There’s a sinking feeling every time the Minnesota Timberwolves start to lose their lead late. It could be Minnesota sports baggage. It might just be from blowing two 25-point leads in Game 3. Likely, it’s a combination of both.
Either way, the Wolves looked in control when they led 99-88 with just under seven minutes to go in the game. Until they didn’t. It didn’t matter that they had led all game or that Jaren Jackson Jr. had fouled out. It didn’t matter that they had bounced back from Game 3 with a cathartic win in Game 4. All that mattered was that the lead was slipping.
Dillon Brooks hits a three, Ja Morant makes a free throw, and Brandon Clarke connects on a jumper. 99-94. Slipping, slipping, slipping. The Wolves staved Memphis off, but only for so long. Whoop That Trick might as well have been playing in the background. A Minnesota loss started to feel inevitable.
Who’s job is it to stop the bleeding? To calm things down when things speed up and the heart starts palpitating? To eliminate that sinking feeling?
The most obvious answer seems to be Anthony Edwards. He provided a short-lived lift when his corner-three off a masterful Jordan McLaughlin pass briefly tied the game at 109. Ant has been Minnesota’s stalwart since the play-in game against the Los Angeles Clippers. He’s A1 from Day 1, seemingly born for the bright lights.
If that’s the case, it has implications for everyone else on the team.
Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell are Minnesota’s max players. No. 1- and 2-overall in the 2015 draft. They’re 26; Edwards is 20. Is this supposed to be KAT and DLo’s team?
Towns hit a big three late in this game and has been the constant amongst all the turmoil ever since Minnesota drafted him. He’s a big man who can shoot, seemingly tailored for the modern game.
But he struggled in the play-in, and his playoff demons resurfaced after only scoring 15 points in Game 2 and 8 in Game 3. He sometimes lets his emotions get the best of him and is frequently in foul trouble — hardly traits of a stabilizer.
What about DLo? The man with ice in his veins.
Russell is a clutch shooter at times and can be a gifted passer. He’s also the only player on the team with previous playoff experience outside of Patrick Beverley and Greg Monroe. As the point guard, he has the ball in his hands and can set the tempo.
However, Russell is also prone to taking bad shots. They can be catalyzing when they go in but also deflating at a moment when the Timberwolves need a lift. At worst, they compound a mistake the Wolves have made all year.
Minnesota can chuck themselves to death. They did so in games with smaller stakes, say their game in Orlando that ended a six-game winning streak in March. A player who tends to shoot himself out of trouble isn’t going to reverse that sinking feeling when his shot doesn’t fall.
Maybe it’s a depth guy.
Beverley, 33, is the veteran leader. He’s the one who sat everyone down and asked what their role is after a tough loss to the Clippers in November. The sparkplug who can break a guy down and build them back up. But he can be irascible and occasionally gets thrown out of games – including a meaningless Game 82 before the playoffs started. Not really a calming influence.
How about a beloved depth guy? Taurean Prince, 28, is another veteran leader and has a calm presence. Jaden McDaniels plays quality defense, frequently a stabilizing force. He’s also calmed down from his tech-happy days at the University of Washington. McLaughlin is a savvy point guard who seems beloved in the locker room.
It seems unfair to ask a role player to reverse the momentum of a game when Minnesota’s lead is slipping late. That’s the stars’ job. 3-and-D players can suddenly go cold. JMac may not be on the floor because he’s not the starting point guard. Most great teams go as their best players go.
Before settling on Ant, let’s look at Chris Finch’s role in this.
He took over a 7-24 team in the middle of a nine-game losing streak and had them playing .500 ball at the end of the season. This year, they were 46-36, won a hard-fought play-in game, and won at home to even the series after a devastating Game 3. He became the second-winningest coach in Timberwolves history this year.
The players love “Finchy.” He’s the plucky journeyman who got his first NBA job at 51. If nothing else, Finch has been monumental in changing the culture after the tumultuous Tom Thibodeau and Gersson Rosas regimes.
In many ways, it’s on the coach to reverse the sinking feeling. He can call timeouts and run plays out of them. He’s supposed to be the stabilizer, the leader on the sidelines who doesn’t get swept up in the action of the game.
Suppose Edwards’ three out of the ATO play sent the game into overtime, and Minnesota had won. Then would what we have been talking about now? Finch adjusting on the fly after pocketing three timeouts in Game 3 and leaning on Edwards in the clutch. Finch’s job is to enable his best players, and Ant’s proven to be that throughout the playoffs.
If Edwards is Minnesota’s A1, Finch has to coach accordingly. In that case, the Wolves are asking a 20-year-old to lift the losingest franchise in men’s professional sports. Overcome a 3-2 deficit; erase Game 3 from our memories. Reverse that sinking feeling. That’s a lot to ask, even of someone who claimed to walk on water during the regular season.
