If the Timberwolves are planning a playoff berth next season, they need to win more games in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Timberwolves finished this season with a 20-21 home record. Considering that no Western Conference team that made the playoffs finished with a sub-.500 home record, they must improve their play at the Target Center.
In order to contend next season, the Timberwolves need to make it clear when a team comes to Minnesota, they should expect to lose.
The Target Center in downtown Minneapolis has been home to the Timberwolves since 1990, so there’s no reason they should feel out of place.
Yet, in the 2014-15 NBA season, the Wolves were a pitiful 9-32 at home and only improved to 14-27 last year.
Although there seems to be some improvement happening, what is the problem with the Timberwolves winning home games?
My theory involves the age of the team’s players. Most of the Timberwolves roster is very young, and have only joined Minnesota recently. Despite being excellent players, the Wolves just haven’t had enough time to learn to win in Minnesota.
Perhaps it’s nerves, or maybe it’s the Minnesota cold, but for some reason playing in front of tens of thousands of Wolves supporters just can’t get the Timberwolves across the line.
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I theorize that in order to make the playoffs next year, the Timberwolves are going to need a minimum of a winning home record, and more likely somewhere around the 25-wins mark.
If this team is serious about competing next year, that shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish.
Of the six months that the Timberwolves played home games, three of those resulted in above .500 home records.
There wasn’t a single month in which the Wolves finished with an above-.500 away record, but if the Timberwolves manage to get their Target Center situation under control, I don’t think this will be an issue.
The Timberwolves’ home record has been improving while their young squad has done the same. If the Timberwolves keep on their trajectory to greatness, I see no issues in them achieving this feat.
If Tom Thibodeau can keep steering this Timberwolves’ ship in the right direction, we may have some playoff contenders in Minnesota next year. But when we look at the Wolves record, home-court advantage isn’t really a thing for the Timberwolves.
Although they perform better at home than on the road, the Timberwolves are more likely to lose at home than win.
If the Minnesota Timberwolves manage to break their playoff drought next season, I would hate to see it end in a sweep for the other team because the Timberwolves have no fight at home.
What Timberwolves fan wouldn’t want Target Center to be known as the Timberwolves’ stadium, where every other team has to fight hard to compete?
Who doesn’t want to see the Timberwolves make Minnesota their battleground?
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The Timberwolves need to work hard and train hard during the offseason, so next season they can stake their claim for the playoffs. Minnesota needs to make it known if you’re playing the Wolves at home, it’s going to be a tough game.