Timberwolves one win away from advancing in playoffs

NINA MOINI: The Timberwolves are going back to Los Angeles with a 3-to-1 lead in their playoff series against the Lakers. At the start of the fourth quarter of yesterday's game in Minneapolis, the Wolves were lagging by 10 points, but they came back to win 116 to 113. Even before that happened, fans at the game told MPR News producer Ngoc Bui that they believed the team could win this series and more.

FAN: We're going to win the NBA Finals.

FAN: Yep, that's the only answer right there.

NGOC BUI: What makes this team better than last year?

FAN: I think we have a deeper bench. I think we play more as a unit. And I think just like the experience from last year, carrying that into this year is going to help us a lot too.

FAN: I think, I mean, just we have a great squad this year, Edwards really leading the squad. Just overall, I think the atmosphere-- this franchise has changed, right? So we're really excited to just have a winning team. I think we really got a good chance this year.

FAN: I think the Timberwolves have really turned it on since playoffs started. So I'm really happy about that. And I really think that we can go all the way. We just have to continue to make shots, play well together, and work hard. I mean, when I saw them game one, I saw a championship team.

NINA MOINI: The fans are fired up, and the Wolves need to win one more time to move to the next round of the playoffs. The next game is on Wednesday, and the Lakers will be at home. And for them, it's really a make or break game. So joining me now to talk about this and other sports news are our contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Thanks for being here, guys.

ERIC NELSON: Happy Monday, Nina.

NINA MOINI: Well, we just had all that fan analysis, so I'm not even sure we need you guys. No, I'm just kidding. But Wally--

ERIC NELSON: Wow.

NINA MOINI: No, I'm just kidding. Well, what were you thinking as you were watching the game? And do you agree with all those fans we heard from?

WALLY LONGFELLOW: Oh, some of it. I mean, there's still-- this is the first round. Let's not get carried away thinking that these are the NBA Finals. And if and when they do beat the Lakers, their opponents are going to get more difficult, not less difficult. So this is only the beginning in the words of Chicago, back in the 1970s.

Look, the one thing the Wolves have done really well here against the Lakers that they did not do in the regular season, on a consistent basis anyway, was play well down the stretch in the closing moments of the game. They did that again yesterday. They were down 10, as you noted, going into the fourth quarter. Didn't seem to faze them. They end up winning the basketball game 116-113.

And Anthony Edwards, who is their go-to guy, he gets the ball. He is going to have the ball in his hands in key situations. And he has come through big time in these games against the Lakers, 43 points yesterday. And this is despite the fact that the Lakers got 38 from Luka Doncic, 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists from LeBron James.

But here's an interesting facet of the game that you may or may not have noticed if you were watching it on television. The Lakers played the same five guys the entire second half. That is extremely unusual. I don't know-- you have to dig into the NBA record books to find somebody who has done that before. But Laker Coach JJ Redick, he's a rookie coach. He said he wasn't planning it to do this way. It just happened that way. Let's not forget, LeBron James is 40 years old. He probably does need a rest.

The other thing that I found fascinating with yesterday's game, the Wolves challenged on that closing play, where Anthony Edwards ended up shooting two free throws and giving them a 3-point lead. So instead of having to just go for a 2-pointer, the Lakers had to come down and shoot for a 3-pointer at the end-- clutch because they challenge the call that would have went off of Edward's leg out of bounds. It would have been the Lakers ball in that situation. The Timberwolves challenged.

A foul was called on LeBron James. Anthony Edwards makes the two free throws, and they're up by 3. And then the Lakers end up missing at the end on a shot by Austin Reaves. So the Wolves do go up 3-1. They can clinch it in LA on Wednesday. If that doesn't happen, they can clinch it at Target Center on Friday. If that doesn't happen, they can go back to LA and clinch it next Sunday against the Lakers. So they're in a really good position right now for sure.

NINA MOINI: All right, but you're not getting carried away quite yet like those fans.

WALLY LONGFELLOW: One game at a time.

