Spurs are committing NBA malpractice if they don't steal Chris Finch's blueprint

The Spurs just endured a completely different experience from anything they've seen all season in Minnesota's approach on the offensive end. Usually, players will shy away from the paint with unanimous Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama patrolling, but they did the opposite. It was a fascinating strategy that resulted in 12 blocks for Wemby and a win for the Timberwolves.

The seventh-seed Wolves scored 54 points in the paint for the game and got to the free-throw line 20 times in the second half alone. The Spurs only took nine attempts from the line over the same stretch. It was a huge swing in the game.

The strategy was so effective that San Antonio should deploy a similar plan against Rudy Gobert, forcing the 4x DPOY to survive the same chaos Minnesota created for Wemby. The Silver and Black usually have a pretty free-flowing offense that doesn't rely on a bunch of called plays, but you don't have to draw up a plan to understand the mission. Attack the paint, and don't let up.

The Spurs can turn the tables on Minnesota

Mitch Johnson said it himself after the game: the guys were tentative to start. There was a lot of pump-faking and indecision with the ball in their hands. It disrupted their offense more than anything the Timberwolves did specifically. The intensity was definitely dialed up, so I'll give some additional credit right there. That was where some of the youth came in.

There had to be a bit of whiplash for the Spurs to go from a Portland squad that never forced them into that kind of fight. They came off nearly a week without competition, and Minnesota played like a team desperate to prove everyone who picked against them wrong.

San Antonio shouldn't, and likely doesn't, care about that one iota, though. Their minds are focused on how they can retake control of the series, and some of that is going to start with playing with a little more force. The Spurs scored 58 points in the paint, so it's not like they weren't being aggressive at times, but not as much as they should have been, whether Gobert was on the floor or not.

The Silver and Black have proved they can make outside shots at a high rate, so the confidence they showed in their shooting isn't a problem overall. But adjustments must be made when the shots aren't falling and when your opponent's personnel give you opportunities to get easier points.

The Spurs ignored the Timberwolves' most vulnerable minutes

The Fiesta-charged Spurs jacked up eight threes in the eight minutes Gobert sat on the bench in the first half. They made two of them. It was more of the same in the second half, with only a slight improvement; sloppiness got them on top of poor shot selection then.

The plan should be to attack whenever the Stifle Tower sits. Put pressure on their defenders to defend the basket without their rim protector. Put pressure on their rim protector when he's in the game, and make him contest shots constantly. The Timberwolves didn't let the Spurs off the hook by jacking up too many outside shots. They can return the favor on Wednesday night.

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