Minnesota Timberwolves roundtable: Reviewing the schedule

2. What is the toughest part of the Wolves’ schedule?

Dan Favale: Can I go with March 1 through April 1? Because that’s what I’m about to do. They play 14 games during that stretch, a mere three of which come against squads that didn’t make the playoffs last year. Among those tilts, only games against the Knicks (March 23) and Atlanta Hawks (March 28) stand out as non-issues. You can push it to the Dallas Mavericks (March 30) if you like, but otherwise, this stretch is hellaciously hard–especially that eight-game span to start out, through which they’ll face, in order, Portland, Utah, Boston, Golden State, Washington, San Antonio, Houston and LAC. This is the kind of late-season docket that could define their playoff position

Max: As highlighted in my previous article about the Wolves schedule, I think there are three stretches through the season that could cause the Wolves some problems. One in January, February and March. I see the January stretch as the toughest on the schedule.

The four games start with the Eastern Conference powerhouse Boston Celtics in Boston. Minnesota then comes home and takes on a duo that Dunking with Wolves co-expert Brian Sampson thinks deserves much more love:

After battling the big men from New Orleans, it only gets tougher. LeBron and (possibly) Kyrie come to town as a duo that has always given the Timberwolves trouble. To round out the four game fight, the reigning MVP Russell Westbrook comes to town with new running mate Paul George.

While that stretch might have been an absolute killer for previous Wolves teams, this squad looks like it should be able to hang with any squad.

Jaime: Looking ahead towards this season’s schedule, it looks like March will come in like a Lion for these Timberwolves. While the college basketball world will be dancing this month, the Wolves will be two-stepping through what appears to be the most difficult part of their schedule.

Here’s what I see: Starting on Thursday, March 1, the Wolves play the Blazers in Portland. Then, they hop a plane to Utah for a road back-to-back against the Jazz. Those are two tough arenas to play in for any NBA team.

The Wolves then head back to Target Center for a quick two-game home stand against the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors. You know, just two teams who might play in the Finals next June.

Minnesota travels to Washington to play another Eastern Conference power in the Wizards. To top it off, the Wolves end this deadly stretch with a back-to-back on the road against the Spurs then home versus the Rockets.

That’s a seven-game stretch where the Wolves will be lucky to come out alive with a couple of wins. Good luck, fellas!