During a TV timeout in last Tuesday’s 126-112 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Minnesota Timberwolves played a jumbotron video where Nickeil Alexander-Walker described the perfect Wolves heist. In it, he said he’d be the getaway driver.
However, there was one catch.
Alexander-Walker said he’d drive the speed limit.
“I’m not gonna go out there and say I’m gonna speed,” he admitted after the game. “But we’re gonna get away.”
It was a perfect answer. Alexander-Walker’s suffocating defense and three-point shooting allow the Wolves to create a scoring margin in wins. Minnesota also needs a getaway car at this moment.
A year after winning 56 games and reaching the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves reverted to playing down to their competition.
“It doesn’t matter whether a team is above or below us, the most dangerous team to us is us,” Chris Finch said after Minnesota’s 117-116 loss to the Utah Jazz on Feb. 28. “We have to recognize that and guard against it better.”
Two years ago, in the 2022-23 season, the Wolves took the season series from the Oklahoma City Thunder (3-1), Los Angeles Lakers (2-1), and Sacramento Kings (3-1). They also split 2-2 with the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Golden State Warriors. However, they lost the season series to the Portland Trail Blazers (1-3), and the Charlotte Hornets (0-2), Detroit Pistons (0-2), and Washington Wizards (0-2) swept them.
“It’s been a hard season,” Finch said two years ago, “in that it’s been a very up and down, emotional season.”
The result was a 42-40 record a year after Tim Connelly blew up a beloved core and traded for Rudy Gobert. The season ended with Gobert punching Kyle Anderson and Denver eliminating them in five games.
Still, Connelly’s Gobert gamble seemed to pay off last year. The Wolves were in contention for the West’s 1-seed all year, swept the Phoenix Suns, and came back to beat Denver in Game 7. They reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years, where the Dallas Mavericks eliminated them in five games.
In Year 2 with Gobert, the Wolves didn’t play down to their competition as often. They swept the Brooklyn Nets (2-0), Detroit (2-0), Portland (4-0), the Utah Jazz (4-0), and Washington (2-0). Meanwhile, they won the season series against Dallas (3-1) and split with Oklahoma City (2-2) and Denver (2-2).
Regular-season series records don’t tell the entire story. Dallas improved after trading for Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington at the deadline; sometimes, teams have injured or resting players when they play the Wolves. Phoenix went 3-0 against the Timberwolves in the regular season, but the Wolves swept them in the playoffs. Still, Minnesota’s top-ranked defense steadied them, and they had enough offense to compete with contenders and pull away from lousy teams.
However, after trading Towns, the Timberwolves started playing down to their competition again this year. They’ve lost to the Toronto Raptors, Utah, and Washington, while taking the season series from Dallas (2-1) and splitting with the Lakers (2-2) and Thunder (2-2). Losing to Utah two games after coming back from down 25 against Oklahoma City is a microcosm of their season.
The Wolves had the horsepower to beat the good teams but let the bad ones hang around. However, that may change after Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, and Gobert return from injury. Minnesota plays Denver on Wednesday but has the fourth-easiest remaining schedule.
Escaping the play-in and earning home-court advantage would be a heist after this season. Still, the Wolves must use finesse to escape their fate from two years ago. After accruing 16 technical fouls and serving a suspension during the Utah loss, the NBA will suspend Edwards for every other tech the refs give him this year.
Minnesota must play sound defense and move the ball to peel away from inferior teams. At full strength, they have the talent to earn home-court advantage and win in the playoffs. However, it’s never been about horsepower. Instead, it’s about harnessing it without trying to cheat the game.