Tag: Minnesota Timberwolves

WATCH: Wisconsin legend Michael Finley steals beer from Luka Doncic in viral moment

WATCH: Wisconsin legend Michael Finley steals beer from Luka Doncic in viral moment

Wisconsin legend Michael Finley is the subject of a viral moment after the Dallas Mavericks’ 124-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.

The win clinched the Mavericks’ trip to the NBA Finals. As one would expect, the postgame mood was celebratory.

Related: Ranking all Big Ten basketball arenas from worst to first

That includes star Luka Doncic, who the viral video shows standing outside the locker room with his father holding a beer — that until Finley walked by.

The Badger legend subtly took the beer out of Doncic’s hand before turning around and acting as if nothing happened. The reposted video on X now has more than six million views.

Finley, now Dallas’ Assistant General Manager, played 17 years in the NBA including nine with the Mavericks (1996-2005). His NBA accolades include an NBA title in 2007, two All-Star appearances and a spot on the All-Rookie First Team in 1996.

He played at Wisconsin from 1991-1995 and retired as the program’s all-time leading scorer — a mark that was later broken by Alando Tucker. Finley’s Badger career included two First-Team All-Big Ten nominations and his No. 24 jersey being retired by the program.

The former Badger is now rising the ranks in the NBA front office world. There is no backstory to his viral moment, but it occurred under pretty good circumstances for him, Doncic and the Mavericks.

Dallas will face the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. Game 1 is scheduled for June 6 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWireĀ on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

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Social media reacts to Mavs winning Game 5 vs. Timberwolves: ‘Luka Doncic had Snoop Dogg flabbergasted’

The Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Luka Doncic was unstoppable with 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists …

The Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

Luka Doncic was unstoppable with 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while Kyrie Irving added 36 points. Those two outscored Minnesota in the first half 44 to 40.

Anthony EdwardsĀ and Karl-Anthony TownsĀ combined for 56 points but it wasn’t enough to force Game 6.

Hereā€™s how social media reacted to the Mavs winning Game 5.

Timberwolves offseason primer: The struggle to make the final leap

Despite a conference semifinals victory in seven games over the defending champion Denver Nuggets – with three wins on the road, no less – the Minnesota Timberwolves could not sustain it in the Western Finals. A loss in Game 5 against the Dallas …

Despite a conference semifinals victory in seven games over the defending champion Denver Nuggets ā€“ with three wins on the road, no less ā€“ the Minnesota Timberwolves could not sustain it in the Western Finals. A loss in Game 5 against the Dallas Mavericks sees their 2023-24 NBA season come to end, one that promised so much but which ultimately did not amount to winning anything.

Nonetheless, considering the long stretch of mediocrity that had gone before ā€“ one could say, throughout the franchise’s entire history ā€“ the Timberwolves this season raised the standard of expectation for basketball in Minneapolis. The Wolves won 56 games in the regular season, only one less than the conference leaders, and had the best season for any Timberwolves team since in 2003-04. They were good, and they came close.

To get this good, though, the Timberwolves accelerated their timeline. They forwent the bulk of their future draft capital in the summer of 2022 when they traded with the Utah Jazz for Rudy Gobert, and then went back to Salt Lake a few months later to get Mike Conley, one of the oldest players in the league. Rather than waiting for Anthony Edwards’s career apex, the Wolves sought to establish a timeline of competitiveness more in line with the prime years of Karl-Anthony Towns.

They were right to do so, as evidenced by how far they went. But this does mean that there are a smaller number of bullets in the chamber. Be in terms of finances, flexibility, draft assets and the age of the roster, the Timberwolves need to keep making significant moves in the near future to justify the dual deals with Utah.

There follows a look at the Minnesota Timberwolvesā€™ roster and spending heading into the 2024 NBA offseason.

Snoop Dogg had a stunned reaction to Luka Doncic screaming NSFW stuff at an NBA fan

Snoop Dogg reacting to Luka Doncic’s NSFW taunting at an NBA fan was priceless.

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic responded to taunting from a Minnesota Timberwolves fan on Thursday night with a pretty epic, NSFW taunt of his own.

