2018 Western Conference Playoffs

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One of the biggest opportunities in the Wolves’ playoff series against the Rockets was the chance to measure how they stack up to the NBA’s best. So, how did they do?

There was a lot of talk floating around this series about how the Wolves were doing a good job on defense against Houston’s lethal attack. Coach Tom Thibodeau frequently praised his team’s effort on that end of the court, and the Wolves managed to neutralize James Harden and Chris Paul for large stretches of the series.  

During the regular season, the Wolves had one of the worst defensive ratings in the league, and allowed opponents to score an average of 107.3 points per game. The Rockets, on the other hand, averaged 112.4 points per game in the regular season.

In their five games against the Rockets, the Timberwolves gave up 104, 102, 105, 119, and 122 points (an average of 110.4, if you’re into that kind of thing). That’s pretty good. The stats don’t tell the whole story either. In this series, the Wolves were essentially doomed by bad defense in three different quarters: they gave up 37 in the second quarter of Game 2, 50 in the third quarter of Game 4, and 37 in the fourth quarter of Game 5. 

Take away those quarters, and the Wolves put together an incredibly impressive defensive performance against one of the best offenses in the NBA.

Of course, you can’t take away those quarters. The thing about defense is you have to do it all the time, especially against a team like the Rockets. Clearly some things worked, and some things didn’t. With such a limited sample size, and playing against only one team, it’s hard to find much useful information in the statistics (and defensive stats are notoriously hard to trust anyway), so here are a few things that jumped out to me using the good old “eye test.” 

I know Andrew Wiggins has a unique ability to frustrate Wolves fans, but he showed in this series how incredibly valuable he can be on the defensive end. Wiggins has been maligned for his defense, but he is so long and athletic he truly could become an elite defender.

One of the reasons he’s so tantalizing on that end is that he can defend so many positions. He’s quick enough to hang with guards and strong enough to go toe to toe with forwards. Watch him totally annihilate P.J. Tucker here when Tucker tries to take him into the post:

Also, at the beginning of Game 4 it was clear that the Rockets were trying to isolate Harden onto Wiggins, hoping that Harden’s trickery would serve him better against Wiggins than Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague. On three separate possessions, Wiggins totally shut down Harden in isolation. I understand that he’s a work in progress, and has to get more consistent, but there are very few players in the league that can shut down Harden at all, let alone on a consistent basis. Needless to say, Houston stopped trying that switch.

But not all of the Wolves’ defensive effectiveness came from individual effort. After Game 5, Thibodeau commented on the effectiveness of the Wolves’ smaller lineups.

“I like our small lineup a lot in the second quarter, I thought they played great,” he said. “We built the ten-point lead with that group and then when I took Jimmy out we lost it very quickly. We all understand how important he is to the team, but I like the look of that group in terms of it changes the speed of the game and it changes the things we can do. One thing about Jimmy at the 4 is you’re not sacrificing defense.”

Yes, Butler is in many ways the emotional heart and soul of this Wolves team, but he’s also one of the most important chess pieces in playing a strategic defensive game. The lineup Thibodeau is referring to is an oddly effective group of Teague, Derrick Rose, Jamal Crawford, Butler, and Karl-Anthony Towns. This is a prototypical modern NBA lineup, and there’s a lot to break down in terms of what it brings to the Wolves on offense, but the group really held its own on defense as well.

Butler and Rose are strong enough to guard opposing forwards, and that flexibility allows for a ton of switching. The Wolves also got creative later in the series, altering the timing with which they brought double teams on Harden and Paul, and the speed and veteran savvy of this group gave them the ability to rotate very quickly if the Rockets moved to exploit the double team. 

In this clip, the Wolves’ first option, to confuse Harden with a late double team, works perfectly, leading to a steal, but look how quickly Rose is ready to move to contest a potential three as well. Of course, a few more passes and the Rockets could have probably found an opening—that’s always the risk with double teams—but the Wolves are betting here on their ability to create confusion and force Houston to panic. It works.

