Wolves vs Warriors Game 3 GDT

[Coolbreeze44]

Time to eat some crow. I ripped Ant and Julius for their first half and justifiably so. But Randle was dominant in the 2nd half and Ant in the 4th quarter. In addition Jaden played a nearly perfect 4th quarter.

So I'm the fool for getting so down on them before they came alive and won the game. I trust Ant to eventually do what he did, he's done it over and over again. But even though he's had a really good playoffs, I don't have the same trust with Ju. I'm hoping he keeps making a liar out of me.

But going forward I don't want to see two guys take 63% of the shots in a game. We beat a desperate and depleted team doing that, but it's not sustainable. How those guys took that many shots and yet Julius doled out 12 assists is remarkable. But let's get back to moving the ball and moving without it. We can win a championship if we do that.

[Phenom]

I saw a stat that the Wolves clutch time scoring is 84 points. The next best team is 38.

Should we feel better about this team?

I think you mean clutch time net rating, phenom, and you’re right…it’s very impressive! I see it as a combination of fresher legs and better decision making on our part, and overused aging players on there’s. It won’t be the same in the next round, so let’s enjoy it now!

So your saying the Wolves will blow out the next team each game?

[ItsJustSoSab]

I'm going to channel my inner Kek and say they found a way. BUT, this is without Curry...and Draymond fouled out and we barely won. This is not a championship team. I hope they find their way soon.

I don't think anyone believed this team was. We're just seeing all these obstacles slowly clearing themselves away to give us the belief that it's possible.


Cavs down
Celtics down
Thunder down
Curry out
home court as a 6 seed.


It's ALL there in front of them. I just wish they saw the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train.

Not watching most of the season I guess has set my expectations too high then! Last year id argue we were, although I think we get killed by the Celtics if we made it to the finals (probs a sweep).

People talk about growth of players and Jaden has become probably my favorite. His defense combined with better offensive game has impressed me. KAT trade I felt had us take a step back (I've never been a fan of Randle), but we won a lot when he came back, so there was still hope.

I just want a championship, and almost have lost complete interest in MN teams who can make the playoffs but can't make any sort of noise (Twins for like a decade, Wild here and there, Vikings of course). I've lived in different parts of the county and always wondered why certain franchises win more. Bigger markets help for sure. But it seems to come down to expectations of fans. Yankees fan expect to win rings. Same with Boston Celtics/Lakers fans. Going to the playoff and losing early gets coaches/managers fired. MN fans especially seem to have a "ah shucks, well there's always next year" mentality.

Demand more and I believe results will come. As you said...some things in the playoffs are going haywire....there is a path. Hopefully they seize it!

[Monster]

I'm going to channel my inner Kek and say they found a way. BUT, this is without Curry...and Draymond fouled out and we barely won. This is not a championship team. I hope they find their way soon.

I don't think anyone believed this team was. We're just seeing all these obstacles slowly clearing themselves away to give us the belief that it's possible.


Cavs down
Celtics down
Thunder down
Curry out
home court as a 6 seed.


It's ALL there in front of them. I just wish they saw the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train.

Not watching most of the season I guess has set my expectations too high then! Last year id argue we were, although I think we get killed by the Celtics if we made it to the finals (probs a sweep).

People talk about growth of players and Jaden has become probably my favorite. His defense combined with better offensive game has impressed me. KAT trade I felt had us take a step back (I've never been a fan of Randle), but we won a lot when he came back, so there was still hope.

I just want a championship, and almost have lost complete interest in MN teams who can make the playoffs but can't make any sort of noise (Twins for like a decade, Wild here and there, Vikings of course). I've lived in different parts of the county and always wondered why certain franchises win more. Bigger markets help for sure. But it seems to come down to expectations of fans. Yankees fan expect to win rings. Same with Boston Celtics/Lakers fans. Going to the playoff and losing early gets coaches/managers fired. MN fans especially seem to have a "ah shucks, well there's always next year" mentality.