After he got a two-point shot and drew a foul, Doncic yelled something very funny and very inappropriate at an NBA fan in the stands who was taunting the Mavs player earlier in the game, per The Dallas Morning News’Ā Mike Curtis.

While the TNT broadcast thought the Doncic taunt was aimed at Snoop Dogg, the legendary rapper just happened to be within earshot of Doncic and had a delightful reaction on the sideline to the exchange.

Alright, if that’s not one of the best moments of the 2024 NBA playoffs so far, we’re not really sure what is.

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The Timberwolves got off to such a bad start in Game 5 that they made Ernie Johnson swear on Inside the NBA

The Timberwolves were down bad on Thursday night. How down bad? Ask Ernie Johnson.

The Minnesota Timberwolves laid an egg during the first half of Game 5 for the 2024 Western conference finals on Thursday night, and it stunned Inside the NBA commentator Ernie Johnson to the point of actually swearing.

It was a very PG potty word for the typically mild-mannered Johnson, who said that the Dallas Mavericks “opened up a serious can here at Target Center” on Minnesota during the first two quarters.

When fellow Inside the NBA commentator Kenny Smith pressed Johnson to explain what he meant, he delivered the line of the night.

“Can of whoop ass,” Johnson retorted. “69-40. Man alive.”

That is absolutely priceless for Johnson and absolutely brutal for the Timberwolves. It takes a lot to get Johnson to say a bad word on camera.

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Anthony Edwards told Micah Parson’s he’d see him in Dallas for Game 6 because what else is he supposed to say?

No, really. What else is Edwards supposed to say here?

Sometimes a player says something that sounds like a guarantee, like when Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards told a Denver Nuggets staffer he’d see them back at Ball Arena for Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals last round when the Timberwolves trailed the series 3-2.

Sometimes a player says something that sounds like a guarantee simply because there’s not really anything else you can say.

After the Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals to make the series 3-1 in favor of the Mavs, Edwards saw Micah Parsons wearing a pair of his signature sneakers and promised to bring him back a fresh set for Game 6.

The Denver instance is nothing like the Dallas one. For starters, the Timberwolves had already won two games in Colorado when Edwards made his promise. He also was dominating the series, averaging 27.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists against the defending champions. He earned his bit of bravado.

Naturally, after the Denver quip made for a compelling story, fans and media were all too eager to do the same with Edwards’ promise to Parsons. Which only works if you forget everything else you’ve seen in this series.

Dallas has ground Minnesota’s momentum to a halt. Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns are struggling mightily. Rudy Gobert has looked lost at times. That the Timberwolves didn’t get swept is a victory in itself.

So when Edwards says “see you in Game 6”,Ā  he’s not uttering it with the same gusto as when he told Denver he’d be back for Game 7. He’s saying it because there is literally nothing else to say.

“What am I supposed say?” Edwards said when asked where that confidence comes from. “I’m supposed to say ‘we’re going to lose Game 5’? No, I’m not going to never say that.”

Maybe the Timberwolves win on Thursday and keep the series alive a little bit longer. Maybe not. This isn’t one of those “guarantees” we need to hang on anyone’s career. This is just an athlete trying to keep himself as positive as possible with his season on the line.

No team has ever come back to win a series after going down 3-0 in the NBA playoffs. If and/or when Ant-Man is ready to definitively say the Wolves are going to do it against Dallas, there won’t be any question about his confidence.

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The Boston Celtics are headed to the 2024 NBA Finals, but who will they play when they get there?

Which of the two ball clubs ought Boston fans to prefer their favorite team to square off with?

The Boston Celtics are headed to the 2024 NBA Finals, but who will they play when they get there? As it currently stands in the Western Conference finals, history tells us that it will be the Dallas Mavericks with their 3-1 series lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves, but if there is ever a team that actually can come back from being down 0-3 in a playoff series, it will be a team like the ‘Wolves that pulls it off.

Which of the two ball clubs ought Boston fans to prefer their favorite team to square off with on the NBA’s biggest stage? Will the Celtics be rested and healthy when it comes time to get down to brass tacks? the hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” and “Talkin’ Cs” podcasts, Jack Simone, Sam LaFrance, and Bobby Krivitsky, took a closer look on a recent episode.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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A mic’d up Anthony Edwards showed he had that dog in him by barking during an elimination game

Fans are in for a treat whenever Anthony Edwards is mic’d up.

