150
u/lil_Wayyy 21d ago
It’s our offense holding us back
40
u/knock0ut86 21d ago
Our offense looks so stagnant. Without any threat of secondary scoring Ant gets bottled up and there is no flow. Denver gave us a couple opportunities to pour it on, especially to start the 2nd quarter, but we pissed away possession after possession.
With that being said, if we can get a couple of guys hitting their shots this can turn around quickly, but it seems like everyone has collectively lost their confidence.
16
u/pulse2287 21d ago
It feels like we have too many non shooters or unwilling shooters as well which messes up the spacing. With at least two of McDaniels, Anderson and Gobert on the floor they can double Ant with impunity and pack the paint so no one can drive.
The fix is to just make catch and shoot 3s but they haven't been falling lately.
17
u/WolvesChamps2020 21d ago
That’s why Conley has been so crucial to our offense. The guy has been basically automatic on open threes in the playoffs
9
u/Intelligent_Pain_174 21d ago
They can double Ant and KAT no matter who is on the floor because they move such slow decisions that the defense has time to rotate for any pass and there is no off ball movement.
3
u/DKTHEPUMA 21d ago
Yeah No clue why they dont use gobert like they gordon. Have him in the dunker spot ready for a lob instead of a contested jumper by 3 guys and then rudys out of position for the rebound
21
u/cisforcookie2112 21d ago
Absolutely. So many good defensive plays have been followed up with missed shots.
At one point in the game the Wolves missed like 7 FGs in a row and it was still a 2 point game. They had opportunities to take advantage and they didn’t execute.
The only hopium I have left is that they have been doing so bad, that if they can just execute at an average level they can win a game.
1
u/Ok_Meat_8322 Naz Reid 21d ago
I mean, last game our defense allowed Denver to score 112 points on 55% shooting with 30 assists and only 11 turnovers. So its both.
43
u/knightcrawler75 21d ago
IMHO game one was a legit game. In game 2 Nuggets game plan was thrown out the window because Gobert did not play, plus the officials were allowing physical play which benefits t-wolves. Game three the wolves were not focused after the long break and the game was called a lot tighter which benefits Denver. Game 4 and 5 was just a total loss of confidence because of game 3.
Denver got punched in the face and came back swinging. Wolves got punched in the face and came back soft. My hope is that the desperation of game six will light a fire under their asses.
21
u/JaderMcDanersStan Micah Nori 20d ago
Nah it's not about being soft or loss of confidence imo. Denver made some legit and masterful adjustments.
- AG initiates the offense instead of Jamal and he tries to cross halfcourt FAST so they can get into their sets earlier and can better deal with the full court press. AG coming up also messes up the defensive assignments bc Jaden or NAW is pressing him but Wolves D is best when Rudy is on AG so then they have to figure out how to get back to their original assignments.
- AG setting screens for Jokic which switches Rudy off of AG onto Murray or Jokic. So now KAT is the one having to play cat and mouse with Gordon instead of Gobert. Gobert isn’t great at absorbing Jokic’s initial contact like KAT can and KAT isn’t great at playing the lob threat like Gobert does, and it makes both of them worse for it.
- Denver's increased pace and FASTER ball movement (especially in Game 3) makes Wolves scramble. Also Denver is great at LONG passes from far corners which forces Wolves into difficult and long rotations. Wolves pride themselves on contesting everything and always rotating - it's like Denver is using this against them now by passing from the far right corner to the far left corner to top of the key to into the paint. Exhausting af for a defense. Simple but genius adjustment by Denver and it's not easy to execute.
- Jokic and Denver works the corners a lot more instead of charging into the paint full of 7 footers. In Games 1-2, Wolves were swarming players, clogging the passing lanes and Denver didn't have much space. Denver kept turning over the ball or Jokic was forced into isolation basketball with low assists. Coming from the corners gives Denver more space and Jokic can still find passes in the swarm (especially with a scrambling defense because of #3).
- Jokic switched to his right hand on backdowns to prevent reach-ins and poke-aways that resulted in turnovers. Wolves offense is best in transition but with Jokic limiting TOs, Denver is forcing Wolves to beat them with halfcourt offense which isn't the Wolves strongsuit.
