After falling 114-88 to the Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch laid out the adjustments Minnesota needs ahead of Game 2.
Speaking Wednesday, Finch pointed to second-half shot selection and first-half turnovers as major issues.
“There were a lot of good shots out there,” Finch said. “Sometimes we found them and didn’t knock them down. Sometimes we didn’t find them.”
The Timberwolves committed several live-ball turnovers early, helping Oklahoma City generate momentum after halftime.
“Way too many unforced ones, unnecessary ones, live-ball ones too,” Finch noted. “We did a good job of getting back, but still gave them too many chances.”
Minnesota’s bench combined with Mike Conley to shoot 6-for-36 from beyond the arc.
“You’ve got to make shots to get assists,” Finch said. “That’s a huge component.”
Anthony Edwards scored 18 points in Game 1 but struggled to find space against a Thunder defense that crowded the lane.
“I thought Ant was pretty aggressive,” Finch said. “We’ve got to get him on the move a little bit more, find some things that get him in better space.”
Finch emphasized small plays—like passing on time, rotating on defense, and closing out shooters—as areas where the Thunder outperformed his squad.
“Oklahoma City did a better job of making a lot more small plays than we did,” he said.
Though the Wolves trailed by just four at halftime, a 10-0 Thunder run to open the third flipped the momentum.
“We spent too much time trying to manipulate matchups,” Finch admitted. “We’ve got to play more in a flow.”
When asked about Oklahoma City’s rebounding edge, Finch didn’t overreact.
“We missed so many shots—they should have outrebounded us,” he said.
The Thunder outshot Minnesota 50 percent to 34.9 percent and made 11 of 21 from three compared to the Timberwolves’ 15-of-51 performance.
Finch also dismissed the idea that officiating or the playoff atmosphere rattled his players.
“Nothing that we didn’t know was coming,” he said.
His message going into Thursday’s Game 2: limit errors and raise the intensity.
“You’ve got to make more small plays consistently,” Finch said. “Whatever they might be.”
Oklahoma City leads the series 1-0, with Game 2 scheduled at Paycom Center.
