Timberwolves fans recap a historic 2023-24 NBA season by voting on their favorite games, plus on and off-court memories, before assessing the state of the team entering the offseason.
Is it okay to start enjoying the Minnesota Timberwolves again? We had 35 voices chime in for the latest edition of Canis Pulsus as we look back at the good times we had.
What were the favorite on and off court memories from the season?
The fifth-most voted on game was…
11/6 — Ant takes over in overtime thriller vs BOS; 114-109 (OT)
This was perhaps the first time of the season where the Wolves were firmly planted at the center of the national sports media spotlight. There were so many notable moments from this game, but Anthony Edwards totally dominating Jayson Tatum on both ends of the court takes the cake.
The fourth-most voted on game was…
3/7 — “The Block” victory vs IND; 113-111
Ant took center stage once again. After leaving the game with a scary looking ankle sprain just minutes after tipoff, he returned to drop a then season-high-tying 44 points. That included 16 in the fourth quarter which was, as we all know, capped off with one of the best blocks in NBA history.
The third-most voted on game was…
5/6 — The best defense in the history of the NBA game; 106-80
This was one of the most awe-inspiring victories of the postseason. After a fairly narrow victory in game one of the second round against the Denver Nuggets, the Wolves painted a defensive masterpiece, without their four-time Defensive Player of the Year, that had pundits wondering if this was the best defensive team in NBA history. Ever.
The second-most voted on game was…
5/17 — Historic 45-point blowout of DEN to stay alive in Game 6; 115-70
With the Wolves backs against the wall, most fans had succumbed to the dark voices in their head. The season was likely crashing to an end after a blistering 6-0 start to the playoffs. But what if they had one last party at Target Center? What if the fans showed the home team how much they appreciated their amazing accomplishment one more time? This is what you got: Blowout. Free chicken. Chicken dances. Luka Garza. 50-point lead. Ecstasy.
The most voted game was…
5/19 — Game 7 20-point second half comeback; 98-90
This was hands down the best game in Minnesota Timberwolves history. Recovering from a 20-point second half deficit with your star player in a complete rut while on the road sounded as unlikely as it does nearly three weeks later. But when you have a team that is completely united and plays for one another, then you get this kind of result. I still get chills thinking about it.
The third-most voted non-basketball memory was…
“I told em, I said ‘I’ll see ya’ll motherf–kers for Game 7.'”
Ant wasn’t lying pic.twitter.com/WUdEIwLRSv
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 17, 2024
Ant’s “See y’all mf’ers for game 7” quote after Game 5 loss
This quote hits so much harder considering the ensuing outcome. That’s one of the beautiful qualities of Ant. His unbridled confidence comes off completely genuine and wouldn’t you know it, he carried through on that promise. Edwards didn’t brag about this comment. It was a simple and honest response to a media member question. File this into the book of vintage Ant quotes.
The second-most voted non-basketball memory was…
Final 2 games of series KAT was +35 in 68 minutes of play. He hit 11 of 14 shots inside the arc. And DEN shot 35% when he was the closest defender.
Fitting that he’d be the one to seal the Game 7 victory… pic.twitter.com/ifyN3C4Eec
— Alan Horton (@WolvesRadio) May 20, 2024
KAT erasing his negative postseason narrative
I was happy to see this one appear as the second most popular answer. Karl-Anthony Towns has been one of the biggest punching bags of NBA media, fans, and even other fellow players. Of the many negative narratives, one of them was his lack of productivity in the playoffs. To many, his legacy was “on the line” this postseason. His response? KAT was a key cog in sweeping the Phoenix Suns, followed by being the MVP against the Nuggets. Sure, his performance in games one through three in the Western Conference finals were poor, but he also rebounded to with two strong final games.
He made us all proud this season.
The most voted non-basketball memory was…
Target Center was electric tonight pic.twitter.com/24X2D703Pd
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) March 23, 2024
Naz getting national shine (Honk If You Love Naz Reid; Beach towels, etc.)
Naz Reid, for all intents and purposes, is the People’s Champ. From his story as an undrafted player working through the G-League, to winning the Sixth Man of the Year award, Naz is perhaps one of the most well-known household names in Minnesota. The entire state, and country even, rallied behind him. Hopefully he will retire a Wolf.
Naz Reid.
Full results:
What do you most hope the Timberwolves do this offseason with their roster?
Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
Keep the team together, pay the luxury tax (45.7%)
Most voters had votes split between keeping the team together and addressing the point guard of the future. To the latter, even Mike Conley himself publicly shared just how injured he was in the Western Conference Finals.
Mike Conley confirms he wasn’t healthy for Game 5. Told @DanBarreiroKFAN he didn’t even walk that day until a few hours before the game: https://t.co/hWQ8MAxcyX
— Justin Gaard (@Gaardsy) June 5, 2024
Will the soon to be 37-year-old have better injury luck next year? We’d be hard-pressed to believe so. It will be intriguing to see what magic President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly and his staff can conjure up given the financial and draft constraints that the Wolves face. But Minnesota does have two selections in the top-37 of the NBA Draft later this month.
Who do you want to be the majority owner of the Timberwolves next season?
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Marc Lore / A-Rod (68.6%)
The overwhelming majority of voters went with the pair of guys who pined for Rudy Gobert and Connelly in 2022. The remaining 31.4% of voters hardly went with the other option of Glen Taylor (5.7%). In fact, Taylor got as many votes as Kevin Garnett did as a write-in option. Hell, even “Me” was the second-highest answer, at 8.6%. Lastly, we had some random names pop up like Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jay-Z. Nice.
How satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the final result of the 2023-2024 season?
Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post
Very satisfied (77.1%)
Over 70% of voters headed into the postseason indicating that a successful playoff run would be to at least advance to the Western Conference finals. That number runs close to what we got in this question, as 97.1% of voters were some degree of satisfied with this result. Finishing the regular season as nearly the top seed of the Western Conference, multiple end of season awards, and winning multiple playoff series including dethroning the defending champs should be good enough for most of us.
Full voting results:
What are you most excited about during the offseason?
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Olympic basketball (46.1%)
There’s plenty of things to look forward to. Us seasoned CH members are used to the NBA draft being the highlight of the year, and although it’s just two weeks out, only 5.9% of the vote went towards that. Instead, the overwhelming favorite was Olympic basketball. Mark your calendars: Saturday, July 27th is when it all begins. Ant will obviously be representing the USA, but we may also get to watch others like Rudy Gobert (FRA) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (CAN) in action.
Shoutout to the one voter who gave a nod to the WNBA. Support women’s hoops!
Full voting results:
My current feelings on the direction of the Timberwolves are…
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Very optimistic (74.3%)
Previous result: Very optimistic (92.3%)
Optimism has understandably calmed down a bit since the high of the series victory over Denver. Still, nearly three quarters of the fanbase remains high on the Wolves and won’t be selling any stock soon. Perhaps some of the muted optimism could be due to the ensuing ownership struggle and subsequent tax bill/lack of roster flexibility, but there’s no reason this team can’t run it back with a similar result.
Full voting results:
