Timberwolves again prove a tease

At least this time I saw it coming. 

A year ago, after the Wolves broke through 20 years of nothing to sweep Phoenix and pull off that grand comeback upset of Denver, I bought in. I believed they were going to dispatch Dallas and probably even beat Boston to win it all. 

Of course, that didn't happen. The Wolves were horrible against Dallas and bounced in 5.

Then came the Karl-Anthony Towns trade just before this season began. Hated the deal at the time. Hated it most of the year, as the Wolves, instead of building on last year, spent most of the season hovering in that play-in zone.

The Wolves caught stride late in the season, securing a playoff spot in the last regular season game. I didn't like their chances against the Lakers, but they knocked out LeBron and Luka in 5. I did like their chances against the Warriors, even before the Steph Curry injury, and again they won in 5. 

They hardly played their best ball during these series and won anyway. That could trick one into thinking that meant they could elevate their play and beat anyone, even the 68 win Oklahoma City Thunder.

But they didn't get me this time. I did think the Wolves would at least make it a real series, but that they would ultimately lose.

And lose they did, and no, they didn't make it a series. Once again they played like complete shit through the majority of a 5 game ass kicking. Once again they were presented with a chance to do something truly special only to fall flat on their faces.

Can't blame KAT this time. While KAT has helped the Knicks go further than they had in a quarter century, the Wolves ended up in the exact same place, only with an overall less memorable playoff run. Would the Wolves have gone further if they had simply run it back? They certainly would have had a smoother regular season, perhaps setting up a different playoff path. I suppose they might have ended up playing thr Thunder anyway, but I would rather have had KAT than the often no-showing Julius Randle. 

OKC annihilated the Wolves in all 3 home games. The Wolves blew out the Thunder in game 3 here, but it was clearly a game the Thunder didn't really care about. They took game 4, and then it was over. 

All the nice things are said about the Wolves, about how Anthony Edwards is still so young. Lot of assuming going on that the Wolves peak is still ahead of them. Maybe. Odds are just as good that their best chances have already come and gone.

This group can't get it done. They have a lot of work to do in the offseason to truly be a title contender. I remain unconvinced that Edwards is truly that guy, but he's what we got, and he's who it will have to be. 

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