***OFFICIAL 2024-25 WINS PREDICTION THREAD + PLAYOFFS PREDICTION***

[Porckchop]

Every time one of our three major sports teams are met with higher expectations they seem to crumble under the weight. The Vikes had zero expectations and now look at them. The Twins were supposed to be a real threat but never materialized. Now the Wolves coming off an entertaining season and respectable playoff run have the media’s attention and respect.
It has all the makings of a precipitous decline.

49-23

[Q-is-here]

Here is where we stand as of this morning. I threw my prediction in there as well.

WolvesFan21 - 61, NBA Champions!
60WinTim - 60, NBA Finals
Crazysauce - 59, NBA Finals
Jester, Bleedspeed - 58
Coolbreeze - 57, NBA Finals
cpg29 - 57
Monster - 56, NBA Finals
Leado - 55, NBA Finals
SagaciousMagnanimous - 55
LongGame, Phenom - 54, NBA Finals
Q-is-here - 53, NBA Finals
BloopOracle - 53
FNG - 52, Western Conference Finals
TAFKASP - 50
Sundog - 49, Western Conference Finals
Kekgeek, Wildwolf, Porkchop - 49
Doper - 48
AbeVigodaLive - 44 (LOL - Abe trying to cherry-pick a win in case the bottom falls out due to injuries, etc. Love it!)

[Q-is-here]

I predict 53 wins and a trip to the NBA Finals.

- I think we take a more playoff-hardened approach to the regular season this year and get plenty of rest for Conley. I wouldn't be surprised if we take a very cautious approach with Rudy, Randle, and Ant as well. Finch will have to lean into his younger bench guys in some games and that will come with its ups and downs, thus I see us winning a few less games than last year.

- Having said that, a healthy Wolves squad heading into the playoffs should be one of the favorites to win it all. The DDV acquisition is absolutely huge. Think about the difference he could have made in last year's playoffs for us. A NAW-Reid-DDV playoff bench is really, really good.

- While I'm not a big Julius Randle fan, I'm hopeful that we can maximize his fit with our squad given the mutual trust and respect between him and Finch.

- Along with Jokic, Ant was the best player in last year's playoffs....until about halfway through the Denver series. Then things started to sputter a bit and it was due to his fitness level. Between a bit more regular season rest and better habits, I'm hoping that doesn't happen this time around.

Thank you to all that have offered up your predictions for this season so far! We have a great group of posters here and I look forward to hearing from more of you!

[Wolvesfan21]

Every time one of our three major sports teams are met with higher expectations they seem to crumble under the weight. The Vikes had zero expectations and now look at them. The Twins were supposed to be a real threat but never materialized. Now the Wolves coming off an entertaining season and respectable playoff run have the media’s attention and respect.
It has all the makings of a precipitous decline.

49-23

Just a small rebuttal, The Twins were "preseason" suppose to be terrible. They played way above their heads for a couple months then came back to who they were suppose to be.

I think many, most times you are right. When expectations are the highest the teams fail under the pressure. But we got Ant. He's a dude.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Every time one of our three major sports teams are met with higher expectations they seem to crumble under the weight. The Vikes had zero expectations and now look at them. The Twins were supposed to be a real threat but never materialized. Now the Wolves coming off an entertaining season and respectable playoff run have the media’s attention and respect.
It has all the makings of a precipitous decline.

49-23

Just a small rebuttal, The Twins were "preseason" suppose to be terrible. They played way above their heads for a couple months then came back to who they were suppose to be.

To be fair... the Twins were supposed to win the division. The O/U was 86.5. The next team was 80.5.

They didn't cover that and failed to meet expectations.

[Wolvesfan21]

Every time one of our three major sports teams are met with higher expectations they seem to crumble under the weight. The Vikes had zero expectations and now look at them. The Twins were supposed to be a real threat but never materialized. Now the Wolves coming off an entertaining season and respectable playoff run have the media’s attention and respect.
It has all the makings of a precipitous decline.

49-23

Just a small rebuttal, The Twins were "preseason" suppose to be terrible. They played way above their heads for a couple months then came back to who they were suppose to be.

To be fair... the Twins were supposed to win the division. The O/U was 86.5. The next team was 80.5.

They didn't cover that and failed to meet expectations.

They were division favorites? That's news to me because I know they got worse in the offseason. Though the division wasn't exactly good either. I'm a VERY casual baseball fan though so I wouldn't know those things about other teams!

[mjs34]

45 wins, and a first round loss in the PO's. I think losing KAT will be devastating for this team. Randle may bring a toughness that we need, but his inefficient offense and lack of defensive intensity is likely to mess with the chemistry of this team.

[Q-is-here]

45 wins, and a first round loss in the PO's. I think losing KAT will be devastating for this team. Randle may bring a toughness that we need, but his inefficient offense and lack of defensive intensity is likely to mess with the chemistry of this team.

Interesting take that goes against the grain of what most folks here are thinking, but hey, that's what makes this fun.

[Q-is-here]

Here is where we stand as of tonight. Lip must be waiting until we finish all our pre-season games. Speaking of which, when the hell do we play again!? Seems like a lot of time between games.

WolvesFan21 - 61, NBA Champions!
60WinTim - 60, NBA Finals
Crazysauce - 59, NBA Finals
Jester, Bleedspeed - 58
Coolbreeze - 57, NBA Finals
cpg29 - 57
Monster - 56, NBA Finals
Leado - 55, NBA Finals
SagaciousMagnanimous - 55
LongGame, Phenom - 54, NBA Finals
Q-is-here - 53, NBA Finals
BloopOracle - 53
FNG - 52, Western Conference Finals
TAFKASP - 50
Sundog - 49, Western Conference Finals
Kekgeek, Wildwolf, Porkchop - 49
Doper - 48
mjs34 - 45, First Round Playoffs exit
AbeVigodaLive - 44

[DNatagal]

51 wins.
Major injury to one of the starters( misses over 40 games)
4th seed
Lose to OKC in 7 games in 2nd round