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GO WOLVES BABY. I was with my family in Iowa for this one. Was incredibly special to me. We've been Wolves fans since birth, so to experience this win together was something I will never forget.
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Did Denver take the series or do you feel like Minnesota blew it
0:05
What you mean take the series or they blew it? This series is going seven games
0:09
It's neither. This series is going seven games. Minnesota is going to win game six, and then it's going to be a game seven
0:17
and Minnesota is going to pull it off. Who's going to pull it off? Minnesota is going to pull it off
0:22
Before the series started, I had Minnesota winning this in seven games
0:26
and damn it, they're going to get it done. After the Minnesota Timberwolves lost Game 5 and went down in the series 3-2, after starting
0:36
off with a 2-0 lead, almost nobody in the world, especially publicly, had the same sentiment
0:42
as Kendrick Perkins, that the Wolves would respond and win in 7 games
0:46
Yet on Thursday night, with their backs against the wall, Minnesota would come out and defeat
0:52
Denver by 45 points, 115-70, setting us up for an epic Game 7 showdown Sunday night in Denver
1:00
And last night did not disappoint with the Timberwolves winning 98-90, but it gets even
1:07
crazier than that. So let's take a deeper dive into how the Minnesota Timberwolves clinched their
1:12
second ever Western Conference Finals appearance in franchise history on the same day they did it
1:18
20 years ago and Kevin Garnett's 49th birthday. Let's dive right in. Before we get into the video
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I want to announce we are running another giveaway, this time sponsored by Pristine Auction
1:31
a leading platform specializing in signed and authenticated sports memorabilia. I was fortunate
1:37
enough to win a couple items on their weekly and daily auctions like this Nas Reed signed jersey
1:43
and this Jaden McDaniels autographed jersey as well, both in the Minnesota Timberwolves City Edition uniforms from this season
1:52
which I'm extremely excited about as a Wolves fan. I also snagged this sick Desmond Bayne autographed jersey as well
1:58
and I took a chance on this Golden Chalice Sports Card Mystery Pack
2:02
that guarantees one graded card in the pack. I'm currently awaiting shipment of these items
2:08
and once I do, I will unbox them in the next video, and I'll be giving away each of these on Twitter
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But for now, Pristine is offering you $10 off your first winning bid
2:19
when you sign up using the code hardwood10. Go check them out now
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They have tons of stuff, almost anything you could want, including daily auctions and my personal favorite 10-minute live auctions
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Go ahead and follow me on Twitter now. I actually started the Nas Reed giveaway already
2:36
It's in my pinned tweet in my profile. I'll be giving away the rest of the items over the next following weeks
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And don't forget to use hardwood 10 for $10 off. Thanks Pristine for sponsoring this video and allowing me to do this full time
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Thank you guys for supporting me. Let's get back into the video. In the first half, Minnesota would score just 19 points in both the first and second quarter
2:58
giving them just 38 points at halftime, which is not only a season low, but a franchise low
3:04
since 2021. Anthony Edwards was 1-7 from the field. Mike Conley was also 1-7
3:11
And Nakheel Alexander-Walker was 0-5. The Wolves were shooting just 31% as a team, 25% from 3
3:18
And we're down 15 points to the defending champs at home in a Game 7
3:23
An absolute nightmare start for the Timberwolves. I saw a tweet at halftime, and as a Minnesota fan, it didn't give me much solace
3:31
But the tweet said that when Anthony Edwards had less than 5 points at halftime this year, the Wolves were a remarkable 7-1
3:40
This game would add to that tally as Ant had just 4 points, so who knows, maybe there was something to that
3:46
Any remnant of hope remaining, Denver tried to snuff out quickly in the third quarter, with Jamal Murray hitting this 3, putting the Nuggets up 20-58-38
3:56
Somehow some way this Minnesota defense would go into God mode and the offense would come alive The Nuggets would score just nine points the rest of the quarter and Minnesota would outscore them by 19 points 28 Ant cuts the lead to 12 here
4:12
and Michael Malone calls a timeout to try to stop the bleeding. Jade McDaniels hits this three
4:17
and Mike Conley hits this three as the shot clock expired on back-to-back possessions
4:22
cutting the lead to just six. Carl Anthony Towns will cut the lead to two with a minute to go
4:28
on this drive and i gotta say before we continue cat was phenomenal in this game when no one else
4:34
had it going in the first half cat did on offense he scored 13 in that first half on five for six
4:41
from the field plus he was playing defense on nikola jokic better than almost anyone we've seen
4:47
over the past two seasons and that drive that we just showed really encapsulated how calm and
4:53
collected he has been on the offensive end in this postseason which is a huge sign of growth
4:58
from him in these playoffs NBA playoff games are won at the ends and beginnings of quarters so
5:04
Anthony Edwards getting this steal and breakaway dunk on Jamal Murray and then having this step
5:08
back three to end the quarter was absolutely huge cutting the lead to just one point 67 to 66
