Adversity broke out! Edwards led the team to win 42 points! The Thunder encountered a historic collapse

NBA Western Conference Finals G3, the Timberwolves 143-101 at home, scoring a 42-point difference in a single game, tying the total score to 1-2. What's more dramatic is that the Timberwolves lost only 41 points in the first two games, and they "ticked" the total score in just one game. This extreme contrast between offense and defense changes has made the series' trend confusing. The dominant start of the first quarter

The game entered the garbage time mode from the whistle - the Timberwolves 34-14th Thunder in the first quarter, with a net victory of 20 points in a single quarter. Edwards made 6 of 8 shots in the first quarter and scored 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, and his performance was terrifying. What's even more ironic is that the Thunder team scored 0 free throws in the first quarter and did not get a free throw opportunity until the second quarter. This opening gap is in a strong contrast with the Thunder’s first two big wins, revealing the shortcomings of lineup depth and on-the-spot response.

Alexander's Lost and the Timberwolves' Allies are

New MVP Alexander was completely abnormal in this game, scoring only 14 points from 4 of 13 shots in 28 minutes, with a positive and negative value of -33 set the worst in the series. In contrast, the Timberwolves' bench exploded collectively: Terence Shannon (15 points), Walker (12 points), Reed (10 points), Miller (11 points) and other role players scored 58 points in total, among which Shannon is the most efficient player in the game (5 of 8 shots). When core players Randle (24 points) and Edwards (30 points) exert their strength at the same time, the Timberwolves showed the offensive and defensive system of the top team. The fatal blow at the tactical level

The Thunder exposed two major stubborn diseases: First, the offensive end relies too much on Alexander's single-point breakthrough (average of 29.3 points in the series), and lacks a second offensive point when the main core is restricted; second, the defensive end has no solution to the Timberwolves' outside, with a three-point shooting percentage of up to 50% (average of 32.1% in the series). The Timberwolves take advantage of the Thunder's young lineup's weaknesses inexperienced lineup to disrupt the opponent's rhythm through quick rotation.

Cruel Warning of Historical Data

According to statistics, teams that were 1-2 behind in the playoffs and had no home advantage in NBA history lost all the fourth game (0 wins and 4 losses). As a team that has no home advantage in this round, the Timberwolves has fallen into the historical curse. Although the G3 explosion is surprising, if the Thunder continues to defend hard in G4 (10.3 steals per game in the series), it is still expected to end the series 3-1.

Suspense and Expectation

After this game, the Timberwolves set a historical record of 72 points in the playoffs, and Edwards even looked firm in the post-match interview, showing an unprecedented leadership temperament. However, if the Thunder want to avoid becoming the 13th 3-1 team to be reversed this season (4.5% of the historical success probability), they must solve the problem of excessive fouls (21.4 per game) and insufficient substitute depth. The referee scale and Alexander's state adjustment in the fourth game will become the decisive factors.