The Minnesota Timberwolves trailed the Mavericks, 3-0, in the Western Conference Finals. But that didn’t matter much on Tuesday night.

History tells us that a team trailing 3-0 during a series in the NBA postseason has never overcome the deficit to advance. But never tell Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards the odds.

During Minnesota’s Game 4 against the Mavericks, Edwards was mic’d up by TNT’s broadcasting team. At one point, he was fighting for a loose ball when it became clear that the former No. 1 overall pick was literally barking while in the scramble.

Minnesota went on to narrowly win the game as Edwards scored a game-high 29 points, adding 10 rebounds and nine assists during the contest as well.

It was as necessary of a victory as you will see as the Timberwolves had their backs against the wall trailing by as many games and facing what could have been the end of their season while on the road.

Instead, they showed tremendous fight during a great game and went on to secure the impressive victory.

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Kendrick Perkins calls voting for Rudy Gobert as the Defensive Player of the Year his ‘biggest regret’

Kendrick Perkins is mad because he made a good decision. You hate to see it.

It’s been pretty trendy to trash Rudy Gobert these days. Everybody is doing it.

Fans were going in on Gobert for getting cooked by Nikola Jokic in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Draymond Green has been taking shots at Gobert for as long as he’s been on theĀ Inside the NBAĀ show during these playoffs. It’s been bad. Really bad. The dude can’t catch a break.

Now, Kendrick Perkins and ESPN are jumping in on the joke, too.

Perkins called voting for Rudy Gobert as the Defensive Player of the Year has been the “biggest regret” of his post-NBA media career so far.

“Me voting this season for Rudy Gobert is an embarrassment for me. He’s the first player that we see every single time in the postseason that becomes a defensive liability. Don’t come give me these analytics, don’t come give me these plus-minus stats…When I look at Rudy, he has tarnished the Defensive Player of the Year award.”

We can add Kendrick Perkins to the gaggle of media talking heads who have it out for Gobert.

For Perkins to say voting for him is the biggest regret of his media career is wild. You’d think it’d be that time that he fell for an Andre Iguodala troll or that time he quoted a report live on air from *checks notes* Ballsack Sports. Public shame doesn’t hit quite the same way it used to these days.

What Perkins is saying here about Gobert is ridiculous. He says he doesn’t want the advanced stats or the analytics or whatever, so I won’t. I guess bringing facts to the table is frowned upon. But, hey, if we want to just go off of logic and vibes, we can do that, too.

Perkins is basically chastising Gobert for not being able Jokic and Luka Doncic without help. Keep in mind that one of those players just won a third MVP award in four years and the other was the runner-up. I’m pretty sure you can line up whoever against them in single coverage and it probably won’t end well. But what do I know?

Because of that, I guess, he can’t be Defensive Player of the Year. If we’re going by that criteria, we should probably abolish the award and save everyone the trouble because no one would be worthy.

If Perk wants to surrender his vote for actually making a sound decision? More power to him. Maybe somebody with a bit more sense about all this can take his place.

Anthony Edwards shared a thoughtful, awe-inspiring mindset after gut-wrenching Game 3 loss

Anthony Edwards remains incredibly optimistic despite the Timberwolves facing elimination.

The Minnesota Timberwolves look absolutely cooked, but that isn’t stopping Anthony Edwards from staying positive, even when the sky is proverbially falling.

I won’t sugarcoat just how bad things look for the Timberwolves. They’re now down 3-0 in the Western Conference finals, and Luke Doncic likely whispered something diabolical to Anthony Edwards as the Mavs were running away with Game 3. IT’S BAD.

Still, Anthony Edwards isn’t panicking. Postgame, a reporter asked him how he remained optimistic despite now facing elimination. Here’s what Edwards shared with the media:

“I never think the sky is falling. I don’t know. I’m always positive ā€” always happy. Been through the worst. So, the sky is never falling for me.”

This is the right mindset when it feels like nearly everything is going wrong. It’s part of what makes Edwards so good, and because of how well he is playing, the Timberwolves have had some absolute moments of brilliance during the Western Conference Finals.

At the very least, this should tell fans that Edwards won’t go down without giving it everything he has.