5:15
heading into the fourth and then to start the fourth which was massive again the Wolves would
5:20
score the first two buckets including this Nasri layup giving Minnesota a 70-67 lead which about 20
5:28
minutes ago seemed inconceivable. Rudy Gobert would then hit this fadeaway jumper which is a
5:34
once in a lifetime shot for him putting the Wolves back up four and at this point I feel like we got
5:40
the hint that maybe on Minnesota's side in this one but it was this sequence with just four minutes
5:46
left on the clock that was the winning sequence of the game for me minnesota was up 85 82 naz read
5:53
was in the game for cat due to cat picking up his fifth foul just a few minutes earlier and naz would
5:58
get this offensive rebound get fouled and put the wolves up back five with these free throws and
6:04
then after getting cooked by him all series he blocks nikola yokich on this play and gets a put
6:11
back dunk on a missed Anthony Edwards three over Jokic on the ensuing possession. Mr. Clutch
6:17
Mike Conley steals the ball from Jamal Murray just a possession later, and Nas kicks it out to Ant
6:23
for a corner three, a five-point swing, putting the Wolves up 92-82. That won the game for the
6:30
Wolves in my opinion. One quick caveat, this had zero impact on the official score of the game
6:35
But how about six foot tall Mike Conley with a sore Achilles at 36 years old, winning this
6:42
jump ball tip versus a six foot five KCP? Conley told the team before the playoff started, basically, this is probably his last chance
6:51
at a ring and potentially his best. I just love to see him giving everything
6:57
And although the Denver Nuggets could conceivably come back after that moment, it just felt like
7:03
a championship sequence from Minnesota. Any remaining doubt was put away with this cat put back dunk with 40 seconds left, and the Minnesota Timberwolves would go on to clinch their second ever Western Conference Finals berth
7:16
As I said in the intro, their first one took place in 2004, 20 years ago to this day, when Kevin Garnett would lead his Timberwolves over the Sacramento Kings, with it also being the big ticket's 49th birthday
7:30
As a Timberwolves fan, I don't think many of you understand the pain that we have been through for the past 20 years
7:35
This isn't the heartbreak pain of the Minnesota Vikings. It's a different kind of pain
7:40
A straight up, we are awful type of pain. Carl Anthony Towns had a great way of putting it in his postgame press conference
7:47
He's been here for nine years. This is something he's wanted to do with the franchise
7:52
He has been loyal, could have forced his way out many times, and finally, he has been able to do so
7:58
StatMuse shared an interesting stat at halftime of the Pacers game that teams are 20 in NBA history in Game 7s after being up 15 plus points at half Earlier in that day the Indiana Pacers would make them 21 Every streak was meant to be broken and now those teams are 21 And I think Jaden McDaniels
8:20
deserves so much credit for the Timberwolves. This was his first time in his career to have
8:26
back-to-back 20 plus point performances. And if you follow the Wolves closely at all, you know
8:31
that when Jaden McDaniels plays this way on the offensive end, this team is one of, if not the
8:37
best team in the NBA. Jaden would finish the game going seven for 10 from the field, three for four
8:43
from three and six for seven from the free throw line with four offensive rebounds, 23 points
8:50
He also had 21 points and was eight for 10 from the field in that game six victory. He missed his
8:56
first shot in game six. So since that missed shot, when the Timberwolves needed him most
9:02
jade mcdaniels went 15 for 19 from the field with their backs against the wall all the while playing
9:08
incredible defense anthony edwards did not have the offensive game that we were all expecting him
9:14
to matter of fact he went just six for 24 from the field was two for 10 from three but he did finish
9:20
with 16.7 assists and eight rebounds with just one turnover and at the end of the day this 22
9:28
year old was making winning plays out there on a night when his shot wasn't falling. He started
9:33
guarding Jamal Murray in the third quarter and put the absolute clamps on him. Rudy Gobert also had
9:38
a rough first half to the point where Charles Barkley at halftime on TNT said it's time to
9:44
bench Rudy, which if you know the plus minus that Rudy has had for the Wolves in this series and the
9:50
playoffs was ridiculous. But Rudy came out and had a great second half. He's always been an anchor for
9:55
this best defense in the NBA and he was exactly that again. Carl Anthony Towns finished with 23
10:03
points as well, went 8 for 14 from the field with 12 rebounds and although he got into foul trouble
10:08
had 5 fouls, he played incredible individual defense on Nikola Jokic. I am so happy for Cat
10:16
He's been through so much in his NBA career to the tune of something like 3 or 4 general managers
10:22
in his nine seasons and four or five head coaches as well. I made a video on Cat back in January
10:28
saying that he had the potential to redeem his national media narrative in this postseason
10:33
and he has done exactly that, particularly in this series, to the point where even Bill Simmons
10:39
tweeted out this during that Game 7. And it's true, this series has been a legacy-defining
10:46
series for Cat, in my opinion. One other thing about Rudy Gobert, he went seven for nine from
10:51
the free throw line a lot of those occurred in the second half when the wolves needed every single
10:56
one of those points on the denver side nikola yokich had 34 points went 13 for 28 from the
11:02
