This Timberwolves team has only been able to resist their fate for so long.
It’s the fate that befalls many of Minnesota’s men’s professional sports teams – the inevitability that they will bring a crushing disappointment in the postseason.
Should the Wolves continue to lose that streak to Memphis — and who knows how they’ll bounce back from the meltdown they suffered in their 104-95 Game 3 loss to the Grizzlies? – they point to the last 15 minutes, 10 seconds.
A 25-point lead vanished in 6 minutes and 37 seconds of play. Now the wolves know how long it takes for a heart to break.
It seemed less real time for the once-roaring Target Center crowd Thursday night, who gave the home team a few boos after a shocked fourth quarter.
“It looked bad but it doesn’t feel as bad as it really was,” said guard Patrick Beverley, trying to dress up the mess with a positive tone.
How do they come back from that 2-1 series deficit that feels like a much more massive rift considering Wolves have smothered two 20+ point leads?
“We won’t let this game affect us [Game 4]”Of course,” said Finch. “We’ll be fine.”
That seemed hard to believe, especially for a fanbase unaccustomed to seeing this team succeed in the playoffs. What are you even doing next?
“Go home, have some wine and continue the next day,” center Karl-Anthony Towns said.
The cities especially couldn’t wait to do this after the night he had.
Again he got into nasty trouble and was angry about it on the bench. Again, he struggled to score against a team that defended him with a smaller lineup but frequently brought doubles teams. He only had four shot attempts and eight points.
“Next question,” Towns said when asked about his lack of shots.
The lack of production in the cities was actually not a problem for much of the night. Wolves channeled the energy of a boisterous arena crowd into a 26-point lead in the second quarter. Over the final, however, they only scored four points 10:28 and led by 51:44 at half-time.
Although they tried to reveal this lead, it didn’t work. They used that experience to finish the job in the second half. Wolves scored 12 points each in the second and fourth quarters.
“They were strong on the ground. They stayed in the fight,” Beverley said. “They kept rocking. They didn’t let go of the rope. I felt like when we had the big lead, we were kind of chasing each other.”
Until they finally fell down.
BOXSCORE: Memphis 104, Wolves 95
First, they extended the lead to 25 by the third when Russell woke up with a team-high 22 points for the first time in the series. Then Memphis put together another run while the Wolves calmed down.
Their defense limited Ja Morant to 16 points in 5-for-18 shooting to go with seven turnovers, but Desmond Bane lived up to his surname from Wolves’ perspective with 26 points and seven three-pointers made.
Apple Valley’s Tyus Jones tied with his old team by 11 points, including the three that gave Memphis an 86-85 lead for the first time all night with 7:09 left. When Dillon Brooks hit a three to put Memphis at 1:17 to 10, Memphis began their celebrations. The wolves began the mourning process.
Finch, Russell, and Beverly all tried to remain optimistic.
“We just have to stay balanced,” said Russell.
Towns was the only one to speak after the game, conveying how upset he was. He gently clenched his fist on the table while answering a few questions, his anger barely below a simmer before searching for the positives.
“Stay together,” Towns said. “Believe in what we’ve been doing all year and believe in it through such ups and downs.”
Never have they been higher and landed so far below.