The Warriors lost, it s quite meaningful

Timberwolves VS Warriors G2

Not Curry, leading 1-0, the Timberwolves are at home. The Warriors who lost to Curry only played for more than one quarter were very angry. Finch was dissatisfied with the penalty, and the whole world knew that they would fight back. Kerr knew very well that the probability of winning G2 was not high. Obviously, the Warriors did not have the personnel conditions for the two upset games in the Eastern Conference. What fans were more afraid of was to play in a revenge game between the Thunder and the Nuggets. Not being beaten too badly, in a sense, the G2 Warriors have completed the mission.

But I'm afraid many fans have begun to imagine 58. Cole used Post to replace the injured Curry, and his ideas seemed clear:

without Curry, the Warriors lacked offensive resources;

Post has height, which can match the Timberwolves' body size.

Kor also arranged wrong defenses. G1 Butler defends Gobert, Green defends Randall, and Hilde defends Huazi. The results are all good. G2 continues to match and does not change because Post takes the starting lineup. Post went to Jaden, the arrangement was very similar to Post's previous ideas against Amen, allowing his center forward's height to play a certain role in protecting the basket.

Post only played for 3 minutes. It's not clear whether he's feeling unwell. The Warriors were behind 0-13 at the start, which was not a one-man issue, but Cole might think that his own post was a mistake. G1 Finch insisted on using Gobert to Green, but Green responded to three-pointers many times, so it was difficult to chase him out and hand over, or was taken to the top of the arc to stand guard. It seems that this is not a scientific counterpoint design. Finch insisted on the match at the beginning of G2, which seemed to be the correct answer when Cole took Post - use Post to target Gobert? But Gobert was not guarding him.

Cole soon realized that the more important reason why the Warriors' offense was suffering from discomfort than space is the lack of development points. The player who helped the Warriors get the points first was Butler. His method was simple and unpretentious. He shot three-pointers or hit the ball and shot mid-range. Under the Timberwolves' angry defensive intensity, Hilder obviously does not make any chance, and Podjemsky cannot play the main attack content with the ball. Butler himself can score points or change the lineup. Butler obviously cannot frequently attack opponents with strong ability to protect the basket and strong wings.

The offense cannot start, and just pulling the defense can't hold on to the score. The G2 Timberwolves' feel has slightly improved, and there have been many cases where the Warriors' defense three-point line leaks (not necessary to short) again. Hilde, Kumingga, and even Butler and Green are distracted. Of course, the Warriors' defense is still very good, assisting in time, and intercepting passes are excellent. But if you don’t score points, the wolf will only become more confident the more you fight. Without Curry, the score was widened and it was not easy to recover it.

It is very likely that Cole was already considering giving up G2 in the late part of the first quarter. Although the players' game vitality and Cole's enthusiasm for adjustment are still there, it is also mixed with Cole's crazy employment experiments. In the whole game, Cole used 14 people, and none of these 14 people appeared in garbage time, including Gigo who was temporarily taken to the court in the defensive round.

Cole was not seeking medical treatment in a hurry or showing off his operations on purpose. He just wanted to know which of these people were useful in fighting Timberwolves. What G2 can roughly see includes:

Post time is too short, strictly speaking, no one was tried. But it can be predicted that he will suffer on the defensive end. If Gobert is not guarding against him, his offensive strategic value may not be able to make up for the defense, and he can only use it when Gobert is on the court, because the Timberwolves are five-in-one lineups at other times;

Spencer is very confident and when there is a lack of a developer, it is worth placing an extra defender who can hold the ball. But Spencer's defense is average, his range is limited, and the transition of the connection segment is already at its limit. G1 has miraculous effects, G2 has used old impressions, and Cole should be wary of whether he puts Spencer in a very important rotation order;

Moody continues to be unable to hit the ball, and he does not score three-pointers or throws, and he does not have confidence in dribbling. He is the most disappointing Warriors' playoffs. With Curry unable to return in the short term, Moody's (and Boger)'s violent rebound in the hand is almost a must. I hope he has one of the potential X factors in G3G4;

Kumingga's defense is too nervous, and he can't explain it clearly when faced with cover, and missed three-pointers many times. But Kumingga has his unique value when no one in the team can play with the ball. Before the Timberwolves deliberately targeted him, Cole should make good use of this point;

Gui Santos' defense is too weak and will be looked for by Huazi and can be removed by Walker in one step. Although his offense is okay, if Cole uses him, it is better to stick to the joint defense; the problem with Payton is that he is on the court, Gobert will defend him, which may require him to hit a three-pointer, or his teammates use screen to shoot online. It seems that Finch is not studying the videos of the Warriors and the Rockets, nor is it not adjusting Gobert's matchup. But in Finch's opinion, Gobert is not suitable for defending Boger? Because Boger's famous work in his career was to fight the Timberwolves?

TJD is one of the best-effects in the Warriors puzzle today, and the ending contribution is relatively large. Butler and Green have all fed him cakes. There is an interesting question here - which one is more suitable for the final center like TJD and the space-type inside line like Post? In theory, it is undoubtedly the latter. But under the premise that the Warriors' space is not satisfied and Gobert does not need to face Post, he can play TJD, who is threatening behind him, but can support his teammates who support the pick-and-roll.

Full game, when Gobert was on the court, the Warriors' limited starting style was also the pick-and-roll between Butler and center (TJD). Adding Hilde's back cover in this process will have better results. At this time, there is no need to worry about the quality of the space point - first solve the development problem. Whether an unreliable shooter can enter will be left to God.

However, the best way to target Gobert is not to pick-and-roll, but to defend. In the third quarter, the camera frequently gave Gobert, who was dejected on the bench, because after he was replaced by Finch, the Timberwolves curbed the Warriors' counterattack, and Reed and others performed well. The Timberwolves' small space under the basket is still a big problem. The one who really hurts the Warriors in this game is still the five outsiders who have fully opened up the space.

Losing to the Timberwolves' Five Outside, rather than losing directly to Gobert (although the Warriors also lost 9 points during this period), is acceptable news for the Warriors, because the Five Outsiders are the Wolf's trump card, and Wukuyong has at least gotten to this point.

How to respond to Wolf's Five Outsiders?

Use more puzzles with better physical talent to strengthen single defense and rotation maneuverability. Or, when the single defense capability is insufficient, guard certain joint defense. Limiting the wolf to below 100 points (or even 90 points) is the basic premise for winning;

kill the basket more fiercely. Like Podjemsky, Kazuki, but chose to find the three-point line, and did not happen again. Without Gobert, attacking the wolf's rim should be the first choice. G3G4 is home court.

Without Curry, it is certainly difficult for the Warriors to think of the Timberwolves. Curry will check in a week to see if he can make a comeback and whether there is a risk in his comeback is also a question mark. For his career, it is recommended that you rather give up this season than take risks.

But the Warriors still need to strive for a victory at home, and no matter what, this will give more room for choices a week later.

Come on.