After stealing Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs, the Minnesota Timberwolves received a historic beatdown, as San Antonio cruised to a 133-95 victory in Game 2. The 38-point loss is the worst playoff loss the Timberwolves have suffered, with seemingly everything going wrong.
In a performance that saw the Timberwolves shoot 39.8 percent from the field and commit 22 turnovers, head coach Chris Finch described the Timberwolves as getting "punked" by the Spurs.
Despite the loss, the Timberwolves return to Minnesota for Game 3 with home-court advantage. After going undefeated at home against the Denver Nuggets, the Timberwolves will look to their crowd to rattle the young Spurs team.
Coming off the highs of defeating Denver and stealing Game 1, the Game 2 blowout may be the humbling Minnesota needs to come out with energy and effort for the rest of the playoffs, and may be the turning point in their quest for a championship
An interesting trend among recent champions should leave the Timberwolves hopeful
Among the ingredients that go into a championship team, an absolute beatdown has seemed to be a recent necessity for future champions.
Looking to the 2025 Thunder, theirs came at the hands of the Timberwolves in Game 3 of their Western Conference Finals matchup last year. The Timberwolves would win by 42 in Game 3, before conceding the following two games to get bounced in five to the eventual champions.
Additionally, the 2024 Celtics, 2021 Bucks, and the 2022 Warriors all suffered playoff losses of equal or greater amount than that of the Timberwolves. With Minnesota's track record of being able to adjust after losses and generally exceed expectations, this loss may be the exact lesson they needed to learn.
Chris Finch is a playoff riser as a coach
While many fans were displeased with how Chris Finch coached the regular season, there is no denying that he has been excellent throughout the playoffs. Finch has a 26-24 record in the playoffs as the head coach of the Timberwolves, with series wins over multiple all-time greats.
Notably, despite being underdogs in each of their last three first-round series, the Wolves have prevailed and ultimately made the conference finals in each of the past two seasons. Likewise, Finch has proven to be one of the best coaches at game-planning and making adjustments.
The Game 2 loss to the Spurs allows Finch to identify the necessary adjustments to avoid another blowout.
Without a doubt, this group has proven that they can't be counted out, and that's partly due to Finch's coaching.
What the Timberwolves can take from the blowout loss
While the Timberwolves can flush out mostly everything from this loss, there are a few key takeaways Minnesota can take into Game 3.
Jaden McDaniels was the only positive for the Timberwolves (if you want to call it that), with only a negative-6 plus-minus. However, he only played 20 minutes, racking up five quick fouls, preventing what looked like a big scoring night. McDaniels remains the X-factor for the Timberwolves, and emphasizing him in the offensive game plan for Game 3 is critical for Minnesota to win.
Jaylen Clark has been thrust into the rotation for the Timberwolves due to their lack of guard/wing depth. Clark has brought his defensive prowess to the series, being tasked with defending San Antonio's elite guards.
Offensively, though, Clark has struggled immensely, with San Antonio taking advantage of the minutes he is on the court. The Spurs have utilized Victor Wembanyama as a roaming defender with Clark on the floor, giving up open 3-point attempts from the below-average shooter.
With Wednesday's blowout, Clark saw extended minutes in garbage time as a bigger focal point on offense. Clark's only made basket came in the final minutes, and seeing one 3-pointer go in could be what he needed to get out of his shooting slump.
Finally, role players play better at home in the playoffs. As the series returns to Target Center, key role players such as Bones Hyland, Jaylen Clark, and Terrence Shannon Jr. can feed off the energy the roaring crowd will give them.
Add us as a preferred source on Google