88-99! NBA West saw a 6th crash, with 5 and 16 turnovers in 29 three-pointers, only 11 points in a single quarter

The smoke of gunpowder filled the playoffs, and the first match of the Western Conference semi-finals broke out! The Timberwolves were at home but were ruthlessly "slaughtered" by the defending champion Warriors. They lost 88-99 and fell behind 0-1 in the total score. Throughout the game, the Timberwolves collectively silenced on the offensive end, with a terrible three-point shooting rate and frequent mistakes, especially the power cut in the second quarter, which made home fans even more uproar. Edwards, the star of the family, lost himself even more, felt cold and sleepwalking throughout the audience. The Timberwolves' performance this season was a surprise. They advanced directly to the playoffs as sixth in the West, and easily eliminated the Lakers with James and Doncic in the first round of the series, showing their strong strength and potential. As the core of the team, Edwards has a lot of offensive firepower and has even played impressive data in the series against the Lakers, becoming a key figure in the team's victory.

However, facing the experienced defending champion Warriors, the Timberwolves' youth and tenderness are fully exposed. Although the Warriors made it difficult to advance through the playoffs, they had two superstars with extremely rich playoff experience, Butler and Curry, which is undoubtedly an advantage that the Timberwolves do not have.

At the beginning of the game, the Timberwolves could barely compete with the Warriors, but in the second quarter, the Warriors suddenly exerted their strength, and a 15-0 attack wave directly stunned the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves were completely lost on the offensive end, the players felt cold and made frequent mistakes in cooperation, and only scored 11 points in a single quarter, setting a new low for the team's playoff score. By the end of the half, the Timberwolves were already 13 points behind.

What is even more surprising is that the Timberwolves made 0 of 15 three-pointers in the first half, and they didn't score a single goal! You should know that three-pointers are an important scoring method for modern basketball and an important offensive weapon for the Timberwolves. Such a poor three-point shooting percentage is undoubtedly an important reason why the Timberwolves' offense is blocked. The team's absolute core Edwards is in a sluggish state, making 0 of 8 shots, scoring 1 point by relying solely on free throws, and not performing at the right level at all.

In the second half, the Timberwolves' form still did not improve, and they were once lagging as much as 20 points. Although the Timberwolves once narrowed the gap to 13 points at the end of the third quarter, Butler and Hilder of the Warriors made consecutive three-pointers, once again widening the gap to more than 20 points, completely destroying the Timberwolves' hope of counterattack. In the key fourth quarter, the Timberwolves fought back and launched a 16-5 offensive to narrow the gap to within 10 points. However, the Warriors' Hilder and Butler stepped forward again, scored 5 points in a row, stabilizing the situation. In the end, the Timberwolves failed to complete the big reversal and were filled with regret at home.

In this game, the Timberwolves lost due to lack of experience and their ability to grasp the critical moment. With rich playoff experience, the Warriors always make the right choice at critical moments, while the young Timberwolves players seem a little panicked and unable to bear the pressure.

In addition, the Timberwolves' three-point shooting percentage is also an important reason for their failure. In modern basketball, the importance of three-pointers is self-evident. If a team wants to win, it must have stable three-pointers firepower. The Timberwolves' three-point shooting percentage in this game was only a pitiful 17.2%, which is obviously unacceptable.

Of course, the Timberwolves are not without their chances. They have young and talented players and strong offensive firepower. As long as they can adjust their state in time and perform at their due level in the next game, they still have a chance to win back.

The G1 battle between the Timberwolves and the Warriors is more of a battle of experience than a showdown of strength. The young Timberwolves seem immature and lack of response in front of the Warriors with rich experience in the playoffs. The collective silence on the offensive end, especially the loss of the core Edwards, made the Timberwolves even worse.

This defeat undoubtedly sounded the alarm for the Timberwolves. The stage of the playoffs is not only a competition of strength, but also a test of psychological quality and experience. The Timberwolves need to get out of the shadow of defeat as soon as possible, sum up the lessons learned, and show more mature and stable performance in the following game.

In the next game, can the Timberwolves bottom out and rebound, and can the Warriors take advantage of the victory and pursue it? Let's wait and see! The suspense of this series has just begun!