Mike Conley speaks after the Timberwolves' season came to an end.
The Minnesota Timberwolves saw their season come to an end on Friday when they lost game six against the San Antonio Spurs.
For the second straight game, the Timberwolves looked overwhelmed and overmatched. The Spurs jumped out to a quick lead, and never looked back, ultimately winning, 139-109.
It was a disappointing end for the Timberwolves after the team made back-to-back Western Conference Finals, pulled off a first round upset against the Denver Nuggets, and watched superstar Anthony Edwards return early from a knee hyperextension and bone bruise.
In the end, the Spurs were the better team, never trailing in games five or six after taking the lead two minutes into game five, a game they won by 29 points.
Mike Conley Speaks
After getting big time performances from Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu in the first round, the Spurs kept just about everyone quiet on the Timberwolves.
The team forced the ball out of the hands of Anthony Edwards, putting more pressure on guys like Julius Randle, McDaniels, and Dosunmu.
Viewed as the second option on the team, Randle struggled all series on both ends of the floor.
"Wemby is a big reason. Julius makes a lot of his plays in the paint and when you have a guy doubling you with the size that Wemby has, it makes Julius have to make hard reads. You can't just throw the ball to the corner and find guys cutting because he just takes up so much space with his length. That was a big key for them, trying to take Julius out and they did a good job of making it tough on him," veteran Mike Conley said after the game.
Julius Randle Struggles
In the first round against the Nuggets, Randle averaged 19.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 43% from the field.
Against the Spurs, he averaged 12.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and three turnovers while shooting 34% from the field and 19% from three.
The Timberwolves defense on the whole struggled all series, but Randle's effort and attentiveness, or lack thereof, were noticable as the series wore on. He had an offensive rating of 86 and a defensive rating of 119.
In game one, Randle looked like the impact player that the Timberwolves were hoping for as he used his size and strength to bully an undersized Spurs squad. He had 21 points and ten rebounds, playing with energy and aggressiveness.
He didn't score more than 17 points in any game the rest of the series, and had just three points in game six.