How should the T-Wolves adjust for Game 2 vs. the Thunder?
How should the T-Wolves adjust for Game 2 vs. the Thunder? | Good Word with Goodwill
Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by Chris Hine of the Minnesota Star Tribune to discuss the Timberwolves' struggles in the second half of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals and what changes they need to make entering Thursday's second game of the series. Hear the full conversation on 'Good Word with Goodwill' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Now as we spend it forward to game 2 on Thursday.
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I don't know if I see a drastic turnaround, other than, oh, we're going to keep shooting these shots and we're going to make these shots.
I think they have to find a way to get at the ball in different places and he just can't be staring at a wall of defenders at the top of the key.
You're playing right into their hands.
Yeah, and I think we heard a little bit of what their solution may be when Ant was saying playing a little more off the ball.
He did that, I think, effectively, especially in games 3 and 4 of the Warriors series.
Kind of Julius having the ball in his hands and operating off the ball, having different guys break down the defense and make plays out of that.
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Going to be a little tougher this time around with the size and OKC's ability to pack the paint.
Golden State couldn't do that as effectively.
Uh, with their lack of size, and just having, I think just having you know Mike Conley probe the defense, having even Jayden taken people off the dribble from time to time, like having other guys get into the teeth of that defense to have it shift around a little bit and then having Ant be the guy that's getting the swing swing pass instead of Initiating the swing swing pass, that might be one of the adjustments the Wolves make coming into game two.
But also at the end of the day, like in that first half, I was sitting there thinking, you know, the Wolves were up by 8 or 9 in the first half, and they did have a number of good looks.
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I'm sitting there thinking, man, if they hit 2 or 3 of these, this is a whole different game.
They're up 1518.
Uh, they had, they had moments in that first half where if Dante or Nikeel had hit a couple of shots, that, that game could have been, you know, double digits, even close to 20, uh, you know, at some points.
That's what they have to hang their hats on going into game two.
Last series, Nas Reid, Nike Alexander Walker, I think Nas Reed shot 46 from 3.
Nik Alexander Walker shot 45 from 3.
Dante hasn't shot well the entire playoffs.
He's hit timely shots.
He just hasn't been consistent on shooting.
Last night, those 3 guys, 5 for 28.
You're not winning a damn thing playing like that.
You're not beating Golden State if you're shooting like that, let alone the team that won 68 games.
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