DALLAS – High-stakes playoff series are the ultimate mirror, the revelations a player can make about himself and his team are revealed.
And when we look into this playoff mirror, several things light up.
Like Jason Kidd being a championship-level coach, without any misconceptions or doubts.
Like Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving being one of the most powerful duos in big games we’ve seen in recent times, now five wins away from final validation.
And most importantly, like the Minnesota Timberwolves, who see the hard lessons of the playoffs they must learn before they can become champions.
The Dallas Mavericks will advance to the NBA Finals, barring something historic or unforeseen, in the next few days. The Timberwolves, due to a 116-107 loss that leaves them three games to none, will begin the evaluation process.
When you lose three games in a row to the same opponent in similar fashion, it says a lot about you, more than the opponent. Young teams, or teams with a lot of inexperience, have difficulty closing games. That’s been the reason why the Mavericks have won all three games so far and the Timberwolves can’t crack the code.
The Timberwolves will rue the missed plays; they will lament their lack of basketball IQ in critical moments, the ones they excelled in during the first two rounds of these playoffs. They will hear the roar of the American Airlines Center crowd, the “sweep” chants that rained down in the final seconds of this defeat.
Minnesota trailed 107-105 with 3:21 left, but didn’t score another field goal until Anthony Edwards’ layup with 15 seconds remaining decided the game. The team scored a field goal in the last three minutes of Game 2, when they wasted a chance to tie the series.
Ditto in game 1.
It’s getting mental here, and despite the success on the road to getting here, it’s worth examining. They’re not giving up, they’re making adjustments to the way they defend and putting in extra effort – but it’s the little things that feel so huge.
“If it was the other way around, if you were winning these games, you would feel confident when you looked up and there were four minutes left, you would have positive thoughts,” Mike Conley said. “I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m sure that looking up, we need to figure this out. We have to be united, together. We gave ourselves a chance, opportunities, we know what part of the game we need to improve.”
Edwards was confident and even defiant in the locker room before taking the podium after the game. The 22-year-old talked to his teammates about getting a game, talking openly about making history – as no team in NBA history has come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a series.
And while he didn’t produce his best fourth quarter (four points), he did well overall on spurts — including a thunderous dunk over Daniel Gafford in the third and a blast that gave the Timberwolves a slim lead before the end of the fourth.
“Yeah, I mean, he needs to play with that explosiveness a little bit more,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “That’s what’s missing. And that was essential for us to gain rhythm, our attack, we managed to get to the center of their defense a little faster.
His 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists were his best performance this series, but he could have done more, especially while watching the show Dončić and Irving (33 points each) are putting on against a very good defense.
Edwards’ teammate Karl-Anthony Towns should have done more, and that’s where the Timberwolves’ focus should be this offseason. Towns is a talented and versatile big man, even calling himself the best-shooting big man in NBA history, as if Dirk Nowitzki had never lived, much less sat courtside on Sunday night.
But history’s harsh verdict is coming your way, and it’s not a pleasant one. Towns missed all eight of his 3-point attempts and shot 5 of 18 overall, continuing his struggles throughout the series shooting exactly 27.8 percent (15 of 54).
For this current setup to work, for the Timberwolves to not just be satisfied as a franchise reaching the Western Conference Finals, Towns will either have to improve his decision-making or the franchise will have to consider what the future will look like without him — especially in a second luxury tax world.
A four-year, $221 million extension signed by Towns will take effect next season, putting the Timberwolves on that dreaded second apron that will limit their ability to improve their team around the edges.
Towns’ ability to stretch the defense, rebound and defend big opponents, while Rudy Gobert handles most of the defensive responsibilities, makes the Wolves special in that regard. But he couldn’t exploit the Mavericks using smaller defenders, especially when impressive rookie Dereck Lively II left in the second quarter with a head injury after Towns inadvertently kneed him in the back of the head.
He became a liability.
Now, part of this could very well be a learning experience, as in the case of Edwards. Towns played well against the Suns and Nuggets, shooting well in both and limiting fouls and silly mistakes. Or it could be a sign that the Timberwolves can only go so far with him during this window of contention.
It’s not the end, it’s part of NBA history. The Boston Celtics have gone through different iterations and maybe, just maybe, they finally got it right.
This could be the first of many sources of fun for the Timberwolves if they learn from this. But it’s not a guarantee for them or the cities.
“He fought, of course, so it was difficult to watch at times,” Finch said. “But you know, he had enough buckets here and there. In the second half, I was very pleased with the way he played and rebounded very well. But yes, he is fighting, there is no doubt about that now.”
It was only in bursts that the Timberwolves were able to access the best version of themselves. Instances where Conley and Kyle Anderson played a skillful two-man game against each other, finding the smallest holes in the Dallas defense, to help Edwards on offense. Conley hit a 3 on the opening possession of the quarter to give the Timberwolves a 90-89 lead, thanks to Anderson fooling Dallas with a screen on the opposite floor.
They tried again, almost instinctively, a few minutes later, but the floor was obstructed by someone being out of place. It’s these little things, the lack of recognition at times, that prevented Wolves from making a real difference in this series.
When they’re at this high point, it’s not hard to see why Edwards is confident, why they believe they are the better team despite the results to date. When asked which stat caught his attention most, Edwards pointed to the free throw disparity, 31-17, in Dallas’ favor.
There definitely seemed like some inconsistency in the calls, but Dallas has been a physical aggressor throughout the series. The Mavericks are nicer when things get tough and are getting the benefit of the doubt.
“A lot of my fouls were fouls,” said Conley, who picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter. “It’s about consistency on both sides, that’s all we ask for.”
Edwards: “That’s all we want. If you pay when Mike commits a foul, just pay down there. They did a great job tonight. We just ask for the same calls downstairs (on our side).
Conley: “Consistency.”
The Timberwolves have not found consistency in moments of truth in this series. We saw this happen in this magical race, and disappointment does not cancel out everything they have achieved so far.
It just lets everyone know, with clear eyes, what must be done to go further.
