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Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch called out Anthony Edwards’ effort after Tuesday’s Game 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
The Wolves struggled to get going offensively for much of the game and will feel an opportunity was missed. Steph Curry left the game early in the second quarter with what has now been diagnosed as a left hamstring strain.
Edwards had just one point in the first half and missed his first 10 shots. He had a strong push to finish the game and had 22 points in the second half.
“It starts with Ant,” Finch said following the Wolves’ 99-88 loss Tuesday night. “I thought he struggled, and then you could just kind of see the light go out a little bit for a while.”
To be fair to Edwards, he wasn’t the only Wolves player to struggle. Mike Conley was held scoreless while Julius Randle shot 4-for-11. Donte DiVincenzo shot just 1-for-7 from three and the team only converted on five of its 29 three-point attempts.
Finch didn’t stop with his earlier comment when it came to singling out Edwards, though.
“What is there to talk about? You’re the leader of the team,” Finch said. “You’ve got to come out and set the tone. If your shot is not going, you still have to carry the energy. If I’ve got to talk to guys about having the right energy coming into an opening second-round game, then we’re not on the same page.”
Gobert Blames Rust Factor
Star center Rudy Gobert blamed rust as a factor in the lack of intensity for Minnesota.
“Maybe we needed to get ready to play a high-intensity game,” Gobert said. “Not playing for six days, even though we practiced, I think we weren’t really feeling that intensity.”
Whether or not it was rust, there are real in-game concerns.
The Wolves’ three-point shooting is definitely a facet of the game to watch out for in Game 2. Across the closeout Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers and this loss against the Warriors, Minnesota has shot a combined 12-for-76 (15.8 percent) from deep. That is the worst two-game stretch of three-point shooting in playoff history.
Another aspect that frustrated Finch was the team’s execution in offensive transition, managing just 10 points off 18 Warriors turnovers.
“Our transition decision-making was diabolical,” Finch said. “Obviously, we couldn’t hit a shot, but I didn’t like the fact that we couldn’t repeatedly generate good shots. We should’ve been able to.”
How much can the Wolves turn around in Game 2? Tune in at 8:30 p.m. EST on Thursday to find out.
