There were exactly 79 seconds left to play, and the Wolves led 108-103 after two free throws from Anthony Edwards. Chris Finch's players led almost the entire match, until taking an 18-point lead. And they collapsed, victims of two strokes of genius from Luka Doncic. First on his pass in the corner to Kyrie Irving, then on this 3-pointer on the head of Rudy Gobert. At the end, a victory by a small point for the Mavericks, who have one foot in the NBA final after winning the two meetings in Minneapolis.
How can we explain this big crack in the “money time of money time”?
“We lose two more balls…” sighs Chris Finch about the back-to-back turnovers of Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards. “We were static, and in a way, it's my fault. I should have taken a timeout and put Mike (Conley) back in. At least for the last possession. It's my fault. But it's always the same story. We are static, and we lose the ball…”
Why leave Rudy Gobert alone on Luka Doncic?
Another important question: why did you leave Rudy Gobert, alone, on Luka Doncic on the last possession? Before Kyrie Irving's 3-pointer, the Wolves were up two on Luka Doncic, to force him to let go of the ball. There, they left Rudy Gobert, alone, facing Luka Doncic after the screen.
“We planned to change inside the 3-point line” replies the Wolves coach. And that's all. He will not dwell further on this curious choice, leaving Rudy Gobert to assume this victorious shot from Doncic. “ I let my team down on this last action… They trusted me to make a stop and he scored a basket, at 3 points at that. Which he does very well. It's my responsibility. I have to be better in these situations. »
The impact of the Gafford-Lively pair
Another key element: the 14 out of 16 on shots from the Gafford-Lively pair. They are not big names at their position, and yet, they combined 30 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks in 48 minutes.
“It starts by making sure you keep the ball a little better away from the racket” responds Chris Finch about Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively II's performance. “Rudy needs to be a little more decisive under the rim. We need to put someone on them and be more physical. »
But in the end, Chris Finch believes that bankruptcy is not defensive, but rather offensive. “We executed our game plan, we got ahead, but our offense let us down at key moments… We lost balls, we missed shots, and ultimately we got out of our rhythm. These are two difficult defeats to take. But the series is long, and we must not lower our heads. »
