Jaden McDaniels received a hit-ahead pass from Donte DiVincenzo, took a hard dribble inside the arc toward San Antonio big man Victor Wembanyama, stepped back to 12 feet inside the paint and drilled the baby jumper to put the Minnesota Timberwolves up one with 48 seconds to play.
No hesitation nor second thought required. Even with the game hanging in the balance. Even early in the shot clock. Even with the likes of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle on the floor.
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Ready. Aim. Fire.
If the Timberwolves possess the most of any one thing of the 30 teams in the NBA, it may very well be confidence. They’re fearless. All of ’em.
If Edwards sets the tone for Minnesota in any one thing, it’s this one. He doesn’t think there’s a person on Earth who can guard him, nor a team he can’t beat. He has proven correct more times than not.
He used to rarely, if ever, go right in pursuit of a bucket. But with 20 seconds remaining Sunday and Minnesota down one, Edwards sized up Wembanyama, went to the right hand he previously avoided and used it to float a shot off the glass for what ended up being the game-winning bucket in Minnesota’s 104-103 victory.
A man with few to no weaknesses has little reason not to believe.
The Wolves feel the same as a collective. It’s one reason why they’ve always fared so well against the best teams the NBA has to offer – they never mentally count themselves out before the ball is tipped.
Truthfully, Minnesota thinks it’s better than every team it lines up against until proven otherwise. And even that isn’t conceded until the game clock strikes triple zeroes.
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No deficit is too large for the Timberwolves to believe they can’t overcome. Rally from 14 down in the final frame to beat the second-place Spurs (27-12)? They don’t think they can — they assume they will. Because they know what they’re capable of.
They rallied from 16 down in the final five minutes to win in Houston last year. Three months later, they trailed the Thunder by 16 in the final four minutes in Oklahoma City and came back to win in overtime.
Down 16 in the final six minutes in Denver on Christmas last month? Let’s go to OT.
Just wait until the Wolves (26-14) find their gear, and watch them rumble.
Because when they do hit those patches where they start to roll, it’s nearly unstoppable.
All of the Wolves think they can and will score whenever a shred of daylight presents itself. Of course, McDaniels, Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and Bones Hyland are going to put up shots without blinking when the opportunity arises – they all believe they should get even more of them.
DiVincenzo’s range is anywhere within 35 feet of the bucket. Reid seemingly savors the shot to show off his handle.
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It should come as no surprise that Randle thoroughly enjoyed bodying up Wembanyama on Sunday. He did the same to the likes of LeBron James and Draymond Green in last year’s postseason. Randle relishes any opportunity to show he’s too big, strong and powerful for a highly-touted opponent.
It’s no secret how highly Rudy Gobert thinks of himself as a defender, who in his mind can cover any ground and defend any shot, and often would prefer his teammates not assist in the endeavor.
The Wolves may be the highest caliber team in the association with the ability to trot out five-man lineups in which every player within it believes he’s the best player on the court.
Rational? Sometimes not. But it’s Minnesota’s defining characteristic.
It’s not an easy one to corral.
It’s the reason the Wolves fall into ruts where they take a series of ill-advised shots they’re convinced are higher quality than they are.
It’s the reason the Wolves can’t consistently nail down the passing, body and ball movement offense their head coach craves and they all know is most effective for their team.
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It’s the reason the Wolves don’t always come out of the gates with the requisite energy to compete on a night to night basis because they don’t just think there’s an on-off switch they can flip when needed, they know it.
It’s also why they consistently produce some of the most stunning upsets, comebacks and performances you’ll see throughout an NBA season. It’s why even when they’re down, they’re never out – regardless of what the scoreboard or their record reads.
When it clicks, it’s magic.
It makes them both infuriating and infatuating, often both within the same 48 minute span.
The end result is a watch that never allows you to turn off your television. Discretion may be the better part of valor, but not entertainment, nor achieving the seemingly impossible.
That requires belief.
If it’s indeed arrogance the Wolves possess, at least it’s earned.
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Edwards was having a rough shooting night from the field Sunday. But in the fourth quarter, he told teammate Terrence Shannon Jr., “If they let us get within striking distance, I’m going to close it out.”
And he did, as he knew he would.
Sunday’s victory, which carried massive implications atop the Western Conference standings, likely gave Minnesota another major shot of mojo – as if it needed any more.
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