A team should never want to enter the postseason without some type of momentum on their side. Entering the playoffs after end-of-year regular season struggles doesn’t permit the fanbase to have all that much faith in their squad when the stakes become larger.
That is something that the Minnesota Timberwolves are currently going through. After losing their third straight game on Sunday to the Charlotte Hornets by the score of 122-108, Chris Finch said this about the team’s spirit as they are sputtering at the end of the regular season,
"For sure. That's what we just talked about. It feels like we're a million miles away from the team that we can be and that we are, and we gotta get that back with our connectiveness and our spirit. And we gotta have some guys just play better."
That’s not exactly something the coach should want to see, or fans should want to hear, with just four games remaining in the regular season. Unfortunately, with how the Timberwolves are playing, it feels accurate.
The Timberwolves are spiraling (especially on offense) before the playoffs
A bad third quarter was the difference in Sunday’s loss against the Hornets. Entering halftime with a five-point lead, Minnesota was outscored 34-19 over the ensuing 12 minutes.
With the Timberwolves nearly locked into the sixth seed, it’s time for them to find their ways over the last four regular season contests. They have two games remaining against bottom-feeders (Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans) that feel close to must-win games to build confidence.
Better health is of importance as well. For much of the season, Minnesota had remarkably few injuries to worry about. Now, Anthony Edwards has missed eight of the last 10 games, and Jaden McDaniels the last five with knee ailments. Naz Reid has been playing, but he hasn’t seemed 100 percent in a while dealing with a shoulder issue.
When Finch said that some players just have to play better, he’s almost certainly talking about on the offensive end. Over their last eight contests, Minnesota owns an offensive rating of just 104.1. That is last in the league over that time, 1.7 points worse than the 29th-ranked Brooklyn Nets.
Naz Reid has been in a shooting funk since the beginning of March. Donte DiVincenzo has scored in single digits in nine of his last 16 outings. Rudy Gobert has many nights where any scoring from him feels like an added bonus.
The Timberwolves have four games left to showcase why they can be a threat in the postseason. Part of that hopefully includes getting Ant-Man back up to speed prior to their opening round matchup.