The Minnesota Timberwolves are a franchise that has been chasing greatness for a long time. Now, it seems they are finally arriving at that destination. For a long time, the most successful season in franchise history in the Twin Cities came way back in 2004, when Minnesota won 58 games and reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.
For more than a decade and what seemed like forever following Kevin Garnett's departure in 2007, there were difficult times for the Timberwolves that saw them rack up the longest playoff drought of any team in the league. But ever since Anthony Edwards and Tim Connelly arrived in town, the organization has been on a steady incline toward greatness once again.
When the front office traded for Rudy Gobert, all the pieces were in place for Minnesota to become a juggernaut in the Western Conference. Things did not materialize immediately, but after one season of getting this new team acclimated, the Wolves have become quite the force to be reckoned with. This development has led to them becoming much more respected by the national media and the league as a whole.
The Timberwolves have the largest increase in national TV games
If you are still not convinced that the perception around the Timberwolves has shifted, just take a look at the team's official schedule that was released on Thursday. Minnesota will be playing in 18 nationally televised games this coming NBA season. They will have a dozen and a half contests played between ESPN, TNT and ABC.
This is of course a massive departure from this past season. By the end of the 2023-24 year, all eyes were obviously on Anthony Edwards and the Wolves. But in August 2023 when last season's schedule was initially announced, the Timberwolves had a mere five national television games.
According to NBA Today on ESPN, Minnesota's 18 games for the 2024-25 season marks the largest overall shift in national TV games between last season and this coming season. Timberwolves fans have been trying to tell everyone that their team deserves respect and recognition, and they are finally getting it.