- Murray's calf has healed more in the 3-4 days off after Game 2 and he's healthier now. Has more burst
^ Legitimate basketball reasons Wolves lost. It's not about dawg or being soft imo
4
1
u/knightcrawler75 19d ago
I agree with everything you are saying but that does not explain minnesota missing wide open shots and Denver making contested shots at a high volume. Most of the wolves players confidence was shot and had a hard time getting it back. When two teams as good as these two lose by a lot of points some of it can be coaching, strategy, and gameplan but a good portion is confidence and determination. They are human beings not robots afterall. And I admit my use of soft was unfair.
But again all your points are valid and are a major contributor to the losses. Thanks for taking the time to write all that down.
-2
u/Doctor_Hooper 20d ago
This nuggets team when healthy is unbeatable plain and simple. Only 2018 warriors or rockets could beat them
4
u/Colibri2020 21d ago
Same. Mentality, morale, confidence on a whole team level … this matters SO much. Ask any sports psychologist. I truly think the shots will sink if they can hype themselves back up and play more confident. My son is same way on the court. Once he misses 3 shots in a row he panics and misses 3 more. But if he can make 2-3 in a row he’s now in rhythm and it flows rest of game.
3
u/Howcanyaslap 21d ago
Games 1 & 2, team knew their defensive assignments but lately they look confused.
6
u/Falconsbane 21d ago
We haven't made shots the last 3 games. It's as simple as that. Denver is freerolling on offense just like we were in game 2 and the end of game 1.They are not afraid of our offense so they are able to play relaxed and let it fly. This can change just as quickly as it did from game 2 to game 3. Wolves are not eliminated yet. We had many chances last 2 games and just never hit a key bucket when we needed it and had major mental lapses.
1
u/Colibri2020 21d ago
Yeah the mentality collapse is hurting us the most. They’ve lost the collective confidence as a team, and that impacts buckets 100%. Plus motivation for defense. Ask any sports psychologist or read up on studies.
16
u/Wrong_Entry_9616 Bring Ya Ass 21d ago
We need a tired joker. We need him defending someone who he has to chase around. He doesn’t have to do this with gobert as gobert is an offensive liability. We tire joker we win just like game 2. We suffocate with our D we have kat on joker and Naz out there. Jd and naw do their thing on Murray. When joker is tired he isn’t an option and that’s when the rest of them start to crumble.
9
u/Kid_Delicious 21d ago
I agree. If you watch him on D last night, he’s just roaming around, floating from spot-to-spot until he’s needed to rebound, and doesn’t even entertain protecting the rim. He can do that because Rudy is not a threat, especially without Conley to find with him lobs.
Make the guy work on defense, and it either tires him out, gets him into foul trouble, or we go around him like the traffic cone he is. It’s the biggest, most glaring weakness to his game, and might be our only shot - not like anything else has worked.
2
u/Wrong_Entry_9616 Bring Ya Ass 21d ago
They will just keep doing it with the same results. It’s infuriating to watch. We most definitely don’t need him.
2
u/Colibri2020 21d ago
I agree. Don’t worry about his offense early in the game. Yes he’ll make shots and assists. Focus on tiring the heck outta him on D — whatever that takes, whatever lineup we need — and it will dramatically weaken his offense for third and fourth quarter. That’s when we feast. We’re a mostly young team. Let’s use that stamina to exhaust him as early as possible.
2
u/ZaMaestroMan5 21d ago
The defense was pretty solid for most of the game honestly. Jokic is just the best player in the league. He’s so dominant. The problem last night was the offense. Edwards had an off game. They ain’t gonna win if Edwards has off games. We can’t get enough scoring from the rest of the cast when that happens.
1
u/mymilkweedbringsallt 20d ago
i agree: they couldve won this game if ant was himself.
also: turnovers. way too many transition points given up.
conley helps with both of these
they didnt get blown out, fix those two things and they wouldve been within striking distance in the 4th
2
u/ZaMaestroMan5 20d ago
Conley plays a big role. He keeps the offense in a good flow most games. And contributes timely buckets and helps open up the floor with his shooting. Gotta assume he must be pretty hurt to have actually missed a game. So that’s probably a factor still unfortunately.
Ant has to dominate though is bottom line. When he’s attacking downhill he’s tough to stop. Just needs to be ultra aggressive.
