On May 11, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs ushered in the second round G3 between the Warriors and the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves showed strong dominance in the G2 game, easily defeated the Warriors, and successfully tied the series. In this game, the Timberwolves played their own style. Although the core player Edwards was injured and left the field for a time, scoring only 20 points in the whole game, Randall and Walker on the bench stepped forward and both contributed 20+ points, becoming important contributors to the team's victory. McDaniels was as steady as ever on the defensive end, and also played an efficient performance on the offensive end, making 7 of 10 shots and scoring 16 points. However, Gobert still failed to play the expected inside dominance on the court, and his role was relatively limited. For the Timberwolves, the good news is that Edwards did not appear on the injury list in today's game.
On the other hand, the Warriors suffered a crushing defeat in the absence of Curry in the last game. Butler, who should have taken the lead in offense, performed mediocrely, scoring only 17 points. His physical fitness and age did indeed reduce Butler's immediate combat effectiveness. Starting player Post played only 3 minutes, but his plus-minus value was as low as -13, and he never got a chance to play again. The most outstanding performances of the team were Kuminga and TJD on the bench. The two made 14 of 17 shots and scored 33 points efficiently. The biggest problem for the Warriors at present is the offensive end. Although they won the first game of the series, the team only scored 99 points, and the score in both games did not exceed 100 points. Curry's absence made the already weak offense worse, and the team urgently needed to solve the dilemma on the offensive end. For the Warriors, they must win at least one home game before they have a chance to wait for Curry to return, so Butler and Kuminga need to stand up and take on the offensive responsibility.
In the first quarter, the Timberwolves quickly entered the state and started with a strong 8-2 offensive, which gave the Warriors a head start. As for the Warriors, due to Curry's absence, the offense seemed quite weak. In the first half of the quarter, the Warriors frequently missed shots and fell into a passive situation. However, the Warriors did not give up. In the second half of the first quarter, they finally found their touch and scored a 9-0 climax, successfully tying the score and showing the team's resilience. Entering the second quarter, the Timberwolves were in full swing. Reed and Randall made consecutive attacks on the outside, and three-pointers fell into the basket like raindrops, helping the team quickly gain a double-digit lead. However, the Warriors once again showed their tenacity. In the second half of the second quarter, they broke out again and responded to their opponents with a 13-1 offensive, not only wiping out the score difference, but also overtaking by 2 points to end the first half. It is worth mentioning that in the first half, the Warriors had no results outside the three-point line and did not hit a three-pointer.
In the second half of the game, the two sides fell into a stalemate and launched a fierce tug-of-war. The Timberwolves blossomed in multiple points, and the multiple attacks made the Warriors defenseless. On the Warriors side, Hield had a hot hand and hit 3 three-pointers in a row, making great contributions to the team's close score. In the final quarter, the two teams were still tied and the scores rose alternately. Butler showed his toughness in this quarter, making achievements both inside and outside, becoming the key man of the Timberwolves. The Warriors and the Timberwolves also did not give in to each other and took turns leading. However, at the end of the game, Draymond Green received his sixth personal foul and had to leave the court, which undoubtedly put great pressure on the Warriors' defense. Under the continuous impact of Edwards and Randall, the Timberwolves gradually established a leading advantage. Although Hield and Kuminga's three-pointers helped the Warriors to survive for a short time, the Timberwolves stood on the free throw line with continuous damage and firmly controlled the rhythm of the game. In the end, the Warriors were doomed, and the Timberwolves successfully won the game, showing their strong strength. This battle also made me see these 6 players thoroughly.
①. Butler. In Game 2, Kerr tried a lot of lineup combinations. Butler may have clearly understood that the victory of this game did not belong to the Warriors, so he did not take on too much on the offensive end, saving his energy for the upcoming Game 3 at home. In this game, as expected before the game, Butler took on a lot on the offensive end, constantly using his personal ability to break into the penalty area to score points. In the whole game, Butler made 12 of 26 shots, scored 33 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. However, this style of play greatly consumed Butler's physical energy. At the critical moment of the last quarter, Butler could no longer score.
②, Kuminga. The Warriors lost miserably in Game 2, but Kerr's lottery-like substitution strategy was not without results. Kuminga, who had been DNPed, played an efficient game in this game, shooting 8 of 11 and scoring 18 points and 5 rebounds. However, what is puzzling is that Kerr did not let Kuminga, who was in hot form, take on all the responsibilities on the offensive end. Instead, he kept Kuminga on the bench during the scoring phase. Although the Bay Area media questioned Kerr's use of players, I believe that Kerr has strategically given up Game 2 and all preparations are for Game 3, including Kuminga, who will definitely get the ball in Game 3. Sure enough, Kerr gave Kuminga a chance today and he was ready. Kuminga scored 2+1 with his strong attack with the ball. To be honest, without Curry, the Warriors really need Kuminga's hard-core attacking style. In the whole game, Kuminga shot 11 of 18, 3 of 4 3-pointers, scored 30 points, and had a plus-minus value of +5. He was the only player on the team who won points on the court.
③. Although Butler and Kuminga showed themselves without reservation, players like Bojemski, Moody, and Payton Jr. were really pitfalls. Bojem made 1 of 10 shots, 1 of 4 three-pointers, and scored 5 points, wasting a lot of the team's shooting rights. He scored single digits in 2 of the 3 games in the series, and 1 of 7 in Game 1, scoring 3 points. His offensive state was very bad, but he was trusted by Kerr. On the other hand, Kuminga, who has strength, was DNPed continuously. The Warriors really have a big problem.
④. The Warriors are really made by Green, and Green is also the reason for their failure. In a stalemate in Game 3, the mistaken attack of the breakthrough error and the two unnecessary fouls were really one of the culprits of the loss. Without Curry, Draymond Green seemed to have his soul taken away. He was in no shape on the offensive end and extremely uncalm on the defensive end. In this game, he made 1 of 4 shots and scored 2 points.
⑤. Edwards, after experiencing the downturn in G1, Edwards gradually found himself, and today he played at a super-giant level. In this campaign, Edwards made 13 of 28 shots, 5 of 14 3-pointers, 36 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, and scored key goals in the last quarter. If Edwards leads the team to defeat the Warriors in the second round, then he is likely to become the face of the NBA in the future. His leadership temperament is really unique.
⑥. Randall, in this campaign, Green gave Randall enough defense, but the latter still scored 24 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. To be honest, at this stage, it can really be said that Randall is more suitable for the Timberwolves system than Towns. His performance in the playoffs is definitely much tougher than Towns, and more versatile.
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