By Michael Rand. The Timberwolves have beaten the best team in the Western Conference twice this month, the second time coming in shocking fashion after rallying from a point fourth quarter deficit in a victory at Oklahoma City on Monday. Yet being a fan of these Wolves requires the sort of unconditional love reserved for a child.
You know they mean well. You know they are trying their best. You know they will inevitably do something unbearably frustrating.
And yet They are in seventh place in the crowded Western Conference by percentage points, but are an impressive yet maddening combined against the six teams ahead of them. The biggest compliment we can give these Wolves β and it is a real compliment β is that while they are capable of losing to anyone they are also capable of beating anyone.
Basketball Reference gives them a Of course, much of that is predicated on the other edge of the sword: The Wolves by far have played the hardest schedule of any team in the West and by an even larger margin have the easiest remaining schedule of any team in the conference.
But they should have a deeper roster than they had earlier in the year. Indeed, as multiple people have pointed out to me as I tested out this theory in other spaces: Perhaps the team the Wolves have to fear the most in the West is themselves. In 25 years covering Minnesota sports at the Minnesota Star Tribune, he has seen just about everything except, of course, a Vikings Super Bowl.