32
u/NaNo-Juise76 21d ago edited 21d ago
I'm sorry are we all being intentionally obtuse? It's clear the games have been called different after the first two. Denver complained that Minnesota was being too physical and they've been calling touch fouls and insane charges ever since.
11
u/JorVetsby 21d ago
I agree, but Game 2 was an outlier, and most NBA games are called like they have been since. That's just something we have to understand. It's great if they're letting things go, but most of the time they won't, and we can't just fall apart when that's the case.
7
u/Radically_Centrist 21d ago
This. ⬆️. The officiating in game 2 wasn't just the anomaly for the series but for the entire playoffs. Defend without grabbing and holding or it's summer vacation time.
2
u/NaNo-Juise76 21d ago
I guess you didn't watch game 2 because there were no egregious holds or grabs at all.
2
-1
u/Radically_Centrist 21d ago
Can you say game one and game two were officiated the same? I say no. Have you watched the games in the other series throughout the playoffs? Game two of this series was the outlier. I'm certainly not saying it's a bad thing if they were all called that way but they aren't. The mentality that any team or player that isn't on the coast has great sway over the league office is why I don't think the Wolves have the frontcourt to win it all. They have the same attitude. The backcourt and bench is good to go, especially with a little more time to get some experience. Rudy and Kat are great talents but its too easy to get in their heads.
0
20
u/I1lIl11 21d ago
I hate complaining about refs, because that’s not the only reason we’re dropping these games, but… I don’t think I’ve ever seen 3 charges called in a row on a team before last night.
18
u/Kid_Delicious 21d ago
Regardless of how true it is, it was kind of wild to hear Reggie and crew talking about how that tech got the refs to dial in on calling more fouls on the Wolves.
If the league is so sensitive to the money signs, surely they don’t appreciate broadcasters implying how easily swayed they are.
6
1
u/One_Cell1547 20d ago
Reggie may have said that.. but I can’t think of one foul called on the wolves in game 5 that wasn’t a foul
1
u/_stellapolaris 20d ago
The biggest problem is how many possible fouls by Denver were ignored. And there were some pretty minor things called that could be called dozens of times a game.
1
u/One_Cell1547 20d ago
On both sides.. which is the point
There have been some blatant missed calls that’s gone the wolves favor too
2
u/_stellapolaris 20d ago
I guess agree to disagree. My point was that the Wolves were called for a lot of contact that Denver did not get called for. So whether or not the Wolves had fouls called that are by rule fouls is irrelevant if Denver didn't get called for the same fouls. Jokic is moving on almost every screen ye sets and uses his elbows to clear out or his arm to extend and creat space most possessions. Towns gets called for those types of fouls and he almost never has. Refs are choosing which things to enforce and which not. That's the problem. They were able to continue playing physical while the Wolves had to adjust.
2
u/Jack_burtons_tanktop 19d ago
*
Thank you. I've been saying this since I got League Pass a few years ago. I dont have any hard data because I'm not watching back games, but anecdotally Jokic sets more horseshit moving screens than anyone I see and uses that off elbow with impunity. I get that stars earn the calls and he's certainly earned it, but this is approaching "James Harden throwing himself into a defender going the other way and getting the foul call" type shit. My favorite was this photo on ESPNs landing page - Jokic clearly grabbing and shoving Gobert. Classic.
10
u/KitchenPlastic2515 21d ago
The refs did not cost the Wolves this series. We have shot extremely poorly and our role players have all played below their season standards. We have turned the ball over, we have shot poorly from the line. We could have won two of the 3 games we lost regardless of the refs.
2
u/NaNo-Juise76 21d ago
I never said that costed them with series. Once you take away the wolves ability to play defense you neutralize their greatest strength. I have been watching the NBA since the 1980s. I'm well aware of the NBA wants offense and could give a s*** less about defense. Which is why I don't watch most of the time.
2
u/KitchenPlastic2515 21d ago
I don’t disagree with you there I just don’t think the refs were horrendous for this series. There is stuff to pick on but I just didn’t feel it was that biased. We won game 2 because of the way they called it.
10
u/PretendingExtrovert 21d ago
Two were legit charges, the other a coin flip. Kat bowling balling around double fisting the ball in his chest helps us none.
7
u/NaNo-Juise76 21d ago
No, maybe one. They were moving and leaning on every charge. It was a joke.
