Minnesota Timberwolves heart Karl-Anthony Cities performed coy when a reporter requested if he had discovered one thing about the best way to win tight, vital video games throughout his crew’s 125-116 loss to the league-leading Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
“For positive, for positive,” Cities stated, earlier than pausing as if excited about whether or not to disclose what precisely he’d discovered.
He thought higher of it.
“For positive,” he stated, “there’s undoubtedly 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 not often needed to think about earlier than: No matter he reveals about his course of may wind up providing a bonus to a playoff opponent.
After practically 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 may need some endurance as a playoff contender. That’s, if they’ll keep away from the traps of the league’s play-in event.
“We all know we’re on this stretch the place we’re enjoying all these prime groups,” Timberwolves Coach Chris Finch stated. “We stated from the start once we began, that is what we wished. We’re studying about ourselves. We’re studying what we have to do at the moment of 12 months to play in opposition to 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 had 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 successful share this 12 months shall be higher than these shortened seasons even when they lose the final eight video games.
That 2017-18 season, with Jimmy Butler main the best way to a 47-35 report, was additionally the one one previously 17 when the Timberwolves made the playoffs.
Their postseason futility usually earned them favorable draft positioning, together with the No. 1 general decide twice — in 2015, once they drafted Cities, and in 2020, once they drafted Anthony Edwards.
Edwards has introduced power along with his play and character, averaging 21 factors per recreation in his second N.B.A. season and thrilling each teammates and followers along with his buoyancy, significantly earlier than injuring his knee in January.
Cities has embraced his management position. He’s been significantly efficient in March, beginning the month with a 39-point effort in opposition to the Golden State Warriors, and scoring 60 factors final week in opposition to the San Antonio Spurs.
Minnesota’s progress from final season is obvious, 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 successful streaks of 4 and 6 video games for the reason that All-Star break in February. They’ve hovered near capturing at the very least the sixth-best report within the Western Convention, which is now the one approach to make sure a playoff berth.
Up 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 event for the underside of its playoff bracket. In it, the groups with the seventh- by Tenth-best information in every convention play in a mini event for the ultimate two playoff spots.
The league preferred the change a lot it saved it this 12 months, and it has created an unusual degree 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 offers them a second life even when they end exterior the highest eight. For the Timberwolves, although, the play-in type has added a hurdle that didn’t exist by 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 turn into 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 appropriate 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 report within the West.
Such a destiny is probably a impolite reward for a Timberwolves crew that has taken such strides this season.
Towards the Suns on Wednesday, the Timberwolves noticed what a crew 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 had been outscored by 22 within the second half. Technical and flagrant fouls referred to as in opposition to Minnesota had 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 event shall be difficult given the tough 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 for the reason that starting of February. They’ll additionally face Chicago, Toronto and Denver — all within the prime seven of their conferences — earlier than the tip of the season.
Denver would have been in rivalry for the Western Convention title this season if not for accidents, significantly the one to level guard Jamal Murray. Of their path, Finch, who was on the Nuggets employees throughout the 2016-17 season, sees some extent of comparability for the Wolves about what may be required to turn into a fixture within the postseason image.
“It simply takes time,” Finch stated. “Particularly when you have got a younger crew, a younger core.”