The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder’s brutal playoff blowout (the worst of their franchise’s historical past) was painful, little question.
However the causes behind it? Fairly easy.
“It’s not sophisticated,” stated Chet Holmgren. “Wherever they needed to go, they received there. They did what they needed to do. We didn’t cease them.”
That about sums it up. The Timberwolves managed the sport from the beginning, and the Thunder by no means actually discovered their footing, OKC coach Mark Daigneault admitted.
“They stored their foot on the gasoline tonight, and we have been simply by no means in a position to give ourselves any traction in recreation,” stated head coach Daigneault stated. “I believed their defensive stress and physicality positively stood out early. They have been positively throwing the primary punch within the recreation.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had been dominant by means of the primary two matchups, ran right into a wall.
He ended the night time hitting simply 4 of 13 photographs, gave up 4 turnovers, and barely received to the road — solely 4 free throw makes an attempt after taking 29 within the earlier two video games mixed.
“We have been taking the ball out of the online for almost all of the sport, in order that they get again and might set their protection,” Gilgeous-Alexander defined. “And I don’t care who you have been within the NBA — towards a superb protection, it’s laborious to attain in the event that they’re set. Prior to now two video games, it hasn’t been that. We’ve been in a position to get stops and run and play. If you take the ball out of the online each time down, it’s robust regardless.”
Defensively, the Thunder have been a shadow of the workforce that had earned the league’s high spot in that class.
They let Minnesota shoot a scorching 57.3 % general and 50 % from past the arc. To make it worse, OKC solely compelled 10 turnovers — their lowest mark within the playoffs up to now.
“You get punched, you get again up,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “It’s about responding, and that’s what the following problem is. We received punched within the mouth tonight. Subsequent recreation, we’re both going to get again up or not [and] we’re going to lose the sport. We’ve received a call to make.”