“This is one of the best teams on the planet.” With these words Rick Carlisle summed up the moment the Minnesota Timberwolves. They did so after losing 127-109 last Saturday, December 16, in the Indiana Pacers third lowest score of the entire season. A situation that has become quite common for all those opponents facing the Wolves, a set forged by fire in defence and that at the same time, He is capable of developing an elite attack against any opponent.
Once the calendar completes its 12 pages, it will be closer to the 20th anniversary of the Timberwolves’ historic streak. Led by a Kevin Garnett MVP, they arrived from Minneapolis Western Finals, lost in six games to the championship-aspiring Lakers. That was the swan song of that project. And we’re not just saying, over the next 13 seasons they wouldn’t even set foot in the Playoffs in a descent into the last of the league’s circles of hell: competitive indifference.
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For a small market like the Timberwolves, having no project at all, or worse, chaining together a new draft without even getting results from the previous one is the worst possible strategy. Even when they returned to the playoffs in 2018, it was just a mirage, an illusion before they returned to their natural state in the Draft lottery positions. It wasn’t until his election Anthony Edwards with the choose 1 in 2020, the arrival of Chris Finch on the bench and transfer Rudy Gobert when, finally, Minnesota was able to field a meaningful team.
There were many who doubted this Big Ball in an age where flexibility and homogeneity are the norm and his first film run proved the skeptics right. However, time seems to prove a Tim Connelly who made a big bet on reversing the trend of a franchise doomed to be nothing.
Even if the Wolves didn’t make it out of the first round in the postseason, we could already say the run was a success. And it’s not an exaggeration. Minnesota hasn’t had three straight playoff seasons since the turn of the century and He did not win a qualifying round until after 8 consecutive first-round losses between 1997 and 2004.
Regardless of what happens from April, with what we’ve seen so far of the team led by Chris Finch, we can conclude that they are not only the best team to date in the NBA, but also the most ready to win a ring.
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Defense is the big pillar of the Timberwolves
Their defense is elite, anchored by a 106.8 defensive ratio with difference about second ranking (Celtics; 109.2) that is the same between the Greens and the LA Clippers (111.5), who are seventh. A solid commitment to Rudy Gobert and the development of secondary pieces, as I discussed earlier in this article, are behind the success of the franchise.
While other major defenses have fallen in Playoffs The French interior as a luxury spectator, in this case Minnesota’s flexibility gives them the benefit of the doubt ahead of the title battle.
Minny leaves her opponents in a hurry. 33.2% triple when the league average is 36.5% and a 60.8% in the areas that were closer to the basket while receiving little 46.6 points in the paint.
The Timberwolves’ defense is not focused on causing chaos for the opponent, increasing the amount of mistakes they can make, but rather on short-circuiting the offense, wasting time before having to make a desperation shot in the final seconds.
What is most impressive in Minny’s case has to do with the decision to rotate, to try different sets and lineups. In fact, the most used quintet in this class has just 177 minutes, consisting of Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns and Gobert. To put in context, There are 13 different formations that garner more court time than the Timberwolves’ most common.
This is due to the confidence in their system and the interchangeability of a large part of their pieces, as they can use secondary players like Naz Reid, Tony Brown, Nickeil Alexander-Walker or Kyle Anderson and nothing changes. Without further ado, 2 of the top 10 defensive lineups with more than 50 minutes belong to the Timberwolves, a testament to their strength on the back end.
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An awkward opponent
It is precisely this versatility and interchangeability that can allow them to be a dangerous opponent in the Playoffs. In a West as diverse as today, being able to change skin on defense is essential.
The Wolves have shown they can handle teams built around an interior, beating the Heat twice, the Nuggets and the 76ers. But others with outside scorers or big handlers like the Warriors in two cases, the Celtics, the Thunder, the Mavs or the Pacers.
This means they are competent play fast and open when the situation calls for it, but also Slow downfocus on the midfield and choose your shots better.
This trait, contextual adaptability, has proven to be necessary to, at the very least, aspire to be NBA champions. Without further ado, the example of the Miami Heat last year or the Phoenix Suns of 2021 gives a good idea of how vital it is to know how to adapt on the fly.
“We have many weapons and many different ways to win“Towns was briefed on Dec. 15 after beating the Mavericks.
In addition, in clutchthey are the best team in the entire NBA with 8 wins and just one loss, finishing fifth best net score thanks to a cumulative +23.7.
84 teams before the Minnesota Timberwolves have started with at least 20 wins in the first 25 games of the season. He 33.3% of them emerged champions at the end of the lesson and 51.1% made it to the Finals. History never plays in the present, but it affects it. After this brilliant start, it is now up to the Wolves to show they can continue to improve to come into June as the only franchise there is.
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