This lineup is mostly constructed to be a nightmare for the Rockets on offense, but you can’t win without defense, and this super-fast, super-switchy group seriously confused the Rockets. It’s somewhat counterintuitive because at first blush one of the Wolves’ strengths is their size, but if they can work this lineup even more, perhaps switching out Tyus Jones (a stronger defender) for Crawford, it could be a neat trick for them to pull out next season.

This group has a long way to go on the defensive end of the floor. They need to get more consistent, and better at knowing their coverages, especially during the regular season when they don’t get to play the same team five games in a row. Towns also has to improve. Too often he was bullied by Capela in the post, or baited into misguided help decisions. But the experimentation that the Wolves were forced into by these frustratingly good Rockets might bear some fruit, and the individual development is likewise encouraging. If the Wolves can become an above-average defense, and maintain the level of offensive potency they built this season, they’ll be making a deep playoff run in no time.

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Wolves Test Improving Defense Against The League's Best

Tell me if this sounds familiar: through two quarters of play, the Wolves are in an absolute battle with the Houston. Yup, thought so, we've got another good one on our hands. 

Playing to keep their season alive at the Toyota Center, the Wolves have come out strong and are going toe-to-toe with the Rockets. Headed into the half, the Wolves lead 59-55, and are shooting 54.8-percent from the field. Leading the way for the Wolves are Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, and Derrick Rose, with 30 combined points. Karl-Anthony Towns has also played well; he has 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Wolves have held the Rockets backcourt of Chris Paul and James Harden to seven combined points, but the Rockets’ supporting cast has picked up the slack. Compared to the defensive-minded first halves that defined the rest of the series, there has been plenty of offense so far here.  

As Wolves fans know, one half of good play won’t cut it against the Rockets. The Wolves need to stay focused and disciplined to finish the job and bring the playoffs back to Minnesota.

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Wolves Up On Rockets At Halftime of Game 5

Western Conference Playoffs, First Round Game 5

Wolves at Rockets, 8:30 p.m. Toyota Center Fox Sports North, TNT, Buz’n 102.9

Wolves fans, this is it. Your team needs to win in order to keep their season alive.

The Wolves have been in this situation before—in the last game of their regular season versus Denver. Faced with pressure then, Minnesota came up big, winning the game and paving the way for their playoff series against the Rockets.

Now it’s win or go home again. Outside of two very bad quarters (the second quarter of Game 2 and the third quarter of Game 4), the Wolves have played Houston fairly well. But in order to beat this Rockets team you need to, as many Wolves players and coaches have noted, play for 48 minutes every single game.

After Monday’s Game 4, the Wolves stressed the importance of not getting too wrapped up in the big-picture narrative of what this game means, and its obvious stakes. Instead, Minnesota needs to take things one possession at a time. That formula worked in Game 3, when the Wolves played with urgency and emotion, but also with control, and beat the Rockets at Target Center.

Defeating the Rockets when Houston has a chance to win the series in front of their hometown crowd will be far from easy. The Wolves will need big performances up and down their roster. Encouragingly, both Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler, both of whom struggled earlier in the series, put together solid stretches of play in Game 4. Towns led the Wolves in scoring and rebounding, finishing with 22 points and 15 rebounds, and Butler had nine rebounds and five assists to go along with 17 points.

The Wolves’ bench production will also need to remain consistent. Derrick Rose and Jamal Crawford have worked well together in the series, but they’ll need to keep up their aggressiveness in the next game of what has been a hard-fought and emotional series.

With their season on the line, you can be sure the Wolves will come out ready to play. Let’s hope that’s enough to get a victory against the red-hot Rockets. The game will be broadcast on TNT, but your hometown crew will have the call on Fox Sports North as well. The radio broadcast will be on Buz’n 102.9.

