Nuggets. It was a satisfying victory for a team not used to success, easily the biggest victory in the team’s history so far.
The Timberwolves had to deal with a quick turnaround and host the Mavericks in the Conference Finals. Unfortunately, Game 1 ended up as a loss for the elated T-wolves, bringing them back to Earth. To be honest, it was an expected result. Game 2 would be the real litmus test of how ready the Timberwolves were for the Dallas Mavericks and their unstoppable guard duo. The Mavs sucker-punched the Wolves. In a game that the Wolves led for the majority of it, the Mavs won at the death off a step-back three from Luka Dončić after he put Rudy Gobert on skates (a coaching lapse of concentration).
Game 3 was a clear beatdown by the Mavs. Naz Reid became the greatest shooting big, but he alone couldn’t steal the win on the road. So, facing a disappointing elimination on the road, how did the Timberwolves avoid the sweep?
Ant/KAT Outscored Luka/Kyrie
It would be simplistic to break down this series as the backcourt duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić outscoring the duo of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, but it has been that simple to a degree. Kyrie and Luka had scored 63, 52, and 66 points combined in each of the first three games.
For the first time in all series, they were kept below 50 points (28 for Luka and 16 for Kyrie). Coincidentally, the pair of Ant and KAT combined for 50+ points for the first time all series (54: Ant and KAT scored 29 and 25 respectively). Towns finally had an efficient game from the field, going 9-of-13, 4-of-5 from 3-point range, and 3-for-3 at the charity stripe. Maybe he has finally found his groove?
We have been waiting for an Ant game all series long. While this was not a flashy 40- or 50-point game, it was an incredibly impactful performance. He was a two-way star and impacted the game in all facets. He was one assist from a triple-double, finishing the night with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.
Defensive Assignments
There have been calls from NBA analysts to change who’s guarding Luka. Jaden McDaniels was voted to the NBA All-Defensive second team this year. His defense on Devin Booker and Jamal Murray in the previous round was disruptive, to say the least. But against Luka, McDaniels has had little success stopping him. Luka averaged 32.7 points on 46.6% from the field and 40% from three through the first three games with McDaniels as his primary defender.
For Game 4, the Wolves coaching staff put Edwards as Luka’s primary defender. This produced some positive results. Luka had a series-low 28 points, shooting 33.3% from the field and 36.4% from distance. Yes, it’s a small sample size, but in a game of margins, these are the adjustments that decide games. For the series, Luka is 8-for-23 when Edwards is his primary defender.
Kyle Anderson‘s length and ability to play at his own pace came in handy on the defensive end. Luka’s ability to decelerate with ease from varying speeds makes him such a tough matchup. While the springy athleticism of McDaniels worked for smaller quicker guards to get up and disrupt their shots, it worked to his disadvantage against the ever-probing, playing-at-his-own-pace style of Dončić. Anderson’s ability to play elite defense while matching Luka’s ability to decelerate was key in this game. It probably won’t show up on the stat sheet how many shots Anderson forced Luka to pass to the open shooter rather than shoot himself.
McDaniels’ talents were useful elsewhere. He and Conley got the assignment of guarding Kyrie instead. That combination of physicality and length from McDaniels was able to throw Kyrie off his game and force him to have a terrible 6-for-18 night from the floor. Conley has been exceptionally good despite all the mileage on him, and his defense in key moments on Kyrie was noteworthy.
Gobert is Still the Stifle Tower and Lively’s Absence Felt
Rudy Gobert has endured a lot of (unfair) criticism throughout the series. Draymond Green has spearheaded it on the NBA on TNT broadcast. Still, Gobert was critical in this game in the drop coverage. He also had some plays where he forced steals by showing for double teams out of nowhere on the ball handler. Gobert could submit this game as part of his resume for the DPOY award. That’s how instrumental he was. The Wolves held the Mavs to 100 points – 7.4 points below their playoff average entering this contest (107.4). Gobert was the catalyst for this defensive display.
Dereck Lively II’s absence was felt mostly on the offensive end for Dallas. The Mavs did a good job building a wall whenever Ant tried to drive to the rim. Daniel Gafford had three timely blocks in the paint. He was stretched thin with the absence of Lively II. Where Lively was sorely missed was on the offensive end, where his rim-running was desperately missed. Lively is extremely mobile with good hip movement and the ability to fill the lane offensively with speed and precision. He is a major recipient of the playoff-leading lobs from Dončić. Here is an interesting stat: Going into game four, of the 107 lob dunks in the playoffs so far, 48 of them have been from the Mavs. Luka missed his hops in Game 4. They also missed his ability to make little high basketball IQ plays from the top of the key. He’s able to spray passes on the short roll to the shooters on the perimeter.
The Last Word
No one has ever come from 3-0 to win a series in NBA history. Chris Finch will be the first on the Timberwolves to not let those thoughts cross their minds. It’s a step-by-step process. The first step was for the Timberwolves to avoid the sweep. The next step is to win the next game and force a game six. They will be looking to become just the 12th team in NBA history to force a Game six after being 3-0 down in the series.
Will Ant finally have a 40-piece and will KAT continue his hot stroke from Game 4? Will the Dallas backcourt struggle to shoot the ball again? While there are so many questions to be answered in Game 5, some things are certain. The Timberwolves will continue to play a physical brand of defense. The Mavs will try their best to close out this series in this game. Dereck Lively II will be a game-time decision. This game will be a low-scoring, gritty, and epic affair.
