The Timberwolves Make Unfortunate History Against Warriors
The Minnesota Timberwolves had five days to prepare for the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the 2025 Playoffs. They looked extremely rusty, as Minnesota set the record for their lowest-scoring first half in franchise history with 31 points.
That is a bad sign for the Timberwolves because they are the favorites for this game, but they could not hit the broadside of the barn during the first half, as the Warriors had a decent 44-point half.
Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
This is not what people expected from the Timberwolves, considering they had the third-best offensive rating during the 2024-25 regular season. A big part of their first-half struggles was Anthony Edwards, who could not buy a shot and only scored one point from the free-throw line.
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Another reason for their struggles was their three-point shooting. They took 15 shots and could not make one. This should be an anomaly for one of the NBA's best offenses, but it is a historically bad look on the big stage.
Related: Anthony Edwards Gets Unexpected Superstar Praise From WWE Icon Randy Orton
Edwards Struggles From Game 7 Continue
During Game 7 of the Timberwolves' series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Edwards struggled with only 15 points on 26.3% from the field. Those issues persisted against the Warriors in the first half of Game 1, as he could not buy a basket no matter how hard he tried.
Everyone knows Ant can bounce back from this, but it is a bit worrying to see Minnesota's superstar doing this. Thankfully, the Timberwolves have a superb supporting cast, with Julius Randle spearheading the offense during Edwards' struggles.
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Randle was the Timberwolves' leading scorer in the first half of Game 1, scoring eight points. That should change in future games as Chris Finch will demand more from his players.
The Timberwolves Might Be Too Reliant On Three-Pointers
During Game 7 against the Lakers and in the first half of Game 1 against the Warriors, the Timberwolves shot plenty of threes. Shooting is a big part of their successful offense, but they need alternatives whenever the team struggles.
Edwards driving to the rim is an obvious choice, but others should emulate him. Randle has handled it well with his bully ball style, but players like Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker could be more aggressive on offense.
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Timberwolves fans hope this is a small blip for the team as they must meet expectations and become a contender in the Western Conference again.
Related: Mike Conley Sends Strong Message To Draymond Green And The Golden State Warriors
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What the Wolves, and many other teams, are discovering in this new financial landscape is that they cannot afford to stay above the second apron of spending for too long for other reasons. Second-apron teams cannot aggregate salaries in trades, lose their midlevel exception to sign free agents and, if they are above that apron for three of the five years, have their first-round pick frozen at the bottom of the round. As Connelly looked at his cap sheet, Towns was set to make $49 million in 2024-25 and $171 million in the three years after that. With Edwards emerging as the player the team planned to build around, Connelly just did not see a way to keep Towns and be able to have the salary-cap flexibility to add enough talent to sustain a contender. In an era where super-teams were going by the wayside and depth was starting to become a vital part of championship runs, Connelly looked for ways to break one of the big contracts into multiple, more affordable players. Towns, coming off of his fourth All-Star appearance and playing exceedingly well in playoff victories over the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets, had more value than Gobert, so Connelly believed that was the best way to move forward on a roster reconstruction. The Knicks had approached the Wolves several times over the previous year about Towns, league sources said, but Connelly was trying to thread a very fine needle. He not only wanted to gain financial flexibility, he wanted to avoid any kind of rebuilding phase after trading one of his most important players. Advertisement Once the Knicks included DiVincenzo and the Pistons pick in their offer for Towns, they shot to the top of Connelly's list of suitors. In Randle, he could get a player at Towns' position who had been productive for years in New York, and one that had a great rapport with Wolves coach Chris Finch because of their time together in New Orleans. DiVincenzo gave them a gritty shooter off the bench to bolster their scoring and defense, and the Pistons pick, which turned out to be No. 17 in this month's draft, gave Connelly another asset to either use in a trade or add a young player to the roster to develop. The trade not only alleviated a potential financial catastrophe down the road. It also, in the eyes of many of the Wolves' decision-makers, made them deeper, more versatile and a little tougher in the unforgiving Western Conference. The early days of the deal were difficult in Minnesota. Towns was a somewhat polarizing player locally, having racked up astronomical numbers and individual accolades by the bushel, but unable to lift the team from the gutter by virtue of his presence alone. There were plenty of Wolves fans who clamored for him to be traded after he struggled in the conference finals against the Mavericks. But Randle as the headliner of a deal for Towns was underwhelming for many, and Connelly started to take a lot of heat when the Wolves started the season 8-10 and were still just 22-21 in late January. Randle and DiVincenzo were both shocked by the trade, both needing to uproot young families days before camp. Both needed time to acclimate to a new city, new teammates and new coaches. And with Towns putting up huge numbers from the start in New York, the restlessness in the Target Center crowd was palpable. It reached full-on panic on Dec. 19, when Towns made his return to Minnesota and put up 32 points and 20 rebounds in a 133-107 Knicks wipeout. The Wolves tried to preach patience in the moment, but it wasn't easy for a scarred fan base that is used to the men's sports teams in the Twin Cities disappointing them. No men's professional team in Minnesota has won a title since the Twins in 1991, a drought that has conditioned sports fans in the area to expect the worst. Advertisement 'It's not normal to make a trade the day before the season,' DiVincenzo said after that game. 