2018 Playoffs

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It takes time to build a successful team.

I’d imagine it’s like building a house.

Disclaimer: I have never built a house or a team.

Things just aren’t instantly put together (unless it’s one of those pop-up houses I’ve seen on Facebook lately). You need to construct the pieces and make sure they fit, and from there, you assemble and hope everything works out. And if it doesn’t you adjust on the fly. If you do it the right way, you have a beautiful house with a pool and an outdoor basketball hoop. If you construct it incorrectly, well, you rebuild.

The Minnesota Timberwolves weren’t trying to build a house in 2017-18, but a culture of winning basketball.

While their season is over after Wednesday night’s Game 5 loss to the Rockets at the Toyota Center, the Wolves took huge steps towards that culture.

Making the playoffs alone doesn’t mark the season as a success (although it helps) and losing in the first round doesn’t make it a disappointment.

This team is four years removed from winning 16 games, three years from 29, and last season the team won 31 games. For this team to make the jump it made in such a short amount of time is uncommon.

“I told the players I’m very proud of what (they) did,” Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “To get out of the hole that we were in, to win 47 games, to get into the playoffs after 14 years of not being in the playoffs, to do it in a very tight playoff race, to finish one game out of the fourth spot, it’s a major jump from where we were two years ago. We have to take all the things we learned this past season and we have to make a commitment to continue to improve, but I’m very proud of what this team did. It was not easy and they fought like crazy to get it done.”

The Wolves finished the season with a 47-35 record, their most wins since 2003-04. As you’ve heard a million times, that was also the last time the team made the postseason. This was with Jimmy Butler missing 17 games after undergoing surgery on a right meniscal injury.

Minnesota was 37-22 with Butler in the lineup (62.7 winning percentage). The Wolves were 8-9 without Butler. With Butler, simple math tells us the Wolves win 10.6 games, which would give them 49 for the season. That might have been good enough to earn a third or fourth seeding.

But injuries happen, for every team, and that’s part of the game.

While the Wolves had plenty of proven winners on the team this season – Butler, Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford. They also had players who needed real, pressure-packed experience to take that next step such as Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. And with the Wolves clawing for the postseason down the stretch -- finishing with a 5-2 record including three straight to end the season -- they got exactly that.

“They’ve learned what it takes to get yourself to the playoffs, now us as a whole we have to figure out what it takes to whenever we get there,” Butler said. “No matter what seed we are, that’s what we’re expected to do. But like I said I’m proud of everybody, I’m happy for everybody that they prepared the way that they did, they went about the game as professional as possible and gave us a chance to win a couple.”

There were plenty of memories throughout the season, highlighted by the 112-106 overtime win over the Nuggets that clinched a postseason berth for the Wolves. It’s one of the better games you’ll ever see as a fan.

There was Minnesota’s Game 3 win over the Houston Rockets, the team’s first playoff win since May 23, 2004.

The team had two players represent Minnesota in the All-Star Game.

Of course, these are smaller picture things. But ultimately it’s the small pieces ultimately create the puzzle. Team building, and for Minnesota most of all, culture building, takes time. Becoming a winner, takes time.

“It’s a work in progress. We’re still working on it. It’s not something you get in a second,” Thibodeau said. “It’s what you do every day is what matters. It’s how you approach everything. We’ve made great strides, and we still have a lot of strides to make.”

This is a roster that should get better naturally. Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague are still in the primes of their careers. And the ceiling for Towns and Wiggins is as high as they want it to be. Those two are the keys to just how far the Wolves can go in the upcoming years. Both had their moments in the playoffs, and both had their struggles. And again, like injuries, that’s part of it. In the playoffs, teams throw different schemes at you and looks you’re not used to seeing. It’s how you adjust to that that separates the good players from the great players.

“Especially going through the experiences we had to go through this year, I’ve learned a lot especially in this playoffs,” Towns said. “You understand a little bit of the difference between regular season and postseason. We haven’t been there in like 14 years so there’s experience that needed to be garnered and we wanted to take that next step. We came up short tonight but we’re very confident in ourselves leading up to next year.”

The season is over for the Wolves, but this is a team that should have high aspirations for 2018-19. Hopefully this playoff run helped with that.

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This Was About Growth For The Wolves

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Game 5 Gallery | Wolves Fall To Rockets

We are back. I went for a run, but I am absolutely exhausted. Shouldn’t have done that pizza party last night. Once you hit 28, life moves fast.

The flight was actually a pretty quick one. I had an enchilada (bold move on a plane) and watched “Battle of the Sexes” with Emma Stone and Steve Carrell. Only made it about an hour in, but it was solid. I’ll finish it sometime this weekend.

Not really much Ratke on the Road content to cover. We have plenty of content written from last night, plus more coming tomorrow.

Big ups to Julian Andrews for helping me out with everything. Believe it or not, Wi-Fi doesn’t work everywhere.

