Timberwolves

Can the Wolves Keep the Party Going?

Photo Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Karl-Anthony Towns‘ friend Mac Miller, the late rapper, once told the world that there was a party on 5th Ave. Now, KAT and the rest of the Minnesota Timberwolves have been throwing one on 1st Ave.

The Target Center is rocking in a way that it hasn’t since Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell, and Latrell Sprewell led the Wolves to the Western Conference Finals in 2003-04. That was the last time Minnesota had won six-straight games until this year’s team reeled off six in a row.

It’s important that Target Center is filling up and gets loud. Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, the new owners, get to see the passion for basketball here first-hand, and it makes going to games more inviting. After Garnett left, attending a Wolves game became something like an obligation for die-hard fans. Many of them came to see the other team. Now, Timberwolves games have become a must-see event. Vikings and Wild players like Kyle Rudolph and Matt Dumba are mingling with the crowd. Former ESPN anchor Craig Kilborn and Bachelorette Michelle Young occasionally sit courtside.

The Timberwolves punctuated the final two wins by blowing out the Portland Trail Blazers twice and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Minneapolis before flying to Florida. During the second Blazers game, a 124-81 Wolves win, Towns joined the fans in the wave, and Patrick Beverley shot a t-shirt gun into the crowd. Minnesota’s “quiet-ass fans” have heeded D’Angelo Russell‘s request and stand until the Timberwolves score their first bucket.

“Man, for us to be playing these bad teams, the crowd is crazy,” said Anthony Edwards after Minnesota beat OKC 132-102 on March 9. “Like, normally when we play these bad teams, the crowd there don’t be that many people in stands. But, I guess they comin’ out to every game now.”

Edwards should be commended for his honesty. He’s never one to hold back what he’s thinking at any given moment. But a player rarely calls another team “bad.” Yes, the Blazers and Thunder are definitely bad teams. However, most players and coaches are reluctant to give opponents bulletin board material. And it just seems like bad karma. Disrespect enough opponents, and eventually, one will make you pay.

The Orlando Magic provided a reality check for the Wolves. Minnesota was probably looking past Orlando, owners of the worst record in the Eastern Conference. They were headed to Southern Florida the next day, and Miami Heat has the best record in the East. But the Wolves should have had their guard up. The Magic had already beaten the Timberwolves at the Target Center in November, and they snapped Minnesota’s winning streak on Friday, 118-110.

“We kind of disrespect teams, our approach,” said Russell when asked about the loss in Orlando. “Our approach would be a little different if we were playing a better team or whatnot. Treat any team like they’re the best team.”

It was easy to think that this was the same old Wolves on Friday night. Instead of moving the ball around, they constantly chucked up shots and finished the game 0-for-13 from three to end the game. Gone was the fluid ball movement that ignited their winning streak, and they immediately had to face Miami the next day.

Not only had they blown a chance to win a seventh straight game, but their schedule is about to get harder.

We shouldn’t put too much stock in a Florida trip in March, but the loss in Orlando and Minnesota’s 113-104 win in Miami were significant. The Timberwolves needed a reality check. They still are fighting for the 6-seed and cannot look past inferior opponents. Taking care of business against Portland and OKC was crucial in Minnesota’s push to get out of the play-in. But now, things get much more difficult.

After their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, the Timberwolves will play eight teams in the playoffs or the play-in game. It starts with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday and ends with a game against the Houston Rockets on April 3. Minnesota needed to create as much cushion in the standings as possible, especially as the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets continue to win.

“We know the schedule gets harder now, and that’s exactly what we want,” Finch said after the OKC game. “We’re ready for that.”

He probably didn’t mean the Orlando game, but the sentiment still applies. They beat Miami shorthanded, although Jimmy Butler missed that game. And they’re going to have to get results against teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, and the Nuggets to have any chance at the 6-seed. The entertainment in those games will come from winning hard-fought games, not from celebrating blowouts.

The fans will show up for those games, and the Wolves have to give them a reason to come back. The people who attend need to leave wanting to tell their friends, There’s a party on 1st Ave, and you’re gonna want to go.

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Photo Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

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