3 benefits to Minnesota Timberwolves wake up call in fisticuffs finale

Benefit I: The angrier the Timberwolves’ roster becomes, the better they play

Now keep in mind that before the Timberwolves stepped onto the basketball court, Rudy Gobert was trying to fight off back spasms, an ailment that had sidelined Kyle Anderson for multiple games earlier in the season. So it was not without a humorous irony that it was Andeson who chided Gobert for his lackadaisical play. Did you catch that aspect of the argument it played out in real-time?

Perhaps it was that same irony that was not lost on center Rudy Gobert, who displayed obvious signs of a painful struggle in moments during his short time on the basketball court. While that should have been an indication to get Gobert off the court, the truth of the matter is that Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch’s hands were tied, as he was forced to get as much out of every player who suited up for the game. That, Gobert’s pain, and the resulting impact of a poor quality play early in the contest resulted in Kyle Anderson chastising his teammate, Gobert taking a swing at Anderson, and Gobert getting sent home as a result of the play.

Post-punch rally

After Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert threw a punch at teammate point forward Kyle Anderson, the Timberwolves went on to outscore the New Orleans Pelicans by 77-60. Prior to that punch being thrown, the Timberwolves were outscored by the Pelicans 48-36.

In short, the Timberwolves needed to get mad enough to stop overthinking this one and just come out and play instinctively. Now that the Timberwolves’ temper has been proven to pack its own positive impact, the Timberwolves can tap that energy in times when this team needs that extra boost to meet the spike of their opponents’ performance.

Keep in mind that it was the Timberwolves’ unharnessed and unbridled emotional energy that led to the team’s downfall against the Memphis Grizzles in the NBA Playoffs a year ago. This year, the opposite is true. The Timberwolves must channel that passion into their performance to succeed. The New Orleans Pelicans merely provided this team with the template. Now, the Timberwolves must tap that same level of passion to overcome the red-hot Los Angeles Lakers.

And after the way the Timberwolves became pissed off against the Pelicans, I think this Timberwolves team can do exactly that.

EDITOR’s NOTE:

After publication, the Minnesota Timberwolves opted to suspend center Rudy Gobert for one game, the NBA Play-In Tournament Game 1 contest against the Los Angeles Lakers

While that may seem to negate the benefits cited above, keep in mind that this is just for one game, and the Timberwolves have two chances to earn a shot at the NBA Playoffs. In short, the Timberwolves face the Lakers on Tuesday. If the team loses that game, then they will host the winner of the Thunder vs. Pelicans game this Friday. Gobert will return in that one, and the winner of Friday’s game will face the Denver Nuggets.