Five takeaways from the Thunder’s buzzer-beating loss to Timberwolves
By Tony Heim
Two days off to digest two games of film
This weekend was a rough one for the Thunder. They went into Utah and got taken out of their own high-octane game, en route to a dismal 87-point performance. The next day Minnesota came to Oklahoma City, beating the Thunder at what they do best: attack on both ends for 48 minutes.
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Because they were two different games, however, Billy Donovan and Co. has a lot of different film to analyze. There was miscommunication in both games that led to valuable seconds running off the clock because players weren’t in the right position. The help-side defense struggled, especially against Minnesota. These are things we knew OKC would have problems with early on – actually seeing them on-court makes it seem worse than it truly is.
Luckily they have Monday and Tuesday off to prepare for this week’s slate of games. Talent alone should beat the Pacers on Wednesday and Chicago on Saturday, making Friday’s rematch with the Timberwolves that much more interesting.
What changes is Donovan going to make to keep Minnesota out of the paint? How will he utilize his smaller, more athletic lineup to his advantage? There’s the key – figuring out how to fully incorporate this roster to maximize their skillsets.
There’s a distinct formula for success in Oklahoma City. With this past weekend’s film these next two days may be the best thing to happen to the Thunder.