Wolves: PG – Teague, SG – Butler, SF – Wiggins, PF – Gibson, C – Towns

Rockets: PG – Paul, SG – Harden, SF – Ariza, PF – Tucker, C – Capela

Wolves: Justin Patton (foot) is out. Tyus Jones (knee) is questionable. 

Rockets: Luc Mbah a Moute (shoulder) is out.

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Game 5 Scouting Report | Wolves at Rockets

This game opened with sloppy play by both teams, and neither squad shot the ball particularly well. The period was highlighted by several great defensive stands by Andrew Wiggins isolated on James Harden, who was held to two points in the period, both of which came from the line. However, highlights on the other side of the ball were few and far between. The two teams were tied up at 21 headed into the second.

The Wolves offense broke out a bit in the second quarter. They were paced by Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose, both of whom used their aggressiveness and strength to get to the rim and score, as well as to collapse the defense and find their teammates for open looks. Jamal Crawford did good work as well, scoring seven points in eight minutes off the bench.

In the first half of play, Karl-Anthony Towns continued to build on his progress from Game 3, scoring nine points and adding eight rebounds in the half. None of those points came easy. Throughout the entire half, both the Rockets and the Wolves had to fight for every single bucket. The Wolves actually shot the ball better than the Rockets (48 percent to 38 percent), but turned the ball over six more times and hit four fewer three-pointers. The game stayed close, and the Target Center crowd stayed with their team every step of the way. The Rockets led by one at the half, 49-50.

The third quarter is when things got out of hand. The Wolves couldn’t buy a bucket, and Harden took over. Houston jumped out to a quick 12-point lead before the Wolves could answer, and built upon their hot start en route to a 50-point quarter.

The Wolves offense rebounded a bit in the second half of the quarter, scoring 20 in the period, but obviously, facing such an incredible offensive performance by the Rockets, there wasn’t much the Wolves could do to stay with them. The Rockets led 100-69 going into the fourth.

Minnesota played better in the fourth, but couldn’t erase the 31-point deficit. The Wolves took a disappointing loss, with a final score of 119-110. Harden led the way for the Rockets, scoring 36points. On the Wolves side, Towns had 22 points and 15 rebounds, and Butler finished with 19.

The Wolves still have life, but will need to win Game 5 in Houston to keep their postseason run alive. There’s no way to slice it, this one hurts, but Wolves fans will have at least one more opportunity to cheer their team to victory. All eyes will be turned towards Houston on Wednesday, and the Wolves will need to deliver with their season on the line.  

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Third Quarter Dooms Wolves in Game 4

With a little over five minutes left in Saturday night’s win over the Rockets, Jeff Teague stroked a three, turned towards center court, beat his chest, and threw his arms up towards the rafters to pump up the Target Center crowd.

The rare show of passion from their usually-reserved starting point guard had Wolves fans on their feet and the building shaking, but they didn’t really need the prompt.

From the opening tip, the sold-out crowd threw their energy and excitement behind their team and helped the Wolves earn a resounding victory over their 2018 playoff opponents.

“It was crazy. All the fans were in the game the whole time,” said Andrew Wiggins after the game. “They helped us form momentum. Every big play they were loud, they were up on their feet, and I feel like they got us going the whole game.”

“Like I said from day one, we’re doing this for Minnesota,” added Taj Gibson. “The fans pushed us over the limit, they were in it the whole game. We felt the energy. The one thing about this crowd is they let you know when you’re playing bad and they let you know when you’re playing great. It was a great atmosphere tonight.”

Karl-Anthony Towns shook off a couple disappointing games and came up big for his team on Saturday. The support of the Minnesota crowd certainly played a part in keeping him positive.”

“The fans were absolutely insane. When you have fan support like that behind you anything’s possible,” he said. “It’s just humbling not only to see the fans be that elated, ecstatic, loving towards us, but just to see them buy into us that much. It’s an amazing experience.”

The playoffs are a good look for the Wolves’ home court, and Target Center will certainly be rocking again on Monday. It’ll be another tough game, and the Wolves still have adjustments they will need to make, but one they know one thing for sure—their fans will have their back. 

