DENVER — In today's NBA, you no longer have to wait your turn. There is also no more inevitable suffering that teams have to endure before reaching elite status.
The windows open and close faster than expected, so if you get a chance, be sure to take a photo.
And the Minnesota Timberwolves shook off nerves, first-half lethargy, and even two decades of generational incompetence to not only solidify their status as legitimate championship contenders, but also defeat the defending champions on their home floor in Game 7. They defeated the Denver Nuggets. To recover from a 20-point deficit.
The Nuggets know that feeling. Last spring, they shook off the curse and shook off injuries to become championship stalkers and ultimately wrest the title from a traditional NBA powerhouse.
That ultimate feeling is one the Timberwolves hope to have — one of exhaustion, frustration, and as champions they must play 82 more games before beginning a two-month journey to redemption. It is also a feeling. another title.
The Wolves are now hoping to do that without the heartbreaking heartbreak that comes with championship road.
“This is the playoffs. We lost last year,” Karl-Anthony Towns said, referring to last year's first-round loss to the Nuggets.
“We lost the last two years,” Anthony Edwards said, keeping in mind the first-round loss to Memphis in 2022.
Mr. Towns continued. We've been losing for 20 years! ”
Probably no more.
The acquisition of Rudy Gobert was the start of this change in direction, and it was an ambitious gamble. And Gobert's 9-1-1 jumper as the shot clock expired was the karmic moment that let everyone know it was Minnie's night.
For the sixth year in a row, the NBA will not have a back-to-back champion, and for the first time in modern NBA history, no current or former best player will be selected for the NBA Final Four.
The Timberwolves rode into Ball Arena for their third win of the series, advancing to the Western Conference Finals with a 98-90 win on Sunday night. This was the most unlikely series finale.
The Timberwolves will have home court advantage against the Dallas Mavericks when the series concludes Wednesday night.
It was all there, the flushed look on Nuggets coach Michael Malone's face, the exhaustion in his voice, as if he had played 48 minutes and suddenly couldn't take a shot.
It was all there, and the glee in the back room when he spoke at the press conference was downright cruel. It was the Timberwolves' locker room, so all the jeers and hollers were to be expected.
Malone was bitter at first, but he has calmed down. These Timberwolves are exactly the team built to beat the Nuggets, and despite the history that teams should suffer a little more before taking over, taking over doesn't last very long in today's league.
“I'm not making excuses. The better team won,” Malone said. “We played a lot of basketball until June of last year. We had to play our main players until Game 82 to secure the No. 2 seed. The run we had last season, and coming back “At that time, our players were feeling the gas mentally, emotionally and physically. They gave me everything I asked for.”
The champion would mock the challenger. From Magic to Isaiah to Michael to Shaq to Kobe to Steph to KD, it became a habit to repeat it. If you win, set your clock for the same time next June.
Now, June doesn't belong to anyone. You can borrow June, but once your contract is up, even if you have the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic, even if you have the best non-All-Star player in Jamal Murray, you're suddenly forced to leave. Become.
“So much is on their shoulders,” Malone said. “We expect Nicola and Jamal to keep pulling rabbits out of the hat, so someone has to give them some help. We just struggled to make shots. It's really good defense.”
The two carried the Nuggets as far as possible, especially Murray nursing his injured calf. All was well with the world in the first half when Murray was sent off. He and Jokic combined for 69 points for the Nuggets, who couldn't find help elsewhere. Jokic had 34 points and 19 rebounds, but it didn't seem like a typical game for Jokic.
And now he has to stew.
But despite the Timberwolves' frenzied comeback, holding the champions to just 37 points in the second half as they looked the champions in the eye and ran through them, it was enough to make any team choke up. It wasn't that I wasn't one step closer.
It was a two-week slugfest between the two best teams in basketball, followed by a classic Game 7 that brought all the emotion, fear, and doubt that it should.
The halftime message from the Timberwolves' locker room was simple.
“Calm down,” Mike Conley said.
The 15-point deficit at halftime will be the biggest hurdle to overcome in Game 7 history. And the history of this series says that for every blowout, a comeback doesn't happen. But this is a different NBA and a different Minnesota team. And somewhere along the way, they realized what seemed obvious a week before him.
As long as they can handle the moment, they're the better team.
And then that moment came like a wave.
For six of 24 games, Edwards let his guard down in the open floor, guarding Murray, swiping and coaxing him like an annoyed little brother while Murray pried the ball open for layups and dunks. decided.
And Karl-Anthony Towns guarded Jokic well and used his size to get to the basket, playing enough offense to keep the Timberwolves within range. He did the best he could and at the same time didn't do too much.
Malone knew he couldn't let Edwards explode after 40 pitches, so he tried his best to beat Towns against him.
And then the next thing you know, the game was suddenly 58-38 at 10:50, and nine minutes later the Timberwolves had won 21-3, and everyone had sweaty palms and faces. His cheeks became tight.
Percentages must be considered on both the floor and the balance sheet.
That's what makes sustainability so difficult to achieve in today's NBA. Because you can't really increase the core of your championship while still rewarding players who bring you rings. The Nuggets only had six players available, with Christian Braun playing 19 minutes off the bench.
Typically, teams add veterans on the back end and are willing to take on small roles in hopes of winning a title, but in this brave new world of luxury tax standards, a seventh or eighth man The mechanisms for finding or keeping someone who has it feel difficult and impossible.
Malone vows the Nuggets will be back, and he expects them to be. Tim Duncan's Spurs would never repeat themselves, experiencing some devastating and even embarrassing losses along the way, but coming back for more — and It's worth noting that Malone considers his five championships from 1999 to 2014 a dynasty.
“You get all the way through training camp and all of a sudden it stops,” Malone said. “And that hurts. Use that motivation and come back as a better player. We won last year. The team in the West is regrouped and structured. How can you beat the champion? And the team got even better. ”
Last year's mainstay, Bruce Brown, is in a different position, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will receive a raise if he opts out after this season.
These two are grinders, and the Timberwolves inherited that identity — especially Jaden McDaniels (23 points) and Edwards, who was blown away by going 2-of-10 in a way only he can. did. But one of those triples closed out the third quarter, making it a one-score game as the Wolves fought back.
It ended with Conley's open-court steal with 3:07 left, giving his team a 10-point lead and effectively killing off the lights in Ball Arena.
But next to him on the podium was Edwards, praising Towns.
“He made all the right plays tonight. He only took 14 shots, but was always very efficient,” Edwards said. “He carried us tonight. Whenever we needed a bucket, he was there for us. He made the right play over and over again. .”
Even if he's not a veteran, Edwards is an unquestioned leader — in fact, one of the reasons Rudy Gobert was brought to Minnesota was because Towns was a better offensive player than the opposition.
And despite Edwards' place in the pecking order, Towns has lost more than anyone wearing a Timberwolves jersey.
“We definitely had our moments,” Towns said. “I've waited nine years. I've talked about wanting to win, wanting to do something special for this organization, and all the failures and disappointments that come with that. Even just for this moment. , let's celebrate the victory. I've seen it all, I've seen it all.”
“(Expletive) They're nine years old,” Edwards said.
That could have been said in the locker room at halftime or after the game.
The Wolves have shaken off the old label and are now wearing a new one. As a favorite, but not for long.