Wemby Tossed & Ant Rescues Wolves: Series Tied Going Back to San Antonio

The momentum of this series shifted in a single moment during the 2nd quarter, but it took a vintage performance from the closer to finish the job. Host Steve Hartman breaks down a chaotic Game 4 that saw the Timberwolves grit out a win to tie the series 2-2.

Inside the Episode:

• The Wemby Fallout: Victor Wembanyama’s early exit changed the geometry of the game. Steve discusses why the Spurs remained dangerous without their rim protector and how the Wolves struggled to find their rhythm in the immediate aftermath.
• Ant’s 4th Quarter Masterclass: With the game sliding away in the 4th, Anthony Edwards took over. Steve looks at his 36-point night, specifically focusing on his two-way impact and the defensive stop on Stephon Castle that showed Edwards' two-way abilities.
• Winning in the Trenches: The numbers don't lie—when the Wolves hit 50 points in the paint, they win. We analyze how Minnesota re-established their identity at the rim and why that remains the non-negotiable recipe for Game 5.
• Surviving the "Clunk": A look at the tactical adjustments Coach Finch made to match the Spurs' small-ball look, Naz Reid's phenomenal series, and the key buckets from the supporting cast that kept the Wolves afloat.
• Late-Game Execution: Despite the win, the "hang on for dear life" finish raised some red flags. We talk about the inbounds turnovers and poise issues that need to be cleaned up before heading back to San Antonio.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Bag in there, back in there, back again. Whoa, whoa, back. Welcome to the Splash City basketball podcast. I'm your host, Steve Hartman, and we're diving deep into the heart of Minnesota basketball from the high school ranks to local recruiting and college basketball as well as every game of the Timberwolves postseason run. Uh before we get into game four and the X's and O's, I have a quick favor to ask. If you are enjoying the podcast, please like and subscribe. Apple, Spotify, Amazon, wherever you're listening, and of course, subscribe on YouTube and follow us, Splash City Podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Blue Sky. Would love to connect with you there and post a lot of clips and want to get your opinions, polls, things like that. So just take a minute, appreciate you, leave a comment, leave a review. Uh, it really helps grow this podcast in the community. And I appreciate you all for listening. All right, it's gonna be an abbreviated episode today. Uh, just myself here breaking down game four. But the wolves come back, they get a game four win, they tie the series up. Wasn't exactly pretty, it wasn't exactly uh beautiful all the time, but they get it done. Now they head down to San Antonio. So let's talk about game four. To me, the big headline obviously is the Wembenyama ejection, huge play early in the second quarter. The Wolves have been physical with them all series. Uh, Mitch Johnson's comments after the game were interesting regarding Wemby. Um, I don't think it's anything unique for star players, though. I think LeBron probably felt that way in his his run. I'm sure Jokic feels like he gets beat up a lot. And um, you know, I think it's interesting as the Spurs are just as physical on defense in a lot of ways as the Timberwolves. Uh, in that specific play, obviously Nas and Jaden are all over Wemby. Um, Jaden maybe he's looks like he's grabbing his arm, but still, uh Wem, you know, that's the right call. Like you swing elbows, it was he knew he was there, and he hit him in the face and he followed through. That's uh an automatic ejection. So huge game, but I think it reminded me of game four with the Wolves when they lost in the Denver series when they lost Ant and uh Dante, and you saw the team rally and you saw the team kind of pick up their level of play. And I think that's what um the Spurs did in this one, where they're used to playing without Wembanyama. This is not a new thing for them. They're certainly capable of winning games. They beat Portland in a game this earlier this postseason without Wembanyama, and so um they just were getting consistent offense wherever they wanted. I think that was uh the really concerning point, I think, for me in the third quarter where the Spurs outscored the Timberwolves 28-20, was just how easily they seemed to be getting offense and how difficult it was for the Timberwolves to get offense. Going into the game, I thought a key was points in the paint. Not that the Timberwolves had to win it, but they needed to get to 50 or more, be competitive. And game one, the Wolves were 52 points, the Spurs had 58. Games two and three, the Wolves had 36 and 38 points in the paint, respectively, and they lose both of those games. And then tonight they got to 50 and they lost 58-50 points in the paint, but they need to get those buckets, and I think whether that's second chance points, which we saw a few times tonight, uh the Wolves beat the Spurs uh in rebounding, or if it's transition, fast breaks, um, it's really hard to get to the paint in the half court against San Antonio. So I think they have to manufacture that, and they did enough in game four to get the win. I thought that was a very important key uh in this game. And we'll talk more about Nas Reed specifically and his big play at the end. Um so the other thing about this game is it kind of was the vintage ant game. I think that is the other