2025 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: #1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #6 Minnesota Timberwolves (OKC leads 2-0)

ibraheim718 · Post #781 » by **ibraheim718** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:31 am

Credit to Daginault this series.. he came up with a game plan that I didn't see coming.

Minnesota looks lost out there.. they lack fight and they don't have the foot speed to beat OKC in a speed game.

Minnesota has to come out strong at target center and force OKC into the style of basketball they want to play. They should look to slow the game way down.. post Randle and Ant up.. bring the possessions way down. They accomplished one thing tonight and that was bringing the turnovers down. They just look lifeless. Even when they were deliberately physical with her tonight it wasn't when she didn't have the ball. That's when you have to beat her up.

Sorry thunder fans I have an intense distaste for you team. You guys can win without the theater and all the acting. Bunch of damn drama queens. But I will admit you have the better collection of thespians. I just want to watch basketball not a play.

ballzboyee · Post #782 » by **ballzboyee** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:31 am

Gobert doesn't bring much in this matchup. Wolves should feature that last lineup at home and see what happens. Why not. Randle can come off the bench. At least they can make OKC work to get in their half court set. Right now it's too easy. Rather give up something behind the defense to Chet than allow SGA to demoralize them all night by getting in the paint drawing fouls and And-1's. Bro shot 15 FT's, but more than that this constant getting to the line stops the action takes Minny out of their flow and prevents them from pushing the ball and getting some easy buckets before OKC can setup up their D. It's the worst of both worlds right now if you are Minny.

NZB2323 · Post #783 » by **NZB2323** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:33 am

CelticSooner wrote:
NZB2323 wrote:
CelticSooner wrote:He gets the blame because it's a terrible contract. I don't think they will win a title with him anyways so it's probably best to reset you roster construction but how can you trade him with that contract? They traded Towns when it was Gobert who really needed to go.

If it’s really such a terrible contract as you claim, then how could they trade it for anything of value?

The Rudy Gobert era is the most successful era of basketball in Minnesota Timberwolves history. They may not win a title, but it’s hard to make the WCF and they’ve done it 2 years in a row. I believe they’re the first team since the KD Warriors to make the WCF 2 years in a row:

Yeah it's a double edged sword but it's going to continue to hold the team hostage. Is it worth it to take a step back a year or two to get to the promise land by trying to dump him somewhere? I say yes

How does getting rid of Gobert help the Timberwolves win a championship? The last time the Timberwolves got rid of a great defensive big they didn’t make the playoffs again for 15 years.

PushDaRock · Post #784 » by **PushDaRock** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:34 am

There's a massive gap in composure right now. OKC has it regardless of the score of the game, while Minnesota starts losing it when things don't go their way.

ibraheim718 · Post #785 » by **ibraheim718** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:35 am

This is what comes to mind when I watch Shai play basketball..

levon · Post #786 » by **levon** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:37 am

Reminder: This is the 1 seed against the 6th seed and there's a 19 game difference in record. I don't know what some were expecting.

mademan · Post #787 » by **mademan** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:39 am

levon wrote:Reminder: This is the 1 seed against the 6th seed and there's a 19 game difference in record. I don't know what some were expecting.

Based on win totals and metrics like SRS, OKC not winning the title at this point would be considered one of the biggest upsets of all time, and probably the biggest

Enso · Post #788 » by **Enso** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:40 am

ConSarnit wrote:
ForeverTFC wrote:
Enso wrote:For those here who aren't zoomers. How do you like what you're seeing out there offense wise?

Everything is perimeter orientated it's like nobody runs plays anymore.

Having grown up watching late 90's, early 2000's ball I feel short changed watching games like this.

Am I crazy? I'm open to criticism.

They’re running plays. They’re just not perfectly scripted and guys have to make more decisions on the fly. Plus zone defense becoming legal makes the offense you’re yearning for very hard to execute.

If teams were running the same offenses they ran in 1997 they’d be getting crushed in today’s game. They’d be shooting 30 midrange attempts per game (at 40%) and they’d be the worst offense in the league (and as such would never be in the conference finals).

It doesn't even have to be 1997. There was a sweet spot after Jerry Colangelo was hired by the league to see how the game could improve (believe it was 2001)

That sweet spot started around the time the Suns started doing their thing and not sure when it ended, probably around the time Houston started doing their analytics stuff. Where the game was opening up and you had a good mix of the old and the new.