NINA MOINI: Yeah, one game. And so, Eric, the new owners, Mark Lowry and Alex Rodriguez, they've signaled that they want a new Stadium. Do you think that the Wolves' performance, this season or in recent seasons, does that give them an advantage toward making that happen, do you think?

ERIC NELSON: Well, another deep playoff run certainly is not going to hurt the Timberwolves' chances for a new arena. But I believe the team is probably swimming upstream if you're talking about public funding because there really never has been a public appetite to give billionaires tax money to build these playpens for sports teams.

And I think it's even more pronounced these days. So you have Alex Rodriguez and Mark Lowry-- they're the faces of the T Wolves ownership group. But the real money muscle is coming from ex-new York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He's worth $104.7 billion, Nina, slightly more than you.

NINA MOINI: Yeah, just a little.

ERIC NELSON: Eric Schmit, who used to be with Google, is now with Blue Owl Capital.. His portfolio? Almost $23 billion. So they have more than enough dough to pony up and build this arena themselves. So I don't know if the politicians in St. Paul are going to be thrilled about using tax dollars for this venue. A new arena would likely cost between $1 and $2 billion. $2 billion was the tab for the brand-new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. That's the home of the LA Clippers. It opened in 2024. But it was privately financed-- I want to emphasize that-- privately financed by Steve Ballmer, the Microsoft mogul.

And then for another baseline estimate here, $1.15 billion was the cost for Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. That's the home of the NHL Kraken. It opened in 2021. It did not cost Seattle taxpayers a penny because the OVG Group out there in Seattle picked up the tab. So we have recent precedent for owners finding ways to fund these arenas or stadiums by themselves without taking money from the public. And oh, by the way, the Washington Commanders announced today a $4 billion stadium project in downtown DC, and they're going to get tax money from the DC residents if it passes. But that's a big if.

NINA MOINI: We'll see how many billionaires can step up for the team, perhaps. Wally, the Wild and Las Vegas Golden Knights, they've been alternating wins in their playoff series. And they're, I understand, tied 2 to 2, and game 5 is tomorrow. So that's going to be a big deal. Is there a stronger team, you think?

WALLY LONGFELLOW: Well, I think if you look at this series as a whole, I think the Wild have looked better for more often throughout the series than Las Vegas has. But, as you said, the series is now tied at 2 apiece. The Wild had their chances for sure on Saturday, losing 4-3 in overtime. And it was late in that first overtime, too. They just could not find the back of the net and, really, a lost opportunity to take control of the series.

I was just looking it up-- the odds now have shifted back for Las Vegas. They're now given a 72% chance, according to-- of course, this is according to Las Vegas Oddsmakers, so take it with a grain of salt-- but a 72% chance of winning this series to Minnesota's 28%. So their backs, in a way, are against the wall because they have now lost that home ice advantage, if there is such a thing in the NHL playoffs.

The St. Louis Blues believe there is. They crushed Winnipeg again this past weekend, so their series is even at 2 each. But it is definitely-- it's a coin toss. Now they're going to have to win at least one more game in Las Vegas if they want to advance.

Also, Minnesota's other pro hockey team, the Frost, who are the defending champions in the PWHL, their chances of even making the playoffs are slip-sliding away, to quote Paul Simon here. I think that what's end up going to happen-- they're going to have to win their last two games. And they do play one of the teams that they're in contention with, Ottawa. That's their next game coming up. They're going to have to win their last two, and they're going to have to get some help too. If they want to make the playoffs and defend their PWHL championship. So I would say the Wild have a much better shot at this juncture because it doesn't look like the Frost are even going to make the postseason.

NINA MOINI: All right, Wally and Eric, thank you both for joining us with some good news in there. I really liked it. Thank you both.

ERIC NELSON: Yeah, hey, Nina, good to be on.

NINA MOINI: All right, take care. Have a good week. That's Wally Langfellow, founder of Minnesota Score sports magazine, and cohost of the sports talk show 10 Thousand Takes. And Eric Nelson is the other host of that show and a Minnesota Vikings NFL reporter for CBS's Eye on Football and Sirius XM.