A complete defeat? The team s core is abandoned. Is there still a chance to fight life and death?

Today, the Timberwolves lost to the Thunder 103-118 away, and the series score reached 0-2, and the situation was in jeopardy. Next, the series will be moved to Minnesota, and the Wolves will usher in a life-and-death battle at home. If you fail again in the third battle, it is basically equivalent to packing it home in advance.

However, what caused heated discussion among fans than losing this game was Wolves coach Chris Finch's rotation of Randall. Randall was in poor form throughout the game, but surprisingly, in the fourth quarter, Randall, as the team's low-post offensive core, did not get a minute of playing time and was completely abandoned by Fincher on the bench.

This decision directly triggered public opinion. After the game, the topic of Randle's abandonment in the fourth quarter quickly topped the hot search list in the United States.

Faced with media doubts after the game, Finch directly explained:

"I just want to try a broader space to see if it can increase the speed of counterattack decisions, and hope to turn the situation around through changes in space."

It sounds like a tactical consideration, but for a main scorer who has always performed steadily in the playoffs, this choice still seems a bit abrupt. After all, Randle has always been an important part of the Timberwolves' offensive end. Apart from Edwards, he is almost the team's most stable ball-holding scoring point. Especially in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Randall has also stood up many times and performed well.

And back to this game, Randall did perform poorly. He played for 32 minutes in the whole game, made only 2 of 11 shots, made no three-pointers, and only scored 6 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. His shooting percentage was only a pitiful 18.2%, with an individual plus-minus value -15.

's performance is indeed not ideal, especially when the opponents are approaching and the scores are gradually being pulled apart. Randall should have been a stable scoring weapon for the team to score low points, but in the second half of the game, he almost made no contribution. But even so, many fans and media still cannot understand why Finch completely gave up Randle in the fourth quarter where scoring and stability are most needed. After the game, the US media commentator angrily criticized:

"This is the stupidest decision since Fincher took charge."

even conspiracy theorists directly said:

"Randall did not make the fourth quarter, this is the true portrayal of the NBA being manipulated."

As the topic continues to heat up, many netizens have joined the discussion, and some people questioned it. Randall returns to the Knicks Iron King mode, and some people think that the coaching staff has planned to deal with him in a cold manner:

"What role do you really think Randall can play in a fast-paced team like the Thunder?"

In any case, from the game process, the Timberwolves were indeed trapped in the offensive fog. They could not find a stable scoring point in the entire second half of the game. In the end, the Thunder was pulled further and further away, and the game was unable to turn the world back and forth.

The current situation is not optimistic for the Timberwolves, 0-2 behind, the core players are facing a crisis of trust, and the coach's tactical arrangements are highly questioned. The next third game will undoubtedly be a real battle of back-to-back.

According to the schedule, the third game of the series will start at the Timberwolves at home on May 25, and will Randall complete the redemption in the home team stadium? Or is the team continuing to sink and lose the match point? Let's wait and see.