Wolves v Celtics 1/10 Game Thread

[jpatrick]

I do think the trash talk with Brown got to Ant. Both are from Atlanta. Brown’s older but I bet they know each other somewhat. Ant seemed more selfish than normal on the offensive end. He HAS to learn to make the right play and use his teammates if we’re ever going to do something in the playoffs.

[Domejandro]

Towns was actually great. But we froze him out in the fourth. NAW made the one mistake with the offensive foul, a huge mistake, but played well. We desperately need McDaniels to play better. He’s been almost unplayable offensively lately; and today, he made some really dumb plays defensively.

I feel bad for Towns, because often times he is tasked with shooting shots from incredibly awkward angles because he touches it late in the shot-clock. He is clearly Minnesota’s best offensive weapon, and he’s basically relegated to garbage man at the end of games. Just a waste of his extraordinary offensive talent, he shouldn’t be relegated to being the secondary scorer. It’s total bull.

[MN7725]

I do think the trash talk with Brown got to Ant. Both are from Atlanta. Brown’s older but I bet they know each other somewhat. Ant seemed more selfish than normal on the offensive end. He HAS to learn to make the right play and use his teammates if we’re ever going to do something in the playoffs.

I remember when Greg Popovich talked about when he knew Kawhi was "it", and it was when Kawhi realized that when the play was drawn from him, it was just as much about manipulating the defense that was gearing up to stop him then it was for him to take a shot and score

ANT was actually getting passed his initial defender pretty well but wasn't moving the ball when Celtics were bring the help hard and fast, would dribble and let the Celtics get set again

[MN7725]

Towns was actually great. But we froze him out in the fourth. NAW made the one mistake with the offensive foul, a huge mistake, but played well. We desperately need McDaniels to play better. He’s been almost unplayable offensively lately; and today, he made some really dumb plays defensively.

I feel bad for Towns, because often times he is tasked with shooting shots from incredibly awkward angles because he touches it late in the shot-clock. He is clearly Minnesota’s best offensive weapon, and he’s basically relegated to garbage man at the end of games. Just a waste of his extraordinary offensive talent, he shouldn’t be relegated to being the secondary scorer. It’s total bull.

its not that much different than the Butler year

[Nick K]

I hope too that Slomo start next one instead of Jaden. Sometimes as a coach you have to send clear message.

Jaden needs to grow up and gain 50 bbl IQ points. Potential is only potential. It has to be realized. Come on Jaden, grow a brain.

[Nick K]

Towns was actually great. But we froze him out in the fourth. NAW made the one mistake with the offensive foul, a huge mistake, but played well. We desperately need McDaniels to play better. He’s been almost unplayable offensively lately; and today, he made some really dumb plays defensively.

I feel bad for Towns, because often times he is tasked with shooting shots from incredibly awkward angles because he touches it late in the shot-clock. He is clearly Minnesota’s best offensive weapon, and he’s basically relegated to garbage man at the end of games. Just a waste of his extraordinary offensive talent, he shouldn’t be relegated to being the secondary scorer. It’s total bull.

I could not have said it better. Finch better wake up.

[Calinks]

Towns was actually great. But we froze him out in the fourth. NAW made the one mistake with the offensive foul, a huge mistake, but played well. We desperately need McDaniels to play better. He’s been almost unplayable offensively lately; and today, he made some really dumb plays defensively.

I feel bad for Towns, because often times he is tasked with shooting shots from incredibly awkward angles because he touches it late in the shot-clock. He is clearly Minnesota’s best offensive weapon, and he’s basically relegated to garbage man at the end of games. Just a waste of his extraordinary offensive talent, he shouldn’t be relegated to being the secondary scorer. It’s total bull.

I think that more has to do with how the game is played. I think its just much easier to play through a guard elite guard (Ant) for offense than it is to play through an elite Big (Towns). Bigs don't get the calls guards get, Bigs are easier to stop and stifle, guards can get through defense. As we saw tonight and against Dallas, having elite scoring guards/wings are pretty much the trump card in clutch games. If you have a Tatum, Luka, or Kyrie you can go to who can get you buckets at a drop of a hat your team can win any close game. It's way harder for Towns to get offense off like that.

That still doesn't mean we can't use Towns far more effectively. I have been saying we need to get him way more shots than we are. I still think Ant should be our go to guy but Towns should be getting feed like crazy from the opening tip IMO. I'd go to Ant to close out games but I'd rely on Towns to carry me for quarters 1-4 until the last 5 minutes or so.

I think we should be having him gun it, especially from the corner.

[twolves31]

Towns was actually great. But we froze him out in the fourth. NAW made the one mistake with the offensive foul, a huge mistake, but played well. We desperately need McDaniels to play better. He’s been almost unplayable offensively lately; and today, he made some really dumb plays defensively.

