Crashing the boards: Thunder look to battle back from blowout loss in Western Conference Finals Game 3
Sports Director Bryan Keating and Hannah Hoover break down the Thunder’s blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
Updated: 11:35 PM CDT May 25, 2025
THE LATEST FIRST ALERT FORECAST. HEY THERE, WELCOME TO THE SHOW. I’M HANNAH. HOOVER, AND IT’S TIME FOR CRASHING THE BOARDS ON A STORMY SUNDAY NIGHT WITH THE THUNDER TEAM, HOPING TO STRIKE IN GAME FOUR MONDAY NIGHT IN MINNESOTA. I KNOW FANS IN OKC WOULD LIKE TO. JUST THROW OUT GAME THREE AS A WASH AND MOVE ON. THANKFULLY, IT ONLY COUNTS FOR ONE GAME IN THE SERIES, SO NOW WE LOOK AHEAD TO GAME FOUR, A GAME THAT I’M EXPECTING TO SEE PLENTY OF ADJUSTMENTS. AND A THUNDER TEAM THAT PLAYS WITH A BIG SENSE OF URGENCY AFTER MINNESOTA CUT THEIR SERIES LEAD. NOW 2 TO 1, OUR VERY OWN BRYAN KEATING WAS IN MINNEAPOLIS THIS WEEKEND. HE HAD A FRONT ROW SEAT TO THE CROWD WHERE THEY BOOED SGA AND MINNESOTA’S BLOWOUT PERFORMANCE. HE SAW IT ALL. I SPOKE WITH BRIAN TO GET HIS POST GAME REACTION FROM THE FLOOR AT THE TARGET CENTER. TAKE A LISTEN, BRIAN. A DISAPPOINTING LOSS THERE AT THE TARGET CENTER. TELL US WHAT WAS THE EMOTIONS OF THE GAME? WHAT WAS THE ARENA LIKE, AND WHAT ARE YOUR OVERALL THOUGHTS AFTER THIS BLOWOUT OF A LOSS? I THOUGHT THE ARENA WAS GREAT. OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOUR TEAM AND MOST OF THE PEOPLE HERE ARE TIMBERWOLVES FANS, THERE’S SOME CHET HOLMGREN FANS RUNNING AROUND. WE SAW A FEW OF THOSE SEVEN JERSEYS BECAUSE HE’S FROM HERE IN MINNEAPOLIS, BUT OBVIOUSLY THE ENVIRONMENT WAS GREAT BECAUSE THEY WERE BLOWING OUT OKLAHOMA CITY. IT WAS A TOUGH NIGHT FOR OKC. THEY OBVIOUSLY DID NOT PLAY THEIR BEST BASKETBALL AFTER THE GAME. MARK DAIGNEAULT EVEN SAID, YOU KNOW, THAT CLEARLY WASN’T OUR BEST PUNCH. HE’S RIGHT ABOUT THAT. AND I THOUGHT THE DIFFERENCE IN THE GAME, IF I HAD A BOARD, YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY DESPERATION. AND I THINK OKLAHOMA CITY DIDN’T PLAY WITH NEARLY ENOUGH DESPERATION. THEY DID NOT MATCH THE WOLVES DESPERATION LEVEL. THE WOLVES WERE PLAYING FOR THEIR SEASON, AND OKC LOOKED LIKE A TEAM THAT CAME IN, YOU KNOW, HOPING TO PLAY WELL AND HOPING TO WIN. AND I’M NOT SAYING THEY DIDN’T COME AND PLAY HARD. I JUST THINK THERE WAS A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF ANXIETY THAT MINNESOTA BROUGHT TO THIS GAME. AND WHEN YOU PLAY THESE GAMES AND YOU DON’T PUNCH FIRST, A LOT OF TIMES YOU’RE THE TEAM THAT’S GOING TO END UP ON THE SHORT END OF THIS. I THOUGHT MINNESOTA WAS MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE IN GAME THREE, AND OKLAHOMA CITY IS GOING TO HAVE TO MATCH THAT. HANNAH, BECAUSE LOOK, I PICKED OKC TO WIN IN SEVEN GAMES. I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A LONG, GRUELING SERIES. AND I THINK TONIGHT WE SAW THAT MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES TEAM. I EXPECTED TO SEE A LOT MORE OF IN GAMES ONE AND GAME TWO. I DIDN’T EXPECT OKLAHOMA CITY TO COME AND PLAY, JUST NOT HAVE THE ENERGY THAT WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO. BUT I’LL GIVE THE TIMBERWOLVES A LOT OF CREDIT. THEY CAME, THEY WERE READY TO PLAY. THEY PUNCHED HIM IN THE MOUTH AND THEY NEVER LET UP. YOU USED THE WORD DESPERATION. I’LL USE THE WORD INTENSITY BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE JULIUS RANDLE AND ANTHONY EDWARDS THEY JUST PLAYED WITH SO MUCH. INTENSITY. THAT’S