That is the Naz Reid the Timberwolves need in their return to the Western Conference finals.
The Wolves were outscored by 21 points when Reid was on the floor.
The Wolves went 8-2 in the first two rounds of the playoffs in part because Reid was largely on his game.
“I gotta get him more involved to start the second half.” Edwards went a quiet 5 of 13 from the floor.
“I just wanted to go with a more small and skilled lineup when we got down to see if I could change the complexion of the game,” Finch said.
Oklahoma City — Naz Reid is arguably the league’s most adored sixth man. In the future, perhaps. Fans throughout Minnesota have tattoos of his name on their calves, wrists, fingers, and even the inside of their lower lips. One of the most cherished freebies the Timberwolves have ever offered is a beach towel bearing his name. His name is used by Wolves supporters as a salutation, a farewell, a congrats, or a rallying cry.
Reid Naz.
The foundation of the Church of Naz was a story of divine development. becoming the Sixth Man of the Year after being an undrafted rookie free agent. 240 pounds, up from a 265-pound plodder. Only Anthony Edwards can compete with him in the market thanks to his combination of outside shooting, low-post footwork, and a handle that belongs on the vintage And1 mixtapes.
For the Timberwolves to make it back to the Western Conference finals, they need that Naz Reid. During the regular season, that player averaged 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 points in four games, which caused the Oklahoma City Thunder a lot of trouble. The Wolves did not have that player in Game 1.
During Minnesota’s 114-88 loss to the Thunder, Reid only managed four points in almost twenty-eight minutes, going one of eleven from the field, zero of seven from three-point range, and turning it over three times. Reid was on the court when the Wolves lost by 21 points.
Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker combined to shoot 6 of 25 from the field (including 5 of 21 from three), the Thunder defense limited Edwards’ role and refused to let Julius Randle beat them, the Wolves committed 19 turnovers that resulted in 31 points for OKC, and the frustrating whistle given to Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were just a few of the many reasons the Wolves lost the first game.
Because Reid is so crucial to these Wolves, we begin with him. As Reid rolls, his braids trail behind him like a cape as he weaves his way to the rim, giving them a different sizzle. Although Edwards is the team’s most self-assured player, Reid gives them their swag with his extensive skill set, which he uses when he enters the game, typically in the middle of the first quarter.
Reid was mostly at the top of his game, which helped the Wolves go 8-2 in the first two rounds of the playoffs. He provided the Wolves with the much-needed scoring punch off the bench by shooting 50 percent on three-pointers against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round and 43 percent from beyond the arc against the Golden State Warriors in the second round. When the Thunder trimmed their lineup to a five-out configuration, he was supposed to act as a counterbalance to put pressure on Wolves center Rudy Gobert. Even though Reid pulled down eight rebounds and disheveled four assists, those numbers paled in comparison to what the Wolves are accustomed to seeing from him.
“Just a bad night,” Reid remarked. I can’t recall the last time I fired a shot like that. It fluctuates. I’m not overly worried. The way you stay on the floor is by making an impact on the game in other categories as well. “”.
Throughout the season, the Wolves’ bench has been one of their greatest assets. Coach Chris Finch likes to claim that he has eight starters, with NAW and DiVincenzo completing the trio. This trip to the conference finals, their second in as many seasons, has confirmed Finch’s confidence in them. In Game 1, however, the bench let them down. DiVincenzo was 3 of 12 on 3s. From deep, Alexander-Walker was 2 of 9.
Because the Thunder prefer to use a lot of paint to keep Edwards out of there, they will receive open looks in this series. All of them must shoot quickly in order to give Edwards and Randle more driving lanes.
“We looked good. “We simply need to make shots,” DiVincenzo stated. “I have to make a few shots myself, and it helps Ant’s defense. The effect is cascading. Nevertheless, we largely achieved the desired looks; all we need to do now is manage the ball and keep them to a single shot. “”.
During the regular season, the Wolves shot 37.7 percent from three-point range, ranking among the league’s top 3-point shooting teams. However, they were sped up significantly by the Thunder’s defense, which made them shoot earlier in the game and hurry their mechanics to get around the fierce perimeter defense. The first team in conference finals history to attempt at least 50 three-pointers in a single game was Minnesota. However, it only produced fifteen of them. While the team as a whole went 10 of 45 on threes, Randle was 5 of 6.
Many excellent shots are available. We need to do some cleaning,” Finch remarked. “Sometimes the passes were late. At times, we weren’t quite prepared for the shot. Other plays must occasionally be created out of them. But when the game was going against us, I did believe we had a lot of really nice looks and were unable to connect. “”.
The Wolves had a 48-44 lead at the half, but the second half saw them outscored 70-40. They now need to reassess their strategy, much like they did after losing Game 1 to Golden State in the second round, after a game that looked winnable early on completely fell apart. One significant distinction is that the Thunder did not lose their best player in the same manner as the Warriors did when they lost Steph Curry.
They acted aggressively. Reid stated, “That’s who they are. It’s sort of who they are. Before the game, we were aware of that. Today, we simply let it overcome us. We are more knowledgeable. We must improve ourselves. The nice thing about it is that you can play in two days. “.”.
