The Minnesota Timberwolves have found themselves in a deep hole in the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is after the Wolves suffered back-to-back losses in Games 1 and 2 in Oklahoma City, which now has them heading to Game 3 down 2-0 in the series.
The Wolves will need to be at their very best on Saturday in Game 3, and there’s some added pressure on three-time All-Star Julius Randle following his forgettable performance in Game 2.
After going off for 28 points in Game 1, Randle came crashing back down to earth on Thursday, finishing with just six points on 2-of-11 shooting. Randle struggled so badly in the game that head coach Chris Finch decided to bench him in the fourth quarter.
Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and star forward Julius Randle.
While the decision to keep Randle on the bench in the final period may have been somewhat warranted, TNT analyst Charles Barkley made it abundantly clear that he disagrees with the decision.
“He played great in Game 1, and he had a tough night (in Game 2),” Barkley said of Randle. “But the coach overreacted. And the one thing you don’t want to do (is) you’re home in a must-win situation … you can’t take his confidence in a must-win game.”
“Your job as a coach is to instill confidence, not take confidence.”
Barkley wasn’t done. He went on to accuse Finch of stepping on Randle’s confidence by making the veteran forward think that the blame was being pinned on him.
“You never want a player, especially one you need, to feel like, ‘Oh, coach is blaming me,'” Barkley continued. “We’re all sensitive. Everybody’s got feelings. You never want a [player] to say, ‘He ain’t playing me, and we’re getting our brains beat in.’ … because a player would think, ‘It’s my fault. That’s what coach is telling me.'”
It will be very interesting to see how Randle responds in Game 3 because this will speak volumes about the 30-year-old’s resiliency and ability to bounce back from adversity.
It will also be determined if Finch’s decision to bench him in Game 2 has lit a fire under Randle or if it has completely destroyed the two-time All-NBA power forward’s confidence.
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