Julian Andrews Web Editorial Associate Twitter
As the Wolves make their playoff push in the final games of the season, we’re taking a look at possible scenarios for their final position in the Western Conference. As of Wednesday morning, the Wolves are in seventh place. We’ll be starting with what it would take for the team to simply clinch a playoff spot and working our way up to how Minnesota could earn home-court advantage. In this race, things can change every single night, so we’ll also be updating you daily on where things sit.
While the Wolves would obviously love to clinch a spot in the playoffs as soon as possible, they’ve got to be thinking bigger as well. Wouldn’t it be nice to play the first game of the playoffs at Target Center? We think so too.
The Wolves have no shot at the third seed but are not mathematically eliminated from contention for the No. 4 seed. Here’s how it could happen:
Let’s assume the Wolves win the rest of their games, both because it’s fun to be optimistic, and because it’s almost impossible Minnesota moves up three spots in the standings without winning out. Even if the Wolves go 4-0 and finish with a final record of 48-34, they’ll need a fair amount of help to move up.
The Wolves hold the tiebreakers over the Jazz, Thunder, and Pelicans, but not the Spurs. That means if all those teams finish with the same record, the Wolves would still earn a lower playoff seed than San Antonio. One of these four teams will earn the No. 4 seed, so Minnesota needs to be on top.
Because of their good tiebreaker status, Minnesota doesn’t need the Thunder or Pelicans to drop any more games. However, they would need both a Jazz loss and two Spurs losses to overtake those teams in the standings. Minnesota fans should pay attention to Utah’s final games against Portland and Golden State, and San Antonio’s games against the Blazers and Pelicans.
If the Wolves fail to win out, their ability to move up to fourth becomes very tenuous. If Minnesota goes 3-1 they would need three Spurs losses, two Utah losses, one Thunder loss, and one Pelicans loss. Those Spurs losses look like they’re going to be especially hard to come by. The Spurs play the Lakers, Blazers, Kings, and Pelicans in their final four games, and it’s tough to imagine them dropping three of those. Even two might be tricky.
The Wolves don’t control their own destiny in the race for the No. 4 seed, but they aren’t passive observers either. If they want a realistic chance at home-court advantage, they need to take care of their end of things and win some games.
That's it for our seed-by seed breakdowns, check back tomorrow for an update on how tonight's games affect the Wolves' playoff scenarios!