Game 4 of the Western Conference finals lived up to expectations for those of us who predicted it would be the best and closest game of the Wolves vs. Thunder series to date.
The Wolves clawed back multiple times in the second half to either tie or make it a one-possession game, the last coming after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed one free throw with 8.1 seconds left to leave Minnesota down three with the ball.
Time for a game-tying three-point attempt ... only it never happened. The Thunder employed the often smart but yawningly boring strategy of fouling the Wolves. It prevented Minnesota from ever getting a tying shot up, and OKC was able to close out a critical 128-126 victory.
The method is akin to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s proclivity for drawing fouls by seeking out contact: Technically legal but wide open to aesthetic criticism.
I’m not sure what exactly the league can do, and it is true that the strategy can backfire. But it is agreed: That’s a terrible way to end a dramatic, well-played game.
Here are nine more things to know today: