I would be OK with the Timberwolves losing the series. It did come down to the final Game of the regular season, so the gap between first and third is so razor-thin that it doesn't say much at all about how the top three teams in West compare with each other. But it is the defending champs, after all ... which makes what the Timberwolves did, namely going into The Mile High City and taking Game 1 of their second-round series by a score of 106-99. They trailed to start the Second Half, but behind Anthony Edwards's 43 Points (he's getting more comparisons to, egad, Michael Jordan), they were able to tie and finally push ahead of the Nuggets for good in the middle of the Fourth Quarter where, as Ant suffered from foul trouble, Sixth Man Of The Year Naz Reid scored 14 of his 16 Points in that final frame. Meanwhile, even though Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter, Jr. all got theirs, the Timberwolves managed to erase any scoring production by the other two starters, Aaron Gordon (nine Points) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (six Points). Once again, the Timberwolves bench is providing the Defense that is stymying the other teams' role players. That was a key factor in sweeping the Suns, and it was a big reason why Minnesota took Game 1.
Game 2 is tonight/Monday night. The great thing about their effort on Saturday night was that it is replicatible. The Wolves haven't lost yet in the postseason. Dare I say it; could they sweep the Nuggets, too??
#0: United FC (Last Week: -1). Yeah, I'm a bit excited about the Loons now, forgive me. But they've now won three in a row after going into fellow classmate Atlanta and beating the Five Stripes, 2-1. Kervin Arriaga got MNUFC on the board first off, you guessed it, a Corner Kick, and man, being able to score off of set pieces is going to pay huge dividends for this XI going forward. Then, six mere Minutes later, Tani Oluwaseyi shot a worm-burning bomb from outside the box for the Game-winner. Selecting this Nigerian-Canadian out of St. John's in the 2022 Major League Soccer SuperDraft has the makings of a huge hit. We could be talking about Rookie Of The Year.
While United FC sit one Point behind Real Salt Lake for the lead in The Western Conference, by Points Per Game they are tied for best overall with, of all squads, Inter Miami. And their 6-2-2 start for 20 Points is their best-ever ten-Match start to an MLS season ever. Since there is still an odd number of teams in the league, it is MNUFC's bye next weekend; they get back to action Wednesday the 15th as they will play two Matches that screening Week.
#-1: Twins (Last Week: 0). The winning streak had to end some time, right? So it ended at twelve yesterday/Sunday afternoon, 9-2 to Boston at Target Field. So what? They went from falling down a well in fourth place in the American League Central to being tied with Kansas City for second place and being only 2 1/2 Games out. That completely righted the ship. Now, can they continue their winning ways as they host Seattle for four Games starting tonight/Monday night and then visiting Toronto over the weekend for a trio?
#-2: Lynx (Re-Entry!). I should say something about the WNBA Draft, which occurred than a Week ago. The Lynx, drafting eighth, took in the First Round Alissa Pili, who was all over the mock draft boards. She can score a ton. Problem is she ain't a defensive stalwart, and this club needs that. Cheryl Reeve is a defensive maven, and the hope is she can instill some want-to into the Forward when the team doesn't have the ball.
One other thing. There has been some notoriety of a fan who was at Friday's preseason Game between the Lynx and The Chicago Sky at Target Center. Many fans assumed that contest was going to be broadcast on the app WNBA League Pass, but due to some miscommunication, turns out it wasn't. So this person just held up her phone from half-court (she was several rows up, I think) and livestreamed the whole Game, right then and there. Genius, and it does show the WNBA needs to get its shit together (why they haven't hired broadcasters to call all preseason Games is a fail). Two things. First, while I wouldn't arrest her or anything, what this fan did technically is illegal. I think the WNBA knows it would catch hell if it enforced that "illegal dissemination" policy on this person. Second, most of the talk on X is how no one would want to show this Game -- because it was going to feature Rookie Angel Reese. Isn't it possible that people would want to watch this Game online not just for the pretty Bayou Barbie playing for the road team? Hell, the Sky drafted Kamilla Cardoso too, and she just won a title with South Carolina. I think the person who livestreamed this is a Lynx fan; wouldn't people who caught her livestream want to see how Pili is doing?
#-3: Gopher baseball (Last Week: -2). Lost two-of-three at home to Nebraska -- just like the softballers, who also hosted the 'Huskers. Did Nebraska provide one plane and one flight for both teams? Anyway, the baseballers now fall to 21-21 for the season. John Anderson's final home regular season series as Head Coach of the University of Minnesota baseball team comes this weekend as they host Michigan St. in a three-Game series concluding on Mother's Day.
#-4: Gopher softball (Last Week: -3). It is unfortunate that this program fell apart right at the end of the regular season with so much on the line. Holding onto the fourth seed in the Big Ten, which means they would be in line for a bye for the conference tournament, their final series was against Nebraska, who were in fifth place behind the U. This three-Game set was also at Cowles Stadium. And sadly, the Cornhuskers took the Friday and Saturday tilts, thus taking fourth place away from the Goofers.
The softballers now have to play four, not three, Games to win the tourney title. They will begin play vs. 12th-seeded Illinois Wednesday afternoon. (Side note: This tournament is being hosted by Iowa, who, by the way, lost to Minnesota on Monday. Only the top twelve teams in the regular season standings make it to the B1G tournament. And ironically, the host Hawkeyes are one of the two teams not to make it, alongside Michigan St. Attendance might be in the shitter.) And by the way, win they probably must: According to D1 Softball bracketologist Eric Lopez, the U. won't even sniff the NCAA tournament with its current resume; Nebraska and Ohio St., both of whom Lopez has on the outside looking in, still have better cases to make than Minnesota. So it's tourney or bust.
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