On Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Timberwolves emerged from Target Center with a resounding 116-113 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The win gave them a commanding 3-1 lead in their first round series against LeBron James, Luka Doncic and company.
This marks the first time in franchise history the Wolves have won both Game 3 and Game 4 of a postseason series at home. But the latter of the two wins was far from an easy contest for the home team.
A back-and-forth first half transitioned into a below-average third quarter for Minnesota, an abnormality for the Timberwolves. With the Lakers leading by 10 entering the fourth, things were not looking good.
But in the final frame of action, Anthony Edwards put the finishing touches on a performance for the ages. He finished with 43 points, and the Wolves' collective rally in the final minutes gave them a four-point lead with two minutes to go.
One last strike from LA nearly buried Minnesota. Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith sank back-to-back three-pointers that re-took the lead for the Lakers with 89 seconds to go. This was a gut punch, and it would have been enough to defeat plenty of past Timberwolves teams.
However, this group's resilience shined through. After a Jaden McDaniels and-one, Minnesota was in possession of the ball and up by one. When Anthony Edwards took contact from LeBron James and hit the deck, Chris Finch immediately challenged the call. As we know, the ruling would be overturned and a foul would be given to James, which would lead to the victory. But there is one specific aspect to this play that some Wolves fans may not immediately recognize.
The proximate foul rule saved the Timberwolves
The reason the Timberwolves were able to overrule this play and earn the win is actually shockingly poetic when we consider its context. The "proximate foul rule," which allowed the referees to assign a foul on the play when one was not initially called, was actually created due to a past situation that may give Wolves fans PTSD.
I'm referring, of course, to last year's Western Conference Finals. In Game 2 of Timberwolves vs Mavericks, a play in the final minute of the contest was reviewed to see who the ball went off of. Upon review, the ball was given to Dallas.
But what many in Minnesota noticed about the replay was that there likely should have also been a foul given to Kyrie Irving on the play, given the way he came into contact with Jaden McDaniels. However, at the time, no such rule was in place to allow a foul to be called retroactively.
Realizing their mistake because of this play from last season, the NBA made an offseason change that introduced the "proximate foul rule." Now, the Timberwolves become the extremely ironic beneficiaries.
For once, Wolves fans have gotten some poetic justice for something that once caused them such emotional trauma. If that rule had been around last season, it could have very easily changed the outcome of the series. But now, fans in Minnesota can at least take solace in the fact that their painful loss last year led them to gaining an advantage in this crucial moment.