Timberwolves postseason

The Timberwolves had been trending upward when they faced the Bucks last week. Armed with a healthy dose of confidence borne of five straight triumphs, they figured on keeping their streak alive and, in the process move further up the standings in the bunched-up West. They were locked in a tie for fifth, and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs was at stake. And for a while there, they looked to be on their way to meeting their objective; they led by a whopping 20 points at the start of the playoff period, and by 24 with nine minutes and change left before the final buzzer. Surely, they had the game in the bag.

Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, whatever self-assurance they carried seemed to disappear in the face of the Bucks’ improbable comeback. A ridiculous 39-8 run by the latter had them snatching defeat from the throes of victory, a development that had the probability of a fraction of a percentage point prior to their implosion. Needless to say, the hosts deserved credit for the outcome. That said, there could be no discounting the manner in which they helped dig their own grave; nine straight missed field goal attempts interspersed with eight — yes, eight — turnovers had them reeling, to the delight of the 17,341 fans at the Fiserv Forum. Not even multiple lineup changes and timeouts by head coach Chris Finch could arrest the swoon.

Today, as the Timberwolves prepare for their match against the lowly Jazz, the fourth seed remains in play. They did well to recover from their monumental collapse to post wins in their next two outings, thus setting up their chances on the last day of the regular season. The catch is that even if they accomplish their mission at the Target Center, they would need both the Nuggets and the Clippers to suffer losses to get the upper hand in the 4-5 first round matchup. Else, they will have to begin the playoffs with an encounter with the third-running Lakers on the road.

Not that the Timberwolves care about whom they meet to open the postseason. As far as they’re concerned, they have all the tools they need to go deep; if nothing else, they already proved their mettle by making an appearance in the conference finals last year. In any case, they have no choice but to take care of business and then await their fate.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.