Here are some additional lessons learned from Game 1.
OKC’s defense smothers Randle in the second half.
In the first half, the Wolves’ performance was similar to that of the rest of the playoffs. Randle made enough baskets to keep Minnesota afloat even though they had trouble getting offensively going. He scored 20 points in the first half, making 5 of 6 three-pointers, while his teammates scored 5 of 22.
The second half, however, saw Oklahoma City increase the pressure and make it extremely difficult for Randle and Edwards to get clean looks. If it got hot, the Thunder were prepared to put up with DiVincenzo, Reid, or Alexander-Walker beating them from three. Randle was held without a field goal attempt for the first seven minutes of the third quarter as they simply piled on the pressure in the second half. In the second half, he scored eight of his 28 points with just five shots.
That is my fault. “I need to get him the ball,” Finch remarked. For the second half to begin, I need to get him more involved. “.”.
Edwards received a silent 5 out of 13 from the ground. He appeared to have suffered a sprained ankle, but he returned and played through it. Although Edwards claimed that the ankle did not affect him, it appeared that his mobility had decreased.
After finishing with 18 points, Edwards remarked, “I definitely need to shoot more.”. “I took thirteen f—ing shots.”. However, I would probably advise just playing without the ball and getting off it a bit more. That, I believe, will be the solution. “”.
Nine of the team’s 19 turnovers came from Randle (five) and Edwards (four). In this series, it is impossible for the Thunder to score 31 points off of errors.
Randle declared, “I’ll always hold myself accountable.”. Five turnovers is just too many. That’s not something I can do. We can argue that it’s a miss-and-make league, but we still need to play excellent defense, particularly when traveling. particularly while driving. “.”.
Gobert doesn’t play much.
For Gobert, this series looks like an interesting one. The Wolves are facing a team with real size in the frontcourt for the first time in these playoffs. Both the Lakers and the Warriors strongly favored playing small. Their attempt to go big with a traditional center, such as Quentin Post or Jaxson Hayes, didn’t work out.
It was his defense that allowed Gobert to flourish in those series. He missed some time, but he showed up in both of the closeout games, scoring 27 points and pulling down 24 rebounds to blow the Lakers away in Game 5. Playing just 21 minutes and recording two points and three rebounds on Tuesday night, Gobert’s stats are incredibly poor for a player of his caliber.
Two fouls in the opening two minutes of the game contributed to his meager playing time. Despite his belief that the second foul was dubious, Finch was forced to sit Gobert for the final ten minutes of the quarter. When he got back, he was unable to locate a location where he could effectively combat Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Finch stated, “I just wanted to see if I could change the complexion of the game by going with a more small and skilled lineup when we got down.”.
The Thunder were able to get away with shooting 62 percent from the field and making 8 of 13 3-pointers in the second half thanks to Gobert’s absence. Along with being out-rebounded 46–42, the Wolves only scored 20 points in the paint, which was their lowest total of the season.
Gobert needs to punish the Thunder on the glass if the Wolves are going to stick with him. You need more than three rebounds.
SGA’s game is frustrating.
In the first half, Gilgeous-Alexander was held to 2-of-13 shooting by the Wolves, who did an outstanding job on him. However, SGA’s foul-baiting display, which included seven free throws in the first four minutes of play, greatly irritated the Wolves.
The … strategies of Gilgeous-Alexander are well known to the Timberwolves. When SGA was continuously falling to the ground in the first quarter, Edwards was not amused by Target Center’s invention of the “Free Throw Merchant!” chant earlier in the season. Following one of his multiple blunders, Edwards threw the ball to Gilgeous-Alexander, who was on the ground, resulting in a technical foul.
Finch and assistant Micah Nori had frequent conversations with officials James Capers, Tyler Ford, and Mark Lindsay after Jaden McDaniels was sent off for foul play. Making his voice heard was even Mike Conley, who in his eighteen-year career has never been given a technical foul.
“On a few occasions, I acted out of character,” Conley admitted. We kept our heads down and our attention on the game during the playoffs by having lengthy conversations about that. We need to improve. It was something we anticipated. We are aware of what lies ahead. It’s going to be one of those games where you feel like you didn’t do something, but they did the same thing in a different name. However, it occurs, and we will recover. “”.
Although Finch has previously expressed a willingness to criticize officiating, he stated following the game that the Wolves simply need to figure out a way to overcome it.
According to Finch, “there was a lot of frustration out there.”. We discussed that prior to the start of the series. We must be able to set that aside and move on with a focus on the next play. “”.
Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the league’s most cunning players and a major whistleblower.
There will be phone calls for Gilgeous-Alexander. He’ll drop to the ground. That is a component of his strategy. The Wolves must figure out how to better manage their emotions, despite how annoying it can be to go through it. Even though they were a younger team, the Thunder handled calls they didn’t like with more maturity. Although it wasn’t the game-changing factor, it will need to be improved going forward.
(Nate Billings/AP photo of Naz Reid and Chet Holmgren).
