Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 takeaways from Game 3 vs. Rockets
3. Talent matters, but defensive effort goes a long way
If there were ever a path to a Wolves’ upset in this series, it was the general rule that defense tends to even out in the postseason.
Not completely, of course. But while offense is about talent, execution and effort in that order, defense is the inverse. Therefore, when everyone tries their hardest, the defensive gap between teams shrinks. Given that both Minnesota and Houston were much closer offensively than defensively this year, this playoff phenomenon looked to benefit the Wolves.
The first two games of this series did not feel like the playoffs, though. That mostly falls on Minnesota, which gave James Harden all he could ever want in Game 1 and then left his teammates open all night in Game 2.
In Game 3, this changed. The Wolves helped on drives, closed out hard to 3-point shooters and got back in transition. Not just Butler and Taj Gibson, but Towns and Wiggins too.
The most impressive/surprising efforts were those of Teague and Jamal Crawford, two players generally considered to be massive liabilities. Both were dialed in defensively, and did not afford many clean looks to guys like Eric Gordon, Gerald Green, P.J. Tucker and Trevor Ariza.
Crawford, who was the Wolves’ worst player in terms of on/off defensive impact this year (112.9 defensive rating with Crawford playing, compared to 105.2 when he sat, per NBA.com), was the team’s second-biggest positive in Game 3 (94.9 on, 120.4 off). Teague was also a slight net negative defensively throughout the season, but was a positive in Game 3 (109.6 to 116.7). Single game on/off data is dangerous, but it backs up what was a visibly better effort from these guards.
Teague and Crawford will never be great defenders. Neither possesses the size and length to guard bigger players, nor the quick-twitch athleticism to contain small ones. But almost any NBA-level athlete can be part of a successful defense if they play hard and smart, which Teague and Crawford have been in the league long enough to know how to do.
Both of these teams are incredibly talented offensively. If the Wolves continue to match Houston’s defensive effort, a lopsided series suddenly becomes a close one.