The next step for Timberwolves’ title pursuit? More attention to detail

On a recording of The Zach Lowe show this week Lowe a national NBA analyst pointed out the similarities between an offensive possession the Timberwolves produced in the first quarter of Wednesday s Championship and what San Antonio did in the Western Conference Finals also in Oklahoma City The lead guard got two defenders on him off a screen and roll He then made a swing pass to the perimeter The next pass hit the rolling big man who right now kicked out to the corner for an open triple In San Antonio s situation Boris Diaw drilled the triple In this instance Jaden McDaniels attempt clanked off the iron as part of a slow start that ultimately doomed Minnesota What Lowe was trying to show was that Anthony Edwards who ignited the possession by drawing the extra defender and getting off the ball made the right play But what also stood out was the difference between Minnesota which lost in the Western Conference Finals and San Antonio which went on to win an NBA championship All of the Spurs passes in this specific clip were on point and Biaw caught the ball right in the shooting pocket In Minnesota s matter Julius Randle s pass was well behind a rolling Rudy Gobert who had all he could handle to collect the ball before firing it off to McDaniels and McDaniels had to reach two feet to his left to bring the ball in before rising up for the shot Ask any shooter and they ll tell you how much the proximity of the incoming pass affects the likelihood of the shot dropping Minnesota s roster is flush with athleticism physicality and talent What it lacks is the ability to consistently carry out those little details on both sides of the ball that can be the difference between winning and losing on the grandest stages A possession here or there was the difference between Minnesota leading the West Finals - versus the reality of trailing Dallas - on the way to a - series loss The Wolves had a chance to square up the West Finals with Oklahoma City but were outexecuted at the end of Contest and lost by two points Just a limited weeks prior Oklahoma City played the foul meeting while leading by three late in a battle against Denver only to have the Nuggets rally to win the battle effectively at the buzzer In that development Denver was able to keep the ball out of the hands of Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and force Chet Holmgren to take the late-game pressure-packed free throws Holmgren missed both Minnesota couldn t repeat the formula The league MVP caught all three inbounds passes for Oklahoma City in the final seconds of regulation and went for from the stripe to effectively ice the event Earlier in that quarter Minnesota gave up a pair of key buckets as Oklahoma City players went unchecked while cutting to the hoop for easy layups Those are the details that will continue to prevent Minnesota from climbing the final couple of the rungs on the ladder until they re corrected Wolves veterans Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert were in clear awe of Oklahoma City in the wake of the series for good reason Their body movement their connectivity in their sets their IQ the things that they were doing the adjustments they were making were just a level above us Conley disclosed We were just a step slow at all those things They were like on one string defensively Like puppets connected to one string Anthony Edwards added The Thunder were locked in from the opening tip to the final buzzer night in and night out It s why Oklahoma City sported easily the best defense in the NBA this season a title Minnesota held just a year ago Related Articles Frederick Anthony Edwards wasn t good enough in Tournament It has nothing to do with points Mizutani When Timberwolves needed them greater part Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle didn t show up Timberwolves depth delivers execution does not in Challenge loss to Thunder Timberwolves ditch zone defenses for their fastball aggressive man to man Mizutani Timberwolves in the end punched back Let s see them do it again OKC was really impressive Their togetherness and their consistency I mean they ve done it all year and really for the last couple of years Gobert explained This is a group that enjoys playing together but they build championship habits For us this is where the area of improvement is needed We have championship talent but how can we keep building those championship habits and championship mindset Because this is what I think is going to help us We can point to a million things but those things are things that we can all control as a club individually collectively as an organization What I ve seen from OKC this year is they re really just like this And it s not about making shots every night playing great every night You ll have better stretches not as good of stretches but they were together the whole season and they were doing the little things the whole season That s what title teams do Minnesota appeared to have more of an on and off switch this season that it would toggle depending on the opponent or time of year Or it would fall back into bad habits until Timberwolves coach Chris Finch and the coaching staff spent another week drilling them back out That s not required for championship teams Wolves wing Donte DiVincenzo declared those little things were the separator in the West Finals The challenge he noted is for Minnesota to execute those consistently throughout the campaign Then once you get to the playoffs it s second nature DiVincenzo disclosed It s a habit at that point Finch announced concentration is an acquired skill The more you do it the better you get at it he mentioned And the more you prioritize it the better you get at it There lies the key in Conley s mind Those details from understanding opponent scouts to executing defensive coverages to understanding the importance of offensive movement and spacing need to become more essential for everyone in order to improve as a association Maybe that means studying the match more Maybe that means doing more individual coaching taking coaches on the side and getting particular individual stuff there Bringing me aside every now and then even more often and just using the minds around you to help you grasp certain concepts and certain things about the contest Conley disclosed The meeting is different than when I came up and was starting to play It might even be taught different at a younger age or however they go through the circuits and through college What I know is a lot different than what they know You ve got to try to bring them up to a certain standard or a certain level where the non-negotiables are things you just do by habit and not something that we have to ask for or show on film a thousand times It will be on us as a gang to try to figure that out If the Wolves don t they won t win Not at the level at which they hope to I think this group can win a championship It has the talent to do it but it s about keep learning keep growing Year and I m learning every year Everyone learns Gobert explained I was really impressed with OKC I think they deserve to be where they re at and it s a credit to them They have a special gang a special group and so do we But I think they were a little more ahead of us in terms of their attention to details They had a plan they executed it and they didn t deviate from it Conley added Those guys really really locked in on that and you can tell on both ends of the floor it didn t matter who scored who had the ball they were just finding the open person and making the next reads Those are things that we ve gotten better at What we re still working towards I think So we ve got a lot of room to grow and to get better at Related Articles Was this a bite at the apple The numbers and the West finals say Wolves weren t title contenders Naz Reid intends to re-sign with the Timberwolves but wants to do more Timberwolves blasted in Match to end another season in West Finals Frederick Are guys really playoff players Or can it be matchup dependent What makes the Timberwolves - deficit feel even larger That Oklahoma City crowd