“What the hell are we doing? Is this pre-season? Is this the beginning of the regular season?” - Jay Williams questions Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch’s tactics in the game 3 loss to the Grizzlies
Former NBA player Jay Williams spoke about how the Minnesota Timberwolves' collapse in Game 3 was a direct result of bad on-floor coaching. On ESPN's "Keyshawn, JWill & Max," Williams stated:
"The dumbest, most idiotic coaching that I've seen in the playoffs thus far, and with all due respect to Chris Finch, I know he just signed an extension in April. I'm glad you got your money."
The Timberwolves fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, 94-105, on Thursday. Ja Morant posted a 16/10/10 triple-double. Desmond Bane also contributed 26 points and six rebounds, along with Brandon Clarke's 20 points off the bench.
The Wolves are now down 2-1. They lost despite having a 26-point lead in the second quarter and after leading the game for almost three and a half quarters.
Williams stated:
"Memphis went on a 21-0 run late in the game, and there was no timeout called to stop the run. I mean, what the hell are we doing? Is this pre-season? Is this the beginning of the regular-season?"
Williams also talked about how this is the second game in a row where a lapse in the head coach's judgment led to a loss, stating:
"So now I've watched you in Game 2, leave your star player in the game, Karl-Anthony Towns, get him in foul trouble in the first half. What are you doing?"
The shooting numbers in the two halves for the Wolves and the Grizzlies reflected how adjustments made a difference in the game.
Minnesota shot 42.9% from the field in the first half, and 34.9% in the second. The Grizzlies shot 36.6% from the field in the first half, and 47.6% in the second.
Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Memphis Grizzlies, Game 4
Game 4 is a must-win for Minnesota if they want a serious shot at advancing. A 3-1 deficit is almost impossible to overcome, even if recent history begs to differ. Only 13 teams have ever been able to come back down 3-1 in the post-season.
Of the four remaining games in the series, two will take place in Minnesota, and two in Memphis.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have a home court advantage on Saturday, and FiveThirtyEight gives them a 58% chance to take the win. Memphis enters with -150 on the line and Minnesota is +122.