Tom Thibodeau is tired of this. Tired of losing. Tired of losing in the same fashion. Tired of his message not getting through to his young and talented team.
After the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 117-90 loss to the Detroit Pistons, you could see it in his face. He wasn’t suppressing anger like after the Charlotte Hornets loss earlier in the year, or analytical like he was the day before when Minnesota lost to the Toronto Raptors on TNT.
His eyes were bloodshot. His posture slumped. His voice worn from a game full of yelling.
“I’m always concerned,” he said when asked if he’s worried his message is not getting through. “Yeah, yeah. I’m very concerned.”
The easy narrative is that this is the same old story: Minnesota plays well in the first half, gets blown out in the third and cannot catch up in the fourth. But this was different. Detroit finished the first half on a run and led 49-43. Minnesota shot 3-16 (18.8 percent) from three. Jordan Hill got 4:45 minutes of playing time at the end.
“Well, we didn’t close the half out well,” said Thibodeau when asked how the team felt after the first half. “That was a big problem. And then you start the third quarter, and you miss a couple shots, and then you don’t get back, and it snowballs quick on you.”
Minnesota hung tough throughout most of the third quarter, but suddenly a four-point deficit turned into a 82-68 hole in the last three minutes. The Pistons outscored the Wolves 35-22 in the final quarter.
“One thing leads to the other,” said Thiobdeau, explaining the snowball effect. “If you’re turning the ball over or you’re missing a shot, you don’t have floor balance going back, and your basket is unprotected, you’re giving them easy scoring opportunities.”
Thibodeau expressed disdain about the lack of energy his team offered. The mistakes hurt, but if a team doesn’t play with heart, the sets, strategy and other elements of the game fall apart.
Asked what he can do to get his message through and get the most out of his team, Thibodeau allowed a brief smirk. “I just gotta keep working at it. I’m gonna keep coming,” he said, cackling briefly. “I don’t go away. And I’m gonna look at everything, re-examine. Something’s being missed, so it’s gotta change.”
Point guard Ricky Rubio, who had 10 points and six assists, discussed the team’s lack of energy and heart at length after the game.
Zach LaVine, who had 14 points on the night, said that basketball is the passion and profession of everyone in the locker room, and that there’s no excuse for the lack of energy. He placed all the blame on the players, saying that Thibodeau is not the one who has to take the court.
And Andrew Wiggins, who led Minnesota with 16 points, perhaps gave the greatest answer of all, despite saying the least. About 1:30 into this video, the combination of his body language and his answer about the team mistakes wrapped everything up nicely — this team’s continual errors on the court are sapping their energy.