'So both sides, it takes time to adjust and great things take time. More so on our side, I believe that, but also on their side. KAT's playing really well, but it's going to take time to mesh and other guys adjust to what he does.' The Wolves missed Towns the most on two fronts. First, his chemistry with Gobert was the best on the team. Towns willingly included Gobert in the offense, throwing lobs to him in the half court to make sure opponents had to keep an eye on him on offense. One of the low points of the season for Minnesota came in a game at Toronto in November when Gobert purposely lingered in the lane for a 3-second violation because he was frustrated that Randle was not throwing him the ball. Secondly, one of the big things that held Minnesota back during the regular season was a frustrating lack of urgency against teams that were short-handed or languishing at the bottom of the standings. The Wolves lost in Portland twice, at home to Washington, at Utah and to Miami without Jimmy Butler, Milwaukee without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, and the Pacers without four of their starters. Team personnel privately acknowledged that having Towns' sheer talent likely would have been enough to help them win many of those games, which could have helped their playoff seeding. Even with Towns' fast start, Knicks fans felt some uneasiness as well. New York basketball returned to relevancy over the previous few seasons behind a tough, rugged team that embodied a lot of what the city grew to love. The 2023-24 Knicks were the epitome of that. That group competed every night. It defended at a high level. It was a breath of fresh air for a fan base that had spent a lot of time over the last 20 years talking itself into players like Frank Ntilikina and Damyean Dotson, just hoping for something to believe in. Randle wasn't everyone's cup of tea. His poor defense and unwillingness to move the ball at times earned him a lot of haters in New York. However, there was always a level of respect surrounding him. The Knicks' return to stability coincided with Randle's time in New York. From 2021-2024, Randle helped New York earn three playoff appearances, two of which ended in the second round. The Knicks made the playoffs zero times between 2014-2020. In Randle's five seasons in New York, he made three All-Star appearances. Yet, a large section of the fan base wasn't upset that the Knicks decided to move on from him. In fact, it was DiVincenzo's departure that provided the most angst. Advertisement New Yorkers grew to love the ''Nova Knicks,' the trio of DiVincenzo, Brunson and Josh Hart. Their camaraderie was palpable on the floor and off of it. The three college teammates reunited to help bring the franchise its first 50-win season in a decade. DiVincenzo's game-winning 3-pointer in a 2024 second-round playoff matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers will be remembered by Knicks' faithful forever. The departure of DiVincenzo depleted the Knicks' bench, which had already taken a hit with Robinson's injury and the financial limitations the franchise faced after its recent moves. There was worry that Towns wouldn't upgrade the team enough to warrant also giving up DiVincenzo and one of the few valuable draft picks that the Knicks had left at their disposal. Through all of the pain and suffering of the first three months of the season, the Wolves managed to hold together. Oddly enough, it may have been injuries to Randle and DiVincenzo in late January and early February that allowed the team to figure things out. Randle missed 13 games with a groin injury and DiVincenzo was out 19 games with turf toe, an injury that came five games after he joined the starting lineup and began playing well. The two watched from the bench as the Wolves soldiered on, and Randle said the time observing allowed him to gain a greater understanding of where he best fit with this team. He returned to the lineup in a win over Phoenix on March 2, which kicked off a 17-4 surge to the end of the regular season that moved the Timberwolves out of the Play-In Tournament field and into the sixth seed in the West. Randle became more of a playmaker than a lead scorer, DiVincenzo started to knock down shots from the outside and the Wolves stormed past the Lakers and Warriors in the first two rounds of the playoffs, beating both teams 4-1 to earn a return trip to the conference finals. Where last year's run seemingly came out of nowhere, this one was more satisfying because none of it was easy. 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New York couldn't beat the NBA's best teams, going 0-10 against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks even had a tough time with good and mediocre teams, squeezing out nail-biting victories seemingly every other night. If not for Brunson's heroics time and time again during a stretch that lasted from the end of February to early March, the Knicks might have dropped as far as the No. 5 seed in the playoffs. Advertisement However, the team's talent overcame most of its flaws. The Knicks ended up narrowly passing the likes of Indiana and Milwaukee in the standings. New York finished the regular season as the No. 3 seed, setting up a matchup with the young, feisty Pistons. Despite having the more talented team, New York struggled with Detroit. The series went six games and the Knicks trailed going into the fourth quarter on multiple occasions. Heroics from both Brunson and Towns, as well as Bridges, allowed the Knicks to escape the first round, and it set up a second-round matchup with the defending-champion Celtics, a team that was worlds better than New York during the regular season. The playoffs appeared like they would go the same way. The Knicks were down by 20 in Game 1 but pulled off a comeback for the ages. They did it again in Game 2. New York trailed by 14 or more points in nearly every game of the series against the Celtics but still found ways to win in six games. The team built an identity as a resilient group that didn't quit. Towns' defense was as good as it had been all season behind Thibodeau's plan to allow him to guard Boston's star players one-on-one. New York, for the first time in 25 years, went to the Eastern Conference finals. 