WCF Game 1, 5/20: Timberwolves @ OKC, 7:30 PM CST

[Domejandro]

I’ve said it before, but I’m comfortable with Tim Connolly letting Naz walk if the price is moderately high. Genuinely one of the most putrid defensive players I have ever watched, I have no idea how people occasionally say that he has improved.

[younggunsmn]

We took 51 three pointers and they were all contested.
They took 21 three pointers and they were all wide open.

Guess which team shot better?

That was maybe the most disgusting offensive display I have ever seen.
Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle combined for only 26 FGA.
Meanwhile the 3 MORONS on our bench chucked 28 awful 3 pointers and made only 5.
If I were OKC's coaching staff I could not in my wettest dreams have hoped for a better shot distribution from us than we gave them tonight.

If we don't make some massive changes offensively we are going to get swept and none of the games are even going to be close.
We are just making things incredibly easy for them on defense.
If we are patient and smart with our offensive sets we can and should work the ball into the paint and get to the line.

Jaden opened up the game with a couple of nice baskets from good offensive sets and didn't take another shot until 3 minutes into the 2nd half.
Julius did nothing but go 1 on 5.
Ant had 2 guys on him at all times and we did NOTHING to utilize that or move the defense.
I dont know that we ran one effective off ball screen all game long.

Defense completely let go of the rope the minute they went ahead 62-60.
Quit contesting, quit moving their feet, quit sticking to the game plan.

I'm ready to pack Naz Reid's bags for the airport in free agency with the way he has flat out sucked on both ends in the playoffs.

Rudy Gobert was awful but our defense was swiss cheese when he was on the bench.
He got his butt flat out kicked by Chet and Hartenstein.
There was one play in particular that illustrated that we were getting Bad Beta Rudy tonight where he caught the ball in the key with momentum towards the rim, and instead of putting someone on a poster, he chucked a horrible pass to the corner that was intercepted.

It's unfortunate we only played 8 guys all year long. We aren't able to play enough ways offensively to adjust to a team like OKC.
Especially when Naz Reid is this damn terrible on both ends of the floor.
Would really love to be able to replace him with a TJ Shannon but Finch hasnt built up enough trust in anybody but his top 8.

It can't get much worse than tonight, and it's going to take a helluva lot more to get past a deep and well coached team like the Thunder than it took to beat the mediocre Lakers and Warriors.

[younggunsmn]

For the life of me I can't understand how the league keeps bailing out SGA, who is a skinny kid with poor balance who flops to the floor at the slightest bit of contact.
This is your face of the league?
It's pathetic.

If he were reffed like Ant and not given bail out calls all game every game he would have shot 35% on the year.

I don't understand it.
Big strong guy like Ant who is built like a tank and gets hacked all game long is not the guy the league wants to build up, but the guy who flops around on the floor like a fish all game long is.
Shoots free throws all game long from body contact that would not knock the average human being, let alone NBA player, off balance.

I'm sure every little boy and girl all around the world is super stoked to put up their poster of SGA shooting free throws over their bed after OKC wins the NBA title!

[winforlose]

We took 51 three pointers and they were all contested.
They took 21 three pointers and they were all wide open.

Guess which team shot better?

That was maybe the most disgusting offensive display I have ever seen.
Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle combined for only 26 FGA.
Meanwhile the 3 MORONS on our bench chucked 28 awful 3 pointers and made only 5.
If I were OKC's coaching staff I could not in my wettest dreams have hoped for a better shot distribution from us than we gave them tonight.

If we don't make some massive changes offensively we are going to get swept and none of the games are even going to be close.
We are just making things incredibly easy for them on defense.
If we are patient and smart with our offensive sets we can and should work the ball into the paint and get to the line.

Jaden opened up the game with a couple of nice baskets from good offensive sets and didn't take another shot until 3 minutes into the 2nd half.
Julius did nothing but go 1 on 5.
Ant had 2 guys on him at all times and we did NOTHING to utilize that or move the defense.
I dont know that we ran one effective off ball screen all game long.

Defense completely let go of the rope the minute they went ahead 62-60.
Quit contesting, quit moving their feet, quit sticking to the game plan.

I'm ready to pack Naz Reid's bags for the airport in free agency with the way he has flat out sucked on both ends in the playoffs.

Rudy Gobert was awful but our defense was swiss cheese when he was on the bench.
He got his butt flat out kicked by Chet and Hartenstein.
There was one play in particular that illustrated that we were getting Bad Beta Rudy tonight where he caught the ball in the key with momentum towards the rim, and instead of putting someone on a poster, he chucked a horrible pass to the corner that was intercepted.

It's unfortunate we only played 8 guys all year long. We aren't able to play enough ways offensively to adjust to a team like OKC.
Especially when Naz Reid is this damn terrible on both ends of the floor.
Would really love to be able to replace him with a TJ Shannon but Finch hasnt built up enough trust in anybody but his top 8.

It can't get much worse than tonight, and it's going to take a helluva lot more to get past a deep and well coached team like the Thunder than it took to beat the mediocre Lakers and Warriors.

You lost me at “they were all contested.” I am sorry but we missed so many open or wide open 3s tonight.

[theGreatRC]

I'm not worried tbh

[winforlose]

I am gonna link below. The article talks about how the NBA is failing the game with the foul baiting B.S. It is not basketball, it does not belong in the game, and it has to stop. It is one thing to change the way you go up to encourage more contact. It is another to let an offensive player run into a defensive player by fully extending their off arm and pushing off. Likewise it is not acceptable that any time a player falls down a foul is called. Podz flopped around 6 or 7 times in the last series and the refs bit every time. Now anytime SGA flops he gets free throws. There is a reason people were disgusted by the officiating in game 7 of Thunder/Nuggets and why they are getting fed up with what happened in game 1.


https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/the-real-problem-with-shai-gilgeous-alexanders-foul-baiting-is-that-it-works/#

[jpatrick]

I am gonna link below. The article talks about how the NBA is failing the game with the foul baiting B.S. It is not basketball, it does not belong in the game, and it has to stop. It is one thing to change the way you go up to encourage more contact. It is another to let an offensive player run into a defensive player by fully extending their off arm and pushing off. Likewise it is not acceptable that any time a player falls down a foul is called. Podz flopped around 6 or 7 times in the last series and the refs bit every time. Now anytime SGA flops he gets free throws. There is a reason people were disgusted by the officiating in game 7 of Thunder/Nuggets and why they are getting fed up with what happened in game 1.


https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/the-real-problem-with-shai-gilgeous-alexanders-foul-baiting-is-that-it-works/#

Hopefully these playoffs are a turning point. Three of the biggest foul baiters in the league, SGA, Brunson, and Halliburton, remain. With everyone watching and seeing their unenjoyable, non-basketball playing styles, maybe the league will be forced to make a change.

What’s crazy is that no one grew up playing like that. That style and those calls would have gotten your butt kicked on the playground. They’ve adapted because it works, as the article says, in the NBA.

[KGdaBom]

As bad as the officiating was it didn't cost us this game. We lost because we shot very poorly and turned the ball over too much. Bad combo. Rudy stunk too.

Rudy didn't stink.

2 pts and 3 boards? Beaten to reb after reb. That stinks

Those are just stats. As soon as he came out Holmgren dominated us and SGA took over as well.

[KGdaBom]

I am gonna link below. The article talks about how the NBA is failing the game with the foul baiting B.S. It is not basketball, it does not belong in the game, and it has to stop. It is one thing to change the way you go up to encourage more contact. It is another to let an offensive player run into a defensive player by fully extending their off arm and pushing off. Likewise it is not acceptable that any time a player falls down a foul is called. Podz flopped around 6 or 7 times in the last series and the refs bit every time. Now anytime SGA flops he gets free throws. There is a reason people were disgusted by the officiating in game 7 of Thunder/Nuggets and why they are getting fed up with what happened in game 1.


https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/the-real-problem-with-shai-gilgeous-alexanders-foul-baiting-is-that-it-works/#

Refs need to have a mantra that if they don't see it don't call it. Refs guess all the time. He fell down therefore he must have been fouled. Consider the challenge we won when the player fell with zero contact. Probably SGA, but I forget. They didn't see contact because there was no contact. They called a foul anyway.

