The Minnesota Timberwolves’ locker room was calm and quiet before Game 7 in Denver. Anthony Edwards popped in, joked around with his teammates, and left shortly after. Mike Conley had his feet in an ice bath. Rudy Gobert knocked out some knuckle push-ups. A replay of Minnesota’s 115-70 win played in the background.
An hour later, 20,000 people filled Ball Arena. The stadium noise would build during player introductions and reach a crescendo as Denver took a 20-point lead in the second half. However, the game ended with Minnesota’s traveling crowd creating bedlam in the concourses. The Timberwolves had become the first team to trail by 15 at halftime of a Game 7 and win it. Minnesota won 98-90 and reached the Western Conference Finals for the second time in franchise history.
However, the only sound before the fury was idle chatter between Monte Morris, Josh Minott, and Jaylen Clark. They were sitting in the corner of the visitor’s locker room, discussing the fight between Oleksander Usyk and Tyson Fury. Meanwhile, 7,619 miles away in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Usyk defeated Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999.
The conversation was fitting, given that the Wolves were in a heavyweight fight of their own. Tim Connelly built Denver into a contender by putting size around the 6’11”, 284 lbs. Nikola Jokic. Minnesota hired Connelly a year before the Nuggets won their title, and he built the Timberwolves to defeat the defending champs. Aside from Games 1 and 7, every contest was a blowout. Every time, one team got ahead and knocked the other out.
Minnesota won Game 2 by 26 points on the road without Rudy Gobert. Denver won the next three by a combined 40 points; the Wolves won Game 6 by 45 points, holding the Nuggets to their lowest scoring total in franchise history. The Timberwolves and Denver won each game in the middle of the series by knockout. However, Minnesota’s glancing blow in Game 2 didn’t knock the Nuggets out of the fight. Similarly, the Timberwolves didn’t bow out of the series after Denver clocked them three times in a row.
Still, we didn’t know if the Wolves could recover from an uppercut in the middle of a game.
“I’m very confident in our guys. All the time,” said Chris Finch. “Down 20, we were guarding, we were playing hard. We just weren’t playing very smart on the offensive end.
“Our guys, when you defend, you give yourselves a chance. I didn’t lose faith in our guys. It was way too early to do that. But we hadn’t done a good job in Games 3, 4 and 5 of kind of surviving our own bad offense. Tonight, we were able to do that.”
Denver built a 34-22 lead with eight minutes to go in the second quarter and 53-38 at halftime. According to ESPN metrics, the Nuggets had a 97.1% chance of winning when they led 58-38 with 10:06 left in the third. Denver repeatedly landed haymakers. There was no Game 8. The Timberwolves would have to respond as time melted off the clock.
“I really think guys just found whatever that little bit was for each individual to do a little bit better. Each guy did something,” said Mike Conley, who won his first Game 7 at age 36.
“Rudy was starting to screen better and finish better. I was getting guys open. Ant was starting to be aggressive getting downhill. KAT was guarding like his life was dependent on it, and Jaden started being aggressive offensively.
“We just had everybody kind of doing their role at the right time. Not letting what was happening, the results, dictate our effort.”
Anthony Edwards said that Finch wasn’t upset with the team at halftime. He offered an honest assessment of how they fell behind and showed them some things on tape that they could fix. The players said they were calm in the locker room, knowing they’ve faced adversity before and overcome it.
“I don’t think we were ever worried. That’s the crazy part,” said Naz Reid, who had 11 points and came in for Towns late in the game when he was in foul trouble. “All of us had the feeling that we were never worried. It’s a game of runs. We went down 20, and we still weren’t worried. That’s a great team, don’t get me wrong, but I think it just shows the confidence and character that we have.”
Conley said that Minnesota’s comeback win in Game 7 should be a harbinger of success for the team as the playoffs progress. The Dallas Mavericks don’t possess Denver’s size, but Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are gifted offensive players who can catalyze a run.
“It tells us who we are and what we’re capable of doing,” said Conley. “We don’t flinch in the face of any adversity. When stuff goes sideways, we find a way to get back on track.
“That’s a good sign. It’s going to be a crazy Wednesday.”
The Wolves have proven a lot this postseason. Edwards is becoming the face of the NBA. Nobody can call Towns a stat-stuffer who doesn’t win. Gobert is anchoring a suffocating defense, and the entire rotation played a part in taking down the defending champs. However, they had to show that they could take a punch in Game 7 and deliver a knockout. There was a sense of calm in the locker room because they knew they could do that.
