Timberwolves won, but Edwards didn t find himself

Jonathan Kumingga played the best game of the playoffs this season, but this is not necessarily the answer the Warriors want to see. Stephen Curry missed the game due to injury, and Steve Cole's clever wife couldn't cook without rice, so she could only let Kumingga try it.

If you should say it or not, Kumingga's personal performance is really good, but he has never been able to integrate into the team. The Timberwolves, who played at home, firmly grasped the initiative in the game from the beginning. There was a brief power outage in the third quarter, but they quickly established a 20-point lead and finally tied the series with a big score.

In fact, the Warriors have completed the mission. The only variable is when Curry can return. Even if there is no way to make a comeback in the next two home games, the Warriors can hold a home game under the leadership of Jimmy Butler and others, and the Warriors will not fall into a passive position in the series. Therefore, the next pressure on the Warriors is to do their best to defend a home court and gain more rest time for Curry.

Back to the Timberwolves, although the score of the 1-1 series was a bit passive, the Timberwolves currently have no problems with injuries. Anthony Edwards left the game briefly in the second game, but he finally returned safely. The Timberwolves, with a well-rounded lineup, had great hope of conquering the Warriors' away game. Judging from the performance in the second game, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, Alexander Walker and others have found the feel, which is the result that the Timberwolves most hope to see.

However, Edwards did not find himself. Compared with 0 of 8 shots in the first half of the first game and 9 of 22 shots in the game, Edwards slightly regained his touch in the second game, making 6 of 13 shots in the game. The difference is that Edwards only completed nine three-point shots in the two semi-finals, which is not the Edwards we are familiar with. In 79 regular season games, Edwards made the most 320 three-pointers in the league, with a shooting percentage of 39.5%. It can be said that Edwards has become the top three-point shooter in the league, and both output and quality can be guaranteed.

, and Edwards averaged only 4.5 three-point shots per game, far lower than the 10.3 times in the regular season and 9.6 times in the first round against the Lakers. From this perspective, Edwards seems to have started the mode that fans have been looking forward to: break through with the ball and cause damage. And this seems to be able to beat the Warriors' weakest link: there is no high-quality inside. So, we saw Edwards averaged 20 breakthroughs in two games against the Warriors, higher than his average of 16.2 games against the Lakers and 13.2 games in the regular season.

However, this may also be a reflection of the Warriors' defensive strategy. The Warriors and the Lakers are completely different teams. The former has better movement speed and defensive performance, while the latter has frequent problems on the defensive end due to various factors. When facing the Lakers, Edwards averaged 2.8 large open three-pointers and 4.8 open three-pointers per game. When facing the Warriors, Edwards averaged only 1 big open three-pointer and 3 open three-pointer. It is impossible for the Warriors to not know Edwards' three-point shooting level, and Cole must have done his homework. Therefore, the Warriors will try their best to compress Edwards' three-point shooting space on the defensive end and try not to give him a comfortable three-point shot. After all, Edwards' finish at the basket and performance in the middle distance were not outstanding enough, and forcing him to enter the uncomfortable offensive area and offensive rhythm was the most successful defense.

If you look at it this way, although Edwards can complete more opportunities to hit the inside, his three-pointer may not be able to achieve a better performance in this round of the series, which also requires other Timberwolves players to hit those passes after Edwards broke through. Otherwise, the Timberwolves would still not be able to advance easily, even if Curry would not be able to return for the moment. Text/Duncan's Smile