Thanks again for following along with this edition. Unfortunately, the ending to this isn’t the happiest, but we have plenty to look forward to with this team. I can assure you that.

The Wolves fell 122-104 last night in Game 5 to end the season.

I’ll have a column up on this later, but the way the team fought in the series was pretty remarkable. Minnesota’s offense wasn’t at its best, but defensively the Wolves came to play and apart from a few quarters, was right there.

We’ll have plenty more content coming from the series and the season, but get yourself started with the recap here and a piece from Julian Andrews.

After the game last night, a few of us had a little pizza party at the hotel. Unnecessary calories are fun.

We fly out here shortly, so I’m going to clean up my room a bit and get a coffee. Keep checking the site for more content throughout the day. I’ll try to post a bunch on the flight.

I’m currently in my room wearing a robe and slippers because there are only so many moments when you can do that in life. This is one of those moments.

We are going to head over the arena shortly to get our pregame stuff ready.

If I could wear this robe and slippers, I surely would.

Shootaround was at 11 this morning with media availability after. Nothing groundbreaking. Just the do-or-die type mentality you’d expect the Wolves to have.

After shootaround, I wrote some stuff and then grabbed some lunch at a nearby sports bar that definitely had more than 80 animals hanging from the walls. So yeah. Texas.

I had a southwest salad, sub spinach in for iceberg lettuce. It was tasty, but I’ll probably still go for a little snack run before we leave.

Nothing else to really report here. Hopefully I can check back in sometime before the game.

Good morning from the place where the lead singer of Destiny’s Child was born.

It’s very nice here. Judging from looking out the window, it appears to be 68 degrees.

Last night, Noah and I went and got some tacos from a place where one guy was working the food line, the bar and was also bringing out orders. There’s an 18 percent chance we get sick today.

I decided to head to that Astros and Angels game. I got to see Shohei Ohtani pitch, which was a pretty cool thing. He gave up 4 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings, but oh well. There were five home runs in the game. I did not catch any, but for $30, my seats were pretty awesome.

But the question you’re all dying to have answered. Did I finish “Dunkirk” when I got back?

You’re darn right I did. I talked to Noah about the movie on our walk to dinner. He seemed underwhelmed with the movie, and I get it. There wasn’t much for character building. Overall, though, solid film. And only $2.95 to rent on Amazon Prime!

I’m going to hit the old elliptical now before we head off to shootaround. After shootaround, we’ll have videos, plus two or three written pieces leading up to the game.

You can check out the game’s scouting report here.

For breakfast, odds are I’ll have an Uncrustable, but stay tuned!

(If you don’t read anymore of this, I completely understand.)

I watched "Dunkirk"  on the flight and oh my goodness, is that a good movie. I have about 13 minutes left, which means I’ll definitely buy it on Amazon Prime tonight and finish it instead of simply waiting 48 hours to watch it on the flight back.

After getting into the hotel, I immediately scarfed down a Cliff Bar even though I wasn’t hungry at all.

I did a little gym session alongside Dave Benz. A few other Wolves staffers were getting their fitness on as well.

Now I’m writing this. Not exactly a wild day. Noah and I are going to get some grub soon, hopefully something culturally authentic. Any ideas?

The team didn’t have practice today after arriving, so not much to report team wise.Tyus Jones (knee) is officially listed as questionable for tomorrow's game.

Maybe I’ll go to the Astros and Angels game tonight. Shohei Ohtani is pitching. Could be fun.

This is the first-ever playoff edition of Ratke on the Road.

This is a pretty emotional moment for all of us here.

We’re heading to Houston for Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The No. 8 Wolves trail the series 3-1 to the No. 1 Rockets.

The Wolves have a must-win Game 5 on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center at 8:30 p.m. CT. The game airs on Fox Sports North (Jim Petersen & Dave Benz), TNT (I don’t know) and 102.9 Buz’n FM (THE Alan Horton).

For those who are new to Ratke on the Road, which I’d imagine this is all of you outside of my family members and my cat, welcome. This is a blog that isn’t necessarily basketball centric. It’s about food, travel and random thoughts from the road. If there are basketball nuggets that don’t quite work into a full post, I’ll throw them in here.

On the trip from our Digital Content team, we’ve got myself, Shahbaz and Noah. We’ll create some engaging content for you folks, we hope.

We are currently waiting to fly out. I forgot that it’s warmer in Houston, so I had to buy a few t-shirts from the Timberwolves Team Store located in the skyway. The Timberwolves Team Store is open from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and has all of your Timberwolves gear, with new stuff arriving weekly. #ad

As far as snacks go, not much to report. I had a big breakfast and I’ll likely be full until 3 p.m. Younger Kyle would be pretty disappointed in himself for not loading up on snacks for a flight. Maybe they’ll have Stroopwafels.

Not much else to report. THE Alan Horton is on my flight, so I’m a little bit star struck right now.

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Ratke On The Road | Western Conference Quarterfinals Game 5

The Wolves are facing elimination tonight against the Rockets in Houston, trailing 3-1 in the seven-game series.

Minnesota is aware of the circumstances, and the Wolves intend on giving every ounce of effort to extend the series.

“We’ve got to come out from the start. Go at them and be aggressive,” Wolves wing Andrew Wiggins said after Wednesday’s shootaround. “Play like it’s our last game, because it might be. Go out there and play like our lives depend on it.”

Apart from two quarters, the Wolves have played the Rockets better than many thought going into the series as a No. 8 seed vs. a No. 1 seed.

Wiggins has had his moments in this series, scoring 18 in Game 1 and 20 in Game 3. In the series, he’s averaging 16.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field.

For the Wolves, they can’t think about a possible Game 6 on Friday. Instead, they need to focus on playing the best team in the NBA in hostile territory tonight.

“Don’t think too far ahead, just think about now,” Wiggins said.

Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. CT on Fox Sports North, TNT and 102.9 Buz’n FM.

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Andrew Wiggins: 'Play Like Our Lives Depend On It'

Prior to Wednesday night's Game 5 against the Rockets in Houston, our Kyle Ratke was able to chat with Alan Horton, the voice of the Wolves. Tonight's game will air on Buz'n 102.9 FM at 8:30 p.m.

KR: If the Wolves want to take one tonight in Houston and move this to Game 6 in Minneapolis, what are the keys?

AH: Somehow get back the the way they played in Game 3, where the intensity, the focus was there right from the opening tip. With the exception of a late second-quarter run by Houston and early in the third quarter when Thibs called that early timeout the Timberwolves really responded and dominated the rest of the way.

The Timberwolves really responded and kind of dominated the rest of the way. They’ve got to get back to playing that way, the way they played in Game 3, and they’ve done a really good job in the series I thought of not allowing (James) Harden and (Chris) Paul together to get going, to get in a rhythm offensively, and they did that in the third quarter of Game 4. But for the most part they had done a really good job. Game 1 was Harden going off but Paul struggled, Game 2 the opposite, Game 3 they had numbers but they really didn’t dominate for stretches, and I think when we saw them dominate in the third quarter we see what Houston’s capable of.

KR: There are plenty of positives from the series if you're a Wolves fan, though, apart from those two really bad quarters.

AH: It’s true, the second quarter of Game 2 and the third quarter of Game 4, the problem is in a series, even if it’s seven games, those quarters can make a huge difference, and those quarters basically carried the Rockets to two wins. You split the other two and that’s where we are, it’s 3-1. Thibs says it time and time again about playing a full 48 and you can’t let up against teams like the Rockets, and if you do that’s what happens, quarters like that happen. But you’re right if you take away those two quarters, which you can’t and even up until halftime of Game 4, you played three and a half games and it was relatively even. You were a half away from stealing Game 4 and tying the series 2-2 instead that big third quarter really makes things kind of lopsided. It’s now 3-1 and the Wolves have their backs up against the wall.

KR: We've heard Thibs talk time and time again about not knowing playoff basketball until you get there. Karl-Anthony Towns has struggled in the series, while Andrew Wiggins has had his moments. This needs to be a big learning moment for those two, right?

AH: I hope so. I hope those guys learn from it. I hope they get to soak in the experience of what it takes to win and see what guys like James Harden and Chris Paul do to get their teams into form like that in the postseason, because it’s a whole [different] level of basketball. I think for Karl specifically kind of the way they were defending on him, putting pressure on him to make decisions, I think we’ve seen him get his footing a little bit over the last couple of games, but it has to be every game, it has to be a consistent thing. But when the Wolves were at their best that was Game 3 and that was a balanced attack, you know, three 20-point scorers. You had (Derrick) Rose coming off the bench and contributing, you had (Jamal) Crawford contributing, it’s going to take that kind of effort to beat Houston. You can’t just rely on KAT or Wiggins, it’s got to be both of them and Jimmy and Jeff right down the line.

KR: If the Wolves were able to win Game 5 and head back to Minneapolis, how big would that be for the fanbase? You force a Game 6 at home and if the crowd is like it was in Game 3 and Game 4, who knows? And if you win that, all of the pressure is on Houston in Game 7.

AH: I think you probably feel like you’re playing with house money, come in a little more free, a little looser, and that’s what’s great about a series, even down 3-1. If you keep it close tonight like you did in Game 1 maybe you eek one out here, force them to come back to Target Center. The fanbase was not expecting another home game, and probably the players weren’t either, now all of a sudden you’ve got an atmosphere that’s like Game 3, Game 4, like the Denver game, and now you’ve got a chance to even the series and then Game 7, hey, Chris Paul, James Harden and Mike D’Antoni, as good as they are in their respective roles, they all have something to prove, and they’ve had their struggles in the postseason. You’d love to be able to put the pressure on them and see how they react and take your chances. If they respond then fine, but it’s real interesting. I always like breaking down the series like that, it makes every game even though you’re down 3-1 and on the road, you’re able to steal one I think it changes the complexion big time. 

