The NBA’s regular season reveals more than most recognize. Over the course of 82 games, identities crystallize.
Denver established one — a fine-tuned machine centered on two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who’s armed with a couple elite scorers and a host of role players who perfectly balance out the team’s general skillset. The Nuggets made a few key offseason additions last summer to fortify their defense, but the core has been set for years and has built a profound understanding of how to execute in the most critical moments.
Minnesota’s identity is that it doesn’t have one. What the Timberwolves excelled at or relied upon changed numerous times over the months, and the results fluctuated accordingly.
“We’ve struggled with a consistent identity all year, whether it’s been two bigs, or a small lineup, or Rudy only or whatever,” Finch said. “We obviously aren’t there yet.”
So when times got tough or tense, Minnesota had nothing concrete on which to lean.
When that’s the case, any semblance of structure crumbles as individual players simply try to make things happen on their own. That approach doomed the Timberwolves time and time again this season, just as it did in Game 3 on Friday in Minneapolis.
The Wolves fell apart down the stretch of their 120-111 loss to the top-seeded Nuggets. Denver leads the best-of-seven series 3-0, and the Wolves’ season is on the line Sunday at Target Center.
To upset the Nuggets, Minnesota will have to top the top seed on four straight occasions. Nothing seems less likely for such an inconsistent team that experienced numerous highs and lows this season, but actually established little.
“For us as a team, we’ve got to work on paying attention to details. And it’s maturity. It comes with time, but it comes with building the right habits,” Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert said. “And not to complain, but those things start early in the season. We had a lot of injuries this year, we had a lot of things that didn’t go our way. I was playing with the French national team, came a couple days before training camp, injured. It’s a lot of things. Not to make any excuses, but those habits don’t happen overnight.
“And for us, even if we’re losing tonight, I’ve really enjoyed for us to go through that right now and understand the difference, not in talent, but in those habits between us and Denver.”
Habits such as getting back on defense, hitting the glass and making the simple play on offense. The latter has been an issue all season, particularly in nitty-gritty time down the stretch. Minnesota seemed to have no plan with the ball late, with possessions ending in turnovers or tough shots.
That’s where Mike Conley said a lack of cohesion shows itself. This Timberwolves’ team is still so unfamiliar thanks to an ever-shifting roster and rotations. Continuity can’t be concocted out of thin air.
“I’ve been on teams that have been together for four, five years and you just know you’ve been running a play all game, this next time you run it, you’re going to back cut,” Conley said. “It’s just like, you’ve been setting it up all game and something you’ve done all year, 82 games, guys know exactly what to do, how fast to cut. When to look for the pass. We’re still learning that.”
That reads like the final chapter of a basketball manual, and this Timberwolves’ team is still skimming Page 3.
“It’s also our mindset. We can’t just say chemistry. Do the things the game needs. It’s a little bit of both,” Gobert said. “It’s a little bit on us to just learn, grow, mature and yeah, just winning. Winning before anything else. On the court, off the court everything matters.”
Meanwhile, Denver generated one good look after another for whoever was open. That’s what the Nuggets have done all series, all season.
Jokic was again the head of the snake, finishing with 20 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds. But all five Nuggets starters scored 14-plus points, led by 25 from Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets tallied 29 bench points to Minnesota’s 10.
The Nuggets shot 57% from the field and 41% from deep, Minnesota couldn’t get a stop.
Sure, Anthony Edwards was electric. He finished with 36 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. But much like last year against Memphis, those superstar showings aren’t translating to victories.
Karl-Anthony Towns bounced back in some ways offensively after a rough start to the series, finishing with 27 points. But he also tallied a couple bad turnovers and was again largely invisible in the fourth. It was a performance representative of Minnesota’s team — it looked better on paper than it did in action.
Target Center was its usual postseason self — electric. On a busy sports night in the Twin Cities, downtown Minneapolis was packed with basketball fans. The “white-out” crowd roared in the moments leading up to the opening tip, and the Timberwolves fed off that energy to jump out to an early 15-8 advantage.
But as they have done all series, the Nuggets responded like champions and led by the end of the frame. Every Timberwolves punch has been absorbed and quickly countered. Minnesota attempted 22 more free throws than Denver. Seemingly everything was working against the Nuggets on Friday.
Such circumstances would’ve crushed Minnesota. But the Nuggets are not the Timberwolves. They are a collective that only seems to bond closer and trust one another more when things get tighter.
“They stayed calm through the storms and were able to convert. It just showed they’ve been together for a long time and are a really good team,” Kyle Anderson said. “They’re the best team in the West.”
The Wolves have yet to beat that team in three tries, having won just one of the 12 quarters played in this series. Minnesota’s back is pressed firmly against the wall. In this moment, what can the Wolves possibly rely on? Who even are they?
To hop on another flight to Denver for Game 5, TSA will require some proof of identification.
