OKLAHOMA CITY — Thunder general manager Sam Presti traded Jeff Green for Kendrick Perkins 14 years ago, and the running joke was that Presti made the deal to force Scott Brooks to play a 21-year-old Serge Ibaka.
Some coaches, most coaches, don’t like to experiment.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins Durant and Westbrook as Thunder MVPs
Mark Daigneault is an exception. Daigneault does not believe in a short bench. He plays guys at the dangdest times. Ajay Mitchell early in Game 2 against Memphis. Jaylin Williams in Game 2 against Denver, to battle Nikola Jokic(!). And Kenrich Williams on Tuesday night in Game 1 against Minnesota.
Kenny Hustle, as they call the spiritual leader of this Thunder team, had played only 92 seconds of non-garbage time in the last 37 days. Williams played 1:32 of the Game 4 closeout of Memphis in the first round of the playoffs on April 26.
Then Daigneault called Williams’ name in the first quarter Tuesday night. Daigneault wanted to see how the Thunder would fare with a super-small lineup, with Williams as a de facto center. And Daigneault’s experimentation helped the Thunder overcome a horrid start and rout the Timberwolves 114-88 in Paycom Center.
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Western Conference Finals
Minnesota at Oklahoma City, Game 2
7:30 p.m., Thursday, at Paycom Center
TV: ESPN/ESPNEWS
Radio: WWLS/WKY
These all-Thunder ScissorTales includes a report card that shows how the Thunder defied the modern NBA game, a Q&A with Minnesota star Anthony Edwards and a reminder of who owns the Timberwolves. But we start with the surprising appearance of Kenrich Williams and a coach who isn’t afraid to exit the interstate and try the backroads of basketball.
“You never know when Mark’s going to sub you,” Jalen Williams said.
Daigneault is quite the intriguing coach. He tries stuff. He tries it in training camp. He tries it in exhibition games. He tries it on a January night in Chicago. And he tries it in the Western Conference Finals.
Daigneault largely went away from his big lineup, which includes 7-footers Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, and played small. Then Daigneault went super-small.
Grizzlies Thunder Basketball
In Kenrich Williams’ 6:29 of playing in a super-small lineup, the Thunder outscored Minnesota 18-7 in Game 1. Nate Billings photos, AP file
In Kenrich Williams’ 6:29 of playing in a super-small lineup, the Thunder outscored Minnesota 18-7. He made back-to-back jumpers — an 18-footer, then a top-of-the-key 3-pointer — zoomed OKC’s lead to 71-62 in the third quarter. The seven-year pro and five-year Thunder is known for his leadership and professionalism. He proved it Tuesday night.
“It’s something I was taught when I was very young, just put the work in, no matter who’s watching, if anybody’s watching, doesn’t matter,” Williams said. “Continue to put the work in. Come in every day, be a professional, be a good teammate. Those are some of the things I do daily. I’m just super thankful for the opportunity to play.”
Credit Williams. Also credit Daigneault. We just saw with Denver a roster that hasn’t been cultivated. Young prospects not playing, an old rotation that ran out of gas. The previous Thunder era of contention often was limited by depth. That’s not going to be a problem with this roster. Daigneault has used 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 players in close games these playoffs.
“It shows his trust in me as a player and what I can bring to the team,” Williams said. “That game needed some energy, and that’s what I tried to bring, energy from the jump. Tried to make a couple of plays to get us going.”
Baseball historian Bill James once theorized that there are two kinds of managers. Those that will give young players a chance and try to expand the roster, and those that stick with veterans and known commodities. The same seems true for NBA coaches. Heck, football, too.
Daigneault is in the give-the-kids-a-chance club. Daigneault is in the trust-your-players club.
I asked him if that comes from Thunder culture and Presti’s directive, or would Daigneault be doing the same thing if he coached Leominster High School back in his Massachusetts hometown?
“It depends on Leominster’s team,” Daigneault said with a smile. “There’s a lot of guys on the (Thunder) team I trust, and that’s where it comes down to. Trust a lot of guys. There’s a lot of guys whose strengths are impactful.
“Obviously, Kenrich was the story last night, but Kenrich helped us win a lot of games this season and has been a very effective player for us for a long time. So I have a lot of trust in him. I have as much trust in his readiness and professionalism as I do in his game. And I trust in his game a lot.”
Man, that must make it fun to go to work, knowing you have a coach who believes in you and hasn’t banished you to the bench just because the games are getting tighter and more important.
Timberwolves Thunder Basketball
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, right, attempts a block on a shot by Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid. Minnesota had 36 baskets from the paint in its Game 5 closeout of Golden State in the West semifinals. The Timberwolves had 10 baskets from the paint against the Thunder. Nate Billings, Associated Press
Report card: Thunder defies math game
The Thunder’s 114-88 rout of the Timberwolves produced an awesome second-half performance and a rather glittering report card.
3-point math: A. The 3-point avalanche in the modern NBA is simple math. At least that’s the Boston Celtics’ theory. And it’s a good one. Until it’s not. The Timberwolves shot 30 more 3-pointers than did the Thunder, yet Minnesota lost money on every sale. The T-Wolves made just 15 of 51 deep balls, while the Thunder attempted a season low 21 (27 had been the fewest) and made 11. Those extra possessions allowed the Thunder to shoot more foul shots (26-21) and far more shots in the paint (50-23). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to struggle from beyond the arc (0-of-4), but the rest of the Thunder squad combined to make 11 of 17. Meanwhile, Timberwolves Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Donte DiVincenzo, Naz Reid and Mike Conley combined to make just six of 33 3-pointers.
