Timberwolves shrug off rust just in time to realize another L
By Bret Stuter
Sluggish. Lethargic. Lack of urgency. Confused. The list of descriptive adjectives over the most recent struggles could go on and on. But perhaps the most descriptive term for their latest struggles? Poorly timed.
The Minnesota Timberwolves do not have the luxury of lethargic play. If they want to pack in their season and just hang out watching the NBA Playoffs from the comfort of their living rooms, they should just say so. But this is a team that is locked in a playoff run. The irony is that the Minnesota Timberwolves appear to be running away from their NBA Playoffs chances.
Just before the NBA All-Star Break, the Minnesota Timberwolves were by no means safe and secure in the NBA standings. But with a 31-29 record, and their next two games against sub-.500 teams in the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets, the expectation was that the Timberwolves could move up in the standings.
Instead, the Timberwolves threw it into reverse.
Playoff run, or running from the playoffs?
The Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Washington Wizards, a game in which they held a commanding 11-point lead entering the fourth quarter. But the team lost the game by allowing the Wizards to score 38 points, as the Timberwolves would only score 19.
The Timberwolves lost to the Charlotte Hornets in a game in which the entire team seemed lethargic and disinterested. For a team in the hunt for a spot in the upcoming NBA Playoffs, this Timberwolves team seemed more like a toddler at their first Easter Egg hunt, paralyzed by confusion and noise, standing in place, doing nothing.