The next step for Timberwolves’ title pursuit? More attention to detail

On a recording of The Zach Lowe show this week, Lowe, a national NBA analyst, pointed out the similarities between an offensive possession the Timberwolves produced in the first quarter of Wednesday’s Game 5 and what San Antonio did in the 2014 Western Conference Finals, also in Oklahoma City.

The lead guard got two defenders on him off a screen and roll. He then made a swing pass to the perimeter. The next pass hit the rolling big man, who immediately kicked out to the corner for an open triple.

In San Antonio’s case, Boris Diaw drilled the triple. In this instance, Jaden McDaniels’ attempt clanked off the iron as part of a slow start that ultimately doomed Minnesota.

What Lowe was trying to show was that Anthony Edwards, who ignited the possession by drawing the extra defender and getting off the ball, made the right play. But what also stood out was the difference between Minnesota, which lost in the Western Conference Finals, and San Antonio, which went on to win an NBA championship.

All of the Spurs’ passes in this specific clip were on point, and Biaw caught the ball right in the shooting pocket. In Minnesota’s case, Julius Randle’s pass was well behind a rolling Rudy Gobert, who had all he could handle to collect the ball before firing it off to McDaniels — and McDaniels had to reach two feet to his left to bring the ball in before rising up for the shot.

Ask any shooter and they’ll tell you how much the proximity of the incoming pass affects the likelihood of the shot dropping.

Minnesota’s roster is flush with athleticism, physicality and talent. What it lacks is the ability to consistently carry out those little details on both sides of the ball that can be the difference between winning and losing on the grandest stages. A possession here or there was the difference between Minnesota leading the 2024 West Finals 2-0 versus the reality of trailing Dallas 0-2 on the way to a 4-1 series loss.

The Wolves had a chance to square up the 2025 West Finals with Oklahoma City but were outexecuted at the end of Game 4 and lost by two points.

Just a few weeks prior, Oklahoma City played the foul game while leading by three late in a game against Denver, only to have the Nuggets rally to win the game, effectively, at the buzzer. In that case, Denver was able to keep the ball out of the hands of Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and force Chet Holmgren to take the late-game, pressure-packed free throws. Holmgren missed both.

Minnesota couldn’t repeat the formula. The league MVP caught all three inbounds passes for Oklahoma City in the final 15 seconds of regulation and went 5 for 6 from the stripe to effectively ice the game. Earlier in that quarter, Minnesota gave up a pair of key buckets as Oklahoma City players went unchecked while cutting to the hoop for easy layups.

Those are the details that will continue to prevent Minnesota from climbing the final couple of the rungs on the ladder until they’re corrected.

Wolves veterans Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert were in clear awe of Oklahoma City in the wake of the series, for good reason.

“Their body movement, their connectivity in their sets, their IQ, the things that they were doing, the adjustments they were making were just a level above us,” Conley said. “We were just a step slow at all those things. … They were like on one string defensively.”

Like 15 puppets connected to one string, Anthony Edwards added. The Thunder were locked in from the opening tip to the final buzzer night in and night out. It’s why Oklahoma City sported easily the best defense in the NBA this season — a title Minnesota held just a year ago.

“OKC was really impressive. Their togetherness and their consistency, I mean they’ve done it all year, and really for the last couple of years,” Gobert said. “This is a group that enjoys (playing) together, but they build championship habits. For us, this is where the area of improvement is (needed). We have championship talent, but how can we keep building those championship habits and championship mindset? Because this is what I think is going to help us.

“We can point to a million things, but those things are things that we can all control as a team, individually, collectively as an organization. What I’ve seen from OKC this year is they’re really just like this. And it’s not about making shots every night, playing great every night. You’ll have better stretches, not as good of stretches, but they were together the whole season, and they were doing the little things the whole season.”

That’s what title teams do. Minnesota appeared to have more of an “on” and “off” switch this season that it would toggle depending on the opponent or time of year. Or it would fall back into bad habits until Timberwolves coach Chris Finch and the coaching staff spent another week drilling them back out.

That’s not required for championship teams. Wolves wing Donte DiVincenzo said those “little things” were the separator in the West Finals. The challenge, he noted, is for Minnesota to execute those consistently throughout the campaign.

“Then once you get to the playoffs, it’s second nature,” DiVincenzo said. “It’s a habit at that point.”

Finch said concentration is an “acquired skill.”

“The more you do it, the better you get at it,” he said. “And the more you prioritize it, the better you get at it.”

There lies the key in Conley’s mind. Those details — from understanding opponent scouts to executing defensive coverages to understanding the importance of offensive movement and spacing — need to become more important for everyone in order to improve as a team.

“Maybe that means studying the game more. Maybe that means doing more individual coaching, taking coaches on the side and getting some individual stuff there. Bringing me aside every now and then, even more often, and just using the minds around you to help you grasp certain concepts and certain things about the game,” Conley said. “The game is different than when I came up (and was) starting to play. It might even be taught different at a younger age, or however they go through the circuits and through college. What I know is a lot different than what they know.

“You’ve got to try to bring them up to a certain standard or a certain level where the non-negotiables are things you just do by habit and not something that we have to ask for or show on film a thousand times. It will be on us as a team to try to figure that out.”

If the Wolves don’t, they won’t win. Not at the level at which they hope to.

“I think this group can win a championship. It has the talent to do it, but it’s about keep learning, keep growing. Year 12, and I’m learning every year. Everyone learns,” Gobert said. “I was really impressed with OKC. I think they deserve to be where they’re at, and it’s a credit to them. They have a special team, a special group, and so do we. But I think they were a little more ahead of us in terms of their attention to details.”

“They had a plan, they executed it and they didn’t deviate from it,” Conley added. “Those guys really, really locked in on that and you can tell on both ends of the floor, it didn’t matter who scored, who had the ball — they were just finding the open person and making the next reads.

“(Those are) things that we’ve gotten better at. What we’re still working towards, I think. So, we’ve got a lot of room to grow and to get better at.”