San Francisco – The Warriors coach Steve Kerr has 48 hours to resolve the puzzle known as the Timberwolves defense, two days to develop a new “formula” after the successful standard was animated in pieces 15 minutes after the team series with Minnesota.
Facing a supremely tightened supreme time crisis and an intimidating deficit of the 3-1 series after the Wolves won the match 4 117-110 Monday evening, the long-standing coach recognized that the often referenced “formula” which led Golden State to the second half of the season did not reproducible With Steph Curry linked to the touchline with a strain of left hamstrings.
“Without Steph, the game changes and we have to adapt accordingly,” said Kerr, whose team has remained close to the status of curry.
Without the biggest shooter to live – and the spiritual heart rate of the Warriors – each aspect of the game has become radically different and much more difficult.
The openings that Curry created once with his simple presence were replaced by waiting defenders who were not concerned about the Golden State shooters who went 8 for 27 at a distance in what could have been the team’s last home game this season.
Draymond Green reprimanded his teammates, part of a rotation of eight men apart from the garbage time, for having successfully completed open shots for better shots that have never materialized.
“When you have Steph there, you can refuse the looks because you can go back to the back and it creates so much – drops so much dominoes,” said Green. “But when it is not, you refuse this first open look and then go get something else and it may not open again.”
Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski, the two best Warriors’ non-currant shooters, were a cold 7 for 25 on Monday while spending open looks, and the Warriors have now lost three consecutive qualifying games for the first time since they exploded a 3-1 series in Cleveland in the 2016 NBA final.
Without the stable hand of curry to the leader, the Warriors used Jimmy Butler, Podziemski and even green as a floor general.
This lack of traditional playmaker – Kerr publicly declared several times that Podziemski is not a natural leader – presented himself in the third disastrous quarter who saw the Warriors endure a 17-0 Timberwolves which opened the game.
“We just have to be more organized, go to our places and our space and we can score,” said Kevon Looney.
The Warriors looked but organized during this hellish third quarter, hunted and harassed by Rudy Gobert and Timberwolves defense and only marking 17 points in the team.
Jaden McDaniels put the pliers on Jimmy Butler, who was a shell of his “Playoff Jimmy” while fighting against what Green said a well -published painful disease and painful pelvis.
Butler only took nine shots and had no elevator or explosion on his records at the edge, far from the man who took 26 shots in match 3.
The Warriors expect him to be closer to his usual self in match 5.
“”He has proven that not only here because we have exchanged for him, but over the years he knows what he needs, “said Kerr.” And I am convinced that in match 5, he is the ultimate competitor. He will be ready to roll.“”
The offense was only half of the problem on Monday evening.
The Timberwolves shredded the Warriors from the perimeter, making 16 out of 34 of the 3 -point line, Julius Randle making 6 out of 11 on the way around 31 points. Minnesota was also effective from the interior of the arc, pulling 23 out of 45 on 2 -point shots.
Anthony Edwards scored 30 points, including three 3 points in the third quarter capital race.
“But it is as every time we are in the race, we let the race break,” said Green. “And someone can break the race, but that can’t be their best player.”
Minnesota only grabbed six offensive rebounds, but they injured a margin -free team for error.
Golden State used a quick time and a stronger game by Jonathan Kuminga (23 points) to jump to a 60-58 advance at halftime.
Discovering how to keep the rhythm of the game at a frantic speed is something on which the warriors are concentrated because they now face an elimination game.
“I have to take cowardly bullets, long rebounds,” said Green. “I thought we had done a good job by pushing the rhythm for certain parts of the game, but if you get cowardly bullets and these long rebounds, it progresses even more.”
Even if the last three games say the opposite and Curry does not come back before match 6 at the earliest, the Warriors think they are able to design a new formula and withdraw a return from Down 3-1.
As usual, it was a pillar of the warriors who said that the team had what it takes.
“We believe, we have faith,” said Looney. “We will take possession in possession, quarter per quarter. We have to assemble a full match, not just 40 minutes of basketball.”
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