Philadelphia 76ers

Minnesota’s defensive menu in this matchup leaned on gap help and aggressive nail presence—show bodies to the ball, stunt from the strong-side slot, and rotate on the flight of the pass. Champagnie beat it by being early and simple. His makes weren’t “movement shooter” looks; they were playoff staples: corner and above-the-break catch-and-shoot threes created by drive gravity and post collapses. The key detail is timing. He lifted out of the corner when the low man committed to the roll/tag, then drifted back down when the defense tried to “X-out” on the weak side. Those micro-relocations force long closeouts and turn a rotation into two rotations.

San Antonio also used him as a pressure-release valve. When the Wolves switched or showed high at the level, the Spurs hit the short roll or swung to the weak side; Champagnie’s quick release punished Minnesota’s habit of “peeling back” late to the shooter after tagging the roller. Four threes on nine attempts is the math that breaks paint-packing defenses: it turns Minnesota’s preferred trade—protect the rim and concede perimeter volume—into a losing proposition.

Defensively, his value was the opposite of flashy: no blocks, no gambling, just clean possessions. Two steals came from reading predictable side pick-and-roll outlets—sitting on the pocket pass and jumping the skip when the ballhandler’s shoulders telegraphed it. Just as important: three fouls in 26 minutes while defending size and navigating screens means Minnesota didn’t get to live at the line, and the Spurs kept their matchups intact. Zero turnovers from a wing in a closeout is rotational gold; it let San Antonio keep its transition defense set and avoid the Wolves’ best scoring environment.