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Electric Target Center Crowd Has The Wolves' Back In Game 3 Win

Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns both shook off underwhelming performances in the Wolves’ previous two games against the Rockets and delivered when their team needed them most. 

Butler led the way with a team-high 28 points. He added seven rebounds and five assists, and was a sterling plus 19 in 41 minutes of action.

He flashed his shooting stroke, hitting four threes, and used his strength to punish the Rockets whenever they put smaller guards on him. Butler’s attitude and impact always starts on the defensive end, but when he’s rolling on offense the Wolves are hard to stop.

Perhaps more importantly for the Wolves, Towns demonstrated tonight that he has the ability to fight and remain effective even when he isn’t playing his best basketball. Towns finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds, but it was his energy and aggressiveness that stood out tonight. 

Towns also tallied a steal and two blocked shots, and showed fight and determination to get inside against a Rockets team hell-bent on stopping him. In this game, Towns punished Houston when they double-teamed him, finding his teammates for good looks, and using his size and strength to force the issue.

It’s a fine line between taking what the defense gives you, and taking what you want from the defense—Towns walked that line tonight.

In Game 3, the Wolves looked like the dominant team that climbed as high as the West’s No. 3 seed, and the play of their two All-Stars was a huge factor. It wasn’t perfect, but it was progress, and it came in a win. Tonight, that’s more than enough. 

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Butler and Towns Put The Past Behind Them, Spark Wolves' Game 3 Win

After many encouraging moments but two ultimately disappointing results in the first two games of their playoff series against the Rockets, the Wolves delivered perhaps their most impressive performance of the season in a 121-105 win over Houston at Target Center.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Wolves exchanged high-fives at center court and went home with their first playoff victory in 14 years. They’re winners tonight.

Wiggins was phenomenal in the opening minutes, scoring five quick points and hitting Jeff Teague with a beautiful pass for an open three. He finished the opening quarter with 10 points, including a perfect two of two from beyond the arc.

Jimmy Butler shook off underwhelming performances in Games 1 and 2 and came out shooting. He lit it up, scoring 11 in the opening quarter and leading all scorers after one. However, the Wolves did not contain Houston’s offense as well as they did in the opening quarters of their previous games. The Rockets led by one, 28-27, at the end of the first.

After a quiet start, Karl-Anthony Towns played aggressively in the second quarter, including a sequence where he threw one down over Clint Capela (and gave him quite a look, too), then stuffed Eric Gordon on the next possession before going right at Capela again and getting fouled. It was an encouraging sight—even though his scoring was held in check, he really impacted the game on both ends.

Jamal Crawford and Derrick Rose also showed some nice chemistry in the second. Crawford had a few beautiful dishes to his fellow veteran guard, and the two complemented each other nicely with Crawford hitting from the midrange and Rose driving to the basket.

The Wolves led by as many as 11 in the quarter, but as Minnesota fans know, no lead is safe against the Rockets. A few threes later, and Houston was right back in it. The Wolves led 52-51 headed into halftime.

The third quarter in this game was probably the most energetic and exciting 12 minutes of the series so far. Teague put the game on a string for the Wolves, Towns was energized and aggressive, and Wiggins displayed remarkable poise and confidence for a player in the midst of his first postseason. Target Center was the loudest it’s been in years, and the Wolves rode that energy to an 87-75 lead going into the final period.

The fourth was more of the same. The Wolves played with pride, hustle and heart, and got contributions from players up and down the roster. The Wolves said they wanted to run more this game, and run they did—ran the Rockets right out of the building. Wiggins, Butler and Teague share the game ball tonight, but this whole squad is a dangerous team when they’re locked in. Let’s do it again on Monday.

We’ll have plenty more content on this huge victory coming your way, so keep your eyes out, but enjoy this moment too. Wolves fans deserve a celebration. 