takeaway from game four is that ant looked like ant. He had 36 points, 22 shots. He was rising up, he was in rhythm, um, even making tough shots. He's got that uh, you know, he fade away over his right shoulder that he's kind of dialed in, and he can get to that. Um, so that was the only reliable offense that the Wolves had, which again is a little concerning that they're not getting more from other guys. Like this is a game where Terrence Shannon Jr. didn't shoot well. Io didn't have a good game from the field goal. You know, he made big plays late, but shooting percentage-wise, not good. Randall, not good. Um, you know, really it was Nas and Ant that led the way in scoring. Otherwise, their shooting was not uh good enough. Jaden, another, you know, okay game, I guess, from Jaden's perspective. But after what we saw in the Denver series, we're just not quite getting that here in the San Antonio series. Um, I want to start though, uh, talk a little bit about the first half. Uh initially, I really liked the defensive rotations that we saw the Wolves doing. Um, San Antonio is moving the ball, but the Timberwolves were rotating, and that a lot of times is indicative of their effort level and their intensity. When they're at their best, that's what they're doing. They're able to um close out, they're able to chase and force just tougher shots, and I thought they did a pretty good job of that as well. They uh did obviously lead after the first quarter, uh, and that was uh you know, partly in due to just their initial effort. They're up 34-30 after one. Um, they also came out really trying to get Julius Randle going, and I they do this a lot. I think it's because Randall plays better when he's involved offensively, and they're they're waiting to unlock him and be that get you know, get 28 rebounds and six assists, and he's just not getting there. He had six turnovers last night, a lot of them were early. Um, just he's not in rhythm. And I think part of it is San Antonio is not big, but they're very quick, and he is not able to get any sort of an advantage. He can't get guys, he can't get angles on guys, and when Wemby's there, he can't get the shot off at the rim. Um, so that there's there's just challenges there. I think maybe game five, we might see a different tactic to start. Um, I did think Julius had moments, and uh, you know, at the end he came up with a couple of big defensive stands where he walled up and went straight up, didn't foul. And I think that that's huge for him. But, you know, 12 points, eight rebounds, half of those are offensive, which is huge. Um, and then three is only three assists, you know. I I think when the wolves are at their best, he's getting six, seven, eight assists. But the six turnovers are are troubling because that's been a trend. He had five in game one, five in game two, um, only two in game three, but then he had six in game four last night, and that's really hurting them. Um, San Antonio's kind of waiting for him to attack, and then once he picks it up, they're doubling, they're getting to get hands on the ball, they're getting in passing lanes. I think there's got to be an adjustment there of either either either one dribble attack um or um, you know, just going all the way to the rim when Wemby's not around, and which just isn't a lot. So um they're they're really searching for Randall. I think they they know they need another score to be consistent. And right now it's Nas Reed. So it's not Julius. Uh, they're gonna need a good Julius game. I've been saying this for a while, but it it hasn't come really. Uh in Denver, there was a couple decent games, but um, yeah, a lot of a lot of fans were pretty upset with Julius last night on Reddit and and the internet. Um, but you know, the bottom line is he's gonna start and they need him, and they need him to play well. So another big thing for him was zero free throws, which is kind of surprising, especially considering Wemby wasn't in the game. You think that he could have got to the free throw line a little bit more um in that game. Um third quarter. So the Wolves going to halftime. There's no Wemby. You know that's going in, you know, you know that going into halftime. And the third quarter slump was just really glaring. You know, this is the Spurs were were kind of getting to whatever shots they wanted. De'Aaron Fox played really well in this game, especially in that third quarter. I can't say enough about Dylan Harper. Not to go back and revisit this, but uh in summer league, when I saw him and Cooper Flagg together, I I actually think Harper might end up being a better pro from that viewing. And you know, if Darren or Dylan Harper got 36, 38 minutes a night, I think we'd be talking about him as rookie of the year. He is he is that good. Um, just unfazed, making free throws, getting to where he needs to get to, hit some threes. He was awesome. Um, Darren Fox, he he's a he's a tough match for the Wolves if Io's not on the floor. Um, I think you know Jalen can stay with him part of the way, but Fox is just so fast and he's just so deadly in that mid-range. Um the Spurs, like I said, were just even Harrison Barnes got a paint touch and a finish last night. And and the Wolves just didn't seem to quite be ready for that change of pace that the Spurs brought when they went small. And so um that'll be key in going forward. Is I I wonder if San Antonio will go that that lineup, um, you know, where they don't have Wemby or