Roughly 14 hours after his team survived a 12-block night from Spurs center Victor Wembanyama to still steal Game 1 in San Antonio, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch stepped in front of reporters and put on his performance cap.
First, Finch said at least four of the blocks were goaltends, if not five, telling reporters it was “alarming” that officials didn’t have their antennas up for such calls. A quick film review, however, suggests that number is more like a solid one, with room for a possible second. If you wanted to clarify that one or two more could have been fouls, that’s a more valid argument.
But pointing out areas where officiating might improve early in a series is a Finch playoff tactic, and a little exaggeration can go a long way. What shouldn’t be misconstrued is Finch’s dissatisfaction with the offensive process that contributed to Wembanyama’s block party.
Immediately after Monday’s victory, the coach went into the Wolves’ locker room and told his players they “have to play a smarter brand of offensive basketball.”
“We have to,” he said. “When you see the tape, there’s going to be so much stuff on there that we just have to take advantage of.”
NBC Sports reported that during a timeout Monday, Finch implored his players to stop “dancing” with the basketball. He wanted quick reactions. Stagnation allows for the Spurs’ defense to collect at the rim and alter or block your shot.
That’s not to be confused with attacking off the bounce. Minnesota must maintain that aggression; it’s the Wolves’ biggest advantage on the offense end. The Spurs have only one sterling perimeter defender in Stephon Castle. Outside of Wembanyama, they generally lack size — in height or girth — to match up with the likes of Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, Terrence Shannon Jr. or Jaden McDaniels.
As was the case in the last series against Denver, Minnesota can gain entrance to the paint at will.
In reference to Wembanyama, McDaniels said the Wolves need to “attack like he’s not there.” Shannon Jr. echoed the sentiment, noting the center is “gonna have to block it every time.”
“I ain’t gonna stop going downhill,” the wing said.
The Wolves don’t want him to. Breaking down the defense off the bounce should be the goal every possession.
What changes now is the process once the penetration occurs. Because while the Nuggets had no rim deterrent, San Antonio obviously does. The Wolves found that out the hard way Monday. While they scored 52 points in the paint, they did so while shooting a woeful 54% in the restricted area.
For reference, Chicago was the worst team in the NBA in that area all season at 63%.
One solution for Minnesota on Monday was removing Gobert from the lineup and utilizing small-ball lineups that forced Wembanyama to play more on the perimeter. But the Wolves also need to function offensively with their best defender on the floor.
That’s not to say trying to finish is always a losing endeavor, either. But there are likely better options once you get to the rim than simply going up, especially if Wembanyama is in your immediate vicinity. Leading into the series, Finch said a key for Minnesota was going to “be decisions that you make in the paint.”
That was put on full display Monday. After getting rejected on the doorstep multiple times in the first quarter, Shannon punctuated drives with key, profitable passes later in the contest. One resulted in an open Mike Conley triple. The other was a late drop-off to Gobert at the rim that led to a pair of free throws.
Kickouts and dump offs are paying massive dividends for Minnesota. The Wolves went 5 for 5 on corner triples Monday, improving their playoff average on such shots to a stunning 59%.
Getting into the lane is usually the hard part. Minnesota is making light work of that feat. The more simple plays the Wolves make from there, the more points they figure to put on the board.
“I think it still has to be relentless,” Conley told reporters of the team’s rim attacks. “We’ve just gotta make the right decisions. … (Wembanyama) is going to block everything, so at some point we have to figure out how to get the ball to the corner, get the ball swung around a couple more times, and I think it will lead to easier opportunities for us. But we can’t stop going to the rim.”
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