It has been a long time since Illinois has had an impact player deep in the NBA playoffs, but Saturday night is providing a must-watch.
Through the first two games of the Western Conference Finals, the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder has put a hurting on the Minnesota Timberwolves. A game one 26-point thumping for the Thunder was followed by a game two 15-point win to give Oklahoma City a 2-0 series lead.
Needing a win in game three back in Minnesota, the Timberwolves looked to a former Illini star, Terrence Shannon Jr., in the first half.
Shannon didn’t log many minutes, but he gave Minnesota some key production. In addition to his one steal, Shannon added nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and made all three free throws.
The nine points Shannon gave the Timberwolves off the bench were crucial. He was their fourth leading scorer in the first half, only behind Anthony Edwards (20), Naz Reid (10), and Julius Randle (10). Minnesota has a commanding lead, 72-41.
This was the shocking jolt Minnesota needed to help take down the best team in the NBA
There is still a long way to go in game three of the Western Conference Finals, but to beat the best team in the NBA, like the Thunder, Minnesota needs players like Shannon to step up and give them unexpected production
This season, Shannon is only averaging 4.3 points per game in 32 contests. He has only averaged 0.7 free throws per game, too. In the first 24 minutes of the game, Shannon has already doubled his point average, and he has only played four minutes.
Some people might think that Shannon’s production didn’t matter much since Minnesota was up 34-14 when he entered the game, but don’t underestimate the Thunder. This season alone, Oklahoma City leads the NBA in second quarter scoring average, putting up 30.4 points per game. Letting the foot off the gas would be dangerous, and Shannon helped put the foot on the throat of the best team in the league.
When Shannon gets a chance, he shines bright. He had a big first half in the Western Conference Finals, and it wouldn’t shock me to see him get more playing time the rest of the series.