You live with the middies — that’s the cliché, right? Give up the midrange, guard the rim, run shooters off the line. The math checks out… until it doesn’t. Through two games of the Western Conference Finals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Co. are wrecking that equation. They’ve moved in, renovated the kitchen, and thrown a housewarming party. And the Timberwolves? They’re outside, wondering how this became a neighborhood they can’t control.
After a 118-103 loss in Game 2, Minnesota is down 0-2 and getting exposed in the one area their top-ranked defense usually dares opponents to test. The Thunder are shooting a wild 51.0% from the 10-to-14 FT. range, and it’s not just Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, even Hartenstein in his quiet minutes, they’ve all feasted on that soft zone.
Chris Finch was asked about it post-game: “This team’s been—Oklahoma City’s been—really good in that 10 to 14 foot range… What’s the challenge of defending a team like that when so often those are kind of the looks that you’re comfortable giving up?” Finch’s response was more resigned than revealing.
“Yeah, I mean uh yeah we’ve contested a bunch of them but I think we got to stay a little more connected in that part of the floor, you know so.” Translation: Minnesota expected those shots to be inefficient. OKC is making them gold. Midrange isn’t supposed to hurt this bad.
And then there’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “Yeah, obviously you know Shai’s a handful to contain,” Finch said. “He’s getting around us too… when there’s contact, he’s getting around us.” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 38 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals in Game 2, and once again, the Wolves had no answer. Because Shai’s not just getting around screens, he’s teleporting through defenders. Or at least, that’s what it seems like to us mere mortals.
The newly crowned MVP is making it look disturbingly easy, not just scoring, but controlling every possession like a metronome in a jazz band. It’s one thing to be dominant. It’s another to look this calm doing it. So, what’s the counter? How do you recalibrate your entire defensive identity mid-series?
How Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Co. turned the Timberwolves’ defensive comfort zone into a kill zone
But Minnesota’s counterpunch on offense wasn’t enough to stem the defensive bleeding. The Wolves tried leaning into Anthony Edwards early, posting him up near the basket to exploit his size and skill in close quarters. The goal? Get him easy looks before the Thunder’s help defense could swarm, shaking up the momentum and forcing OKC to adjust.
Finch made this clear as he said: “Yeah, we posted him (Ant) up early… just wanted to try to get him close to the basket… where he doesn’t have to kind of navigate through a bunch of help defenders and gap help and all that.”
And that gave Anthony Edwards a couple of early looks, and briefly, it felt like a lever was being pulled. Mission accomplished. He finished with a sweet 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. But his impact didn’t shift OKC’s momentum, very clearly. Because here’s the thing: the Thunder don’t need a superstar takeover. They operate like a hive.
Chet Holmgren is pulling Rudy Gobert out to the perimeter and turning the paint into a ghost town. Lu Dort is playing defense like a guy who remembers every slight. Jalen Williams is slicing into gaps like he’s done this 500 times before. And Isaiah Hartenstein? Quietly doing everything connective tissue is supposed to do — rebound, relocate, reset.
Minnesota, on the other hand? They’re reacting. They’re not dictating matchups, not owning space, not tilting the court. It’s all just a half-second behind. And against OKC, that’s a lifetime. The Wolves were built to beat teams with size, with centers, with predictable hierarchies. But what do you do when every Thunder player on the floor can dribble, pass, and shoot, and none of them need a play called to hurt you? That’s the gut check. Are the Wolves defensively elite… or were they just the right weapon for the previous battle?
Because right now, Oklahoma City isn’t asking questions. They’re answering them before Minnesota even finishes the sentence. The Thunder lead 2-0. Game 3 is in Minneapolis. And for the first time in these playoffs, the Wolves aren’t hunting. They’re the ones being studied. Reputation’s one thing. Adaptation’s another. Let’s see which one travels home this time. Until then? We’ll be covering more such stories, one take at a time!
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