What We Learned About the Minnesota Timberwolves in Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Game One Loss vs Warriors

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Steve Kerr - NBA Playoffs - Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves
Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Timberwolves entered game one vs the Golden State Warriors with every reason to come out of the series on fire. They were fresh off a full week of rest, after closing out the LA Lakers on April 30. Meanwhile, Golden State was busy grinding through a seven-game series against the Houston Rockets.

Not only that, but the Wolves have the depth, size and youth advantage over an aging Warriors roster, desperately trying to hang onto whatever is left of its Steph Curry championship window. In every logical way, Minnesota entered Tuesday night’s contest looking like the clear favorite in round two.

What We Learned – Minnesota Timberwolves vs Golden State Warriors (Gm 1)

Anthony Edwards - NBA Playoffs - Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves
Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

But… that’s why they play the games, right? Because it became clear pretty early on that game one was going to be a grind for the Timberwolves, as they looked to knock off the rust from their week off. But after taking a second quarter haymaker, the Wolves couldn’t recover, and the fell 99-88 at home in what would up being a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad game one loss.

Were the Warriors good offensively? No, especially after Steph Curry left the game with a hamstring strain. But the way Minnesota shot, especially during the first half… it didn’t matter. With that, let’s get into what we learned about the Minnesota Timberwolves in game one of their second round playoff series vs the Golden State Warriors.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have forgotten how to shoot

I’m not sure how familiar you are with the game of basketball. But it’s a sport that is difficult to find success in if you cannot make any shots. And for the second-straight playoff game, the Minnesota Timberwolves really struggled to put the ball in the basket.

Wolves’ misses came early and often, but the offense really got ugly in the second quarter. After they entered the period with a 20-18 lead, the Wolves shot just 4/12 from the field, totaling 11 points.

When the dust settled on the first half, Minnesota found themselves down 44-31, good for the lowest first half total in Timberwolves playoff history. How does that happen? By shooting 14/44 from the field (32%) and 0/15 from deep, that’s how.

Anthony Edwards, who we will discuss in more detail momentarily, led the way of incompetence, shooting 0/8 and scoring just one total point during the worst postseason half in the Wolves’ 25+ years of existence. Minnesota did start to shoot better in the second half, where they went 20-of-42 (48%) from the field.

Related: MN Timberwolves Playoff Odds Entering Warriors Series That Has ALL the Storylines

But even when the Minnesota Timberwolves made runs in game one, they just didn’t seem to have the energy to hang finish off the type of comeback they needed vs Golden State. We’ve now gone two games in a row where the Wolves have struggled to shoot the basketball… something they need to figure out in game two.

Anthony Edwards needs to be better for MN Timberwolves

So, nobody woke Anthony Edwards up this morning to let him know that round two was starting tonight, huh? That’s sure what it looked like. Outside of one small offensive burst in the third period, Anthony Edwards played arguably the worst playoff game of his Minnesota Timberwolves career on Tuesday night.

You already read about how bad Ant was shooting during the first half, but Edwards’ struggles during game one went way beyond his inability to hit shots. He looked downright passive on the offensive end. Once he realized his shot wasn’t going to fall, it almost felt like the 23-year-old‘s unbreakable confidence went out the window too.

Still, Anthony Edwards found a way to contribute with a double-double, finishing with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals, which all led the team. And then finally in the fourth quarter, Ant even hit a 3-pointer, ending a an 0-of-15 stretch from deep that dated back to game four vs the Lakers.

But whether you are box score hunting or you watched every second of game one, sometimes seeing a player at his “worst” makes you realize how great they actually are.

Because not only did Ant end up stuffing the box score on Tuesday night for the MN Timberwolves, but he was also the motor that drove every offensive burst they were able to muster up in the second half, including when they cut the lead to single-digits twice during the fourth quarter.

In fact, Anthony Edwards was back to his normal self in the second half of game one, where he shot 9-of-14 and scored 22 of his 23 points. Chris Finch was right after Tuesday’s game when he said that he needs his superstar to come out ready to play and ready to set the tone for his team. But hopefully, he figured something out late.

Game one loss may probably won’t matter

But in the end, the Wolves didn’t have enough in the tank to make this game close. They walked into tonight and decided to play the entire first half blindfolded, on crutches and with one arm tied behind their back. By the time they decided to fight back, it was too late.

Still, you could tell Steve Kerr and his Warriors were on edge all evening, even though Minnesota couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn. That’s because he knows what everyone else watching this series knows. The Timberwolves are not going to play this poorly all series long.

Related: Turns Out, LeBron James Wasn’t Faking All of His Injuries vs Timberwolves

And not only will the Wolves be better in game two, and going forward, but it looks like the Warriors may be without Stephen Curry for at least a game or two, possibly the rest of the series, after he suffered a hamstring strain in the first half and was unable to return. After the game, Steve Kerr did not appear optimistic regarding Steph’s injury.

So while it is a bit concerning that the Minnesota Timberwolves couldn’t hang with a Steph Curry-less Golden State squad in game one, I can’t imagine a reality where the already-outmanned Warriors hang with the full-strength Wolves.

That’s why the NBA plays seven-game playoff series. Because in most cases, the best team usually wins. And if the Timberwolves were already the better team, with Steph Curry on the other side… what are they without the greatest shooter in world history on their team?

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