At the end of the first quarter of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, the Dallas Mavericks were up by double digits, the Target Center was quiet, and Luka Dončić was on pace to score 80 points.
Things didn’t get much better from there for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Two days after saving their season, the Timberwolves were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs in a game that was barely competitive after 12 minutes and basically ended at halftime. The Mavericks were up 69-40 the first time they returned to the locker room and ultimately won 124-103.
Dallas will advance to face the Boston Celtics in their first trip to the NBA Finals since winning it all in 2011.
The architect of the Timberwolves’ situation was, of course, Dončić, who finished with 36 points, 14 of 22 shooting, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals. His 20 points in the first quarter gave the Mavericks an early lead that continued to grow. It would have been more shocking if the team hadn’t had the exact same thing happen in a knockout game two years ago.
The Mavericks spent the second quarter dunking on the Timberwolves, and TNT’s Ernie Johnson did the same in the halftime show.
“They’ve opened some serious cans here at Target Center.” -Ernie Johnson
“Can of what, Ernest?” -Kenny Smith
“Can of ass. 69-40. Man alive.” -EJ pic.twitter.com/46nnNii9s6
– Horrible advertisement (@awfulannunciando) May 31, 2024
The Timberwolves entered the second half needing the biggest halftime comeback in NBA playoff history. They allowed an alley-oop from Dončić to PJ Washington on the first play of the third quarter. That frame actually ended up being a relative improvement for Minnesota, as they were only down 24 points entering the fourth.
Kyrie Irving led the effort to keep the Timberwolves down, scoring 17 points in the second half to match Dončić with 36 points, along with five assists and four rebounds. Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II also broke an NBA record by finishing a perfect 16 of 16 from the field (many of them easy alley-oops) in the series.
Minnesota raised the white flag with three minutes left in the game, as Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hugged his players on the sideline.
The Timberwolves enter the offseason with many questions
The good news for the Minnesota Timberwolves is that they have Anthony Edwards under contract through 2029. They may have come up short this season, but the journey has proven that Edwards is a true superstar, and landing him is the hardest part of winning an NBA . championship.
After that, well, you start to wonder what the team could do if its current incarnation wasn’t enough to win it all.
Looming over the team’s offseason is the question of money, both how much the team is willing to spend and who will receive it. The team’s ownership situation is turning into a battle between owner Glen Taylor and potential majority owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore. Those options come down to a man who has paid a total of $1.5 million in luxury taxes since 2004 and the guys he believes will reduce his payroll even further.
With Edwards and Jaden McDaniels’ extensions taking effect this summer, Minnesota has already guaranteed nine players $190.8 million next season, well above the $171.3 million tax threshold proposed by the NBA.
So keeping the band together already means owners will be paying more than ever, not to mention adding to the roster. Karl-Anthony Towns just finished Year 9 and is still dealing with uneven playing issues that have plagued him since the early years of his career. Mike Conley is 36 years old. Rudy Gobert is eligible for an extension two years after Minnesota acquired him with a large amount of draft capital. McDaniels may just be decent. Naz Reid is a free agent in 2025.
As great as the Timberwolves looked in the regular season, and as much as their Game 7 victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets seemed like a significant moment, it’s hard to look at what just happened against Dallas and see a team that can handle it. comfortably. Return next season.
What does that mean for Minnesota? It’s hard to see a path forward without a trade, and that could very well mean moving on from a star like Towns or Gobert. We just have to wait and see how much of a stir they are willing to cause.