Can anyone crack the Thunder's defense?

Good morning. Minnesota's defense kept them in contention for Game 1 until their inability to score efficiently doomed them, as it seemingly dooms everyone facing the Thunder. Let's basketball.

The final score in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals – a 114-88 Thunder win over the Wolves – is probably the most deceiving of the postseason to date. This wasn't a blow-out until the final four minutes or so; when the Thunder lay it on, they lay it on thick. OKC took control in the third quarter: Mark Daigneault called a timeout with the Wolves up 60-56 about five minutes into the second half, and the Thunder ripped off a 17-2 run over the next five minutes of game time to take an 11-point lead that basically held until the floodgates opened in the final few minutes. Chris Finch burned two timeouts during that run; neither had the intended effect.

The story for Minnesota during that run was the same story OKC's other opponents have faced basically all season and certainly through two playoff rounds: it's really, really hard to score on the Thunder.