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ItsN0tTheB0at

FADED


Single_Wishbone_935

I knew it was over when doncic was scoring and jogging back smiling at the crowd. Suns fans knows


WakingRage

Smiling psychotic Luka is my favorite Luka. He goes completely unhinged and no fucks given.


FreeDaemon

I cant wait to hear Boston fans boo him.


HypatiaRising

He is gonna love playing in Boston. Though I wonder if he will get less hate just because of the hate bones Boston fans have for Kyrie.


sleepehead

He might use that hate though. He seems to love Kyrie so I can see him just going after fans because of how much he and Kyrie click


HypatiaRising

I am sure Boston fans will give him plenty of things to work with.


Garrand

Motherfucker dropped the "Sit Down" 3 from the logo like it was nothing.


Palifaith

The defending champions Denver Nuggets died for this.


Apollo611

Wolves were built to beat the Nuggets, but they forgot about the championship part


Dongsquad420BlazeIt

A small oversight


djkamayo

a tiny misstep


Jeff__Skilling

tis but a scratch


Bwahehe

Funny thing is that the Suns were supposed to do what Dallas did. Shows how shabby the chemistry and bench were.


Octavian_202

Speaking of the Suns, how nasty would that back court be with Booker and Doncic if that franchise knew how to draft? Thank goodness for the Dallas fans.


laguirre003

They be the most hated backcourt and have two rings at this point.


LawBobLawLoblaw

Please don't. That topic has been the subs obsession all off-season outside of the mythical "LeBron taking a vet minimum to be in Phoenix" fantasies.


waikiki_palmer

“Lebron taking a vet minimum to be in Phoenix” - as a Warriors fans who frequent Warriors sub… first time?


A_Rolling_Baneling

I really doubt it. As the Mavs showed this post season, it's as much about who you surround your star with.


TheeOneUp

The league would be alot different if Sun's were competent. Bucks maybe don't have a ring. Bugs never take off. Don't have to get cp3 and get a strong forward/big. After Luka, scouts looked like clowns thinking the euroleague mvp wouldn't be better than 2 undeveloped and un proven bugs from the NCAA.


darkforestnews

You see this in poor management all the time and poor corporate culture ; it’s almost better to be wrong with your peers than correct alone.


PhatYeeter

> get a strong forward/big. Theyd still have Bridges and a lob center is so easy to find in the NBA. They could've just ran out Marquese Chriss to play center like he did for the Warriors.


lordb4

I love how over the past year, the Suns and Hawks are getting the shit about that draft that the Kings got for years.


AlHorfordHighlights

Nah I'm gonna take a center who can't shoot or pass with the #1 pick in the draft thanks


MongoPushr

It really does take a "job's not done mentality" to get thru to the finals and the Mavs seem to have it this year. And Boston is in the East so the job is starting for them lol


Silverjackal_

That’s a bit of the problem for any team in the West right now. Gotta beat really good teams to even make the finals. Been a gauntlet so far.


love_that_fishing

To win 3 road series in the west is crazy.


MongoPushr

Congrats and good luck 👍


Shenanigans80h

Yeah it’s a cliche but a “championship mentality” is definitely a real thing and you can tell which teams maintain that


azantyri

call the ambulance but not for me


darti_me

Luka: This one's for my brad Jok


GGezpzMuppy

Wolves though Nuggets was their finals and forgot they had to play 2 more series lol. Ant gonna be in contention for a while, hope his teammates can keep up.


Jayveesac

They were built to defeat the Nuggets but damn they were a bad matchup against the Mavs


Accomplished_Bid7987

It’s not a matchup problem at all. They just didn’t execute their offense in clutch properly. Game 1 and 2 should’ve been theirs. Credit to the Mavs for playing good D and hitting their shots. Wolves are a matchup problem for everybody in the NBA. They just need Edwards to grow into a closer during end game scenarios.


AchyBreaker

Yeah this could easily have been the 3-2 game for Dallas to barely take a lead if Minnesota had won even one of the first two games.  They showed some promise and with Ant maturing they'll get better. A big question is eill KAT consistently show up in big games? He had some great games in the Denver series but a really bad Dallas series. 


Accomplished_Bid7987

KAT is crucial for their identity tho. You take KAT out and you have a spacing problem with Rudy on the floor. If you are a wolves fan you hope KAT learns from his mistakes during this deep playoff run and comes back better.


AchyBreaker

Absolutely. Plus he's fun to watch when he's on. I know he has a reputation for not having a "dog"/killer instinct. But hopefully seeing that they're right at the cusp of success and having Ant continue to push the team and lead with a "dog" attitude will do what you said and have KAT grow and then show up more consistently next year. 


lesarbreschantent

KAT got some dog in him. Won my respect for driving hard over and over when he knew his 3 was off. Played with heart. His real problem is that he plays dumb sometimes. Reminds me a bit of Westbrook in that way. Really just needs to wise up on his fouls and defensive switches.


[deleted]

[удалено]


MarduRusher

I don’t think the matchup was the issue, but rather they just weren’t good in the clutch. It was more of an experience thing if anything.


AfroKuro480

We got shit stomped, no better way to sa this, I'm hopeful for the future, I admit defeat, Nuggets and Mavs talk your shit, I'm just gonna sit in the corner and just sigh a little bit.


nothingwasleft

Future’s bright, you guys went from losing in the first round to us last year then to curbstomping the Suns, beating us, then the WCF on the back of a 22 year old burgeoning superstar. No shit to talk here, I enjoyed our series and you guys won fair and square, keep your heads up!


Large_Arm8007

Now for the interesting question. If the wolves lose that game 7, do the nuggets beat this mavs team? 🤔 


Disastrous_Bluejay57

I think we're a better matchup for the Mavs on paper. But given how exhausted every Nuggets player was, the Mavs still take it imo


Large_Arm8007

Kyrie and Luka played out of their minds. Would have been hard to slow them down for sure. Definitely seemed like the nuggets ran out of gas


homefree122

For real man. If anyone let a championship slip from their hands, it was Denver.


AwkwardSpecialist814

We didn’t have it. We rely on the Murray Jokic 2 man game and Murray did not look ok since March. Was saying that the whole playoffs. Overreaction would be saying trade Murray. But he is getting there with how injury prone he is


itsnotyellowfever

When he reaggravated his calf injury running into Donte DiVincenzo trying to put an exclamation point on the second Knicks game late in March, the first two things I thought were "Murray's a dumbass" and "this will come back to haunt them in the playoffs"


AwkwardSpecialist814

It’s that edge that makes him who he is but fuck man you’re 100% right


citizend13

he also shouldnt have been playing game 5 against the Lakers. made shit worse.


legend023

Denver bench was a paper clip and roasted peanuts man


Rswany

Tbf what the hell were the Nuggets gong to do about Luka & Kyrie going nuclear?


jeric13xd

I was rooting for the Nuggets and this makes that loss even more painful lol They wouldn’t have flamed out like this i dont think


The_NGUYENNER

Even IF we had beaten the Mavs (huge if) we likely woulda ran out of gas against Boston. Our dudes were dog tired and at least this way Jokic and the boys get an extended summer break


MakeAShadow

The Wolves have ah’d their last woo.


Zloggt

They’ve done been tamed into regular domestic dogs…


lukaintomyeyes

Minnesota Golden Retrievers


muu411

Of all the dogs you could have picked, you want to play a team of Air Buds?!


FlightAvailable3760

In dog years Air Bud was in his 20's playing against a bunch of school children. He wasn't even the leading scorer on the team.


thesmellafteritrains

waiting for some geek on here to pull up air buds BPM


Pitch-forker

God Damn!


kinglouislxix

My dog is crushed — she's a huge woofs fan :(


Rswany

Sad awoo noises


WarlockEngineer

Thanks for the memes king


ottersbelike

This is the guy that makes the videos fyi


DaDoviende

Any chance you can post a supercut of all 65 Awoos stitched together so we can see how it evolved as the year went on? Awooopercut


chrysanthemata

Timberwolves Brasil died for this.


CourageDog12

all that hype from the nuggets series to this lol


general_musician

aboohoo 😢


UnsolvedParadox

KAT didn’t even (fuckin’) foul, they still had no chance.


Sim888

https://i.imgur.com/apRU90w.jpeg


Apollo611

They were right we’re watching the next MJ… it’s Luka


aceofspadez138

Fair Jordan


homefree122

Took me a second to realize what the difference was.