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Game 5 Shootaround Chat With Alan Horton

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Game 4 Gallery | Wolves vs. Rockets

Western Conference Playoffs, First RoundGame 4

Wolves vs. Rockets, 7 p.m.Target CenterFox Sports North, TNT, Buz’n 102.9

And just like that, we have ourselves a series.

The Wolves beat the Rockets 121-105 in a must-win Game 3 at Target Center on Saturday night. That moved the series to 2-1, benefiting the Rockets, with a crucial Game 4 on deck back in Minneapolis.

The building was absolutely electric on Saturday night, and you can probably expect more of the same in Game 4. If the Wolves can tie this thing at 2-2 and make it a three-game series, the fans might cheer the roof off.

While Minnesota’s offense has been one of the league’s best this season, it’s defense that has kept the Wolves alive in this series. 

Minnesota has limited Houston to 103.7 points per game in the playoffs (9.7 fewer than the Rockets’ regular-season average. Houston is also shooting 42.7 percent (down 3.3 percent) and 31.5 percent from the 3-point line (down 4.7 percent) in the series.

This is extremely crucial. On a team with James Harden and Chris Paul, it’s nearly impossible to shut the Rockets down completely, but so far, the Wolves have done a great job. 

One player to keep an eye on is Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns combined for just 13 points in his first two games. While he wasn’t great in Game 3, he found a little bit of a groove, finishing with 18 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks while shooting 5-for-13 from the field, 1-for-2 from the 3-point line and 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. The Wolves will need their All-Star big man if they want to make sure we see more NBA playoff basketball at the Target Center this season.

For Houston, it got Ryan Anderson back from an ankle injury and he played exactly how he played in his previous two games at Target Center this season. In 18 minutes, Anderson finished with 12 points, shooting 4-for-6 from the 3-point line. In three games in Minnesota this season, Anderson is shooting 14-for-21 from the 3-point line (66.7 percent) which is absolutely insane. 

It’ll be up to Taj Gibson and Gorgui Dieng ot make sure they put pressure on Anderson at the 3-point line, especially in the pick-and-pop game.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Target Center. For ticket information, click here. The game will broadcast on Fox Sports North, TNT and 102.9 Buz’n FM.

Rockets: Luc Mbah a Moute (shoulder) is out.

Rockets: PG – Paul, SG - Harden, SF - Ariza, PF - Tucker, C - Capela

Wolves: PG – Teague, SG – Butler, SF – Wiggins, PF – Gibson, C – Towns

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Game 4 Scouting Report | Wolves vs. Rockets

The Houston Rockets are averaging 103.7 points per game in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

That’s 9.7 points less per game than the 112.4 they averaged during the regular season. 

Houston is shooting 42.7 percent from the field in the series, 3.3 percent lower than their regular-season mark. And finally, Houston is shooting 31.5 percent from the 3-point line, down 4.7 percent.

The Wolves are coming off a 121-105 win over Houston on Saturday night, putting the series at 2-1 favoring Houston as we go into Monday’s Game 4 at Target Center.

Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau, not one to reflect too long or look ahead too far, noted that his team has to play even better moving forward.

“That’s how you win in this league,” Thibodeau said after the game. “They’re a great team. We’re going to have to play better on Monday, and I think we’re capable of playing better. We’re learning more each day, each day we learn, we improve. We know we can’t feel too good about ourselves.” 

Thibodeau credits Minnesota’s defensive surge with how the season ended. Minnesota needed to win three-straight games (five out of seven) to finally clinch a playoff spot on the last night of the season. That intensity hasn’t gone anywhere.

“I think down the stretch we learned a lot,” Thibodeau said. “Those were all hard-fought games. Those were all like playoffs game. I think we learned from that. I think we have a long ways to go, but you’re starting to see the growth. This is as good as an offensive team you’re going to see in this league.” 

It’s not going to be easy to keep this up against a team led by James Harden and Chris Paul, plus a plethora of great shooters, but the series could easily be 2-1 benefitting the Wolves after a three-point loss in Game 1. 

Minnesota has been getting great defensive effort from everyone, most notably wings Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins. 

The Rockets are going to come out with more energy in Game 4, and it’s crucial the Wolves match it if they want to tie the series up in front of a Target Center crowd that was absolutely electric in Game 3.

Tipoff on Monday night is set for 7 p.m. on Fox Sports North, TNT and 102.9 Buz’n FM.

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Wolves Playing Best Defense At Exactly The Right Time

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