Wizards and Wolves, 7 pm

[Calinks]

The cycle continues. First it's KAT's the problem, then Rudy, then Dlo, now it's Finch. Can't wait until we get to the logo.

[younggunsmn]

This loss makes me sick because it was utterly preventable. What a joke of a team and terrible coaching job by Finch.
This team will be fighting to fend off 2 of Portland/Lakers/Utah/OKC for that last play-in spot and not challenging for the top 6 because of all these awful losses. Terrible finishes to the 2nd and 3rd quarters where we let them whittle down 15+ point leads to single digits.

If this one doesn't sink in how Gobert is nothing but a very expensive role player I dont know what does.
They put Gobert in pick action and scored on us damn near every time down the floor for the last 6 minutes.
And Finch did nothing. He didn't sub Gobert out, he didn't change the scheme to trap/wall, he just sat on his hands and let Gobert get cooked possession after possession.
Then in crunch time offense he is absolutely completely useless doing nothing but standing near the paint clogging up Ants driving lanes as his defender is basically just full time doubling on Ant.

And Ant came out like a five alarm fire and we spend the next 3 quarters running PNR for Gobert,
I lost track of all the turnovers forcing him the ball on passes that end up as layups for 90% of the players in the league.
I love the way Rudy can rebound in traffic. But hes a millstone on offense and can be exploited big time defensively if your coach is not paying very close attention to how he is being attacked and mixing up his coverages/personnel.
We know when KAT comes back that slo-mo or a starter will be forced off the floor in crunch time, and I'm starting to think that player is going to be Rudy on most nights because if one of your bigs is going to get cooked at least pick the one who has a shred of offensive skill.

This team needs KAT's offense in crunch time. Slo-mo has a knack for getting an easy basket every time the other team is getting momentum, but he was gassed at the end tonight, as was Ant. FInch needed to makes better use of his bench Naz and Prince didnt get a chance to do much tonight.

Ant made a lot of bad plays tonight, but his teammates didn't help him out much giving him outlets to pass either.
And he should have had a hand in Kuzma's face on that 3.

Conley plays magnificent transition defense and maybe that plus fewer live ball turnovers will help us with our transition D.

[Nick K]

The cycle continues. First it's KAT's the problem, then Rudy, then Dlo, now it's Finch. Can't wait until we get to the logo.

Touche'!

[younggunsmn]

I think even before KAT gets back we should bring SloMo off the bench so we can limit his minutes a bit/settle down that 2nd unit/save his energy for crunch time. Stagger him and Conley a bit so one is always on the floor.
And we need to help Ant more by running plays for him/getting him the ball as the defense is moving, because asking him to create his own shot every single time is too much even as talented as he is. Problem is without KAT we really don't have another player left who can create his own offense. Ant/Rudy isnt a great pick action because both want to attack the basket. And/Naz might be better because Naz can both pick and pop.

[younggunsmn]

Just checked the boxscore and saw Zero points for Conley. Ouch. That cannot continue if we want to make the playoffs.

[vtime]

Alexander Walker should run the 2nd unit. Start Nowell over Anderson.

Nowell??? Lmao. He should get cut

Cut? No, we can use his offense in the starting 5.

[Note30]

This loss makes me sick because it was utterly preventable. What a joke of a team and terrible coaching job by Finch.
This team will be fighting to fend off 2 of Portland/Lakers/Utah/OKC for that last play-in spot and not challenging for the top 6 because of all these awful losses. Terrible finishes to the 2nd and 3rd quarters where we let them whittle down 15+ point leads to single digits.

If this one doesn't sink in how Gobert is nothing but a very expensive role player I dont know what does.
They put Gobert in pick action and scored on us damn near every time down the floor for the last 6 minutes.
And Finch did nothing. He didn't sub Gobert out, he didn't change the scheme to trap/wall, he just sat on his hands and let Gobert get cooked possession after possession.
Then in crunch time offense he is absolutely completely useless doing nothing but standing near the paint clogging up Ants driving lanes as his defender is basically just full time doubling on Ant.