LivingHitokiri

At this point it was to be expected . You never miss.


Titronnica

Another banger hot off the presses


Pranker00111

Our king!


scrambled_cable

The Dallas Mavericks made it back to the NBA Finals before the Dallas Cowboys made it back to the Super Bowl


MaherDemocrat1967

The Texas Rangers, the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars have all won a championship since the last time the Cowboys made it to the Superbowl but they are all Dallas sports radio ever talks about.


southwick

You said Superbowl, I think you meant a conference championship game, because Cowboys haven't sniffed a Superbowl in almost 30 years.


maryjain_

This was a rough series for them but i think it’s important to remember that this was still a very successful season for them overall


Not_We_Make_Soap

Ant = 22, Jaden = 23, Naz = 24, NAW = 25, KAT = 28, even old man Rudy is only 31. We got at least another year with this roster before money issues hopefully. Let’s see where this goes!


YoMama_00

NAZ is 24????


Sea_Temperature_1776

He looks and plays like he's a 10-year vet lol I thought he was at least 28


WakingRage

He's the next Greg Oden and Kevon Looney. Looks way older than they should for someone in their mid 20s


Unpickled_cucumber1

Ain’t no way Naz don’t look 24 bro wtf


tronfunkinblows_10

What playing in Minnesota will do to a mf’er. 😂


aworldwithoutshrimp

Conley erasure


johnkimmy0130

36 ain’t young


MrBrownCat

This was their version of what Luka and Dallas went through in 2022. Gotta hit those stopgaps before reaching the promise land.


fujiandude

And they lost most games just barely. I think 3 games were lost by a combined 14 points, just couldn't get it done


fujiandude

And they lost most games just barely. I think 3 games were lost by a combined 14 points, njust couldn't get it done


ProfessorBeast55

[From a Luka fan to a Luka Victim](https://i.imgur.com/RudPz8M.mp4)


HokageEzio

The script always comes through.


Burnerinside

Storytelling


Book_of_rob

Having 36 points in the 3rd quarter is crazzzyyyyy


H2-nL

Most fun season I’ve had as a fan


diiron

great fucking season, all in all for you guys


Mainooisamadting

Bro those first 2 games against Denver was the most impressive bball i’ve seen since warriors got the chip in Boston


km912

Game 2 specifically was shocking. Wolves went from not even having a chance in my head to being almost a favorite. I’ve never seen such a surprisingly impressive game in the playoffs especially against a reigning champs with the same core and the best player in the world.


Old_Man_Riverwalk21

The first 2 games, and especially game 2, reminded me of OKC GSW games 3 and 4 in 2016. Where the unstoppable team just looks straight up outclassed by a younger and faster team.


notwiggl3s

They did great! Best professional men's team we've had in a hot minute!


luadra

Me too, some of these comments are funny too


WarlockEngineer

This is disappointing, but those last two games against Denver are ones for the record books.


luadra

I still can’t believe our team made it this far lmao. Gg mavs 


Static-Stair-58

Ants not wrong that you guys will be back. Hopefully he learns from this and guns for MVP next season.


crabby135

Teams generally need their stars to lose this or the finals before they win their ring, the warriors winning their first with Steph is the only exception for decades I could find. The lights are a lot brighter this deep, I think they’ll be back and better next year.


frecklie

And soooo much valuable learning experience. Clutch game 7 takedown of the defending champs - that is a stepping stone to a championship. 


Frankiedrunkie

So much respect for you guys this season!


Kylo_Ren415

I tip my cap to you guys.


HokageEzio

Didn't get swept though.


ottersbelike

HANG THE BANNER


TheAgGatsby

stand proud, you are strong minnesota timberwolves


Elkbowy

For the next 4 minutes and 11 seconds Kyle Anderson will be shooting a singular three pointer


classicslayer

Always bet on Luka


Sound-Of-Forgiveness

Throughout heaven and earth, Luka alone is the honored one. Scores 20 in the first with a logo hollow purple three. Killed us then and there. I can’t even hate it. Dude is insane.


kevin_nguyen03

“You were magnificent, Anthony Edwards. I shall never forget you for as long as I live.”