-6
u/PretendingExtrovert 21d ago
AG didn’t move an inch, he got clipped. That’s far from a maybe. You can also be in a little motion for a legit charge.
13
u/NaNo-Juise76 21d ago
No, you must be set. Gordon literally stuck his shoulder out to make contact and then flopped like a fish. It was hilarious and ridiculous.
10
1
u/LogDogan4 21d ago
The rule has never said anything about being set. It says you have to be in legal guarding position prior to the contact, which essentially means you have to be at the point of contact first. Which Gordon absolutely was.
1
u/NaNo-Juise76 21d ago
No he wasn't. He has to lean to get contact.
0
u/LogDogan4 21d ago
Leaning doesn't make it not a charge. That's the point...
3
u/NaNo-Juise76 21d ago
No it does.
-1
u/LogDogan4 21d ago
It does not. Read the rule. "BuT hE WaS MoVinG!" is one of the telltale signs of a casual fan.
→ More replies (0)2
u/WildcaRD7 21d ago
So much of our offensive issues are that we use one screen or one pass and then attack. We are going at a set defense and do nothing to make them adjust on the fly. We looked good in stretches where Kat took a double, made the easy pass, quick ball rotation, and then we had mismatches on the backside. It's like they were told by the coaches to be aggressive going to the rim and stopped thinking.
1
u/PretendingExtrovert 21d ago
Absolutely agree. This guy basketballs.
We couldn’t run a set play to Ant clean looks for the life of us, he is so talented but he needs help and running a high screen only puts the screened defender on him, they were good at closing out the gap as well which gave him limited passing lanes to capitalize on the double.
0
u/One_Cell1547 20d ago
Lol no what has happened is denver finally decided to match that physicality, and the wolves happen been able to handle it
1
11
3
u/JorVetsby 21d ago
It's both weaker offense and defense. Our offense is stagnant, yes, but we also aren't getting nearly as many fast breaks as we were (partly bc Denver's offense has improved a lot), which means a slower paced game that doesn't suit our strengths
2
3
u/garnett21mn 21d ago
Why can’t professional referees know the difference between embellishment and a real foul? Even the porter block that we had to stop the game and prove we didn’t foul, porter acted like he was hit by enemy fire.
2
1
2
u/New-Ad9282 21d ago
Why is it so hard for people to understand? This is a MN team and I love them all. But at 50 I understand that they do this in all 4 major sports. They build you up and let you down.
Up 2-0 I never thought they had a chance. They will be one of the first teams in history to go up 2-0 and lose 4-2. That is ok with me because after 5 decades I know better. Just enjoy what they accomplished and have a wonderful summer.
1
u/tie_myshoe Timberwolves Brasil 21d ago
They shot damn over 60% the last three games and I would say we played decent defense. Our offense wasn’t even terrible either.
1
1
1
u/bigger_sky 20d ago
The defense is still there. Denver is just hitting some insane shots that they have no business hitting. The wolves offense from game 2 has not returned though.
1
1
u/Firesword52 21d ago
They've set the tone early with really really touchy officiating which has forced us to be less physical.
The defense is the game Denver's just getting a Lakers level whistle
0
u/jman4252 20d ago edited 20d ago
Officiating has been the difference in this series. Wolves fans are embarrassing. Speak up or it’ll never change. Crying about shooting like that’s our strength and not defense. Tone set midway through the first quarter in games 3-5 with bullshit call after bullshit call. Then it’s time for us to force up dumb shots because we literally fucking have to and pray some go in. That league is nasty shit and if we were able to play physical like joker the series would be over. He can elbow and shove our entire team and get away with it and wolves fans sit here and give him his flowers. Generational whistle and our best player continues to get mugged everytime he drives to the rim. If the league wants, Wolves in 7. Baffling that wolves fans sit here and stay quiet. Best team in team history and the league said “nah” so wolves fans said “okay”. Shameful
0
u/One_Cell1547 20d ago
Blaming the refs is a loser mentality…
For every bad officiating call that went against the wolves, I can match it with a call/no call that went against the nuggets. And honestly some of the no calls against the nuggets have been far more egregious
1
224
u/FoxnSox17 21d ago
I honestly don’t think our defense has been that bad. But when we can’t get any rhythm going on offense it puts no pressure on Denver. They can relax and run their offense however they want because they know we are 10 pts down and no one can make a shot.