Demand more and I believe results will come. As you said...some things in the playoffs are going haywire....there is a path. Hopefully they seize it!

I'm sure Yankees fans would love to hear it was their fault for like 15 years between WS appearances. They should demand more! Sidenote: The Royals cut loose Nick Gordon and in the comments after the article there were Yankees fans that were like "We need Nick Gordon!!!" lol

Honestly I think if any franchises actually play to fans that might be a bad thing assuming they aren't cheaping out on the roster...

[Coolbreeze44]

I'm going to channel my inner Kek and say they found a way. BUT, this is without Curry...and Draymond fouled out and we barely won. This is not a championship team. I hope they find their way soon.

I don't think anyone believed this team was. We're just seeing all these obstacles slowly clearing themselves away to give us the belief that it's possible.


Cavs down
Celtics down
Thunder down
Curry out
home court as a 6 seed.


It's ALL there in front of them. I just wish they saw the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train.

Not watching most of the season I guess has set my expectations too high then! Last year id argue we were, although I think we get killed by the Celtics if we made it to the finals (probs a sweep).

People talk about growth of players and Jaden has become probably my favorite. His defense combined with better offensive game has impressed me. KAT trade I felt had us take a step back (I've never been a fan of Randle), but we won a lot when he came back, so there was still hope.

I just want a championship, and almost have lost complete interest in MN teams who can make the playoffs but can't make any sort of noise (Twins for like a decade, Wild here and there, Vikings of course). I've lived in different parts of the county and always wondered why certain franchises win more. Bigger markets help for sure. But it seems to come down to expectations of fans. Yankees fan expect to win rings. Same with Boston Celtics/Lakers fans. Going to the playoff and losing early gets coaches/managers fired. MN fans especially seem to have a "ah shucks, well there's always next year" mentality.

Demand more and I believe results will come. As you said...some things in the playoffs are going haywire....there is a path. Hopefully they seize it!

Good post Sabby. Last year we played very well against the Celtics. I think we would have given them fits in the finals. Assuming of course good health and Ant behaving himself.

I like your points on markets and fans. I agree bigger markets have an advantage in every league but the NFL. And I also believe fan and local media expectations play a role. Boston teams are never bad for very long. Neither are Philadelphia's or San Frans. Ownership needs pressure to act in the best interest of the fans, and General Managers don't last long in those markets if they don't produce. The Pohlads completely ripped off the state of Minnesota and they don't get near the type of heat they would get in New York.

[ItsJustSoSab]

I don't think anyone believed this team was. We're just seeing all these obstacles slowly clearing themselves away to give us the belief that it's possible.


Cavs down
Celtics down
Thunder down
Curry out
home court as a 6 seed.


It's ALL there in front of them. I just wish they saw the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train.

Not watching most of the season I guess has set my expectations too high then! Last year id argue we were, although I think we get killed by the Celtics if we made it to the finals (probs a sweep).

People talk about growth of players and Jaden has become probably my favorite. His defense combined with better offensive game has impressed me. KAT trade I felt had us take a step back (I've never been a fan of Randle), but we won a lot when he came back, so there was still hope.

I just want a championship, and almost have lost complete interest in MN teams who can make the playoffs but can't make any sort of noise (Twins for like a decade, Wild here and there, Vikings of course). I've lived in different parts of the county and always wondered why certain franchises win more. Bigger markets help for sure. But it seems to come down to expectations of fans. Yankees fan expect to win rings. Same with Boston Celtics/Lakers fans. Going to the playoff and losing early gets coaches/managers fired. MN fans especially seem to have a "ah shucks, well there's always next year" mentality.

Demand more and I believe results will come. As you said...some things in the playoffs are going haywire....there is a path. Hopefully they seize it!

