After beating the Memphis Grizzlies 130-117 in Game 1, the Minnesota Timberwolves were unable to give an encore performance during Tuesday night’s 124-96 loss.
The Wolves scored 34 fewer points than they did in their first matchup and gave up just seven more on defense. Therefore, many would assume that Minnesota’s mediocre Game 2 showing was a product of lackluster offense.
And it was — in part. Memphis loaded up on Anthony Edwards. Karl-Anthony Towns managed to kick his way into foul trouble once again. Many believed D’Angelo Russell would be the key factor coming into this series. However, he has shot under 23% from the field during the playoffs. But for a top-10 team in transition points scored during the regular season, the Timberwolves offense heavily relies on their defensive efforts.
After an awful first half plagued by over-officiating in Game 2, the Wolves miraculously managed to stay within 11 points of Memphis. But as the game continued into the third quarter, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins continued to exploit Minnesota’s high wall pick-and-roll coverage.
Implemented by head coach Chris Finch in the first half of the regular season, the high wall pick-and-roll defense sees the defending big step up to put pressure on the ball-handler, giving his screened teammate time to recover. In turn, this leads to a sort of double-team that forces the opposing guard to make a quick decision, which helped Minnesota force more turnovers than any other team this season.
Here we see a great example of Towns stepping up to meet Damian Lillard after coming off of a high PnR. KAT forces Lillard to take a contested shot to avoid the turnover:
The major weakness of this sort of PnR coverage is that it allows the opposing offense to sneak in a quick bounce-pass/lob attempt to one of their bigs, leading to an easy layup or dunk. And if you’ve watched either of the Wolves’ last two playoff games, you know exactly what I’m referring to.
Memphis has absolutely torched Minnesota down low in Games 1 and 2. The Grizzlies have scored 60 points in the paint in both contests. Time and again, we’ve seen them attack the Timberwolves via the pick-and-roll. Whether it be a Desmond Bane layup, a Brandon Clarke lob-dunk, or a Ja Morant trip to the foul line (Seriously. Twenty-four FTA’s in two games?!) Memphis has been able to get whatever they want when attacking the paint this series.
But that was to be expected.
Memphis scored nearly half (49.8%) of their total points from within 15 feet during the regular season. However, only 29.9% of their PPG came from three, 14.7% came off made free throws, and just 5.6% came from the midrange. And Game 2 seemed no different. Nearly half of their 124 total points came from the painted area.
So what could the Timberwolves do to reclaim the series lead?
Minnesota’s up against a Memphis team that attacks the rim, shoots open threes, and doesn’t like to shoot in the midrange. Sound familiar? If you were able to maintain your sanity through the Ryan Saunders-era, you know exactly what I’m referring to. Former Wolves assistant coach David Vanterpool’s coveted drop coverage.
Drop coverage, otherwise known as drop ball screen defense, is simply where the defending big man stands near the rim to prevent scoring opportunities at the rim. While the big man is sitting firmly down low waiting to defend his prized paint, the defender who is coming off the screen maintains the high ground to prevent the opposing ball-handler from stepping into a 3-point attempt.
Teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and defending-champion Milwaukee Bucks execute the drop scheme well. It forces their opponent into taking a contested floater or mid-range jumper, two low-value shots in today’s game.
Here’s a prime example of the drop scheme working against Chris Paul, one of the top point guards in today’s NBA:
Now, in no way am I insinuating that the team goes 100% back to the drop scheme. The scenes of opposing players simply barreling into KAT with his hands held high beneath the rim still haunt me. The Timberwolves are in the middle of the playoffs, and there’s no room to dally with a defensive scheme that the team hasn’t used since last season.
Too often did the drop scheme leave Towns, a center not known for his rim protection, in position to pick up a foul. But so has Finch’s high wall PnR coverage as of late. KAT has managed to pick up eight fouls during his team’s opening-round series. However, giving Memphis a few unexpected looks at drop PnR coverage may be just enough to rattle them into a losing performance.
But again, this is the playoffs. Teams make adjustments when needed. We haven’t seen the unmemorable drop defense be used with the pesky Patrick Beverely on the roster before. Nor have we seen Vanterpool’s ploy with the newly-competent-on-D versions of Ant, DLo, and Malik Beasley.
Figuring out a way to keep Memphis from entering the restricted area is a must if the Wolves want to make this a competitive series. Allowing players to enter the paint allows the opposing team to get a fair look at the basket, free throws (i.e., KAT getting into foul trouble), or wide-open shots from deep in last night’s case. Sure, the Grizzlies have only made one more threes in two games than Minnesota did in Game 1. But those dribble penetration kick-outs are what helped give Memphis a 30-point lead.
In his first full season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Chris Finch has showcased his ability to be one of the league’s premier coaches. He managed to navigate a tough play-in victory against one of the league’s top coaches in Tyronn Lue and steal home-court advantage in a playoff series from a Coach of the Year finalist in Jenkins.
Whether or not Finch maintains his current game plan on D or looks elsewhere for Game 3, we should all fully trust in his awareness as a leader of this young Wolves team. But one thing is certain. With a mind like Finch’s, a squad as hungry as this one, and a sold-out Target Center, I think we should all expect Game 3 to resemble the first game of the series rather than the second.
