The Minnesota Timberwolves managed to even up their semifinal series against the San Antonio Spurs, 2-2, with a 114-109 win in Game 4. It did help that the Spurs lost Victor Wembanyama in the second quarter due to an ejection, but the Timberwolves remained composed in the clutch, hitting San Antonio's weak spots with Wembanyama out to avoid going down 3-1 heading back to the road.
The Timberwolves' story thus far in this year's playoffs has been their maturity; they're tied for most games played in the playoffs since 2024, and they have been learning to navigate the emotional rollercoaster that comes riding the postseason wave.
Mike Conley has been instrumental in getting his team to keep their sights set on the big picture instead of letting their emotions dictate their every move; their restraint after Wembanyama threw an elbow was admirable. However, there's a bit of an angel-demon situation in the Timberwolves locker room, as veteran forward Joe Ingles is proving to be Conley's foil as the guy on the Minnesota players' other shoulder.
“Yeah Joe’s evil,” Conley said with a huge smile on his face, via Andrew Dukowitz of Zone Coverage. “He’s a evil dude man so he's like you know, ‘get him', ‘swing on them', ‘throw an elbow'. Yeah, so don’t listen to him.”
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Mike Conley on the maturity Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid has shown in these playoffs.
“I’d like to say my demeanor is rubbing off on them a little bit, you know, they’re starting to not think so much with their emotions and get a little bit more logical with… pic.twitter.com/zS6skpNw8S
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) May 11, 2026
Conley is indeed one of the most composed players in the NBA; he has never even been called for a technical foul for his entire NBA career, and he's already spent 19 seasons in the association. The Timberwolves appear to be listening to the right person, but that should not diminish the importance of Ingles' role nonetheless.
Ingles, who relishes getting chippy and in the face of his opponents, is at least bringing some lightheartedness, and his jokes at least provide a space for the Timberwolves to navigate their emotions in a manner that shouldn't cost them too many ballgames.
The Minnesota Timberwolves managed to even up their semifinal series against the San Antonio Spurs, 2-2, with a 114-109 win in Game 4. It did help that the Spurs lost Victor Wembanyama in the second quarter due to an ejection, but the Timberwolves remained composed in the clutch, hitting San Antonio's weak spots with Wembanyama out to avoid going down 3-1 heading back to the road.