WHAT I SAW. YOU KNOW LOOKING AT THE BOX SCORE JULIUS RANDLE 24 ANTHONY EDWARDS 30. YOU LIMIT SHAY TO 13 POINTS. THE DEFENSE FOR MINNESOTA SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS. JUST WATCHING THAT ON YOUR SCREEN. SO TO ME BRIAN I JUST THINK THIS WAS AN INTENSE GAME FOR MINNESOTA. AND IT FELT LIKE OKC JUST GOT LOST IN THE DUST. I’LL ASK YOU THIS WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT GAME FOUR MEANS, YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO TAKE THEM IN SEVEN. I KIND OF SAID SIX LAST WEEK IS WHAT I THOUGHT. AND THEN AFTER THE FIRST TWO GAMES, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, THERE’S NO WAY THAT MINNESOTA CAN WIN MORE THAN THREE. DO YOU THINK THEY CAN WIN MORE THAN ONE? YEAH. I MEAN, AGAIN, I PICKED OKLAHOMA CITY TO WIN THIS SERIES, BUT I PICKED IT TO WIN IT IN SEVEN. AND I THINK FOR SOME OF THE REASONS THAT WE SAW TONIGHT, I GIVE MINNESOTA A LOT OF CREDIT FOR KEEPING SHAY. GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER AND JALEN WILLIAMS OUT OF THE PAINT. THEY FORCED OKLAHOMA CITY TO SHOOT A BUNCH OF JUMPERS. IT’S NOT SOMETHING THEY’VE DONE VERY WELL IN THE PLAYOFFS, AND THEY DIDN’T DO IT WELL IN GAME THREE. AND SO I GIVE THEM A LOT OF CREDIT. IT’S GOING TO BE UP TO MARK DAIGNEAULT TO COME UP WITH A BETTER PLAN TO TRY TO GET INTO THE LANE AND GET THEM INTO THEIR SPOTS AND GET THEM INTO A RHYTHM EARLY. BUT I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU DON’T COME AND I USE THE WORD DESPERATION, I’LL CONTINUE WITH THAT. WHEN YOU DON’T BRING THAT SAME LEVEL OF DESPERATION THAT YOU HAD TO KNOW WAS COMING IN GAME THREE. THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN AGAINST REALLY GOOD TEAMS. AND I THINK THE ONE THING THAT THAT CONCERNS ME THE MOST IS THAT IN THE FIRST SERIES AGAINST THE MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES, OKLAHOMA CITY BLEW THEM OUT BASICALLY BOTH TIMES IN GAMES ONE AND GAME TWO, THEY GO ON THE ROAD INTO MEMPHIS IN GAME THREE AND GET TAKEN TO TASK. NOW, MEMPHIS ISN’T NEARLY AS GOOD, AND SO OKLAHOMA CITY WAS ABLE TO COME BACK AND WIN THAT GAME. AND THAT WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN TONIGHT. IT JUST REMINDED ME A LOT OF THAT. AND I THINK IT’S A TREND YOU SEE WITH THIS TEAM, MAYBE THEY’RE NOT MATURE ENOUGH TO BE IN THAT SITUATION. THEY DID NOT PLAY MATURE ENOUGH IN GAME THREE. BUT AGAIN THE TIMBERWOLVES BROUGHT THE FIGHT TO THEM. AND THAT’S THE REASON THEY WON BY 40. BUT YOU CAN’T WIN BY 40 IF THE OTHER TEAM SHOWS UP READY TO GO IN THE RIGHT WAY, ESPECIALLY A 68 WIN TEAM LIKE OKLAHOMA CITY HAS BEEN. THEY JUST DID NOT. WE WATCHED IT ALL. THEY REALLY GOT PUNCHED IN THE MOUTH. I THINK IS THE BEST WAY TO SAY YOU LOSE BY 40. YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THERE’S GOING TO BE SOME BOUNCE BACK. WE’VE SEEN IT. I JUST GO BACK TO GAME SEVEN AGAINST THE DENVER NUGGETS. IT WAS A DO OR DIE GAME, AND IT WAS A GAME WHERE YOU SAW THE OKC JUST WANTED IT. AND SO I THINK WE’RE GOING TO SEE A WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND OF A GAME ON MONDAY NIGHT IN MINNESOTA. A TEAM THAT YOU KNOW YOU MENTIONED IT EARLIER. THEY MIGHT BE A LITTLE EMBARRASSED BY THIS PERFORMANCE. I WOULD ASSUME THAT THEY ARE. SHAY GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER ONLY HAVING 13 POINTS. YOU’RE LIMITING J-DUB. YOU’RE LIMITING CHET. NO ONE REALLY HAD ANY KIND OF AN OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION KIND OF NIGHT. AND SO TO ME, I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME FOR. AND THAT’S NOT JUST ME BEING POSITIVE, BRIAN. THAT’S ME JUST KNOWING THIS IS A 68 WIN TEAM. YEAH, HANNAH, THERE IS NOTHING POSITIVE TO TAKE OUT OF THIS GAME TONIGHT. AND I MEAN NOTHING. THERE IS NOTHING POSITIVE OUT OF THE GAME. YOU’RE RIGHT. YOU’RE THE ONLY POSITIVE OUT OF THE GAME IS THAT IT ONLY COUNTS FOR ONE. THEY GET TO PLAY GAME FOUR ON MONDAY NIGHT. THEY GET TO PLAY GAME FOUR ON MONDAY NIGHT. IT COUNTS FOR ONE. THAT’S WHY YOU PLAY SEVEN. YOU KNOW I’M GOING TO SPIN THIS ANYWAY I POSSIBLY CAN BECAUSE THAT’S OKAY. THAT’S ALL RIGHT. HEY. BUT NO, SERIOUSLY, IN ALL HONESTY, THIS TEAM IS REALLY GOOD. YOU DON’T HAVE THE MVP ON YOUR TEAM FOR NO REASON AND MAKE EVERYONE JUST THAT MUCH BETTER. SO I WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTED TO HEAR THAT LOCKER ROOM SPEECH AND WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT 48 HOURS OR SO, BECAUSE I THINK IT WILL BE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT TEAM ON MONDAY. SO IF YOU’RE GOING TO LEAVE US WITH ONE THING, WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHAT ADJUSTMENTS ARE WE GOING TO SEE ON MONDAY? I JUST THINK AGAIN, THEY’VE GOT TO FIND A WAY TO GET BETTER SHOTS EARLY IN THE GAME. AND I THINK THEY SETTLED TOO MUCH. I THINK THAT’S ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK MINNESOTA WAS MUCH MORE FORCEFUL TONIGHT. ATTACKING THE BASKET, GETTING TO THE RIM AND GETTING TO THE SPOTS THAT THEY WANTED. AND I THINK OKLAHOMA CITY SETTLED FOR A LOT OF EARLY THREES. IT’S WHAT MINNESOTA WANTS TO MAKE THEM DO IS SHOOT THREES AND SHOOT JUMPERS. WHEN OKC IS AT THEIR BEST, IT’S SGA SLICING AND DICING AND GETTING TO THE BASKET. AND WE JUST DIDN’T SEE ANY OF THAT. SO I GIVE MINNESOTA A TON OF CREDIT. BUT I DO THINK THEY’LL COME WITH A BETTER PLAN TO TRY TO GET BETTER SHOTS AND MUCH MORE FORCEFUL LOOK. HANNAH IN GAME ONE THEY SHOT 21 THREES. THEY SHOT 38 TONIGHT. I JUST DON’T THINK THAT’S THE RECIPE THEY WANT. AND THE SHOT QUALITY THAT THEY WANT. I WOULD EXPECT MUCH BETTER OUT OF GAME FOUR. DOESN’T MEAN THEY’LL WIN GAME FOUR, BUT I EXPECT A MUCH BETTER EFFORT FROM OKC. AND AGAIN I’LL USE THE WORD THAT I’VE BEEN USING ALL NIGHT. DESPERATION. I EXPECT A MUCH MORE DESPERATE TEAM ON MONDAY NIGHT FROM OKC. PERFECT. YOU SAY DESPERATION. I’LL SAY I WANT TO SEE MORE INTENSITY FROM THIS OKC THUNDER TEAM. I HOPE YOU’VE HAD A GOOD TIME IN MINNEAPOLIS THOUGH. LOOKING GOOD OVER THERE. AND THANKS FOR THANKS FOR POPPING IN FOR US AND TALKING ABOUT THIS GAME. THREE HOPING FOR A BETTER GAME FOR BRIAN. SEE YOU. ALL RIGHT. WELL, I’M READY TO SEE THE THUNDER RALLY IN GAME FOUR. I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU. MOORE OKC THUNDER COVERAGE COMING YOUR WAY AND OU SOFTBALL
Crashing the boards: Thunder look to battle back from blowout loss in Western Conference Finals Game 3
Sports Director Bryan Keating and Hannah Hoover break down the Thunder’s blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
Updated: 11:35 PM CDT May 25, 2025
On the latest edition of Crashing the Boards, Sports Director Bryan Keating and Hannah Hoover break down the Thunder’s blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
On the latest edition of Crashing the Boards, Sports Director Bryan Keating and Hannah Hoover break down the Thunder’s blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.