What was seen as the most talented backcourt at the start of the season is now 0-2 against the young Minnesota Timberwolves team. Even though Frank Vogel’s Phoenix Suns led by 1 at mid-time, they only scored 42 in the latter half, falling 93-105. They are now one of the three trailing teams that were once projected to dominate the playoffs – with the Lakers and 76ers down 2-0 as well. Regardless, while Nick Nurse and Darvin Ham resorted to highlighting the officiating discrepancies, Vogel chose to give the Wolves their due credits after the game.

“We can’t let the refs distract our focus. The refs didn’t beat us, the T-Wolves did,” he said. Moreover, understanding the dynamicity of the calls through his 11+ years of NBA coaching experience, he added, “We got some bad calls, but that happens in every game. It happened both ways.” With that, he encouraged his roster to stay “locked in” and focused on the plays at hand. He also urged the roster to “remain connected” and utilize their bond in the locker room to challenge each other. So, how was this different from the Lakers boss’ comments?

On the other hand, while Darvin Ham also portrayed a ‘no excuse’ sentiment in his presser, he was quite chatty about the refereeing. He said, “It’s tough… You got to go out there and make plays whether the whistle gets blown or not. It’s getting real tricky. Going through the season game they officiated one way, then in the playoffs, I guess it’s left to the interpretation of three individual guys doing the job”.

Rolling back to the Suns’ game, as they now take the series to their home arena, Frank’s biggest goal seems to keep the camaraderie intact within his squad. The Wolves will enter Games 3 and 4 brimming with confidence, with a possibility to sweep the series. However, given what the Suns’ witnessed tonight, Vogel will also need to change certain things in his playbook; all while countering the Wolves’ points of attack.

Where did Frank Vogel’s team fall short?

“They got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels,” Anthony Edwards summarized Game 2, which saw superstars from both teams posting low numbers. McDaniels led with 25 points and 8 rebounds while the T-Wolves saw 6 players posting in double digits. However, the Suns had 6 players doing the same. With that, their win came through their ability to adapt mid-game.

As the Phoenix torched them till the half, Minnesota, once again, fell back to their defense. They pestered Kevin Durant for the remainder of the game, limiting him to just 18 points in 41 minutes. It is KD’s lowest playoff output in the past 5 years as he shot just 6-15 from the field.

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Moreover, Fran Vogel was forced to play with foul troubles on Devin Booker, who ultimately saw the bench earlier than the final buzzer. The Wolves’ aggressive defense and their relentless drives to the basket allowed for an advantage within the free throw department, nulling the effects of Phoenix’s better shooting from the three.

Moreover, in the area that has hurt the Suns all season long, they gave up 19 turnovers. Minnesota themselves gave up 13 of those. However, the Wolves capitalized by posting a whopping 31 points off Suns’ turnovers, sparking offense out of their defensive efforts. On the other hand, the Suns only scored 2 from the Wolves’ turnovers.