And Ant came out like a five alarm fire and we spend the next 3 quarters running PNR for Gobert,
I lost track of all the turnovers forcing him the ball on passes that end up as layups for 90% of the players in the league.
I love the way Rudy can rebound in traffic. But hes a millstone on offense and can be exploited big time defensively if your coach is not paying very close attention to how he is being attacked and mixing up his coverages/personnel.
We know when KAT comes back that slo-mo or a starter will be forced off the floor in crunch time, and I'm starting to think that player is going to be Rudy on most nights because if one of your bigs is going to get cooked at least pick the one who has a shred of offensive skill.

This team needs KAT's offense in crunch time. Slo-mo has a knack for getting an easy basket every time the other team is getting momentum, but he was gassed at the end tonight, as was Ant. FInch needed to makes better use of his bench Naz and Prince didnt get a chance to do much tonight.

Ant made a lot of bad plays tonight, but his teammates didn't help him out much giving him outlets to pass either.
And he should have had a hand in Kuzma's face on that 3.

Conley plays magnificent transition defense and maybe that plus fewer live ball turnovers will help us with our transition D.

Don't worry Gobert has a lot of defensive win shares, it'll eventually mean he won't be the guy they target one on one. The metrics say he's amazing or so I've been told. A true top 10-20 player.

I do think we could use a better coach, but we're kind of screwed because we can't stick to one and build any sort of stability.



It's gonna be a long 4 years with this grossly overpaid role player.

[minimus]

This loss makes me sick because it was utterly preventable. What a joke of a team and terrible coaching job by Finch.
This team will be fighting to fend off 2 of Portland/Lakers/Utah/OKC for that last play-in spot and not challenging for the top 6 because of all these awful losses. Terrible finishes to the 2nd and 3rd quarters where we let them whittle down 15+ point leads to single digits.

If this one doesn't sink in how Gobert is nothing but a very expensive role player I dont know what does.
They put Gobert in pick action and scored on us damn near every time down the floor for the last 6 minutes.
And Finch did nothing. He didn't sub Gobert out, he didn't change the scheme to trap/wall, he just sat on his hands and let Gobert get cooked possession after possession.
Then in crunch time offense he is absolutely completely useless doing nothing but standing near the paint clogging up Ants driving lanes as his defender is basically just full time doubling on Ant.

And Ant came out like a five alarm fire and we spend the next 3 quarters running PNR for Gobert,
I lost track of all the turnovers forcing him the ball on passes that end up as layups for 90% of the players in the league.
I love the way Rudy can rebound in traffic. But hes a millstone on offense and can be exploited big time defensively if your coach is not paying very close attention to how he is being attacked and mixing up his coverages/personnel.
We know when KAT comes back that slo-mo or a starter will be forced off the floor in crunch time, and I'm starting to think that player is going to be Rudy on most nights because if one of your bigs is going to get cooked at least pick the one who has a shred of offensive skill.

This team needs KAT's offense in crunch time. Slo-mo has a knack for getting an easy basket every time the other team is getting momentum, but he was gassed at the end tonight, as was Ant. FInch needed to makes better use of his bench Naz and Prince didnt get a chance to do much tonight.

Ant made a lot of bad plays tonight, but his teammates didn't help him out much giving him outlets to pass either.
And he should have had a hand in Kuzma's face on that 3.

Conley plays magnificent transition defense and maybe that plus fewer live ball turnovers will help us with our transition D.

Don't worry Gobert has a lot of defensive win shares, it'll eventually mean he won't be the guy they target one on one. The metrics say he's amazing or so I've been told. A true top 10-20 player.

I do think we could use a better coach, but we're kind of screwed because we can't stick to one and build any sort of stability.



It's gonna be a long 4 years with this grossly overpaid role player.

Not sure if I have seen two positive comments from you in a row.

[minimus]

The cycle continues. First it's KAT's the problem, then Rudy, then Dlo, now it's Finch. Can't wait until we get to the logo.

The logo, then mascot?

