The mood in Minneapolis instantly flipped in a span of six days as the Minnesota Timberwolves lost their third straight against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.
The Wolves came to their series with the Mavs in great spirit after trouncing defending champions Denver Nuggets.
That spirit is gone and they are now on the brink of elimination.
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They lost their first two home games and then fell to a 107-116 defeat at the American Airlines Center.
All the losses were close games and fans can't help but blame the defeats to in-game adjustments by head coach Chris Finch.
The 54-year-old still does not acknowledge his lapses on the defensive end but there is one thing he regrets, not playing Kyle Anderson enough.
Finch said he probably should have played Kyle Anderson more
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) May 27, 2024
Anderson played just 17 minutes in the game but was very efficiency with his 10 points while also being the defender to either Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
The Wolves is in the game for pretty much each outing. However, for Anderson, it is all a matter of making the shots.
"We were getting the shots we like, we just gotta convert," he said according to Wolves reporter Dane Moore.
"That's just what it comes down to sometimes, the NBA game comes down to making or missing shots. We just gotta make more shots, and still work hard to get good shots."
The minutes of Anderson is just one of many fans and analysts nitpick about Finch's decisions.
They also blast him for leaving Rudy Gobert in a single coverage in offense even Doncic has showed in every possession they meet each other that the Defensive Player of the Year cannot keep up.
Draymond Green thinks Finch is to blame
Draymond Green is closely watching the series as part of the Inside the NBA on TNT crew.
Although the usual target for the Golden State Warriors forward's rant is Rudy Gobert, he puts Finch's head on a platter as he thinks he is the one to blame for this meltdown.
"This is not about Anthony Edwards tonight," Green started.
"Chris Finch at some point got to make an adjustment. You keep rolling the same guys out there. The same game plan each game. And you're falling hind three-O. At what point you're going to make an adjustment."
Green also echoed the sentiment of many that he should turn more to the bench for a lift.
"They need Naz Reid out there. They need Kyle Anderson out there. You gotta figure that out and he's not done a great job and he's blaming his guys. That's not good."
Other interesting tidbits in Game 3
Reliable Mavs rookie Dereck Lively was not able to finish the game after getting hit on the head and was ruled out the rest of the game.
Edwards had his most productive night of the series with 26 points but his usual partner Karl Anthony Towns is yet to reach the 20-point mark after scoring 23 in series-clincher against the Nuggets.
No NBA team has ever come back from a 0-3 hole in a seven-game series.
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