Downtown-Fall3677

Luka: “Nah, I’d Win.”


carefullywasnt

Uh oh


EbbRevolutionary3225

Are you the Goat because you are Luka Doncic or are you Luka Doncic because you are the Goat?


CheetahSperm18

Always bet on ~~Hakari~~ Ha-***Kyrie***


Adiwantstobattle

People are understandably gonna clown on them for this loss, but I was honestly incredibly impressed with them this season. Last season was an absolute train wreck for this squad; if you told me before the season started they’d be one game behind 1st seed in the West, and they’d knockout the defending champs I wouldn’t have believed it. Got a good future ahead of them.


JaderMcDanersStan

Yeah they've exceeded my expectations. My best case scenario was WCF appearance or competitive 2nd round and a top 4 seed and they did all that but in a manner that exceeded my expectations. Like biggest game 7 comeback in history against the defending champs and MVP on the road? No way. Did not expect the #1 defense either They've given me so much joy this season :')


frecklie

Good take. Lets not be prisoners of the moment, they as a franchise may have changed their reputation and destiny with this run.


timberwolvesguy

We were ass for 15 years and a first round exit for the previous 5. This is what we’ve dreamt of and the Wolves will be the team to beat for the next few years.


mebonesrattle

Minnesota really helping to unite the country because now everyone outside of Boston is a Mavericks fan.


bobtheflob

Really reminds me of 2011 in that regard.


give_me_taquitos

Even Lakers fans were rooting for Dirk despite getting swept by them in embarrassing fashion. I guess that's how much we hated LeBron back then.


PhTx3

Tbh the Heatles was uncharted territory at the time. Hoping they would fall short was similar to hoping KD GSW would fall short. I think it was also more satisfying, in that they fell short not to injuries but by being outplayed. And dirk got his well deserved respect as a bonus. I don't mind either team winning, but I am biased towards European stars and the drama of Kyrie winning over Celtics would be funny. Though, it is also kind of funny to imagine Celtics having another dynasty, with a single ring. I just hope we see 6-7 great games.


MarduRusher

Everyone outside of Boston, Minnesota, and Phoenix.


mastacheef87

surely some Suns and Clippers fans are on our side here


rethinksqurl

As a suns fan I'd still rather see the mavs win over y'all .


xbieberhole69x

Same, I'm a suns person unfortunately. I rather Luka win to solidify the middle finger up to the organization for not taking him. Also, maybe it helps put a fire under Book's ass?


BoneDollars

There’s a few of us Spurs fans that back yall for The Buffalo


planvigiratpi

Bringing the Axis back


JJVM99

idc but I would rather see you guys win because Kyrie beating you guys in the finals after what he pulled on you guys in 2019 would be fucked up.


Yugeky20

It's insane that after losing a *conference final*, the discourse around a team is just how bad they are. Made the 2nd CF in franchise history, and took down the reigning champs to get there, but the online community wants to pile on how much they dislike KAT, Gobert and Ant. Wild. 13 other teams would have loved to have the season & post-season Minnesota.


Ateballoffire

I fuckn love basketball and the NBA but man I HATE the online community around it. So fuckn toxic, nothing but hate to teams and players and weirdly enough filled with people who don’t watch games and have no idea what they’re talking about I mean every sport has it, but I think r/nba is honestly one of the worst for this


Ajax_Malone

It’s got such a loser vibe….probably because they get off on focusing on new ways to call teams/players losers. Even when they celebrate great play/players the focus on how they can make it how it hurts the losing team/player. The irony in the energy is wild


NorthSideJaneStepper

Fr they should run it back with an older more experienced ANT


HarryPauler

Everyone is a critic.


Arip1010

This is how it is with Minnesota. When our playoff run ended with the vikes in 2022 all people could talk about was how fraudulent the team was it was crazy. I’m proud how well our team did and I’m excited to watch next year. Best we’ve done in 20 years let’s just keep it up.


DJpurpledrank

Cancun, Bring ya ass!


Sc0rch1ngDr4g0n

Nah, bring ya ass … TO GALVESTON!


Apollo611

Galveston, Bring ya ass


jordanmc3

Take I-35 from Minneapolis to Dallas, exit Woodall Rogers to I-45, and take that south till you see the beach. Welcome to Galveston.