Paint game: A. Teams with Holmgren and Rudy Gobert aren’t expected to allow many points in the paint. That was half true in Game 1. The Thunder outscored Minnesota 66-35 in paint points. The Thunder attacked the basket with much more zeal after halftime and made 16-of-27 paint shots in the second half. It helped that Gobert drew two early fouls and ended up playing just 21 minutes, 20 seconds. Minnesota had 36 baskets from the paint in its Game 5 closeout of Golden State in the West semifinals. The Timberwolves had 10 baskets from the paint against the Thunder. Edwards took just one shot from the paint.
Defensive pressure: A. Another game, another massive Thunder edge in points off turnovers. Minnesota, a high-turnover team, committed 19 in Game 1, which is too many to maintain high hopes for victory. But even worse was the kind of turnovers. The Thunder had 13 steals, leading to a 31-10 edge in points off turnovers. OKC’s fast-break points advantage was 12-0. Jalen Williams had five steals. Gilgeous-Alexander had three. The Thunder now has two straight games with at least 30 points off turnovers (it had 37 in Game 7 against Denver).
Guarding stars: B. The Thunder kept the wraps on Edwards, which is nothing new. In the regular season, Edwards averaged 22.25 points in four games against OKC, shooting just 36.3%. Similar production in Game 1; with Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace the primary defenders on Edwards, he had 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Meanwhile, Julius Randle torched the Thunder for 20 first-half points, mainly due to 5-of-6 3-point shooting. But the Thunder didn’t give Randle that kind of room in the second half. No more going under screens. Jalen Williams stayed on as the primary defender, with Kenrich Williams, Alex Caruso and Dort eventually taking some turns as well. Randle took just one shot the first 13½ minutes of the second half, a missed 17-footer. Randle scored eight points in the fourth quarter but never got off another deep ball.
Big lineup: C. For the third straight game, the Thunder got down significantly in the first quarter. Minnesota led 8-0 in the first 70 seconds of the game, and the Thunder played uphill most of the first half. Daigneault subbed out Holmgren early in both the first and third quarters, in an obvious strategy to go smaller. The starting lineup that includes both Holmgren and Hartenstein fared much better in its two stints after the first quarter, outscoring Minnesota 15-8 over six minutes. But the start is a concern.
Cason Wallace: A. The second-year defensive phenom keeps adding to his game. And his value. Wallace played 33:03, just five seconds less than Jalen Williams. Only 10 times in 171 career games had Wallace played more. And for the second straight game, Wallace produced an eye-popping number. In Game 7 against Denver, it was plus-38 — the Thunder outscored the Nuggets by 38 points with Wallace on the floor. Tuesday night, it was Wallace’s seven assists. Hartenstein called him “Magic Johnson.” And of course, Wallace’s real value rests on defense, where his tenacity against Edwards allowed the Thunder to either rest Dort or move him around to stymie a different Timberwolf.
Timberwolves Thunder Basketball
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is double-teamed by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) and forward Jalen Williams during Tuesday’s Game 1. The Minnesota star likened the Thunder to an “AAU” defense after Game 1. Nate Billings, Associated Press
Q&A: Anthony Edwards
The Minnesota star likened the Thunder to an “AAU” defense after Game 1. I’m not sure Edwards meant it as a slap, but I’ve never known those summertime all-star games to display much defense.
Q: Why so few points in the paint against the Thunder?
Edwards: I mean, they clawed the paint. That’s what they do. They don’t got much size down there, so they bank on us not making shots, I guess. When I go to the rim, there’s like four people in the paint. I guess they just be clogging the paint. Make you kick it out.”
Q: Was the Thunder throwing different looks at you?
Edwards: I mean, it was hard to process. It was different every time. Heavy in the gaps. Sometimes trap the ball screen. Sometimes don’t. Sometimes just run and jump. Kind of similar to AAU. Reminded me of an AAU defensive team. Just run and jump. Fly around. So it was pretty good. Good to get it out of our system in Game 1. We’ll be ready for it in Game 2.”
Q: Does the Thunder defense wear teams down?
Edwards: “Not really. I definitely gotta shoot more. I took only 13 shots. I’d say get off the ball a little more, play without the ball. Playing with the ball, they’re just going to double and sit in the gaps all day.”
Mailbag: Alex Rodriguez
Jim: “Lots of VIPs in town.”
Berry: Yes, I’d say so. The Western Conference Finals bring out a lot of dignitaries, starting with the Minnesota Timberwolves’ co-owner, Alex Rodriguez, who some have spotted around Oklahoma City.
A-Rod, who hit 696 major-league home runs, ventured into basketball. He and partner Marc Lore agreed to a $1.5 billion purchase of the Timberwolves, but long-time owner Glen Taylor tried to back out of the deal. A-Rod and Lore won an arbitration hearing, and Taylor eventually agreed to settle.
Lore and Rodriguez already have been approved as governors, dating back to 2024, so official approval seems assured.
The List: Thunder playoff scorers
Through 12 playoff games this postseason, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 29.2 points a game. That does not crack the top five highest per-game scoring average in Thunder history:
1. Russell Westbrook, 37.4, 2017, five games
2. Kevin Durant, 30.8, 2013, 11 games
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 30.2, 2024, 10 games
4. Kevin Durant, 29.6, 2014, 19 games
5. Russell Westbrook, 29.3, 2018, six games
berry.tramel@tulsaworld.com
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