What a difference a week makes for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Last Sunday, on the heels of their comeback win against the defending champion Denver Nuggets, they were the toast of Minnesota and the NBA. Today, they are 0-2 against the suddenly dominant Dallas Mavericks and are two losses away from being flushed out of their Western Conference Finals series.
Week in Review
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After the Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 98-90 to clinch their Western Conference Semifinals series, Anthony Edwards (Ant) was yucking it up with Charles Barkley and the rest of the TNT crew. Karl Anthony-Towns (KAT) was smiling from ear to ear, thinking that all of his years with this downtrodden franchise were finally paying off.
And was there any doubt that coach Chris Finch was completely robbed of the Coach of the Year honors that he so richly deserved? A T-shirt was designed to celebrate Ant’s postgame chant with Sir Charles. Watch parties were set up all over town. And some guy in Roseville, Minnesota, created a Naz Reid tattoo.
Yes. Everything was sunshine and roses for the Timberwolves. They were flying so high; what could possibly go wrong? But there were two big problems with all of this hype. Somebody forgot to tell Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving about the fairytale.
Timberwolves Can’t Shoot
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What could go wrong? The obvious answer is that the Timberwolves superstars forgot how to put the ball in the net. Ant and KAT are a combined 21-69 from the field for the series’ first two games. And to add salt to the wound, they are 10-33 from behind the arc. Together, they have committed six fouls and some of the worst passes that Target Center has ever seen.
Minnesota is fortunate that they have had the services of Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson, and Jaden McDaniels these past two games. These three are a combined 30-56 from the field and 17-30 from the three-point stripe. The Timberwolves would have been on the opposite end of two blowout losses without their consistent play.
Nuggets Can Shoot
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For as awful as Ant and KAT have shot in Games 1 and 2, Doncic and Irving have shown the world why they are NBA superstars and clutch playoff performers. The Mavericks duo is 41-88 from the field and 12 of 31 from downtown. They have shot over, blown through, and completely bamboozled the Timberwolves defense.
And as a bonus, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Jones Jr., and P.J. Washington are averaging double figures for the series and have made some key baskets when the Mavericks have needed them most.
Can the Timberwolves Claw Back Into the Series?
Can the Timberwolves rebound from a 0-2 deficit and have a fighting chance to win the series? Game 3 is in Dallas, but the Timberwolves have an excellent road win percentage this postseason. The team is 5-1 as “Road Warriors” during their playoff run so far.
And they have received spirited support from Reid, McDaniels, and Anderson, which has kept them competitive against the Mavs. And certainly, the NBA’s best defense in 2023-24 has to raise the bar and start defending at a more elite level.
But unless Ant and KAT break out of their shooting slumps, the Timberwolves could soon be facing a long summer. The Minnesota Faithful hope coach Finch can light a fire under this talented group and push them to excel as they did so often this season. We’ll all be watching.
About the Author
Greg Simbeck covers a variety of sports for Total Apex Sports. He specializes in MLB coverage. Greg has covered various sports for numerous other publications over the years.
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