'When you're in these situations, especially in the playoffs, we had that belief that we will never lose,' Towns said. 'If you want to go deep, you have to have that. I think we showed that in this series and it was special for us. In the last series, we showed we were able to finish games in the fourth quarter and, even in the close games, we'll find ways to win. This series was different because we had ourselves in deficits that were 20-plus and still found a way to win. That's a testament to these guys.' In the end, the results speak for themselves. The Timberwolves made back-to-back conference finals for the first time in franchise history. In an interesting twist, they actually improved on offense without Towns, going from 17th in offensive efficiency last season to eighth this year, but got worse on defense, falling from first last season to sixth this year. They won seven fewer games in the regular season without Towns, but ended up in exactly the same spot at the end. Advertisement DiVincenzo was a little streaky at times, but he gave the Wolves a tough-minded shooter off the bench with a great contract — $24.5 million combined over the next two seasons. 'The fans were amazing for me and my family,' DiVincenzo said. 'They made it feel like home right away. And comfortable. It's just the beginning. It was a helluva year.' Randle averaged 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists over the first two rounds of the playoffs and quickly grew to enjoy living in Minnesota with his wife, Kendra, their two young boys and a baby girl who arrived last month. 'I definitely found a comfort level and got used to the cold and blizzards in March and all that different type of stuff,' Randle said with a smile. 'So it was cool, man, and I enjoyed it, and I'll probably spend my summer here.' For all of the good feelings about what Minnesota accomplished and endured, there is some uncertainty. Randle can opt-out of his contract and become a free agent this summer. Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, he seemed destined to sign a new deal with the Wolves to stay for the long term. But Randle's struggles against Oklahoma City in the conference finals — he averaged 17.4 points and 3.6 turnovers in the 4-1 loss — make those decisions less straightforward. Connelly said that he hopes to bring Randle back, but also did not rule out another big trade if one presents itself and can get the Wolves closer to a championship. 'Fingers crossed, our ability to be a little more flexible could serve us well this season,' Connelly said. The Wolves' end of the deal was also aided by the unexpectedly successful season from the Pistons. The pick they acquired from New York in the trade was lottery protected, but Detroit advanced to the playoffs, allowing it to convey this year, which is important because the Wolves do not have their own pick because of the Gobert trade. Ultimately, this Knicks season was a success. The team won 51 regular-season games, one more than last year and the most in over a decade. It reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. Both Brunson and Towns earned All-NBA honors. GO DEEPER Knicks' vibes weren't always immaculate, but this historic season gave plenty of hope Yet, the vibe around the organization wasn't that of one that just reached new heights. For most of the second half of the season, the team spoke about pushing egos to the sides. They spoke about sacrificing. The Knicks were a collection of talented players that never consistently jelled as one. 'We have a bunch of great guys in that locker room,' Towns said. 'We hope to put ourselves in this position again and succeed next time.' Advertisement The trade helped them go further than they have in decades, and they still weren't satisfied. They fired Thibodeau after the season ended with a Game 6 loss to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals and will continue their journey toward the elusive NBA title with a new voice on the sideline. Whomever takes over as head coach has to find a way to maximize a core that had a negative net rating from Jan. 1 on. The new coach has to find a way to hide the defensive deficiencies of its two star players. With that said, it's not out of the realm of possibility for New York to follow up its coaching decision with major roster moves. Towns, based off his contract alone, could be a casualty if the Knicks decide to go big-game hunting. Overall, though, Towns' first season in New York was a success. He was one of the 15 best players in the NBA, finished second in the league in rebounding with 12.8 rebounds per game and delivered one of the most memorable moments of the season when he scored 20 points in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals to rally the Knicks to a win over the Pacers. He was given the nickname 'Bodega KAT,' his Dominican roots and late mother's affinity for the Knicks fostering a natural connection with the city. However, with the franchise's determination to bring a championship back to the Mecca for the first time in over 50 years, anything could be on the table this summer. 'Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,' Rose said in a statement following the firing of Thibodeau, the most successful Knicks coach this century. Zooming out, both teams came out winners in the trade, a rarity for a deal of this magnitude. They were two of the NBA's final four, thrilling their fan bases with exhilarating rides to the conference finals. And yet, they both feel like unfinished products, still searching for the final pieces to move them from contenders to champions. (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; top photos: Al Bello / Getty Images, Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
