“Minnesota can’t shoot off the dribble out from Ant Man, that’s not going to cut it against OKC. … I’m looking at the Thunder sweeping the Timberwolves… I will be happy if they win a game” said Stephen A. Smith in the aftermath of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 2 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The sportscaster’s confidence in Anthony Edwards and company had diminished amid a poor shooting performance and defense, especially when it came to the 23-year-old star.

But now, midway through Game 3, the Wolves are flipping the script. Up 44-20 with 8:48 left in the second quarter, they’re silencing doubters — and Smith most of all. And at the heart of this turnaround? A crucial behind-the-scenes meeting that helped ignite Ant’s resurgence.

Before Game 3, ESPN’s Shams Charania engaged in a discussion with Malika Andrews. During the same, he revealed that “I’m being told the Timberwolves had a 45 minute long film session this morning that’s much longer than usual for this team on game day, and a lot of conversations, since Game 2, have revolved around making quicker decisions, playing with pace, playing aggressively, and smartly.” From the looks of it, the strategy seems to be working out well for Anthony Edwards and co.

As reported by NBA journalist Dane Moore, Anthony Edwards came out blazing, dropping 16 points in the first quarter alone—12 of those coming in the opening six minutes. It was a statement start from the Timberwolves star.

On the other end, Julius Randle looked “real comfortable with the middy,” finding his rhythm early. By halftime, Randle had 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 2-for-2 at the line, though he missed both attempts from beyond the arc. The turnaround in his impact was clear—after posting a -15 plus-minus in Game 2, he flipped it to a +15 by the break.

Rudy Gobert didn’t light up the scoreboard, but made his presence felt defensively with two first-half steals. The Timberwolves, having seen every trick Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder threw at them, came out with a sharp and forceful response.

Watching game film was something that Anthony Edwards had prioritized before. In fact, before Game 2, “he and assistant coach Chris Hines at a nearby hotel watched game film till 3 a.m”, as reported by NBA insider Marc Spears. Unfortunately, that strategy wasn’t too effective. While the team did not lose by as big of a gap as in Game 1, it still lost, and Anthony Edwards had a Plus/Minus rating of -22, despite him scoring 32 points through 46.2% field goals. The 11.1% 3-point percentage certainly played a role in that negative ranking. Therefore, it is good that spending more time on game film had a better outcome this time around.

One would be thinking: Could a 45-minute film session on Game Day have that big of an effect on the team? Well, maybe not for every team. However, when it comes to Julius Randle taking the charge, those sessions can get intense.

Chris Finch revealed laying out his disappointment during a film session last year: “Not sure if they got the memo.”

Back in May 2024, the Minnesota Timberwolves were in the same boat as they are right now. They came off a memorable Conference Semi-Finals series to advance to the next stage. Only to lose memorably in Game 1 of the Conference Finals. Then, facing the Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks, Anthony Edwards and co had lost the first matchup by a 108-105 score. NBA reporter Gerard Angelo Samillano stated that “it felt like the ‘Wolves were just playing catch-up all game long instead of setting the tempo”.

Due to letting home court advantage go to waste by not being able to get ahead in such a close matchup, the responsibility fell on Chris Finch to send a message to his players.

According to Jerry Zygoda of the Star Tribune, Chris Finch held a film session in Game 1. The head coach himself described going rough on his players, as he revealed, “It was a rough film session. I told the guys, ‘It has been a long time since I’ve been this disappointed in your effort. Your performance, your attitude and attention to detail just wasn’t there.’ The Western Conference finals started. Not sure if they got the memo. But they got it this afternoon.”

Unfortunately, no matter how rough Chris Finch went, Anthony Edwards and co could not manage to get an edge. They lost Game 2 by an even closer margin (109-108), and went on to lose Game 3 and Game 5 too. Anthony Edwards certainly got his revenge against Luka Doncic in this tournament, when the Timberwolves eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in a 5-game series.

For a while, it felt like the team was entering a Déjà vu mode. However, thanks to the strong lead they hold in Game 3, it seems that the team has learned its lesson. With any luck, they can continue maintaining their momentum for the rest of the series, too. After all, OKC is the only obstacle stopping a Minnesota Timberwolves squad from reaching the finals for the first time ever!