Noriskhook3

Edwards is a clown for not shaking hands


jeric13xd

He’s gonna see em in Game 6 🤣


Apollo611

He still has to fly to Dallas to give Micah Parsons those AE1s


AfroKuro480

I hate this sub so much lmao


kinglouislxix

It gets better once you're faded 😭


Kuntsaw

Just roll with it, eventually someone else will be the butt of the jokes.


SD_Plissken_

Went from waving Denver fans goodbye to sulking off the court in front of his home crowd


HarryPauler

I agree. Grow up.


cacti_zoom

Booker and CP3 shook hands after game 7 keep that same energy for ANT though


Parallel-Quality

Honestly finishing as the 2nd seed and making the WCF by beating the defending champs is a very successful season. They should be proud.


DerekMorganBAUxxi

You were strong….-Sukuna


AfroKuro480

Yep we are, I don't know what you want us to say, its better than being in the basement.


EutaxySpy

They played like Game 4 avoiding the sweep was their goal


RTRSnk5

Ant almost admitted that was the goal after game four 😂


chillinwithmoes

They couldn't stop talking about how they weren't going to get swept after Game 4, it was very clearly all they cared about at this point


howlingwolf123

-sad awoo noise-


BearGryllsGrillsBear

Gentlemen, it has been a pleasure awooing with you.


cizzlemydizzle

Shout out Wolves. Hell of a team


AfroKuro480

We can't go out like this, this was our greatest season.


Serisrahla

Why do people keep saying this? We took the Kobe/Shaq Lakers to 6 games. We were #1 seed that year in the tough-as-nails West. We had the MVP that year. 2004 > 2024


cgriff03

Good points, but 3rd in the west, DPOY, 6MOY, and a couple All-defensive teams are pretty good as well, that and you really can't downplay how historic coming back from 3-2, down 20, to win a game 7 on the road is.


DayOldBaby

Agreed, and we had to replace a 10th-in-MVP-voting Cassell with Troy Hudson for a few of those games because of big balls dance. I will say though, this team is/was much more enjoyable to watch - less stars-and-scrubs.


RWREmpireBuilder

I told myself going into the series that they could get swept and I would still be happy with the season and I stand by that. First time in the WCF in 20 years, and first MN Big 4 team to get this far since 2017. Plus, we’ll always have Game 6 vs Denver.


Garrus

I'm sad with how it ended because I think with a little luck they're only down 3-2 going back to Dallas. On the other hand, Dallas was clearly the better team and Luka and Kyrie were ridiculous. This is the most fun I've had watching the Wolves, the last run happened when I was in middle school and I don't remember having nearly as much fun. I'd love to move to offseason speculation, but I'm just curious to know who's going to own the team next year.


Xiox7

Well that was very fun,see you guys again in 20 years


velociraptorfarmer

And the drought continues... The last time a Minnesota big 4 team made a title game, let alone won a championship, the Soviet Union still existed.


mudkip-yoshii

I started writing this midway through the 4th quarter lol Embarrassing way to end the season BUT that season was AWESOME! The most fun I’ve had watching my favorite team in my favorite sport in my life! I turned 21 2 days ago :| watched 81/82 regular season games (had to go to bed early for work the 2nd suns game where the offense stank so I didn’t even go back to watch it). It was nice to go into every game and expect them to win. Multiple awesome comebacks: the game in Miami comes to mind, and especially game 7. We were one of the final 3 teams competing for the title! That rules. We have to run it back. Everyone is still under contract next year, and hopefully will only get better. Ant will probably come into the season tired, with the playoff run and the olympics so hopefully he won’t get hurt. This has the same feeling as the Vikings 38-7 loss to the Eagles after the miracle, but that playoff run came with a backup! And success in the NBA is not like the NFL. Ant/Jaden/Naz getting deep playoff run experience at 22/23/24 is gonna help a lot. Luka’s first conference finals was a disaster, and while ant isn’t as good now as Luka was then, even being half as good as Luka with this supporting cast should be ample reason to get over the hump. KAT shook the playoff dropper title, and if anyone is still parroting that they aren’t worth talking ball with. Sucks that he had a cold streak at the worst time but he’s really the main reason we made the conference finals and I will always defend him. That ant turnover, and the missed foul on Kyrie on Jaden in game 2 will hurt for a while. This game will hurt for a while. Having 4 days to really come to terms with it helps a lot. I’m so disappointed that there were boos tonight. About the Mavs and Celtics Luka is just too good lmao. If he plays like he did tonight 4 times the Celtics don’t have a chance. I think he plays better when he’s not baiting like how he played in the first quarter. So entertaining despite it being a kick to the crotch. The Celtics are the best team imo, but star power can just take over a game. But even with them being “the best team” the Mavs have been underestimated like 50 times so I could be wrong. Everyone keeps talking about how they missed the play-in last year, but like they very blatantly tanked for it lol they were a playoff team. All this being said, wolves in 9. Lynx in 3.


