Timberwolves

June 1: I don’t feel at all bad that the Timberwolves lost to the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. I’m sorry they didn’t win a second game and glad they at least won one. Dallas was clearly the superior team: not only did Doncic and Irving outperform Edwards and Towns, their secondary players–Gafford, Washington, Lively–were more impactful than any of the other Wolves, whose bench, and supposed defensive mainstay Gobert, notably underperformed. Dallas also had a more appealing style of play. Doncic led each game in assists, many of the colorful variety, while the Wolves continued their isolation ball play that turned me off in the Denver series. Maybe one reason the role players didn’t contribute is because they were left out of the action once Edwards or Towns got the ball and decided it was up to them to drive to the basket or shoot from distance. Of course the reverse could be true: Edwards and Towns may have felt they had to do it on their own because they couldn’t count on anyone else to make a shot. If someone like Alexander-Walker had gotten a hot hand, instead of whiffing every time, you wonder if the Wolves’ style of play, as well as their chances, might have changed. You also wonder why the Wolves are paying seven players who aren’t used in the playoffs. The third reason I’m not upset is that I wouldn’t want to see the Wolves lose to the Celtics in the Finals.

May 13: Although last night’s playoff loss to the Nuggets was the first Wolves game I have watched in its entirety this year, I feel qualified, and compelled, to make some observations.
The Wolves lost because the Nuggets hardly missed a shot, however difficult, shooting well over 60% for most of the game. The Wolves, by obvious contrast, shot poorly, missing the open three-pointers that Denver invariably made. Aaron Gordon, for one, made 11 of 12 shots. The Nuggets were more than 10% ahead of the Wolves in shooting, three-point and foul shot stats. No matter how much energy you play with, it’s hard to overcome those odds.
Anthony Edwards is the real deal. He is one of those players–LeBron, Kobe, MJ, Harden, et al.–who can scored singlehandedly whenever he wants (which is one of the things I don’t like about NBA basketball). He can drive to the hoop and score with either hand, or both. He can stop and pop anywhere in mid-range after dazzling dribbling. And he can swish long three-pointers without hesitation. And make his foul shots. It’s an irony of last night’s loss that the fatal sequence at the end of the half–a seven-point swing–that almost matched the final deficit–resulted from his losing the ball trying for the last shot.
Rudy Gobert’s DPOY award comes from reputation, not actual impact. His defense was not a factor in the game. He simply couldn’t guard Nikola Jokic and he left the rim unprotected numerous times. He doesn’t have the footwork or speed to match up with many players he switches on to, nor does he have the height and lift of someone like Wembanyana, whom he beat for the defensive award, to block or alter shots.
Jaden McDaniels is the black hole of the starting five. A year ago he was considered a cornerstone of the future, a running mate for Edwards and Towns as the Wolves built their team. All this year I’ve read of his superlative defense: the Wolves had enough scorers without him and he could justify his starting role with his cementing defense. Last night I saw none of it. And the Nuggets left him alone in the corner on offense, hoping he would shoot. Which he did, and missed. You could sense his lack of confidence. And considering that Denver was scoring every time down the court, each McDaniels miss was a killer. It will be interesting to see if the Wolves try to upgrade this position next year, although with only the 27th pick in the draft it will be hard, or change their rotation.
Karl Anthony Towns was almost singlehandedly responsible for the loss. It’s not just that he shoot poorly–1-for-10 in the first half–it was his attempts at playing isolation ball instead of letting the offense flow that knee-capped the Wolves in the early going. His specialty is the three-point shot, but he made only one and missed three. Too often he took it upon himself to dribble into the post and look for a lay-up or short floater. His dribble is so high and his moves so ponderous that the Nuggets easily collapsed on him and left him flailing and complaining to the refs.
Speaking of the refs, there was nothing here to change my opinion that officiating plays far too big a role in the game of basketball, more than in any other sport. There is contact on virtually every play that could be called a foul, so when the ref chooses to blow his whistle is almost an arbitrary act. And the impact is outsized. For one thing, it slows the game and is of no fan interest. More important, it affects what players are on the court: two quick ticky-tack fouls in the first quarter and your star goes to the bench. It also, of course, leads to players whining, not a good look.
All that said, I don’t think the Timberwolves are out of the series. Other than some ugly stretches in the first half, they played the Nuggets even and several times threatened to get back in the game, due mainly to Edwards’s efforts. Denver won’t shoot 60% for two more games, and you have to believe that Towns, who was great in Game 2, will learn and perform better. Also Nickeil Alexander-Walker should improve on his 1-for-7 shooting and horrible passing. Clearly, where the game is played is not as important as believed, as the road team has won all four so far. I predict that the Wolves will win one of the next two and we’ll get a Game Seven, which is as it should be.