[Guest84]

I am gonna link below. The article talks about how the NBA is failing the game with the foul baiting B.S. It is not basketball, it does not belong in the game, and it has to stop. It is one thing to change the way you go up to encourage more contact. It is another to let an offensive player run into a defensive player by fully extending their off arm and pushing off. Likewise it is not acceptable that any time a player falls down a foul is called. Podz flopped around 6 or 7 times in the last series and the refs bit every time. Now anytime SGA flops he gets free throws. There is a reason people were disgusted by the officiating in game 7 of Thunder/Nuggets and why they are getting fed up with what happened in game 1.


https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/the-real-problem-with-shai-gilgeous-alexanders-foul-baiting-is-that-it-works/#

Refs need to have a mantra that if they don't see it don't call it. Refs guess all the time. He fell down therefore he must have been fouled. Consider the challenge we won when the player fell with zero contact. Probably SGA, but I forget. They didn't see contact because there was no contact. They called a foul anyway.

Not to mention the challenge was basically wasted since OKC got the ball back anyway. They should've challenged Jaden's 4th foul as it was a push off by SGA.

[Guest84]

Finch does need to run some actual sets in this series to get Ant some better opportunities. The PnR isn't always the best option. If the "others" made their open shots tonight, it would've been a blow out in the wolves favor.

[HMFFL]

Points In The Paint:
Minnesota 20
OKC 54

Fast Break Points
Minnesota 0
OKC 12

[_AIJ_]

Not worried but, Bye Naz

[KGdaBom]

I am gonna link below. The article talks about how the NBA is failing the game with the foul baiting B.S. It is not basketball, it does not belong in the game, and it has to stop. It is one thing to change the way you go up to encourage more contact. It is another to let an offensive player run into a defensive player by fully extending their off arm and pushing off. Likewise it is not acceptable that any time a player falls down a foul is called. Podz flopped around 6 or 7 times in the last series and the refs bit every time. Now anytime SGA flops he gets free throws. There is a reason people were disgusted by the officiating in game 7 of Thunder/Nuggets and why they are getting fed up with what happened in game 1.


https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/the-real-problem-with-shai-gilgeous-alexanders-foul-baiting-is-that-it-works/#

Refs need to have a mantra that if they don't see it don't call it. Refs guess all the time. He fell down therefore he must have been fouled. Consider the challenge we won when the player fell with zero contact. Probably SGA, but I forget. They didn't see contact because there was no contact. They called a foul anyway.

Not to mention the challenge was basically wasted since OKC got the ball back anyway. They should've challenged Jaden's 4th foul as it was a push off by SGA.

OKC shouldn't have maintained possession. Without the foul call he traveled to another zip code.

[Guest84]

Don't normally care for this guy but if he's mentioning the officials, then there's something to it

Watch on YouTube

[moss_is_1]

I’ve said it before, but I’m comfortable with Tim Connolly letting Naz walk if the price is moderately high. Genuinely one of the most putrid defensive players I have ever watched, I have no idea how people occasionally say that he has improved.

It's a hot take, but will totally depend on his figure. What's the point where it is too much money for Naz? He's just too inconsistent to be relied on for us. If he's not hitting shots it totally affects him and takes him out of the game.

[Domejandro]

Minnesota sucks, so I’m at peace with them losing last night, but SGA is legitimately one of the most shameful players I have ever watched play basketball. Joel Embiid levels of “You are too talented to be that pathetic with the foul baiting.”

[TimberKat]

I’ve said it before, but I’m comfortable with Tim Connolly letting Naz walk if the price is moderately high. Genuinely one of the most putrid defensive players I have ever watched, I have no idea how people occasionally say that he has improved.

Trade him for KD

[Calinks]

The refs are a huge talking point. I don't like the whistle, but I think people are putting way too much emphasis on it and not giving OKC credit. Even national guys are talking about the refs. The truth is we fumbled the ball. I'm not saying the SGA antics didn't hurt us, too—they did—but a championship-caliber team will play through that.

Here is Wright also talking about the whistle for like 20 minutes

Watch on YouTube

;t=1296s

[Araxen]

The refs are a huge talking point. I don't like the whistle, but I think people are putting way too much emphasis on it and not giving OKC credit. Even national guys are talking about the refs. The truth is we fumbled the ball. I'm not saying the SGA antics didn't hurt us, too—they did—but a championship-caliber team will play through that.

Here is Wright also talking about the whistle for like 20 minutes

Watch on YouTube

;t=1296s

When you don't get the soft calls both ways it is an issue. It also alters how you play defense. We definitely can't play defense the same way OKC can because we will get called for those fouls they don't get called for.