I'm sure Yankees fans would love to hear it was their fault for like 15 years between WS appearances. They should demand more! Sidenote: The Royals cut loose Nick Gordon and in the comments after the article there were Yankees fans that were like "We need Nick Gordon!!!" lol

Honestly I think if any franchises actually play to fans that might be a bad thing assuming they aren't cheaping out on the roster...

Read that back. 15 years. That's really not a long time compared to MN sports. Also, they have other teams. This is just one NY team lol. Fault isn't the right word. As I said, expectations that lead to demands put pressure on owners/front offices to win. Of course you can't listen to every fan and do whatever a fan base wants, just because they are upset.

I stand by my point. Certain franchises want to win, bad. They go for championships and don't celebrate just making the playoffs. The Clippers until recent history were god awful. Still LA. Major market with a lot of basketball success but something was off. It's never just one thing of course, bad owners, bad front offices, bad coaches, bad players, injuries, bad drafts etc. lead to terrible years, but doesn't seem to affect the Lakers for too long.

Whether Luka ends up being a success for LA or not...the point would be they got him and are taking the swing. He now enters a long long long lineage of Superstar players that played for the Lakers over the course of many decades. Why doesn't that happened for the other 90% of the league...?

[Monster]

Not watching most of the season I guess has set my expectations too high then! Last year id argue we were, although I think we get killed by the Celtics if we made it to the finals (probs a sweep).

People talk about growth of players and Jaden has become probably my favorite. His defense combined with better offensive game has impressed me. KAT trade I felt had us take a step back (I've never been a fan of Randle), but we won a lot when he came back, so there was still hope.

I just want a championship, and almost have lost complete interest in MN teams who can make the playoffs but can't make any sort of noise (Twins for like a decade, Wild here and there, Vikings of course). I've lived in different parts of the county and always wondered why certain franchises win more. Bigger markets help for sure. But it seems to come down to expectations of fans. Yankees fan expect to win rings. Same with Boston Celtics/Lakers fans. Going to the playoff and losing early gets coaches/managers fired. MN fans especially seem to have a "ah shucks, well there's always next year" mentality.

Demand more and I believe results will come. As you said...some things in the playoffs are going haywire....there is a path. Hopefully they seize it!

I'm sure Yankees fans would love to hear it was their fault for like 15 years between WS appearances. They should demand more! Sidenote: The Royals cut loose Nick Gordon and in the comments after the article there were Yankees fans that were like "We need Nick Gordon!!!" lol

Honestly I think if any franchises actually play to fans that might be a bad thing assuming they aren't cheaping out on the roster...

Read that back. 15 years. That's really not a long time compared to MN sports. Also, they have other teams. This is just one NY team lol. Fault isn't the right word. As I said, expectations that lead to demands put pressure on owners/front offices to win. Of course you can't listen to every fan and do whatever a fan base wants, just because they are upset.

I stand by my point. Certain franchises want to win, bad. They go for championships and don't celebrate just making the playoffs. The Clippers until recent history were god awful. Still LA. Major market with a lot of basketball success but something was off. It's never just one thing of course, bad owners, bad front offices, bad coaches, bad players, injuries, bad drafts etc. lead to terrible years, but doesn't seem to affect the Lakers for too long.

Whether Luka ends up being a success for LA or not...the point would be they got him and are taking the swing. He now enters a long long long lineage of Superstar players that played for the Lakers over the course of many decades. Why doesn't that happened for the other 90% of the league...?

Fair points.

It does seem like kind of tough saying that MN sports team fans are part of the problem when it seems like there are so many things beyond fans control for a lot of these teams. Do Wild (and Northstar) fans not care enough that's why they haven't won a Stanley cup yet? What are we supposed to do to bring about these championships and hopefully no other fans find out about these expectations being the key or it's gonna be even tougher and we are gonna have to raise the expectations even higher!!! In all seriousness it will be interesting to see what Fandom looks like in a few more years. Sports continues to be even more of a business and about money all the time.