[TwolvesFanRome]

Bad Loss.

Hope we can turn the point after the break.

[Krapinsky]

Lots of take aways from this one and its easy to overreact but seems like there are a lot of correctable things. Wizards made tons of difficult shots. Second game in a row where the star player on the other team went into NBA jam mode. And that late three from Kuzma on a bad shooting night where Ant guarded him perfectly was particularly difficult to swallow. Ant looked a little worn out at the end of the game, trying to do too much early. Conley needs to shoulder the load a little bit more.

Obviously we need to practice against the zone a little more. They caught us flat footed there. That was a bit of a genius move on the Wizards part to take advantage of a team that just changed its point guard position. It made Ant over think and took him out of his rhythm. Conley was a bit too timid to take control, but should have in that situation. Arguably Finch should have adjusted to the zone by putting quicker players and/or another shooter on the floor (Naz for Gobert and maybe even Prince for Anderson).

At this point these wins-losses don't matter so much as does if/when Kat will return. If the Wolves are to do anything in the playoffs/play-in, then certainly Kat needs to be a part of that and he will need time to gel with the starters. Candidly, it may already be too late to figure it out this season, but I think with Ant and Jaden's (!) growth, the chemistry of Conley-Gobert, and finding away to bring back a bench unit led by Kyke/Naz/Prince [and hopefully a more consistent Nowell replacement (NAW?)] the pieces are all there.

[moss_is_1]

How is Rudy getting blamed for this loss by people? 0 points from the pg spot(starter or backup), Naz can't guard a chair(-12 in 13 minutes), only to be outdone by Nowells -14 in the same amount of minutes.

Thought that this game was going to be different with how much energy we came out with. Guys like Prince and Slomo looked a little off, fumbling passes and missing shots they'd usually hit. Just another huge opportunity missed with the schedule to end the season.

[m2002brian]

I said early on in this thread, and no “+1” needed, but if an average fan with average basketball IQ is seeing, in real time, that Naz and Nowell were killing the game. Keep in mind we are still up 14 by then. But these emotions and feelings and swings matter. If Finchy doesn’t / can’t see that. Then the writing is on the wall.

[Note30]

Conley plays magnificent transition defense and maybe that plus fewer live ball turnovers will help us with our transition D.

Don't worry Gobert has a lot of defensive win shares, it'll eventually mean he won't be the guy they target one on one. The metrics say he's amazing or so I've been told. A true top 10-20 player.

I do think we could use a better coach, but we're kind of screwed because we can't stick to one and build any sort of stability.



It's gonna be a long 4 years with this grossly overpaid role player.

Not sure if I have seen two positive comments from you in a row.

Haven't felt this negative since the Butler trade.

[Baseline81]

The cycle continues. First it's KAT's the problem, then Rudy, then Dlo, now it's Finch. Can't wait until we get to the logo.

To be fair, Finch has made questionable decisions in several games now. What is wrong with posters calling him out for it?

[fattymcgee]

How is Rudy getting blamed for this loss by people? 0 points from the pg spot(starter or backup), Naz can't guard a chair(-12 in 13 minutes), only to be outdone by Nowells -14 in the same amount of minutes.

Thought that this game was going to be different with how much energy we came out with. Guys like Prince and Slomo looked a little off, fumbling passes and missing shots they'd usually hit. Just another huge opportunity missed with the schedule to end the season.

It's because people are dumb.

When we gave up our big lead vs Dallas to finish the game, Gobert wasn't even on the court. People see what they want to see.

[Guidus88]

just watched the 10min condensate from NBA league pass.
Unbelieveble loss, very upset...another big opportunity wasted

[minimus]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Ideas, comments, suggestions?

[thinktank]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Ideas, comments, suggestions?

Call a timeout and get your starters in the game, obviously.

Plus they can rest for a week, essentially.

[moss_is_1]

Ant just needs to develop some sort of go to move. Getting Kat back will be huge for so many reasons. Teams are just doubling Ant when he's hot, packing the driving lane and no one is making them pay consistently.