field two for 10 from three but he started out 0 for 7 from three was settling for those threes
11:08
that he usually makes but in these playoffs he has had a below average three-point shooting he did
11:14
have 19 boards and seven assists but outside of nikola yokich and jamal murray who had 35 points
11:20
as well. Nobody else on the Denver Nuggets scored more than seven points. MPJ was three for 12 and
11:26
one for six from three, good for just seven points. Aaron Gordon had just four and KCP two for seven
11:33
with five points. Christian Brown is the only bench player that scored any points or even played any
11:38
meaningful minutes. I thought he was actually pretty good on the defensive end, but on the
11:42
offensive end, he scored just five points as well. And that's just not going to cut it, no matter how
11:48
well Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray play. But if you're a Nuggets fan, I feel like you have to be
11:52
really disappointed in MPJ and KCP in this series particular. These guys were both integral pieces
11:59
of that championship team last year. Matter of fact, I looked at the stats. KCP shot 38% from
12:06
three and scored 10.6 points per game last year in the playoffs. In this year's playoffs, he
12:11
average just eight points per game on 39 from the field and 32 from three Meanwhile MPJ numbers actually look better in this postseason but that is only due to how well he played in that laker series where he was arguably
12:27
their best player averaging 22.8 points per game on 55.3 percent from the field and a whopping 48.8
12:35
percent from three but in these seven games versus the timberwolves mpj would average just 10.7 points
12:41
per game on 37% from the field and just 32.5% from three. The Denver Nuggets needed MPJ and KCP
12:50
and honestly, they just did not deliver for them in this series. I also want to point out a pretty
12:56
bad sequence in that fourth quarter. Anthony Edwards drives to the lane, gets absolutely
13:00
hacked by KCP, no call. And then Nikoli Jokic falls to the ground when Rudy Gobert barely
13:07
touched him with Scott Foster inserting himself into the play calling the foul from the sideline
13:12
not that it matters but you could tell that Nikola Jokic was completely gassed in that second half
13:18
when he really was trying to take advantage of everything he could including the officiating
13:23
I can't say enough good things about this Minnesota Timberwolves team it almost feels
13:28
impossible to come back from 20 points down in game seven versus the Denver Nuggets the reigning
13:35
champs on their home floor. And so when something like that happens, you have to ask yourself
13:41
is this just the Minnesota Timberwolves year? They'll now match up versus the Dallas Mavericks
13:46
in the Western Conference Finals. But the most important thing is that they now have home court
13:50
advantage, which I'm not only excited for as a Wolves fan, but I'm excited for the state of
13:55
Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis. This fan base has deserved a run like this for so long
14:01
but instead they've just gotten complete inadequacy. That crowd is going to be going absolutely crazy for games one and two
14:09
And I really do think the Timberwolves match up well versus the Dallas Mavericks
14:13
Obviously, Dallas has been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since the trade deadline
14:18
And guys like Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington have made all the difference for their defense in particular
14:23
To just forecast for one second and think about what a championship would mean
14:27
not just to the state of Minnesota, but the individual players on the Minnesota Timberwolves
14:32
You have Mike Conley, who has never made it to an NBA Finals at 36, one of the most respected
14:37
veterans in the game today, which probably is his final shot at a ring. Rudy Gobert
14:43
a four-time DPOY that has never made it to a conference finals. Carl Anthony Towns
14:49
the laughingstock of the league and a player that was always deemed to not be a winning player
14:54
And Anthony Edwards, a 22-year-old superstar, who if he wins his first ring at 22, will be a huge notch in his belt as he builds his career resume
15:07
I told you guys in my series preview video, I felt like this was going to be the best series of the entire playoffs
15:13
And although we only got two games in the clutch, it was still an incredibly fun series
15:18
Those clutch games occurred in games 1 and game 7, which were extremely fitting
15:23
It felt like to me, the winner of this series was going to win the NBA Finals, and that has
15:27
not changed in my opinion, but we'll see what happens. We could all of a sudden run into a buzzsaw in the Dallas Mavericks, and maybe the season's
15:34
over, but it is of my true belief that the Minnesota Timberwolves, now that they have
15:39
gotten past Denver, are going to make it to their first NBA Finals in franchise history
15:45
defeating the Dallas Mavericks in six games, and then defeating the Boston Celtics in seven
15:51
but we'll see what happens. It's going to be a fun ride. I'm certainly going to enjoy every single moment
15:58
Thank you so much for watching this video. If you enjoyed it, there's more videos like this to come
16:02
Check out the Clippers video or my son's video I did roasting their roster construction
16:06
and their bleak futures four to five years out. Again, thank you so much for watching this video
16:12
Check out Pristine Auction. Use code HARDWOOD10 for $10 off your first winning bid
16:17
Check out my Twitter to be a part of the giveaways. I'm partnering with Pristine for, and as always, we'll see you on the hardwood
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