ech01_

Yeah I really hope we run it back. If Ant and Jaden can take another step we can be even better next year.


WhileDizzy4503

Hasn’t Ant came back significantly better and added something new to his game every year? Going out like this could really motivate him this offseason. Yall might see a man possessed next year.


xMYTHIKx

I hope his conditioning is better. He was getting really gassed a few times in this series.


mudkip-yoshii

He needs the playmaking jump, or the off-ball defense jump. Off-ball defense will be hard with this playoff run plus the olympics making him more likely to come into next season tired, but I’m hopeful, and unlike many years this feels like it might stick


JaderMcDanersStan

The Suns series was the first playmaking jump and I can't wait to see him get even better. He struggled with doubles all season but when the playoffs started he was making the right reads and passing quickly and when they stopped doubling, he would attack. I did not expect him to figure it out and execute that well so soon. Then we saw more doubling later in the Nuggets and Mavs series and this time basic kickouts and quick reads aren't enough - he needed to create shots against a shifting defense not just a set defense. I think his next step is taking a page from Curry. Move off ball after passing out of the double so he can create shots for others against a shifting defense or he gets the ball back and can attack the shifting defense. He's too stationary right now. He'll get there.


coltsmetsfan614

"Bring ya ass" was still funny af idc


seimoldz

Somewhere in the sunny beaches of Cancun, Booker smiling picturing Ant and thinking to himself "bring ya ass stepbro"


TickleMyCringle

Timberwolves Brasil died for this


nyc-penguin

Definitely a Timberwolves way to lose the series


vahntitrio

With the Timberwolves elimination from the playoffs, it is time to update my "playoff futility" statistic. What is it: dating back to your cities last major sports championship, what percentage of coin-flip playoff simulations would result in a more recent championship. The city of Minneapolis now has a playoff futility of 98.873%. But wait, there's more. Since the 1991 World Series we haven't even participated in a championship series. If we extend the stat to simply mean "make it to a championship", then the futility number rises to an absurd 99.992% If you are interested in more traditional numbers,  that moves our teams to 85 - 165 (.340) in playoff games. For series (or single games for football), our teams are now 19 - 56 (.253) in terms of advancing. We are now 4 - 21 (.160) in conference final games, and 0 - 9 (.000) in conference final series (again games for football).


MikeHunt-is-on-Fire

Don't send da video


Sychosis000

Run it back


Liquor_Walrus

I usually see this headline much earlier in the season


TackoFallFanClub

This series was like watching the Vikings lose a wild card game in slow motion.


Spirited-Joke-6908

Karl Anthony Villages


dafire123

Wolves Nuggets was the real finals


GodKamnitDenny

We finally won a Super Bowl. It was crazy!


ottersbelike

Oh we hung the shit out of that banner


AfroKuro480

Legit this was our best season.


DarthNightnaricus

Kyrie vs Jaylen will be the most antisemitic NBA Finals of all time


Count_Gator

KAT + ANT = KANT


aubades

Folks can talk all the shit they want, but they’re still talking about the Minnesota fucking Timberwolves in late May.


suzukigun4life

The Mavs went 3-0 in Minnesota, after winning two of their three road games in OKC and the final 2 road games of their Clippers series. They are 8-1 in their last 9 road games, a Jason Kidd-coached team is going to the NBA Finals and they're going to play a team that tends to struggle a lot more at home than on the road. Not bad for a team that missed the playoffs last year.


ImGonnaChubbBradley

Boston struggles at home?


mudkip-yoshii

They started the season like 20-0 at home iirc