Now most teams just spam the same perimeter plays over and over.

Wolfgang630 · Post #789 » by **Wolfgang630** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:44 am

OKC should be the clear favorite to win the title now. Nobody is on their level that’s left.

walk with me · Post #790 » by **walk with me** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:45 am

Omg all you people crying about SGAs fouls.. I don’t believe you guys even watch the game. Dude is legitimately fouled majority of his fouls

KGtabake · Post #791 » by **KGtabake** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:48 am

v1n5anity wrote:The Western Finals for me was Den vs OKC. Minny just isn't good enough. They're lucky to even be in the Western Finals after Steph got injured. They just don't have the players that make them that team.

Overreaction.
Minnesota handles Denver better than any team in the West.
Wait until the series get to Target Center.
OKC is better. But they will lose both games in Minny. That's what i think. Minny will come back in OKC with a shot.

Wolfgang630 · Post #792 » by **Wolfgang630** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:49 am

Ant man is Paul George tier right now. Hopefully he can get out of that

lethalizer · Post #793 » by **lethalizer** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:52 am

LSWF wrote:I wouldn't trade Ant for SGA.

This makes me so sad as an OKC fan. If I tell you "pretty please" three times, would you re-consider?

tmorgan · Post #794 » by **tmorgan** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:52 am

I want to believe the EC champ will put up a good fight against these guys. But I don’t.

scrabbarista · Post #795 » by **scrabbarista** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:54 am

mademan wrote:
levon wrote:Reminder: This is the 1 seed against the 6th seed and there's a 19 game difference in record. I don't know what some were expecting.

Based on win totals and metrics like SRS, OKC not winning the title at this point would be considered one of the biggest upsets of all time, and probably the biggest

Yes, based on their RS stat profile, they probably should've had like an 85% chance to win it all when the Playoffs started. They are a juggernaut.

But that's why they play the games.

Enso · Post #796 » by **Enso** » Fri May 23, 2025 3:57 am

As much as I dislike the C's and wanted them out, now after thinking about it would rather of had them in the Finals. Would of been the best series competition wise and would of been the best test for these young OKC pups.

LSWF · Post #797 » by **LSWF** » Fri May 23, 2025 4:00 am

lethalizer wrote:
LSWF wrote:I wouldn't trade Ant for SGA.

This makes me so sad as an OKC fan. If I tell you "pretty please" three times, would you re-consider?

If it makes you feel better, there are several floppy players I wouldn't trade him for even if they are better overall players...like SGA is.

MrBigShot · Post #798 » by **MrBigShot** » Fri May 23, 2025 4:01 am

KGtabake wrote:
v1n5anity wrote:The Western Finals for me was Den vs OKC. Minny just isn't good enough. They're lucky to even be in the Western Finals after Steph got injured. They just don't have the players that make them that team.

Overreaction.
Minnesota handles Denver better than any team in the West.
Wait until the series get to Target Center.
OKC is better. But they will lose both games in Minny. That's what i think. Minny will come back in OKC with a shot.

They are going to get swept.

Raps in 4 · Post #799 » by **Raps in 4** » Fri May 23, 2025 4:05 am

levon wrote:Reminder: This is the 1 seed against the 6th seed and there's a 19 game difference in record. I don't know what some were expecting.

Wolves won just one less game than Denver.

Ari_Emanuel · Post #800 » by **Ari_Emanuel** » Fri May 23, 2025 4:07 am

ibraheim718 wrote:Credit to Daginault this series.. he came up with a game plan that I didn't see coming.

Minnesota looks lost out there.. they lack fight and they don't have the foot speed to beat OKC in a speed game.

Minnesota has to come out strong at target center and force OKC into the style of basketball they want to play. They should look to slow the game way down.. post Randle and Ant up.. bring the possessions way down. They accomplished one thing tonight and that was bringing the turnovers down. They just look lifeless. Even when they were deliberately physical with her tonight it wasn't when she didn't have the ball. That's when you have to beat her up.

Sorry thunder fans I have an intense distaste for you team. You guys can win without the theater and all the acting. Bunch of damn drama queens. But I will admit you have the better collection of thespians. I just want to watch basketball not a play.

Finch sounded defeated in the locker room pregame. There was a small clip 15 min before tip off of him "reassuring" his team. They looked dead already.

Who wins?