The score was already out of hand midway through the second quarter, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recognized the opening in Minnesota's drop pick-and-roll coverage and rose up at the elbow for the type of mid-range jumper Oklahoma City feasted on over the first two games of the Western Conference finals.

The Thunder credited the Wolves' "physicality" Saturday night in a 143-101 Game 3 loss in which Oklahoma City never mounted a serious comeback bid.

Through two games of the Western Conference finals, the toxicity of the Thunder’s all-time defense has bubbled for the Timberwolves.

Signs of frustration have been evident for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals against an Oklahoma City Thunder team chasing its first title with a mix of poise, precision and relentlessness unseen anywhere else in these NBA playoffs.

The Thunder’s stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (14 points and 6 assists), Jalen Williams (13 points and 4 rebounds), and Chet Holmgren (10 points and 5 rebounds) were thoroughly outplayed for the first time in the Conference Finals.

This is why the Thunder craved Caruso — for his championship experience and obviously for his dogged defensive mentality. He’s now the first guard off the bench in most situations, and his value soared in the semifinals when he was asked to help check Nikola Jokić, of all people.

Two hands and a thrust is a shove, the universal sign for frustration — the most telling league wide symptom that the Thunder defense has ... all the things that the Wolves’ odds are hinged ...

N BA dynasties are dead, parity is king, and if the 2025 playoffs have taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. The NBA will have a different champion for the seventh