I feel bad for Towns, because often times he is tasked with shooting shots from incredibly awkward angles because he touches it late in the shot-clock. He is clearly Minnesota’s best offensive weapon, and he’s basically relegated to garbage man at the end of games. Just a waste of his extraordinary offensive talent, he shouldn’t be relegated to being the secondary scorer. It’s total bull.

Towns needs a variety of looks both inside and out, he's fantastic from 3 at the top of the key and terrible from the corners. With Gobert out, we should have posted up Kat more like the old days. If we give it to Kat and ask him to drive to the hoop, there is usually a pretty good chance he is going to get an offensive foul. Finch needs to create more plays that take advantage of Towns strengths.

[winforlose]

Ant is proving that as good as he is, he is not ready. He does not deserve All NBA, he does not deserve All Star, and he does not deserve to be the face of the team. Karl, Mike, and Rudy are all more valuable than he is.

[Nick K]

Towns was actually great. But we froze him out in the fourth. NAW made the one mistake with the offensive foul, a huge mistake, but played well. We desperately need McDaniels to play better. He’s been almost unplayable offensively lately; and today, he made some really dumb plays defensively.

I feel bad for Towns, because often times he is tasked with shooting shots from incredibly awkward angles because he touches it late in the shot-clock. He is clearly Minnesota’s best offensive weapon, and he’s basically relegated to garbage man at the end of games. Just a waste of his extraordinary offensive talent, he shouldn’t be relegated to being the secondary scorer. It’s total bull.

I think that more has to do with how the game is played. I think its just much easier to play through a guard elite guard (Ant) for offense than it is to play through an elite Big (Towns). Bigs don't get the calls guards get, Bigs are easier to stop and stifle, guards can get through defense. As we saw tonight and against Dallas, having elite scoring guards/wings are pretty much the trump card in clutch games. If you have a Tatum, Luka, or Kyrie you can go to who can get you buckets at a drop of a hat your team can win any close game. It's way harder for Towns to get offense off like that.

That still doesn't mean we can't use Towns far more effectively. I have been saying we need to get him way more shots than we are. I still think Ant should be our go to guy but Towns should be getting feed like crazy from the opening tip IMO. I'd go to Ant to close out games but I'd rely on Towns to carry me for quarters 1-4 until the last 5 minutes or so.

I think we should be having him gun it, especially from the corner.

The problem is Ant can't run a team and he makes too many bad decisions. He emotionally needs to be the hero. If he makes every shot it's ok. He still doesn't know when he's shut down to make the play to an open teammate. Especially one who can get it done like Kat. Ant seemingly refused to get him the ball. That's on Ant.

[Domejandro]

Ant is proving that as good as he is, he is not ready. He does not deserve All NBA, he does not deserve All Star, and he does not deserve to be the face of the team. Karl, Mike, and Rudy are all more valuable than he is.

For what it is worth, I think that Anthony Edwards is an All-Star caliber player, I just think he is a step back from the level that Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns are, from an impact perspective.

[MN7725]

Ant is proving that as good as he is, he is not ready. He does not deserve All NBA, he does not deserve All Star, and he does not deserve to be the face of the team. Karl, Mike, and Rudy are all more valuable than he is.

the opposing defenses don't think so

ANT gets loaded up against as much as anyone in the league

[jpatrick]

Ant is proving that as good as he is, he is not ready. He does not deserve All NBA, he does not deserve All Star, and he does not deserve to be the face of the team. Karl, Mike, and Rudy are all more valuable than he is.

the opposing defenses don't think so

ANT gets loaded up against as much as anyone in the league

This is true. Watching the space Tatum and Brown work with versus the space Towns/Ant have is shocking. That’s because Boston has surrounded those two with shooters. They have even more space when Porzingis plays. Towns/Ant literally attack a crowded paint and constant doubles.

Anderson was great tonight. But that was largely because of no Gobert. He cannot play with Gobert. Especially in the playoffs. I like Anderson but we need a pure shooter to compliment the rotation, and he’s the best salary we have to trade.

[MN7725]

Ant is proving that as good as he is, he is not ready. He does not deserve All NBA, he does not deserve All Star, and he does not deserve to be the face of the team. Karl, Mike, and Rudy are all more valuable than he is.

the opposing defenses don't think so

ANT gets loaded up against as much as anyone in the league

This is true. Watching the space Tatum and Brown work with versus the space Towns/Ant have is shocking. That’s because Boston has surrounded those two with shooters. They have even more space when Porzingis plays. Towns/Ant literally attack a crowded paint and constant doubles.