Cornette on the floor. I I'd be surprised, but it was really effective in that third quarter, and it gave the Wolves a lot of problems until late in the game. They did get the a couple more stops on Fox. You know, Fox didn't actually shoot that well. I think he was eight of 23. And I think we'll live with that. If Fox is going to get 24 points but needs 23 shots to get there, I think you'd take that. So um there was a point in the third quarter, though, where the Spurs were up 91-86. Wolves actually forced a really tough three-pointer. And I think it was Fox that shot it, but we couldn't finish the play with a rebound. Nas picks up a foul, sprains his ankle. I wrote that down. Like, oh man, is this the is this a play that's gonna haunt them? But the Spurs get a second chance, and then they hit a three, and it's an eight-point game. And that at that point, I was kind of nervous about the Wolves' energy. Um, you know, they got this a stop they needed. They had a chance to get it to a single uh possession game there and just couldn't close that that uh possession with a rebound. So luckily it didn't cost them the game. Um Anthony Edwards just took over in the fourth, as everybody who watched the game knows. Um 36 points on 22 shots is crazy efficient. He was getting into his uh, you know, attack in the drop coverage at the top with that three over Cornet. He had the the big three on the just above the break. I think it was on the on the right side. He had a couple of you know, just fantastic drives and pivots and and shots there. Um, but I thought the play of the game for me was when you know ant's ready to go, when he turns it on, it's on the defensive end. And there's a couple possessions where you could just tell he was starting to dog, you know, be a dog on defense. He had a closeout on Stefan Castle. I think it was left corner for the Spurs. Ant closes out, kind of knows Castle doesn't want to shoot it, so he closed out short. Castle tries to drive him, ant shuts it off, forces this really tough baseline shot, and he misses it, and then comes down, and that's when he buried the three at the top of the key. And I think that's just that's vintage ant. That's what that's what we needed in the fourth quarter, and that's what this team needed in this game. And ant delivers, and I think that's why fans love him so much, is because he can do that stuff. Nobody else on this team really can do that. Um, you know, stop a super uh physical downhill guard like Castle, and then come down and just hit a just rhythm three off a off a pick and roll at the top of the key, just stepping into it. Like it was it was beautiful. So to me, that was kind of the the the play or series of the game that just told you that it was go time for anth and uh he brought us home. Lastly, uh just want to talk about Chris Finch a little bit. I thought, you know, he got pretty creative with his lineups. The third quarter wasn't great, um, but I think in the fourth, you could tell he was mixing and matching and trying to press the right buttons at the right time. Um, you know, he went with the big lineup with with Rudy, Nas, and Julius all in the game at the same time. And again, that can punish teams, especially the Spurs who are smaller. Um, even with Wemby on the court, they're not big. They're imposing because of Wemby, but they're not big. So there is um, I think some meat on the bone with that lineup still. Game four, we just couldn't get to it because Nas and Julius were both in foul trouble. But I think I think we might see more, you know, if they could stay out of foul trouble, that lineup, that lineup can be pretty good. Umas was awesome. I thought 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists, just one turnover. Didn't make a three, which is kind of what he's been doing all series and all postseason, but even without that, I thought he made great decisions. He had that sweet wraparound pass to Rudy. That was awesome. Um, as he had Fox on him, he got to the got to the free throw area and and just wrapped that around. That was great. Got the end one there. And then um, you know, that rebound at the end of the game and the putback, that's just those are the hustle plays. And and I've been saying it since Dante got hurt. Like who is gonna make those little plays, the hustle plays, the tip passes, diving on the floor, getting a rebound that you need. And and I think Nas has been doing a lot of that. Mike Conley's been doing some of it too, but um, I've just been knowing that Nas is not even close to 100%, I think he's been phenomenal. If you haven't heard his quote, pain is just weakness leaving the body, and a lot of it, like it's Nas is awesome, and that's a reason why he's a fan favorite, right? Um, Tarn Shannon Jr., TJ Shannon also didn't play great, didn't shoot it well, but he hits two big corner threes, which kind of has been, you know, a thing that we've talked about is Shannon and Finch has talked about it, but Shannon he's not great when he's just stuck in the corner, right? Like he needs the ball in his hands, he needs to get downhill. That's when he's at his best. But to his credit, he was ready. And uh that third quarter was dicey and it could have got out of hand, and Shannon hit two corner threes, and that was huge. And it just kind of stopped the bleeding and allowed the Wolves to steady themselves and um take control in the fourth, just stay close enough in the fourth quarter to win the game. But TJ Shannon was a plus 11. Um, you know, it's it's shocking. I didn't mention this earlier. Julius Randle was a plus 12 in this game. And if I told you going, you know, after watching that game who led the Wolves in plus-minus, there's no way you would have guessed Julius Randle. Um, and so that just goes to show that sometimes the plus minus isn't always the perfect stat. But uh TJ Shannon was second on a team with a plus 11, um, despite shooting, I think it was three for 12 or something like that. So um just a really interesting game in terms of like the plus-minus. Um, and then Io to sumu, same thing, just kind of a rough couple quarters, you know, smoked a couple layups, but um he stayed ready. And, you know, that inbounds, side out of bounds play, Fox kind of gambles, and Io got downhill for an N-1. Huge play. Um, he made the the catch on the on the inbounds at the very end, which should have been a foul. First of all, Io get hit before he even went up to catch the pass. Uh, but he comes down with it, just a huge play, made his free throws. Um, you know, that's a game where they don't win if they don't trade for Io DeSumo at the trade deadline. Uh that's just bottom line. So um kind of it's taking a village right now. You know, not everybody's playing great, I would say. You know, we're not shooting great, but got enough to get it done. And in the playoffs, that's all it, that's all it takes, you know. Um, we'll see what game five brings because I think there's a three-day, three days off between five and six. So they'll be they'll be back in Minnesota for sure. Um, and game six. And you know, maybe that extra day of rest can help, uh, especially Ant, but but the whole group right now, um Nas and Io and everybody. So um it felt a lot like game one at the end, just kind of hanging on. Um, San Antonio's pressure and their defense is just so good. This is uh, you know, it's tough to play against. Uh, I do I still think they can do a better job of getting in the middle of the court, whether that's in the half court when they're trapping Anthony Edwards. They did it once. Jaden flashed to the nail, and I thought that was beautiful. I I don't think they scored on that possession, but I think they need more of that, whether it's in that trap in the half court on ant or if it's the full court pressure. You just don't see a lot of guys in the middle of the floor. I hate to say it, and I'm not advocating for a ton of minutes, but that's the stuff that Kyle Anderson is good at. Um, flashing the openings and getting them available. So um anyway, win's a win. They move on to game five. Uh, a couple things I've been talking about here just to summarize um the hustle plays, the turnovers, points off turnovers, like we talked about, points in the paint. Um, but the wolves lost a turnover battle 17 to 14. They did force more Spurs turnovers, though. And I that was a key going in the game, in my opinion. I think the Spurs had nine in game three, they had 14 in this game. Uh, points off turnovers were about even 21 to 19 Spurs. Fast break points, they continue to out score us there uh 17 to 7. Um, but we're making that up with the second chance point. So to me, it's like it's turnovers and it's points in the paint. If we're if we're close in points in the paint, we're we have a great chance to win the game. Um, if we're gonna just not even pretend to go to the basket or rebound or get out and transition, it's gonna be a tough, tough way to win against this team. San Antonio's just too athletic, too quick. And then if Wemby and even Cornet is in there, like the rim protection is really good. And I think I've been saying it since game two. If you're gonna attack the rim, you better be ready to dunk it. And and you know, Wemby's there, but he's his arms are skinny, man. You gotta just either hammer it when he's in the game, or Cornett's in the game, or kick it out. Um, their driving kick game is is is much better. Um, in game three, it looked better. Uh, game four, they had moments. Um, but uh again, saved by Ant, Ant-Man rescues them in this game. So um, game five, Wemby will be back. I'm sure I'm not expecting him to be suspended at all. He does not have a history of uh dirty plays or cheap plays. Um, I think he'll be back. It's just a matter of you know, game plan and execution at this point. Like if the Wolves can take care of the basketball, they could continue to punish them with rebounding and um keep if they if they can keep the turnovers under 13, you know, they're gonna be in the game. So uh can't wait for game five Tuesday night. I will be on the Hitting the Hardwood, Missing Wolves podcast post-game show with Andrew Dukowitz Tuesday night. So if you're so inclined, uh hop over there on um YouTube and watch that. You can comment, chat during the the podcast, and we'll take uh all and field all the questions and comments in the chat there. It's it's always a good time. Thank God it's a 7 p.m. start. We're not starting at 8:30. And uh so hopefully we can get to bed before midnight. But um, yeah, it should be a it should be a fun week. We got a six-game series for sure. A lot of people were saying this was gonna be Spurs sweep or gentleman's sweep, and and we're gonna be in a game six. So um it's awesome. There's a chance, it's a basically a three game series at this point. So we'll be back later this week with another pod, and uh appreciate y'all for listening. This has been the Splash City basketball podcast.