Timberwolves Pushing Towards the NBA Playoffs

Timberwolves Pushing Towards the NBA Playoffs

Minnesota Timberwolves middle Karl-Anthony Cities performed coy when a reporter requested if he had discovered one thing about find out how to win tight, essential video games throughout his group’s 125-116 loss to the league-leading Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

“For certain, for certain,” Cities stated, earlier than pausing as if desirous about whether or not to disclose what precisely he’d discovered.

He thought higher of it.

“For certain,” he stated, “there’s positively one thing I noticed.” He added, “I’ll be certain it doesn’t occur once more.”

Cities is an unusually forthcoming interviewee for an N.B.A. star, however as of late he has to make a calculation he’s hardly ever needed to take into account earlier than: No matter he reveals about his course of may wind up providing a bonus to a playoff opponent.

After almost 20 years of dwelling within the backside half of the N.B.A.’s Western Convention, the Timberwolves (42-32) are establishing themselves as energetic, younger newcomers who might need some endurance as a playoff contender. That’s, if they’ll keep away from the traps of the league’s play-in match.

“We all know we’re on this stretch the place we’re taking part in all these high groups,” Timberwolves Coach Chris Finch stated. “We stated from the start once we began, that is what we needed. We’re studying about ourselves. We’re studying what we have to do right now of yr to play towards these groups.”

With eight video games remaining within the season, Minnesota has extra wins than in all however one of many earlier 16 seasons (2017-18). Two of these seasons have been shorter than the usual 82 video games: The Timberwolves performed simply 64 video games in 2019-20 due to the pandemic, and 66 in 2011-12 due to a labor lockout. Even so, their profitable share this yr might be higher than these shortened seasons even when they lose the final eight video games.

That 2017-18 season, with Jimmy Butler main the way in which to a 47-35 file, was additionally the one one up to now 17 when the Timberwolves made the playoffs.

Their postseason futility typically earned them favorable draft positioning, together with the No. 1 general choose twice — in 2015, once they drafted Cities, and in 2020, once they drafted Anthony Edwards.

Edwards has introduced power along with his play and persona, averaging 21 factors per recreation in his second N.B.A. season and thrilling each teammates and followers along with his buoyancy, notably earlier than injuring his knee in January.

Cities has embraced his management function. He’s been notably efficient in March, beginning the month with a 39-point effort towards the Golden State Warriors, and scoring 60 factors final week towards the San Antonio Spurs.

Minnesota’s progress from final season is clear, but it surely has additionally progressed since earlier this season. Minnesota misplaced seven of its first 10 video games and had a season-worst six-game dropping streak throughout that span.

However now, in March, the Timberwolves are 9-3 and have compiled profitable streaks of 4 and 6 video games because the All-Star break in February. They’ve hovered near capturing a minimum of the sixth-best file within the Western Convention, which is now the one means to make sure a playoff berth.

Prior to now, the league would merely embrace the highest eight seeds in every convention within the playoffs. However final season, the N.B.A. launched a play-in match for the underside of its playoff bracket. In it, the groups with the seventh- by way of Tenth-best information in every convention play in a mini match for the ultimate two playoff spots.

The league favored the change a lot it stored it this yr, and it has created an unusual stage of late-season intrigue in each conferences. The Lakers, who’ve toggled between ninth and Tenth place within the West, now have a cushion that provides them a second life even when they end exterior the highest eight. For the Timberwolves, although, the play-in kind has added a hurdle that didn’t exist by way of most of their playoff drought.

Because the standings sit now, the Timberwolves are the seventh seed and would host the eighth-seeded Clippers of their first play-in recreation. If Minnesota gained, it could grow to be the seventh seed within the playoffs. If it misplaced, it could play the winner of a recreation between the ninth and Tenth seeds for the best to be the eighth seed within the playoffs.

Final season, the format allowed the Memphis Grizzlies to sneak into the playoffs with play-in wins over San Antonio and Golden State, regardless of ending the common season with the ninth-best file within the West.

Such a destiny is probably a impolite reward for a Timberwolves group that has taken such strides this season.

Towards the Suns on Wednesday, the Timberwolves noticed what a group seems to be like when it has expertise with closing and imposing its will. The Timberwolves led by 15 factors within the third quarter, however have been outscored by 22 within the second half. Technical and flagrant fouls referred to as towards Minnesota have been a part of the story, however so was Phoenix’s poise in its comeback effort.

With a six-game lead over the eighth-seeded Clippers, the Timberwolves are unlikely to complete decrease than seventh, however they path the sixth-seeded Nuggets by only a recreation and a half.

Capturing that sixth seed and being safely out of the play-in match might be difficult given the troublesome schedule that is still. The Timberwolves have now misplaced consecutive video games to the Mavericks and Suns. They’ll face Dallas once more on Friday, then the Boston Celtics, who’ve gone 19-3 because the starting of February. They’ll additionally face Chicago, Toronto and Denver — all within the high seven of their conferences — earlier than the top of the season.

Denver would have been in competition for the Western Convention title this season if not for accidents, notably the one to level guard Jamal Murray. Of their path, Finch, who was on the Nuggets workers in the course of the 2016-17 season, sees some extent of comparability for the Wolves about what could be required to grow to be a fixture within the postseason image.

“It simply takes time,” Finch stated. “Particularly when you could have a younger group, a younger core.”

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