I live in Lincoln Nebraska. The expectations for the Husker football team have been very high for many years. The Huskers football team hasn't been anywhere near championship level for like 20 years. I can guarantee you the reason isn't because of lack of fan expectations. Heck people IMO have too high of expectations for the Men's basketball program! Lol Fans now expect the women's Volleyball team to compete for a championship every year as they should. The fan support here for all sports is pretty high and even when Nebraska Volleyball was just more like really good people were still showing up to sold out arenas.

I know some people are championship or bust types. That's not me. I can enjoy a team that's really good and hopefully fun the watch even if I'm not really sure it's gonna be more than a decent team or just a playoff tesm. I'm not settling for that but I watch sports to some extent because I enjoy it. If it's only fun if my team wins it all...idk if I woukd keep watching. I enjoy a lot more about sports than just the winning to. Players stories and team's stories are compelling. The Vikings are NEVER boring.

Also just to be clear I'm not someone that wants my team to stay in the middle staying sort of competitive while kinda hurting their chances of being better later. The Vikings have done pretty well with that "competitive rebuild" with the new group and why didn't they really tear it down sooner? Ownership wanted them to stay good. There were plenty of fans that would have basically been thrilled if the Vikings sucked at least one year. I would have been fine with it too but there is something to be said for building up a team while not just basically tanking. Hopefully McCarthy is the real deal. Wait I'm supposed to expect him to be the real deal! Ugh you are right I'm part of the problem!

What I think we can agree on is it can be fun to actually have some expectations even if it doesn't work out. I feel that way about this Wolves team. There is an opportunity if they can pull themselves together. Will it happen? Idk but I think this team has a real shot until they prove otherwise.

[WildWolf2813]

I don't think anyone believed this team was. We're just seeing all these obstacles slowly clearing themselves away to give us the belief that it's possible.


Cavs down
Celtics down
Thunder down
Curry out
home court as a 6 seed.


It's ALL there in front of them. I just wish they saw the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train.

Not watching most of the season I guess has set my expectations too high then! Last year id argue we were, although I think we get killed by the Celtics if we made it to the finals (probs a sweep).

People talk about growth of players and Jaden has become probably my favorite. His defense combined with better offensive game has impressed me. KAT trade I felt had us take a step back (I've never been a fan of Randle), but we won a lot when he came back, so there was still hope.

I just want a championship, and almost have lost complete interest in MN teams who can make the playoffs but can't make any sort of noise (Twins for like a decade, Wild here and there, Vikings of course). I've lived in different parts of the county and always wondered why certain franchises win more. Bigger markets help for sure. But it seems to come down to expectations of fans. Yankees fan expect to win rings. Same with Boston Celtics/Lakers fans. Going to the playoff and losing early gets coaches/managers fired. MN fans especially seem to have a "ah shucks, well there's always next year" mentality.

Demand more and I believe results will come. As you said...some things in the playoffs are going haywire....there is a path. Hopefully they seize it!

I'm sure Yankees fans would love to hear it was their fault for like 15 years between WS appearances. They should demand more! Sidenote: The Royals cut loose Nick Gordon and in the comments after the article there were Yankees fans that were like "We need Nick Gordon!!!" lol

Honestly I think if any franchises actually play to fans that might be a bad thing assuming they aren't cheaping out on the roster...

Hi. Yankee fan here.

Let Yankee fans tell it, they ARE cheapening out on the roster. Without going too far in depth (most of you are Twins fans and will scoff at the gripe of a Yankee fan) in basketball terms, it would be like turning down Giannis for Minott and Leonard Miller because you don't want to pay the 2nd apron. It's like not adding a shooter off the buyout market because of the taxes you have to pay. It's not going the extra mile. All GM's make bad decisions. Don't give off the impression that money will get in the way of the championship because money is earned and lost but flags fly forever.

That's partly why I'm so bullish on A-Rod and Lore and by default, Connelly. If we don't win, it won't be because they chose to save money for the sake of saving money. There's a plan behind it that we hope pays off.