After three defeats in a row, the Wolves had their backs against the wall before Game 6 against the Nuggets. How to reverse the trend when Nikola Jokic and his teammates had visibly gained the upper hand in the series?
A first response would have been to target the shortcomings and errors of the three reverses, in order to correct them. But Chris Finch and his staff decided to change philosophy and look back on the successes of the first two matches, won in Denver. All with music to illustrate the actions, including rap.
A change of mentality
“Before the match, the coaches and staff did a remarkable job of putting together a video of the good actions we had done in the two matches we won against them”, explains Anthony Edwards. “Everyone started to believe it after that video, the energy had changed. It was important. »
Obviously, such a dynamic and positive video session is a surprise for the players, confirms Mike Conley.
“Usually the videos are made with a few offensive possessions. There, it was more of a show with dunks and ball circulation, with music. It was surprising,” says the playmaker who was back after missing Game 5. “The sound was very loud too. Usually, we don’t use the big speakers, it’s the video and the coach who speaks over it, that’s all. There, it was mainly for a change of mentality. It was the last thing we saw before heading off, 25 minutes before the start of the match. »
A way to wake up a locker room affected by defeats
Shining a light on the positive and not the negative allowed the Wolves to remember that they could dominate the defending champions. A feeling that they had perhaps forgotten after three defeats in a row and helplessness against Nikola Jokic.
“I think that, overall, we were a little tense, tense,” poursuit Mike Conley. “We saw it in the last matches, we were not as liberated as we should have been. We refused certain shots. We were tense and silent in the locker room because of the pressure. Normally, we are alive, we laugh, we joke. It’s not fun to lose but we can still keep our energy and our style. »
Karl-Anthony Towns, too, insists on the importance of this moment for the Wolves locker room.
“We realized that we had lost our style for three matches. We were able to see it visually, see our game: the hardness, the physical impact, the emotions and also the discipline, the tenacity”lists the interior. “We were missing all that in the three games. The staff did a superb job on this video. It was the perfect time to pull this out of the hat. »
2024-05-18 13:04:27
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