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It’s Home Sweet Home As Wolves Take Down Rockets In Game 3

In the first two games of their playoff series against the Rockets, the Wolves have had to face down an unusual culprit—their offense.

Minnesota has held the usually scintillating Houston attack to 104 and 102 points in Game 1 and Game 2 respectively, but the Wolves put up just 101 points in their first effort and only 82 in their second. It’s a frustrating situation; maligned for their defense for much of the year, the team has put the pieces together against the best offensive team in the league, but as they shore up what has been their biggest weakness, their strength on the other side of the ball has seemingly deserted them.

But not all is as bad as it seems. Returning home to Target Center, where the Wolves have played very well this year, the team is confident that it can find the energy to fix its struggling attack. This team isn’t exactly known for their transition play, but the Wolves believe that picking up the pace and trying to run more—especially with the energy of the Target Center crowd behind them—could be a key piece of the puzzle in restoring their offensive mojo.

“We have to play with a great intensity and a great energy on both ends of the floor,” said coach Tom Thibodeau. “We’ve got to play in transition, get some turnovers and get in the open floor and get easy buckets.”

The Wolves were among the NBA’s best in scoring points off turnovers this year, but in this truly bizarre series, that strength has also lapsed. Luckily, the defense is in place, Minnesota just needs to get better at capitalizing on their hard work.

“You got to fight fire with fire,” said Jeff Teague. “They can score the ball, but we can too. I think we’ve been so focused on defense and what they can do, and not focused on what we can do. If we do what we can do I think we’ll have a better game.”

The narratives swirling around this series have justifiably focused on the play of Karl-Anthony Towns, who has had two of his worst outings of the season in the Wolves’ last two games. Houston has made stopping Towns priority number 1A, and so far, it has worked.

Breaking Towns out of his funk is about more than just getting him the ball. Too often, Houston has baited the Wolves into feeding the big man down low, then immediately doubled, forcing impossible shots or cutting off Towns’ passing lanes.

As the team’s point guard, Teague has taken note, and he understands as well as anyone that the Wolves can’t just get Towns the ball and expect him to score—they need to put him in a position to succeed.

“You got to attack fast,” he said. “Instead of just eyeing KAT down in the post and trying to get him the ball, we got to make plays and multiple efforts—swinging the ball, driving it, and then if he still has a little on him in the paint, try to get it to him, instead of just eyeing him down, and eyeing him down. It plays into the shot clock and then when he finally gets it, there’s a double coming, and we have to throw up some miracle shot at the end of the shot clock—it’s not working for us.”

Teams always talk about taking what the defense gives them, but if Houston continues to take away Towns, the Wolves will fight back. They’re not going to let another team come into their building and neutralize one of their All Stars. If this requires changing how they’ve been running their offense, so be it.

“[When] we get the rebound [Towns] has got to take off, try to bury the guys down, cause they’re coming,” said Teague. “They’re coming to double, and he knows that. He’s got to face up, be strong with the ball, make quick moves, but we got to figure out how to get him out and run and get some easy touches in the paint.”

“They’re committing a lot of players to him,” Thibodeau said. “Any time a team does that that’s when you have to trust the pass, you’ve got to play with energy, you have to beat people down the floor, keep moving.”

Thibodeau, not the most effusive coach in the league, had praise after practice on Friday for the resolve this team has shown—but despite their 0-2 hole, he is in no way ready to concede this series:

“I know how hard this team has worked and fought to make it, we’re trying to erase fourteen years of losing, that’s not an easy thing to do. This team has fought like crazy all year…I’m proud of what they’ve done and now our challenge is to win this next game.”

X’s and O’s aside, the Wolves are excited to play the franchise’s first home playoff game in 14 years and expect great things from the Minnesota crowd.

“It’s going to be great,” said Towns. “This organization and all our fans, they deserve this moment. I said before the playoffs, this is bigger than just us, this is about our fans, this is about Minnesota.”

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Wolves Making Crucial Adjustments Before Pivotal Game 3

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