Anderson was great tonight. But that was largely because of no Gobert. He cannot play with Gobert. Especially in the playoffs. I like Anderson but we need a pure shooter to compliment the rotation, and he’s the best salary we have to trade.

ANT needs to be better, and realize that by attacking the trapping defense by passing it, he will more likely get better looks either later in the possession or because opposing defense has to stop doing it because other players are punishing the lack of attention

i'm just pointing out that the Wolves are a mediocre offense, and thats with ANT as the only player that opposing teams are gearing up for, in a way that only a handful of players in the league do

KAT tends to get played straight up even as skilled as he is, they aren't scrambling to trap him or trying to get the ball out of his hands

[winforlose]

the opposing defenses don't think so

ANT gets loaded up against as much as anyone in the league

This is true. Watching the space Tatum and Brown work with versus the space Towns/Ant have is shocking. That’s because Boston has surrounded those two with shooters. They have even more space when Porzingis plays. Towns/Ant literally attack a crowded paint and constant doubles.

Anderson was great tonight. But that was largely because of no Gobert. He cannot play with Gobert. Especially in the playoffs. I like Anderson but we need a pure shooter to compliment the rotation, and he’s the best salary we have to trade.

ANT needs to be better, and realize that by attacking the trapping defense by passing it, he will more likely get better looks either later in the possession or because opposing defense has to stop doing it because other players are punishing the lack of attention

i'm just pointing out that the Wolves are a mediocre offense, and thats with ANT as the only player that opposing teams are gearing up for, in a way that only a handful of players in the league do

KAT tends to get played straight up even as skilled as he is, they aren't scrambling to trap him or trying to get the ball out of his hands

They always send a double or triple on KAT. That is why he gets called for so many offensive fouls. He beats the first guy only to run into the second guy. Ant might be great off the dribble, but he had more turnovers than the entire rest of the team combined. He doesn’t learn from his mistakes. I don’t just mean night by night, I mean for the whole season. Ant wants his and to hell with winning.

[MN7725]

Finch calling out ANT in his post-game, nothing harsh

"this is how we closed games last year, and it didn't work for us"

talking about how iso it was, no ball movement

[Nick K]

Finch calling out ANT in his post-game, nothing harsh

"this is how we closed games last year, and it didn't work for us"

talking about how iso it was, no ball movement

That's just what he said and that was encouraging.

Just what we all saw.

[Domejandro]

Read on Twitter

Chris Finch said the Wolves had too many mental errors to close the game. Asked what those mental errors were specifically, Finch said:

"I think Anthony had four turnovers in that closing stretch. Just too much iso, too much iso against a really good defense. We built a lead and we were, for the most part, through the entire game, playing with good movement and moving the ball. Kyle was really good for that stretch. And again, just got too stagnant. And then we're relying on one pass and a shot or driving it at the end of the clock. And then defensively, just got loose in pick and roll. We weren't able to stop them coming downhill. And then when we were, they opened up a lot of shooters."

More Finch on Ant:

"This is all part of the growth curve, all part of learning. I think you can't be wired to try and score in these moments; you gotta be wired to make the right play. You know they're gonna load up against ya. You can't bleed the clock unnecessarily because when they do come to trap ya, we need time at the end of it to move it. These are all things that we're harping on. The turnovers. We've got to clean up the passing. Absolutely have to clean up the passing."

[TimberKat]

Finch calling out ANT in his post-game, nothing harsh

"this is how we closed games last year, and it didn't work for us"

talking about how iso it was, no ball movement

I think he is trying because I see more late game pass from him but they just weren't good. Like the one to Gobert in DAL game and the one to JMcD tonight. So, how do we keep letting him learn while trying to win? Without Conley hurts in those situations. Could Finch call a Towns post up and let him initiate?

[MN7725]

Finch calling out ANT in his post-game, nothing harsh

"this is how we closed games last year, and it didn't work for us"

talking about how iso it was, no ball movement

I think he is trying because I see more late game pass from him but they just weren't good. Like the one to Gobert in DAL game and the one to JMcD tonight. So, how do we keep letting him learn while trying to win? Without Conley hurts in those situations. Could Finch call a Towns post up and let him initiate?

its an option, but there is a reason that NBA has gone away from that

I don't think that ANT will meaningfully improve at it this year, but its still a huge weapon giving him the ball when the defense is trapping him

its 4 vs 3 at that point, just need to be decisive and make the right play before defense sets again

ANT's problem is he will try to dribble through it, or if he makes a pass, its too late and he isn't a great passer as far as hitting a teammate in rhythm

whereas you see someone like Luka is waiting for the help defense to come and kicks it to his teammate as soon as the help defender starts shifting their body weight towards him, really manipulate the defense when they load up on him

I don't think ANT really trusts his teammates outside of Conley to make a catch/shoot